Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-05-14
USES PO|NCARE SPEECH
AS HIS OWN AND WINS
French Minister Of Agricul.
ture Captures Solid Con-
fidence Vote.
ANECDOTES or THE PREMIER
Lorraine Fnrm-Boy Hccnmc 'n,luc
Dcrils'" Cnpfntn. Minister, Premier,
President md Il Serving aS Pre-
mirr Again TO "Clcnn Up Foreign
Situation.
tBy United Sews.l

PARIS. May In Raymond Poin-
care, Frances present Premier, says
he has only taken Office 10 clean up
the situation az regards foreign af-
fairs. Once that is done. he declares.
he Will resign, and let the battle
10 clean UP Frances Internal s!tua-
ton 60 on without him. And that
hattie. in view Of the legislative cleo
tons due little over two years from
now. promises to be lively one.
Nevertheless. NJ. Poincare does
manage now and again to stick n
pudgy finger into tho Internal pie.
The other day NJ. Henry Cheron, his
bearded Minister OF Agriculture. was
due TO be interpollated by some irate
rural deputies. a ttrokc Of luck
might have made an adverse vote.
or at least q diminished majority.
pretty dangerous for the government
VI. chsron. placid Norman from the
apple jack country. though he is. was
worried.
Finds Rendy Made speech.
But on the morning the Interpret
iation was due to come up. he re-
ccived bulky envelope from NJ.
Potncare. In brief motto the Pre-
micr told his colleague that he had
taken the liberty OF jotting down "a
few" ideas that gimht be OF help
to him in tho afternoons test And
on opening up tho rest OF the en-
velope's contents, NJ Cherou was
surprised 10 ind that there was his
speech. all prepared in ". Poincare's
own diminutive handwriting
So M.Cheron mounted the tribune
and passed off his chiefs speech as
his own. And since NJ. Poincare was
n Lorraine farmboy long before he
became captain IN the Blue Devils
minister. Premier. President and Pre-
mier again. the speech was so good
and SO practical that the irate rural
deputies voted n solid confidence in
the government
They tell another good story on the
Premier. which dates back to the
days when he was merely the pupil
fotncarc" In the officers training
corps of the University OF Nancy.
Had Lesson Letter Perfect.
Because of his short stature. the
future president and Premier always
found himself on the extreme left OF
the line The old 'adjutant"-the
French equivalent of top ser
geant'-whosc duty il was To ex-
anime orally the members OF Poin-
cares platoon, always started with
the right of the line. as any good
soldier would. Being like most top
serSeantS. n man OF little imagiua-
hon-cXcept in cuss words adj
1utant always asked the same set of
questions; so by the time he got
down to Poincarc. at tho other end Of
the me. the little future Premier
was invariably letter perfect.
Name of a name" said the adiu-
tant one day, TO one Of PoinCare's
taller classmates. What stupid
platoon! Only one man in IL who
knows anything! That young Poin-
care--he's Il wondcr!"
Pofncarc hell replied the OK
aSperatcd siX-footcr. Just you try
starting your examination tomorrow
with the left of tho line"
The adjutant took the tip; and the
next day future president and pre-
mier. roundly 'stumpcd." got four
days OF cleaning up the barracks
yard for his "slicknessr