The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-23
BRAND GIVEN TASK
ASKED TO FORM NEW CADIxEr IN
 FRANCE.
Clenssesau, the Depssed HeaA sf Fer nex Deafab Net Cast Dsvvn by 0vefthRow--CharBe Aga1nst
 Up1cnsse True.

m Ds1casse True.
 Paris.s July 22--Aristide Briand, bril- liant scholar. orator and avowed so- cialfst and architect of the 1nal chap ters of the separation law. was sum- moned to the Eiysee palace tonight and asked to reconstruct theI Clemenceau cabinet. N. Briand promised his ar- swer tomorrow. stating during the course of an interview that unless he could unite the Republican groups. he would go no further.
 President Fallieres. upon the advice of tho parliamentary leaders. whom he was constitutionaiiy obliged to con- suit. intended to make the first offer of the premiership to Leon Bourgeois. former Minister of Foreign Affairs. but the delay In M Bourgeois's arrival in Paris and doubt regarding his accept ance of the post. induced the President to save time by offering the premier ship direct to M Briand. who already is consulting with his colleagues with view to the reconstruction of the cabinet.
 This, 1t Is expected. will be effected by the shifting of some of the portfo- Hos and the retention of all the minis- ters except Win. Picquart. Pickard and Milles-LACroix. respectively Ministers 
 gram of the retiring Government will be adopted. but probably will ex- tended to include the passage ct the October session of the bill relating to electoral reform. which provides for voting by departments. with propor- tional representation, instead of the present choice of deputies by arrondis- sements or small districts.
 During the day considerable opposf- tion to M. Briand developed. especially among the more conservative Senators of- the Republican majority on the ground that the selection of Socialist at the head of the Government would be equivalent to prociaiming tho bank ruptcy of the radicals.
 Fifty Radical Socialists, headed by Deputy Dubief, have voted not to sup port any but e cabinet headed by . Radical or a Radioal-Socialist. Conse- quently predictions are freely made to- night that M. Briand will fall in his efforts to form a ministry which can command . majority. On the other hand, M. Jaures, leader of the Social ists in the Chamber and his followers. come forward with an offer of support.
 Should M. Briand succeed In form ing @ cabinet, as his friends believe he will. the tendencies of the new ministry vii be distinctly more social istic than those of the outgoing cabi- net. M. Briand Is opposed to the dis solution of the revolutionary General Federation of Labor, which M. Cie- menceau favored.
 Works, and M. Vivoaui. Minister Of Labor, have championed socialistic doctrines.
 The retention of NJ. Pinchon, the Foreign Minister. in any cabinet form ed would be a source of general satis- faction.
 A Briand Cabinet would be exceed- ingly distasteful to the moneyed classes, who. at least. knew that Cle- mencaeu was not afraid to resist those of revolutionary tendencies. The Con- servatives. however. believe that the Briand cabinet would be short-lived and ind oonsolation in the theory that the further the pendulum swings In on direction the further 1t will swing back in the other.
 M. Delcasse, who led the attack in the Chamber of Deputies which brought about the downfall of M. Clemenceau. has advised President Fallieres to sum. mon AIexandre Milierand. former Mtn- ister of Commerce., to head the new Cabinet, but the retiring premier has " combination which includes the man who unhorsed him Is impossible.
 M. Ciemenceau seems in no way downcast by his defeat. He satd laughingly to q friend:
 "You see the advantage of not liv- ing at the ministry. I came here with nothing but an umbrella and I am leaving with a cane"
 Despite the storm of indignation vented on M. Clemenceau for his re- marks to Delcasse. even the formers worst enemies admit that he told the truth. as 1t has long been an open secret that M. Delcasse, relying on the friendship of England. wanted to risk a war with Germany when he was For eign Minister in 1895; but the reveia- tiona then made, showing the unpre- naredness of the French army and navy. compelled the Government to yield to the German threat, dismiss M. Del casse and take the Moroccan dispute to the Algeciras conference.
 French monied interests are hoping against hope that M. Caillaux. Min ister of Finance, will not succeed him. self in the new ministry. but ma iority of the leaders who are com mitted to the income tax. workmen's pension scheme and other social re- forms, consider his retention impera- tive in order to avoid popular mis- interpretation with regard to his re- tirement in the face of the coming elections.
 Aristide Briand. who probably will be the next Premier of France. Is 1T years of age. He has risen very rap- idly from the ranks of politicians to a foremost place in the Government.
 A few years ago he was hardly known among the members of his own marty, the Revolutionary Socialists. He was appointed reporter of the church and State separation bill and soon be- came recognized as a high authority on the subject. He aimed to draw up Q bill broadly liberal In spirit. but de- void of >fanaticism and designed to as- sure freedom of worship and conscience. The result was his elevation to the post of Minister of Public Instruction and Worship in 1906.
 During the church and State troubles,