TWO GIANTS.

Northern Advocate, 7 December 1916, Page 1

TWO GIANTS.

BRIAND AND LLOYD GEORGE. A COMPARISON. (■By "One Who Knows Both," in th.c "Daily Mail.".) Two men singularly alike; two men of immense vivacity, driving force, and intuition; two men of simple origin able to mix and mingle with authority among the greatest; two men who have done more to secure united action on all fronts—the real secret of the success of the war—than any others. One, M. Briand, Premier of France; the other Mr Lloyd George, the dynamo of the British Cabinet; both great orators —not that wars are won by words. Both gifted with intuitive tact. Both not dissimilar in appearance and in age. The writer, who has had the honour of often meeting both and is able to measure both, knows that, despite the criticism of jealous rivals and petty politicians who put domestic squabbles—such as the Irish question—before the war, both these men are the soul of the offensive on the Western front. We in England know our Lloyd - I George. 'We criticise him, but we rely upon him. We have made him Lord Kitchener's successor. The position of M. Briand, owing to the difference of the French system, is not exactly that of Mr Lloyd George. But all English statesmen who have come in contact with him at various conferences return to London with the same conviction—that- he is above all things the man. M. Briand is about the same height as Mr Lloyd George, has the same charm of manner, the same penetrat. ing gaze, the same enthusiasm, and the same activity. When Mr Lloyd George is having his English breakfast at nine o'clock in company with distinguished foreigners, M. Briand has partaken of his cafe au lait and is already in his bureau. Both are workers and, above all, both stand out as shining examples of those who put country and victory before disgusting behind-the-scenes squabbles and political intrigues. The reserve which one imposes upon oneself in regard to matters concern. Ed with internal politics in each of the Allied countries, respectively, is a self-evident necessity. In the interests of a perfect agreement among us we can never display too much circumspection in reference to it. It is, however, permissible to feel pleasure when the decision of our friends square with our desires. That was the case when the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate held their secret session. On these occasions the French Government's direction of national defence passed through an unexampled ordeal of criticism. It was reviewed from the point of view of results only, and it was declared that these were sufficiently brilliant to warrant the best of hopes and even hearty gratitude. We, on this side of the Channel, delighted at this result. It is one of the- necessary effects of present circumstances that in political or .diplomatic as well as in military affairs a 1 information converges to a point at which the best-informed man decides and this decision is translated into action. It is in that way that M. Briand considers and decides questions. Under these conditions Aye are not surprised that he has succeeded in creating in his own name a union of his fellowcountrymen because he has personal knowledge of similar understandings between the Allies. If we turn back to the early days of M. Briand's political lite we find him giving expression to high-minded thoughts which to-day make him the man of the hour both in his own country and elsewhere. His official career began in 1010; that is to say, it was in that year that he first became President of the Council. Take, for instance, his speech at Perigueux, where he had the wisdom to proclaim j that "electoral contests should never ; reach such a point of violence as to : prevent the union of all Frenchmen on the common ground of important , political action." j On that occasion M. Briand gave a 1 warn;!)? against the danger, which he couched in happy language as "the pc'itics of stagnant marshes." He pointed out that there is a risk of i such marshes becoming" centres of ! putrefaction breathing out noxious exhalations calculated to poison every- ! thing. j Ho has affirmed the need of passing | a current of pure water through the marshes to render them health}'. ■