Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-09
By WILLIAM BIRD.
,uecjaI Cable to The Great Falls Tribune
moo H., Thu Craas Falls Tribune

Special Cable to The Great Falls Tribune
Copyright, 1922. BY The Great Falls Tribune.
Paris, July S.-Premier Polncare s
desire for se~lf-exculpation has opened
for him a Pandora box of trouble.
America knows very little about the
campaign conducted for a long time IN
the French socialist and radical pa
pers against Poincare and the war.
This campaign has sought to prove, by
producing documents derived principal
" from Russian sources. that Poincare
foresaw and actively prepared for war
in collaboration with the cars govern
ment and even pledged France to back
Russia whenever the latter was ready.
Campaign Continued
Poincare. during the last year. has
become increasingly irritated because
of the character of this campaign. Just
before assuming the premiership he de-
livered q series of lectures On the orr
gin Of the war wherein he summed
up the evidence of Germany's guilt.
But the campaign has continued and
the papers never mention the name OF
the premier without attaching the war
threat.
Recently a communist daily printed
a picture showing Poincare and the
American ambassador walking through
the cemetery at Nerdun, apparently
laughing. This picture has been print
ed on hundreds of thousands of post
cards. Dignity would seem TO demand
that such a matter be ignored, but
POincare when tainted with it in the
chamber demanded an open debate on
the whole question. All parties, even
his most bitter enemies. with the eX-
ception of the communists, supported
him and he received an overwhelming
vote of confidence, which apparently
clears him and greatly strengthens his
position.
Indicates Weak Point
To those on the inside. however. it
is obvious that his demand for a vote
on such a question. is as much q sign
of weakness as it was when Lloyd
George demanded a vote on the vague
terms made public regarding the Genoa
conference plans. In reality. Poincare,
while saving himself. has opened a very
troublesome question which will not
down. Both Lloyd George and Glenn
enceau have declared that Germany's
guilt for commencing the war is the
basis for the whole Versailles treaty
and unless that is admitted the entire
structure falls TO the ground. There
fore, opening the subject brings the
whole peace settlement into doubt and
while. the French chamber may readily
vote overwhelmingly for Germany's
guilt, a question arises in many minds.
Versailles was a gathering of vic
tors. not judges, and their verdict can
not be held to establish judicial truths.
What is certain 70 arise in all countries
which do not accept the treaty of Yer
sailles. and among men who look Mt the
facts impersonally. is a demand for an
impartial judicial investigation into this
question, Scientific truth cannot be
decided by a majority or even a unani-
nous vote of a partisan body. The re
suit is a decided weakening of the Yer
sailles treaty and many of the men who
voted for Poincare are sick at heart
that this question ever was raised and
wish that Poincare had consulted his
supporters before precipitating the
matter.
Say After Personal Victory
Some angrily declare that he precipi-
tated the affair on the eve of the adj
journment of the French chamber in
order 10 achieve q personal victory.
A few express cynical satisfaction that
Viviani jumped in and grabbed a large
share of easy glory in eloquent speech
against Poincare's desires. In fact.
for a moment the debate looked like a
free for all, with every ambitious poll
tician attempting to make what polit-
ical capital he could by supporting the
that was sure to get an over
whelming majority.
But if this debate %provokes q general
demand for an impartial judicial in
vestigation into the origin of the war
and results in a verdict that the world
can accept as fair and unbiased. then
it will not have been in vain, while if
the verdict is in favor of the results
adopted at Versailles. the result can
only be to strengthen the treaty's
eufhoritv