Walthère Brother-Orban

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Hubert Joseph Walthère Brother-Orban was born with Liege the April 24th 1812 and is deceased in 1896. Doctor in right, lawyer, this liberal politician Belgian marked of his print the first Belgian half-century of independence. He could devote himself to the political life thanks to the fortune of his wife, Claire-Helene Orban, wealthy heiress of an industrialist inhabitant of Li2ege.

Founder of the liberal party in 1846 of which there will remain president until his death, he was Minister for Finance of 1848 with 1852 and of 1857 with 1870, and Prime Minister twice, the first of 1868 at 1870 and the second of 1878 with 1884. To advise communal as of 1840, then appointed of Liege as of 1847, it remained at this station until in 1893.

Doctrinary liberal

Distant, not very popular and yet endowed with an obvious charisma, Brother-Orban is a Autocrate in the heart. Leader of the doctrinary liberals - in opposition to the radicals progressists - it opposed to the progressists, represented by Paul Janson, favorable to the Vote for all.

For him, the vote for all would make pass “the political power to the hands of able and the more ignoramuses”. Anticlerical, it works without slackening for the independence of the civil capacity which initially results in the laicization of the state education. Unconditional cantor of the Freedom in all the fields, it is not far from seeing in any regulation an obstacle with this one.

He was freemason.

Minister for Finance visionary

In the cabinet of Charles Rogier formed in 1847, it occupies initially the post of minister of Public works. At this station it decides in 1848 of a reduction of the postage rates. The government must then face the consequences of the French revolution of 1848 whose repercussions are felt as far as Belgium. Fearing an imminent French invasion, the savers massively withdraw their deposit near the General society of Belgium and the Banque of Belgium. Those deal with severe crisis of liquidities, their assets being immobilized in industry. The government then takes measures to avoid the bankruptcy. It makes issue banknotes government guaranteed with a course forced to avoid the devaluation. The Minister for Finance, Veydt, opposes certain measurements of the government to manage the crisis (in particular the increase in the port of the letters) and it gives its resignation.

It is thus Brother-Orban who replaces it. This one then proposes in 1850 the creation of the national Banque of Belgium, equipped with the monopoly of the emission with the currency and the fixing of the rediscount rate. It creates also a pension fund for the workmen, which is a mitigated success.

To leave the structural crisis which touches the Flemish campaigns and condemns the population to misery, the liberal government of Charles Rogier takes measures which have an important budgetary impact, like the launching of great work of infrastructure (channels, railroads, roads). New taxes are voted. Brother-Orban proposes in 1851 to also impose the successions in hot line. Since 1817 indeed, only the successions between collateral are taxed. This proposal causes a virulent opposition of the having classes from which the minister is however resulting and causes the fall of the liberal government to the legislative elections of 1852. In 1855, it decides on a reduction of the tariffs of the Télégraphe.

Once again responsible for finances under the second government of Charles Rogier, Walthère Brother-Orban sets up series of measure tax intended to remove the hindrances to traffic of the goods:

1858 and 1865: suppression of the export taxes;
1860 : suppression of the Granting, tax which struck the goods at the entry of the big cities;
1863 : repurchase with the Netherlanders of toll on the the Scheldt, with the greatest profit of the port of Antwerp.

To instigate the credit, he also encourages the creation of new banks, like the communal Crédit of Belgium (1860) and the general Caisse of saving and retirement (1865).

This bright assessment is worth one to him will have particular near the commercial and industrial middle-class which benefits largely from measurements that it takes.

A last chahuté ministry

Having succeeded in reconciling the doctrinary ones and the radicals of its party around the Anticlericalism, it gained an electoral victory in 1878. The government which it formed thereafter (of which were member Jules Bara, Pierre Van Humbeeck, Charles Graux) followed a policy violently anticlerical, who led to the school Guerre. This policy ends up dissatisfying the public opinion and the liberals knew an important defeat at the polls in 1884. Brother-Orban resigned and the catholics were to obtain an absolute majority which they will preserve until the First World War.

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