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Show a j; tarty 1 OF FRANCE IN; I COm NOW; il Group Believes in Keeping I Germany in Fear of Lm Army's Power I PROUD OF PROWESS 1 Gibbs Saya There Is H Tragedy and Drama in m Briand's Downfall Jj BY silt i 'ii h it .ir.its The passing of Arlstide Brinnd and 1 the coming of Raymond Poincarc as Prime Minister St France means broadly that the- militarist party in vH France has gained political ascendancy , wy. By militarist 1 do not im-an party which will pursue an aggressive BH policy on imperialistic linesdellberato- Iv challenging the peace of Europe, fori H France has great need of peace and JJ TB5 her people would oo1 support HHL mn, "lit which I mlll- HfT lary adventures demanding more sac-1 rlflce of blood and youth. What Poin-i care means to France and to the L Cnited States- -is that he has assocla- HBf ted himself with the army chiefs, the HB French War office, and the old type of ( HB French diplomacy and artlstocracy, at. Hfl well as with the great body of French; Pourgeolsie, who believe that the safct B of France can only be assured by keep-, HI mi? Ormanv in (ear of French mlli-1 v V ' iry power and that the financial se- . nrity of France can only be gained by Hf. h ii unrelontlnr ptfsu-" and d"rnm4' HH in regard to Gorrhan reparations- W PKOI I) OF PROWESS HS Polncare and his supporters also dc- W fjt sire to maintain the political prestlso vj? of France in Europe in the Medltcr- B ', WtmX of any power which by policy or tact-L tact-L Vw France :r i i: pari ol the world They L ' iy sensitivi of their na- i tional prid as th( chief victors ol th war, and as the verllj bcliovt he Ha i saviours of civilisation Itself No-. (he BA ,i tngi of thl dp bj P ilm u siM' e o HBT will demand the left ban'i of tho Reins EtTB It Is not that there w ill be an Inn HBa late occupation of the Ruhr tc seize the HHs mainsprings of Germany's Industrial BBJ machine, as Poincarfl also urged in HH newepaper articles. Poincara the prime r will not risk HH. ventures with a licht heart, 4cnowlng that the opinion of the world and 05- HH pecially of the United St. ..n ! iln-M i,ritaln will condemn the immense un- Hj.i visdom of auch ads. It Is i Main that HH for a lime at least the new govern - HHfl ment of France will continue t1 e lines IHI of policy drawn by Brinnd end that HHI the agreements mode in the Washing- BHA ton conference ill in upheld Th- BHV real disast-r in Mo hopes of men and ESt world SM peace Is that thp ''oinrate cablnel Will BHJ put up an Intellectual and diplomatic Bfl S resistance to the new spirit of leador- ls xhlp whP h belj( . s in restoring the BflH stability of the world by com Illation, HflS by generous ood will .is in Fnglnnd's Hhii peace with Ireland by economic nl- Efa truism, even to i rn et in BV order to restore the money-values and Ha purchasing power of the World's mar- g4 Poll ill go un will 1 difficult: 1 1 o n g t h i HHM ffort. whereas nrinn.i his predecessor HBb went that way by, personal conviction. RBb though often he had to hide , -hind n BH f OR M ITIC M TR .K Bpl There is something extraordinarily BH di rnatlc, and even tragic, In Briand's HH downfall and In his career as prime H minister of Fram e. The man was a HHb kind of Hamlet, absorbed not In the HBV problem of murder for justice's sake EHH but in the problem of pandering to BBV p;iasion and human folly, for a na- HJ Mon's sake. Brland, in his secret Bfl "o ut and In the circle of his private BHS friends, is an advanci-d liberal and BB lover of peace an Intellectual paci- flH Jlclst. He doesn't envisage the future BHM of Europe as forever an armed camp Hi With France as the sword of justice Hi There Is a horror In his soul at the HHa though! thui the next generation of IHJ' French youth may be called upon to HHV die, their fathers did In the last war BHH cut down in swaths like standing corn HHf before the reaper's scythe Ho knows HHV; that 1 1 would be the final death of Wg' France, with her dwindling population. HHJ In many ways he saw eye to eye with Hf Lloyd George In the policy of concilia- HHJ tlon with Germany to the extent of HHh abating reparations which may drive HI her to ruin and despair, and n. vow of HV future vengeance- Iri many ways his HH orange, brooding, gloom, sadly tlm- HHV oroue soul supported the spirit of the HJH Washington conference. ; fit won. l BE PACIFIST HHV Given a free hand he would have HH made France a leader in tho federa- HHV tlon of peace But he held his office BHJ at the dagger's point. At any mom- HV ' nt he knew he could be struck down HV by political opponents led by Poincaro HH who suffered him to hold office