Evening star., 1925-12-04
Brands Success With Cabinet
Gives Him Golden Opportunity

It was at this point that BRAND saw
the cards fall favorably He per
ceired that not only France but the
radical Republicans of his own and
Herriot's group were getting tired Of
the Socialist arrogance, and that if
the Socialists could only be encour-
aged 10 keep on they would, in the
end, destroy themselves And this
was precisely what they did do wheIt
they made il impossible for Herriot
leader of the radical groups. TO form
a cabinet. Their attitude at this mo-
ment disgusted and enraged the radi,
cal Republicans, who forthwith broke
away and turned toward the Nation
alists.
This procedure was wholly com
parable TO what the Liberals did in
England. In the end they decided i
was impossible 70 do business with
Labor. and so they quit their support
of Macdonald and his cabinet fell.
Then came an election which left
Labor in Il tremendous minority in
the House of Commons. In France
there has been no election. but the
Socialists are isolated in the same
fashion, and the radical and conserva-
tive Republicans are coming together
TO support a BRAND government.
which will be vastly less sociahstic
than the two previous ministries.
France. like Britain, has made the
experiment of giving the Socialists
power: the experiment in France has
been much less thorough going than
in Britain. but the result has been
the same-in both cases the extremists
OF the extreme element have not only
asserted control, but have used their
power in a manner to awaken NJ.
tionaI apprehension and to destroy the
alliance on which political control
rested. But both in Britain and
France the existing state Of popular
sentiment made it necessary to make
the experiment. 1t was the part OF
wisdom not to oppose socialtstic hold
on power openly. but to permit So
cialists to take Office and discredit
7 themselves.
In theory BRAND now lacks ma
! iority in the Chamber. He has TO de-
I pend npon the votes of the conserv
ative and national groups, which fn
! lowed Poincare and Nfillerand. Bu'
in fact Poincare is only a little less
discredited than the Socialist eXtrem'
! lists. and there is every reason to be
! lieve that what will now happen IS
! that there Will form a group made
up of the moderates, both among the
radicals and the nationalists. OF such
! a combination BRAND Is the naturs-
! leader.
! The danger lies in the possibility
| that BRAND may be obliged for rea-
sons of health to give up mis- great
, task, as the late Bonar Law was In
Britain. If Bonar Law had lived, the
| Labor experiment might have beg
postponed, II not avoided. II Briay-~
! should have to abandon his job, 1t is
hard to see another man who could
carry it on, and there might be con
! fusion again.
But not since ClemenCeau came al
! the moment of despair and saved
| France and the victory has any man
| faced n greater opportunity or q more
! difficult task. BRAND Is not Clemen-
Ceau: he is the antithesis Of the IiGer
| in all respects. He does not crush,
| ne maneuvers; he is not overbeaYtng
| he is suave. He is not SO much
strong as clever. He knows men and
public life; he Is willing to walt; he
never stays after he feels that his
time is passing. But he has enor-
nous charm, tact; he never killed q
foe-as the Tiger has killed most or
his enemies-but he has survived all
enemies.
Moreover, as the man OF Locarnn
! he has vast prestige i'll Europe, while
as the foreign minister who brought
France security through lhe British
guarantee he has a popularity in
France equal to that of .he old Ticeh.
when he was the father of victor.
If he can survive physically. politi-
cally, he may very easily prove the
savior of France in the existing crisis.
(Copyright. 1925, by the Mcclure Nswuaaspng
SYNDICATE,