Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-05
A CRISIS IN THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

France has been buffeted for many
months on troubled sea- From
Combes to Clemenceau,
a Sea OF and from Clemenceau to
Trouhl.. BRAND there h We
been continual storms.
The chamber of deputies refused the
Clemenceau cabinet its confidence by a
vote Of 2l2 to 176. NJ. BRAND. who sue
ceeded July %. 1909. had not such bad
luck. but the small majority of sixteen
determined the cabinet. which had been
on edge for months. to resign. weary
and discouraged by the incessant strife
and resistance to its administration.
NJ. BRAND presented his resignation
and that Of his entire cabinet to Presi-
dent Fallieres the c7th ultino. and 1T
was accepted the 2Sth The republic
was again in the air
March l new ministry was consu-
tuted under the leadership OF NJ
Antoine Ernest Monis. who is also min
lister Of interior; NJ. Cruppi. foreign af-
fairs: NJ Berteaux, war: NJ. Cail'auy.
finance: NJ. Steeg. public instruction;
NJ. Dumont, public works: NJ. Masse.
agriculture: Nj. MessImy. colonies; nj.
Boncour. labor: NJ. Delcasse. marine.
NJ. Pichon had been suggested to
President Fal;ieres to retain the port
then approached. and then NJ Poincare.
but all these in turn refused the prof
fered honors.
The return OF NJ. Delcasse as ministe"
OF marine has created some excited dis
cussion in the German press. He was
made prOpitiatory sacrifice to Germany
In 1905, and his temperance in French
ministry is accepted by the sensational
press as a challenge to Germany. Tn
Be, lin Post Conservative says: His &C
ceptance of office Is serious warning t.
Germany to be ready The Kreuz lei
tung says that "he is statesman one pre-
fers to see resign ng rather than acceptin
office" The Vossiche Zeitung concludes
however. there is no cause for anxiety.
The disagreement between Germany ana
France connected with his name is long
past and that times have changed since
1905"
The policy Of NJ. BRAND. like that OF NJ.
Clemenceau. was peace and Cancellation.
with good will toward all
Brands parties for the =eoeral
p.,:. good. With the very best
AVAASJ' wishes for the Success %
the new cabinet to the same object. it is
difficult to foreshadow anything like the
success achieved by M. BRAND.
The thorny question of separation OF
the church and state, it was thought. had
reached point where a modus vivendi
was possible. Then followed a crisis in
the struggle for power between capital and
labor. Joined by the General Labor Con-
federation, the National Railwaymens
Union: the employees of the Posts and
Telegraphs and the functionaries and
clerks Of the government, all in revolt and
for hi~her wares and less labor.
These revolutionary forces invented nv
Combes were restrained by Clemenceau
and mastered. at least temporarily. by
BRAND. The tension. however, has been
too great even for the latter. whose
nerve. like that Of Clemenceau. was
finally worn to breaking. The virus of
socialism and anarchy has poisoned the
political body Of France. Herve, Pa
taud and Jaurez are powers with which
the republic must count to the end.
The French clericals. that is. the ex-
NJ. BRAND than they had in NJ Clemen-
ceau. They have. ind ed. no confidence in
the republic, and look upon 1t as tran
STORY government, which has reached
high water mark. To those familiar with
the policies Of parties in France it is no
secret that the monarchical party in the
chamber has always supported many OF
the measures advocated by the socialists
It is the meeting Of the two extremes
which has been illustrated in the union of
socialist and monarchal parties in Aus
tria and Italy. If such union In Austria,
for example why not with the preten-
dents in France? Liberty, equality and
fraternity has never been the monopoly
of republican France.
Has there been a rapprochement or a
pact between the clericals and the So
cialists in France? 1t is
Clericals and possible. The socialists.
1t is remarked, have not
oOcIdI1SIS. recently antagonized the
foreign policy Of the government and
have ceased their anti-militarsm and
these symptoms lend credence to the
suggestion of pact between the extreme
left and the extreme right Tor the maj
overthrow of the republic
There is a manifest tone of discourage
ment in the note which NJ BRAND read
to President Fallieres at the Elysee the
9th ultimo:
"My appeal to feliow-republicans to
stand together has been misunderstood
by some and deliberately misrepresented
by others. 1t has failed. This schism
which I have been unable to heal renders
sterile all efforts to carry our the pro-
gram. which we believe is the sreetest
and most fearless that ever ;'aS oSeii VI
fered to parliament.
This note will surely encourage the ad-
vocates of a radical change of govern
ment.
During the ministerial crisis a distin-
p,,ished member of the cabinet Gen
Rrun. minister of war, died suddenly
FEBRUARY o. After the official ohseouies
N. BRAND paid a tribute TO his deceased
rollearue. He made special mention Of
Gen. Bruins intelligent and energetic mi
t'atiye in the domain of aerial naviga-
tion and the constitution of an impor
tart aerial fleet
The readers of The Star will comnre
bend better perhaps the tangled political
state of France by the following refer
chamber of deputies renorted in the
chronicle of NJ. Francis Charmer in the
Revue des Deux Mondes. The speech of
NJ. Barres Is particularly interfering at
his juncture II created profound inter-
sst in the chamber<and throughout the
NJ. Maurice Barres was elected
deputy in 1880.
:: X
M. Barres pointed out the legal status |
If churches. in France in referring to
their preservation, which is |
rhurch one of the charges Of the So !
cialists against NJ BRAND |
AepalI' The preservation of the |
.hurches depends entirely upon the good |
viii of the commune 10 repair them, the
commune under the new law being pro-
,r,etor. In the case of a free-thinkine |
which refuses to repair the
.hurch or refuses to permit the urgent |
md necessary reparations to be made ii |
,Iocac the church on the plea of the Sc |