The daily times., 1921-11-22
PREMIER BRAND
PLEASED FRANCE
BY HIS SPEECH
PLEAD FOR ARMY
There Are Those in France
Who Would Overthrow the
BRAND Ministry Because of
Lack of Firmness in Dealing
with Germany, Premier's
Speech Was Significant.
(Byi David Lawrence.)


Copyright, 1921, by The Daily
Times)
Continental Hall, Washington, D.
c., Nov. 21.-Premier BRAND pri-
marily addressed the people of
France today and also continental
Europe as he defended the military
policy of France which three years
after the armistice maintains the
Flargest standing army in the world.
Only those who have followed the
intricacies of French politics and
know the manuevers of the opposition
elements in the French parliament
which are seeking to overthrow the
BRAND ministry for not being even
more vigorous in handling Germany
can understand the true significance
OF the French premier S speech.
Secretary Hughes with charaeteris-
tic deftness referred to land arma-
ments ina seemingly general way but
managed to emphasize nevertheless
without making invidious comparis-
I tons the fact that the United States
which at the time of the armistice
had an army Of four million two hun
dred thousand men under arms now
has reduced the regular army to 16O,-
900 men.
AS if realizing that Mr.. Hughes had
challenged Frances reasons for a
large military establishment and that
the whole world has been pointing an
| inquiring finger at France for some
time because of the size of her army,
premier BRAND took occasion to deny
that the design of France was mill
taristic. He made the stock argu-
ments which have been heard from
French public officials and writer's
for the last three years, namely, that
Germany had not given evidence of
good faith and could not yet be
trusted to pay her bill to France.
| The whole speech was defense of
the French idea that at any moment
an unprovoked aggression might de-
Ivelop on the German border. M.
lBriand went somewhat further than
usual in drawing a distinction be-
tween the working classes of Ger
many which he thought were sincere
lily desirous of peace and should be
Encouraged and the big business and
military elements like LudendOrff
who, he thought, were still uncon-
quered in spirit and were thinking
iabOut a next war.
To all the suggestions that Ger
lmany was being disarmed the French
premier cited only the record OF Ger
many haggling first over terms and
later over the indemnity settlements
as justification for French precautlon
His whole philosophy was that OF
tire confidence on physical force ane
refuses to rely upon moral influence
in international behavior. Again ant
again Premier BRAND insisted that i
was the existence of a large French
standing army alone which made
Germany obey today. Security agains
future invasion as we'll as the pos
session of a means of coercing Ger
many to pay reparations were NJ
Brands big points and he talket
around and around them. original!
it was the French position that if tn
United States and Great Britain
would ratify a defensive treat.
whereby both powers would come t.
the aid of France in the event o
, "unprovoked attack" by Germany
but since America failed to ratify, tn
s French have insisted that they mus
look out for themselves. The presenc
of a French standing army has caus
ed other nations in Europe to feel tn
e need for military forces beyond thei
financial ability to maintain thes
forces. Arthur James Ba1four. hea
of the British delegation, has take
the view that the tax burdens of Ell
Continued on Page Ten.)