Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-29

-r,-s~~II,-- I-1,-,>.-, the other being the
administration Of the
Church and state separation act. In dealing
with these questions he pleased neither the
Clericals nor the Radicals, who formed one Of
those unnatural combinations for purposes
Of obstruction which are the bane of French
politics. Then came that familiar occurrence
known as a Cabinet crisis" Then the fail
Of the BRAND Government. It was only n
check Observers i'm France and in other
countries had discovered an important fact.
BRAND in the premiership had graduated
from the ranks Of political partisans into the
smaller group Of statesmen lie had dis
played large -mindeduess, breadth Of view,
courage-true statesmanlike qualities; hence
his defeat could be only a temporary check.
Not the least interesting fact about BRAND
is his striking resemblance, in certain par
ticulars, to the Englishman, Lloyd George.
Once he remarked to a friend that the two
men he was most desrous of meeting were
Andrew Fisher, workingman Premier Of Aus
tralia, and David Lloyd George.
No Fortune Maker
There is a story of the days when he was
lawyer and a leader of the revolutionary
Socialists, as follows: Fifteen years had he
spent in a sort Of nomadic life, as barrstor.
ical organizer, congressman, general score
tary to the French Socialist party. In spite
Of his splendid gifts his comrades used to
say, Aristide will never make his fortune
at the bar 'Why?' Because the only
clients he cares for are the proetaran vic
Tins Of our economic anarchy, whose graft
tudc is his reward. Optimist though he is.
he feels acutely the injustice Of the social
state Gentlemen Of the jury" Aristide has
been heard to exclaim, "in defending my
client I am defending myself"
When the United Socialist party was
formed, its members bound by international
agreement not to accept office in bourgeois
governments, BRAND, like Viviani stayed
outside. From Sarren he received the port
folio of Public Instruction and from Clemen-
ceau the portfolio Of Justice To Jaures and
his followers BRAND seemed a traitor and
a renegade. Their scorn rose almost to fury
when he adopted the rigorous measures by
which the great railway strike was settled.
Like Viviani again, and like Millerand, he
still gives his allegiance to Socialism, the
Socialism Of Proudhon, but not of Karl
Marx. 1t is Socialism not widely different
in spirit from that of LIoyd-George, which
is well off without the capital letter
BRAND was born at Nantes, where his pa
rents kept small hotel He found his path
from the elementary school to the university
beset with difficulties, but surmounted them
all On completing his legal studies he estab-
lshed himself in practice at st. Nazaire. It
was not until 1902 when he was elected
deputy for the Loire Department, that any
considerable number of people in France
knew him from Adam. The religious strife
was at its height. BRAND drafted the Church
and State separation bill.
In 1909 he became Premier, accepting the
portfolio Of the Ministry Of Public worship
The first thing he did was to go and see
my dear old mother" Then he returned to
Paris. His Radical allies expected that he
would enforce the provisions of the separa-
tion law with drastic severity. They would
have been satisfied with nothing less than
absolute and destructive antagonism to the
Church, BRAND sought to lay the founda-
tion for a good working relation between the
Church and state. He ceased to be a parti-
san. He himself called his administration
"The Ministry Of Republican Cancellation"
But the real test of his ability and courage
came at the time Of the strike on the French
railways. The country was faced with the
prospect Of a long-continued condition of
dangerous disorder. He ceased to he man
Of class and became leader Of the nation.
lie suppressed the strike by summary meth
ods Of calling the strikers 10 the colors. They
obeyed the Government. Then he made
series Of legislative proposals advocating, for
one thing, a system OF compulsory arbitra-
tion. Part of his program was enacted
into law but the Radicals and Conservatives
effected an alliance, and a little later BRAND
resigned
'NOtre Arstide"
II his oratoriCal gifts BRAND owes much
for his rapid though long-delayed rise 10
public prominence. As boy he delighted
in attending public meetings for the purpose
Of hearing the speakers With a school-fel-
low-now boOtmaker at St. Nazaire, and
proud Of the new Premiers friendship-he
used 10 go assiduously TO a Catholic church
to profit by the elOquence OF the preacher
on his entry into the Clemenceau Cabinet
an Englshman wrote Of Brands voice-"A
penetrating voice, audible in its lowest tones
AT the remotest corner Of the Chamber, II Is
what Carlyle would call a 'downy voice, a
caresslng voice, a coaxy voice: since Gam
betta's, the most seductive heard in the
Palais Bourbon"
BRAND Is somewhat tall for a Frenchman
and has a slight stoop. His black, straight
hair is brushed straight back from a square,
massive forehead. His face has usually
a somewhat melancholy expression. His dark
eyes look out with tranquil, searching gaze.
But the workmen Of St. Etienne-most OF
them now gone TO the war-lSnow his genial,
frank, unassuming manner, and say that
"Notre Arstide is like ourselves"