only HVJ liecause his personal record as a Dem- HHVJ oeratte liberal secured for the policy HM which they mipoxed upon him na tlie HyJ pride of office the allegiance of the liberal elements In France It was they HH v'ho made Irlm put forward the Mib- murine claim as tho Joker" In tho i I " (Continued on Page Seven) HHHtHHHS MILITARY PARTY RULES FRANCE (Continued from Page One) cards they played. And it was they who stabbed him In the back when he went beyond their Instructions by agreeing lth Lloyd Oeorge to a reduction re-duction In German reparations and to I an economic agreement with Russia. OBJEtn SO MYSTERY. Great Britain has made certain of- tors to France, or rather. Lloyd j Goorge has made those offers In be- i half of Great Britain. The object of them Is not mysterious. It Is to assure as-sure France first of all of England's I abiding sympathy and friendship, In apta Of all the bitterness of French : comment, und to relieve France of ureal apprehensions so that she will be Inclined to work for the recovery I Of Europe and for tho demobilization of armed force. That Is a good ob- ! Ject and if It could be achieved would make many difficult problems easy of j solution, in the first place Greut Brl- i tain has made a straight and definite j of fer to Franco to waive all British , 'alms upon German reparation payments pay-ments for 1922 as a start, and to give France priority in all such payments from Germany. There is not u. man I I In England who Is not glad to back 'such an offer, for friendship sake with France, as well as for self Interest. Inter-est. For England does not want Qer- ! man money at tho cost of a further slump In the value of the mark, enabling en-abling Germany to undersell us In all the markets of tho world. But another an-other and greater offer has been made by Great Britain to Franco, and It Is ono which many British people will regard with frank doubt deeply anx- I lous whteher It Is not taking too great a risk. It Is the offer of a pledge that In the event of an unprovoked attack I upon France by Germany the youth of Britain will stand shoulder to shoulder shoul-der with the French army, as once before. PLEDGE is GREAT. That is a great pledge from a people who have left quite recently. the flower of their youth In the fields of Franco and to whom another such sacrlflco w ould he the end of all j things The fault Is in that word "unprovoked "un-provoked ' There was never a war In I which the defending side did not believe be-lieve that the challenge against It was unprovoked And to be qulto frank British folk aro not quite sure that the policy of France In the recent past has been of a tendency to smooth the way of future pea e w ith Germany. We do not want Lloyd George or any other man to pledge the llfo of the younger generation to France, undei PolncAre or any other statesman who might call for military aid to a new war which might be provoked from the French side of the lines though called unprovoked.'' un-provoked.'' That Is plain speaking. In this dread prospect of the future one must think und speak and write plaln- I ly. One thlnw is necessary In a most Vital way if this now Anglo-French compact Is to go forward. In return for that British pledge France must give formal guarantees that her world policy will be directed by a spirit of conciliation and loyalty to the spirit of peace and economic recovery In Europe Eu-rope which has been formulated by the Washington conference and by the British proposals at Cannes. Ml ST RENOUNCE CLAIM. She must formally renounce hor claim to that Invasion of ths Ruhr and the permanent occupation of that left bank of the Rhino In th event of Germany being unable honestly to fulfill her reparation payments without with-out financial bankruptcy which would tend to new chaos In Europe. She must agree to demolish her standing army to more roasonablo size, provided provid-ed Russia Is compelled to demobilize tho red army, and she must ImiKvse the same condition upon tho Polish allies She must renounce also her ambitions for a great submarine fleet which would be a direct threat to British coastf, and British shipping. The Poincare cabinet or any other must come Into lino with those who are working for tho recovery of the world and the assurance of peace before be-fore British youth is pledged to stand beside her In the event of unprovoked war. If France plays the game in this spirit the old entente oordlale win bo re-established and re-lnsplred by a warmth of sympathy between two nations na-tions who desire each other's friendship friend-ship and each other h strength, Copyright. 1922. by Tbe Mciiur Newspaper Syndleute ) oo |