The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-22
French Legions Bulwark
Of European Peace,
Says Premier.
SPEECH DEEPLY
STIRS AUDIENCE
Hughes and BalfOur, Say
France Shall Not Be
Isolated.

billions today are known to the world.
Aristide BRAND, the golden-voiced
Breton, yesterday placed his coun-
try in the very front Of the arma-
ment conference picture. Defense.
not ofrense, is the greatest desire
Of France This was the keynote
Of one OF the greatest oratorical
efforts ever made by a Frenchman
in an international assembly.
'I fear France may drift toward
moral isolation" said the French
premier. with appealing pathos. in eN-
planning the probable effect Of his
statement that France cannot reduce
her army at the present time below
$50. 900 men.
The response was immediate. The
two other imposing figures in the
conference, Arthur J. Balfour. Great
Britain's greatest statesman, and
Charles E. Hughes, Americas Sec
retary OF State and chairman OF the
conference. made IL plain that the
principles for perpetuation of which
the great war was fought are not
to be forgotten. In well-chosen Ian
guage, and with evidence. Of more
emotion than he has hitherto dis
played. Mr.. Balfour. when the oppor-
tunity was afforded. said:
BaIfour for France.
M. BRAND appears to fear lest
France should find herself In moral
isolation. That would be a tragedy
indeed"
He then reviewed the causes of
the war and declared that the British
Empire would again leap to, the side
of France IL the lust OF domination
should again threaten peace.
The American reply. enunciated
with a strong display OF feeling in
his voice. came from Secretary
Hughes when he said:
mo words ever spoken by France
have fallen upon deaf ears in the
United States. There is no moral
isolation for the defenders of liberty
and Justice"
The entire scene was historical in
its general outline. Every seat in
Continental Memorial Hall was filled
long before the members OF the arma-
ment conference arrived. The chief
guest was Mrs. Warren G Harding.
wife Of the President Of the United
| States. She. accompanied by Mrs.
| Coolidge and other friends. had a
prominent seat in a box directly be-
| hind the French premier.
Makes Deep Impression.
Premier BRAND spoke in French.
His address was divided into three
periods. Each time. when he sat
down. the official French Interpreter
arose in his place and repeated in
| English the words of the orator.
A great many of those present
/ aI snsn al
lowed every word as uttered and
were impressed. Secretary Of state
| Hughes and Mr.. Balfour. sitting at
the heads of their deleg cation. in
clined forward and listened intent
| ly. Beside NJ. BRAND. former Pre-
mier Viviani himself one Of
Frances noted silver-tongued ora
tors. sat as though entrsnced. He
nodded his head vigorously to en-
phasize the various points made
And when BRAND finally sat down.
Eiviani leaned forward to congrat-
ulate him on a most mastery ef-
| fort
If Clemenceau is the tiger, then
BRAND must be considered as the
| lion His great mass of hair was
tousseled as he ran his fingers
| through il from time TO time. Rails
| ing to his full height he would shout
out his various points as they were
comp led and then would emphasize
them with sharp downward strokes
on the table much like a man chop
ping wood.
Says France Saves Europe.
Right at the outset he declared
that France had no right to disarm
while confronted with a militant
Germany. a BoIshevik Russia, and
generally unsettled conditions on
the European continent. He thanked
America for what she had done
to dispel the "asphyxiation by
poison gas with which certain peo-
pie had tried to disfgure the face
of France" In one impassioned
period he declared that the cruelest
and most painful reproach TO
France was the suggestion that she
has perfidious intentions and mill
taristic designs. The contrary, he
asserted, was the exact truth.
France wants peace with all her
heart, he said.
The audience was thrilled when
he declared that France has no
enmity in her heart. She wants to
live alongside of Germany in the
normal conditions of peace. But
she cannot forget, she cannot
weaken her position. The workers
of Germany desire peace. But
there still is a Germany that has
not learned the lesson of the last
war. And to prove that this was
so he read from the recent book
by Field Marshal Ludendorf to
show that this was the real Ger
many and that it was ready for
a war of revenge. BRAND rather
astounded his hearers by declaring
that Germany now has in the
reichswehr, or police force, 100000
trained officers and noncommis-
stoned officers ready to lead an
army of between 5000, 900 and a.
600, 900 men. This does not include.
| he said. the einwohnerverein or
the Orgsch.
Only because the French army
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