The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-12-25
M. BRAND, the
New Prime
Minister of
Francs
Remarkable Career and Pc
cnliar Personal Qualities of
She"Lloyd George" of France.
BY Charles Dawbarn,
Author OF France al Bsy.-

A RIsTIDE BRAND. the new French Pre-
~ mier and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Is a discovery OF NJ. Clemenceau'g.
The veteran polemist and the statesman. who
Is now taking ofacs in the critical circum-
stances Of the Great War. form the most !
markable pair In political France to-day. II we
except M. Poincare, removed by his high office
as President from the strife OF parties.
BRAND was Ciemenceaus protege. It war
thrcnGh his influence .hRt he came to power.
Nothing. however. could be I'm greater con-
uast than the character Of the two. Clemen-
ceau Is the strenuous hard-hitter. the remorse-
less adversary. BRAND. on the other hand. is
all suppleness and cancellations; he has an
extraordinary gift Of disarming opposition.
whilst Clemenceau revels in It. and is as keen
upon throwing hand grenades at the enemy as
any trenen-hghter.
Yet there is a certain quality OF loneliness
common to both. Neither inspires great
friendships. Both inhabit a solitary hill from
which they look down upon humanity; but
there is no condescension in their gaze-mere-
ly an active. almost a passionate. interest In
the problems which vex their fellows.
M. Brands exclusiveness comes from the
fact that he belongs to no party; he broke
with the only party to which he was Joined
temperamentally-the Unified Socialists. They
never forgave him in that, being OF their
number, and a most ardent advocate OF the
new heaven and the new earth, he yet ac-
cepted office in a bourgeois Cabinet.
Ii was tie one sin Tor Wiich there was no
forgiveness. But this fall from grace was ac-
companiS1 by extenuating circumstances. II
so happened that the country called him so
insistently that there could be no refusal.
But for Aristide BRAND, there would have
been no separation. probably, between Church
and state, bound together by the concordat
dating from Napoleon's time. and the result
would have been perpetual irritation. for the
spirit OF T"ion had departed. and II was 1T
ting, therefore,. that each should go his way.
Come to Office in times OF great Industrial I'M
rest the present Premier showed power In
br1dling labor in its most truculent mood.
A general strike was threatened, and had
begun with the railways. Then the postmen
Joined in, and for q week France was cut on
from the rest of the world. The Premier broke
the movement by calling up the railwaymsn
as reservists. The docility with which they r-
sponded hfDwed their heart was not in the
struggle; indeed. they were thankful TO es-
cape from their own ~agitators by obeying the
voice OF the master.
BRANDS Easter diplomacy will be wantes
for the final settlement. II is for this reason
that his presence at the DUAL d'Orsay is of
Importance. He Will prove a superb
negotiator, firm and strong. Though he is no
longer TO be counted amongst the official So
cialists. ~ has remained a Socialist at heart,
and still dreams OF enecting those essential
reforms which shall bring happiness and plenty
TO the homes OF the poor. and give to labor a
larger share Of the profits Of industry.