The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-15
ID TRANSFORM
 A SOCIALIST  Elevate Him to Position of Re-
 sponsibility IN CASE OF BRAND Normnns Prepare for the Celebration of the One-Thousandth Anni- versary of Founding of
 Native Country

Paris, January 14.-tSpec1RL)-T trans form a rabid, revolutionary socialist into safe and sound statesman there is ev- identity no better way than to elevate
 him to the position of the highest re- sponsIbility and place the welfare of the whole nation in his hands. The means
 may seem a risky one, but in the case of M. Briand 1t has been complete suc-
 cess At heart undoubtedly as much in
 sympathy as ever with the socialist
 cause, M. Briand has had his views
 broadened with his increased responsi- bilities and his three bills to prevent recurrence of the disastrous railroad strikes in 191O which cost the country millions of francs, deal as severely with violent strikers as the most conservative
 statesman might wish, and what is more M. Briand intends to carry them through
 In spite of the torrent of abuse and de- l nunciation from his former partisans. Acts of sabotage will be punished by terms of Imprisonment of from one month to two years, and fines of from 50 francs to 1000 francs. Those who in- cite to sabotage incur the same penal ties. There will be no difficulty in get | ting Parliament to vote this bill. The same may be said of the proposal to in- | nict from six months to two years im- prisonment on the drivers, stokers, con- | ductors, signalmen, and pointers who abandon their posts in the hours of ser vice.
 l Where M. Briand will meet with ob-
 stacles is In the suppression of the right I to strike" The railroad men have al- | ways jealousy asserted this privilege. and former ministers have admitted their claim. Arbitration for the solution of l conflicts Is proposed There will be central concliation committee and local conciiation committees. The members will be chosen from lists. approved by ! the chamber and the senate There is | clause which attacks the general labor confederation. Any union of associations or syndicates melting railway men to strike, or supplying them with the means to strike, comes under the penal provi- sions of the law.
 It is to be feared that the temper of the radical-socialist elements In the
 chamber will refuse to accept so drastic a policy. No doubt conservatives, na- tionalists and progressives will support M. Briand through and through, but the | prime minister has proclaimed that he would sooner retire from office than gov ern by "reactionary'' votes. Hence, prob ably the explanation of the rumors that | the Briand cabinet has not long to live. Fetes. which are certain to excite inn mense interest outside as we'll as in Et-ax k> $oJx at Rouen, and other Norman towns, and also among the Normans in Paris, who form strong colony here of quite 1O0,- 000 The festivities are to be held in celebration of the thousandth anniver- sary of the settlement of Clait-en-Epte
 which maNked the beginning of the Nor
 man state. M. Fallieres has accepted the
 presidency of the honorary committee in this city, which includes many Normans
 well known in the domains of politics,
 literature and art, while the working committee, with M. Salles as It's head, Is already busy on the organization of
 the fetes, which will take place in Paris on June r and IS. and among which may
 be noted reception of the delegations
 that will come from abroad, a grand
 ceremony at the Sorbonne, a gala soiree, and a banquet. Although a subscription
 has only been opened quite recently
 among the Normans, the sum of 5000
 has already been collected, but the com
 mittee is appealing to them for funds
 on a very generous scale, as the object
 is to give the utmost eclat to these fes-
 tivites.
 As l have remarked, this commemora- tion is bound to be viewed with the
 greatest interest abroad as wen as in
 this country, as there are so many peo- pie of Norman origin not only in Eng
 land, but in many another land. The
 great Northman, Rolf, Tollo, or Rou, to give him his Scandinavian Latin and
 French names, received from Charles the
 Simple a grant of land in which Rouen
 was situated, and which extended east
 ward to the Epte and to the Dive on the
 west. Such was the beginning of the
 Norman state, which, owing to the vali-
 ance and ability of its dukes and their subjects, long wielded an influence in
 Europe which was out of all proportions
 to its size. I may add that foreigners
 of Norman origin will be presented at
 the festivities, as deputations will be constituted for this express purpose, and
 that they will receive the heartiest of
 welcomes.
 From provincial town comes a weird story of a woman who is alleged to have burnt her husband alive in the presence of her three children, a son aged IT, and two daughters, aged respectively II and 15. The couple, it seems, were not very happy of late the wife being exceed ingly jealous of her husband and caus- ing frequent scenes. She Is also alleged to have developed regular mania for persecution, and made life a burden to her husband and all those around her. The poor man finally said that he could stand it no longer. He would leave her, and go with their children to live with
 his parents.
 The following night his wife 1t Is alleged, waited until he was asleep and then she poured bottle of petroleum
 over the bed and set fire to it. In a flames, and as he jumped out screaming with pain he said to her in the presence of his children, ''Wretced woman. you have done this!' He died from his burns
 a few hours later. The woman was ar rested and denied that she had done it. bottle, which had contained petroleum, was found at the foot of the bed, but she says that she does not know how it got there. It is believed that she must have done 1t during a moment of in- sanity, which, 1t is alleged. is heredi- tary in her family. three children out of nine having been sent. to lunatic asylums
 The Paris Journal gives conversation supposed to have been heard yesterday afternoon in the drawing room of the marquisc de Ganay on the decline of French politeress due to the Americani- zation of gesture and a general affecta- tion of brusquerie The marquise him self led the chorus of denunciation of the bad manners of modern French gen.
 Ian, 1u{ ,fv7c h for1V hat r,aa