ADDRESS OF MONSIEUR FREDERIC ALLAIN

Mr. President, Eadies and Gentlemen:

I consider it indeed a very great honor to have been given the privilege of addressing tonight such an audience as this, one composed of eminent judges, magistrates, and learned lawyers of this great State, though I must say that I am rather embarrassed to see such a very large audience assembled to hear me tonight, and I do not feel that I am worthy of such an honor. I was asked by his Excellency, the Ambassador of France, Monsieur Jusserand, whom we all love and honor, and who stands so high in the diplomatic service, to come here tonight and, as he expressed it, "say a few words," and I supposed that, as on former occasions, I would be called upon to speak amongst other orators, and it never came to my mind that I would be the only one to address such an impressive audience as this. However, I shall do my best to interest you in my few remarks, and please allow me to ask you not to forget that I am a Frenchman, speaking in English, and that I generally think in French and have to translate into English, and therefore I ask your indulgence.

As your President said, I am a member of the High Commission. I was sent from France a few months ago by the Minister of War in order to create a legal department with the French Purchasing Commission. It was to be composed of myself and a junior lawyer whom I brought over with me. It was a very difficult task to find a junior who was a barrister and could speak English. I was very fortunate in finding one who had been in the trenches many months and who could accompany me. He is the stepson of my great friend Labori. At that time France was represented here by a purchasing commission. Our situation was somewhat delicate and international questions arose at times, we being belligerents in a very friendly, but neutral, country. The hope of my heart. was then that some day that neutrality would be changed into an alliance, and I was not surprised when that great event

took place and you declared war against Germany and came with us in this great struggle waged since four years for the liberty of the world and for democracy. I was not surprised, and my heart throbbed with pleasure when I saw the magnificent reception you gave to Joffre and to Viviani. When I saw them in New York marching up Broadway, and witnessed the display of all these flags and heard the salute of trumpets, I said to myself: "At last they have come; they had to be with us."

The work at that time, in my department, was rather important, but not so much so as it has become since you entered this war. Our commission had to be enlarged to a great extent, and a very eminent Frenchman was sent to the United States, Mr. Andre Tardieu, High Commissioner, Deputy, a writer, and a thinker, and last, but not least, a captain in a regiment of our famous "Blue Devils." He had fought at the front, and, before coming to this country, the Croix de Guerre was won by him. Offices were created in Washington and New York, and now, of course, our work has been trebled. I had been induced to come to the United States, being over age to go into the trenches (my son has been there ever since the beginning of the war), by the Minister of War to come here in this way: "Well, Mr. Allain, you will go to New York and establish this legal department, and you will be away about two or three months. It will be a vacation, and you come back in November." Well, those three months have been extended to twenty-two months and I am still hard at work, and God only knows when I will return to France. I am happy, of course, to do my part of the war work according to my possibilities and capabilities. I must here correct a very flattering presentation which I was quite astonished to find in your morning's paper, that I was one of the heroes of the Marne. I am very sorry to have to tell you that I am not only a civilian, only a lawyer. When war began my age barred me from the trenches. My son went in my place, as all young Frenchmen did. Our Paris Bar has been largely represented in the war. I must tell you that when I left

Paris one hundred and thirty or more members of our Paris Bar were already dead who had defended their country in the most heroic manner. In the hall of our library at the Palace of Justice every day you can see mothers, wives, and sweethearts bringing flowers to adorn our roll of honor.

Your newspaper men are very remarkable, and I wonder where this man found out that I was at the Marne. I suppose that your kind disposition to the French explains why you make heroes of all the Frenchmen who come to visit you. This reminds me of a story I heard a few days ago, and I beg that you will allow me, at the beginning of my remarks, to tell it to you. A friend of mine came from South America and he said that a paper in Mexico had printed the story that President Wilson had spoken at the meeting of the Bartenders. Of course, now I understand where the mistake came in: the President had spoken at a meeting of the Bar Association, but there was a question of "dry" or "wet" in the air at that time, and these Mexicans (I don't suppose they did it on purpose) announced that he had presided at the Bartenders Association!

I was telling you that we men of a certain age have been happy to do our part behind the lines. Defending the financial and moral interests of France is a great necessity as you may understand, therefore our work both in Washington and New York is certainly useful to our country. We are glad to do it, and to use all the means that we may have to obtain the final victory which we are bound to secure, and which, I have the absolute certainty, we shall attain. A most complete victory over Prussianized Germany and over those who have waged the most terrible and cruel war that has ever been brought on humanity, a war that has been prepared for more than forty years by the Germans and their Kaiser, a war which they have been preparing, looking forward to, desiring and wanting, and that they have thrust upon us, and yet no country, more than France, was peaceful and wanted to remain at peace. We have given ample proof to the whole world that we wanted peace. How many times has France