FRENCH POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 January 1921, Page 6

FRENCH POLITICS.

THE NEW PREMIER’S CAREER. VIEWS ON BRITISH POLICY. M. Briand, the new Premier of France, is 58 years of age. He has three times previously been Premier of France, on the last occasion from 1915 to 1917. ■ln the course of his career he has • passed through a political development ,—a transformation it might even be ■ ca»lled| —which is remarkable; even in i France, where political changes are a | constant phenomenon. Sprung . from I humble parentage, his early associations caused him to embrace Socialism, and on coming to Paris from St. Nazaire he threw himself into journalism". Returned for the industrial constituency of St. Etienne, he soon commanded rhe attention of the Chamber by the evidence he gave of political sagacity Although his principles were those of the Socialists they were enunciated with moderation and tact. As reporter of the first Church Disestablishment Bill, and later as author or the same Bill in its amended form, he showed himself an adept at conciliation. In 1909 he became Prime Minister, and in the following year was - called upon to deal with the great railway strike of October, 1910—a formidable conspiracy to paralyse the industrial life of the country. For a week no trains had run. and no postal or telegraphic business had been transacted. He then took action which was at once bold and effective. By calling up the railwaymen as reservists he crushed the movement in a day. Attacked by M, Jaures in the Chamber for his action. M. Briand. with a gesture, exclaimed: “Look, there: is no blood on my hands,” a saying char-, acteristic of the man, and suggestive of the pacific method he had adopted to end the strike. M. Briand had already broken with the Socialists when in his famous speech at St. Chamond in 1907 he declared himself opposed to a number of their tenets and certain unpatriotic doctrines. His first Ministry came to an end in November, 1910, but he remained Prime Minister of a reconstructed Cabinet until June, 1911. when ho was succeeded by M. Caillaux. In August, 1914, he enteral M. Viviani’s Cabinet as Minister of Justice, and on the fall of this Ministry in October, 1915, M. Briand formed that which carried on until March, 1917 He created the Salonika front, and there were acute differences between himself and M. Clemenceau as to the advisability of this step. His views on British policy in the peace were stated in a recent speech, when he said: “The appetites of nations -are like those of the individual. When there is no appetite there is no action. The greatness of the. British people is due to a hunger of action which is never satisfied. But Britain is sporting enough to understand that it is not always the same man who wins. In a boxing match all that is necessary is that the blows should be loyally given in accordance with the rules of fair play. Rut it is not Britain’s business to look after others, and she has never done it. She is quite willing to make concessions, but «she wants to be told frankly what people desire. After the usual formulae of politeness she quite understands when but give and take.’ France wanted to she asks for something, the reply, ‘Yes, work, and for that coal was necessary. I She did not get rid of all military domination in Germany in order to accept an economic domination. She had not fought in order to go from beneath one form of slavery under another. She wanted to be free, and for that she must have coal. If France has a surplus of mineral wealth, let us come to an agreement. It is not possible that two great peonies, who fought side by side on the battlefield and whose corpses are entwined under the earth, should drift away from each other because of material interests. There is sentiment and interest.”