Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-25

N1VIhtlIChu iEICIftA HIS IllItI NitM-
ers in his room at the home of F. L..
Higginson, Jr. He wore his usual gray
cutaWay suit, and his gray skull cap
was perched on his bald head. Seat
ing himself on a high easy chair, he
said:
"Now-put any questions you like,
and | will answer them"
The interviewers went at once to
the subject Of the Washington criti-
cisms. Clemenceau smiled and
shrugged.
Il had made it a point not to dis
cuss with official people in America"
he said, but l have said / will answer
all, so | must answer
Il am glad to tell Mr.. Hitchcock he
is in the senate only for a few days,
owing to the vote" he began. referring
to the Nebraskan's recent defeat for
reelection.
therefore, I think I'll be excused
if | dare him to go to Europe and
If he finds anyone in my country or
elsewhere who says / have been a mill
~tarist, then I'll own it.
Not a MIIitarist
Il have suffered much from 1871 to
1917 for not being a militarist. |
turned militarist when the war broke
Il q bNtii a. i't -
the extent of extending the length Of
military service in France.
But that wasn't too bad. if it al
lowed us to oppose the German front
until England and America appeared"
Asked to answer Hitchcock's question
about black troops. the Tiger said,
Bon" and waded in.
'In the first place. there are no
black troops of occupation in the area
of occupation of the enemy. In the
second place. I have seen black Amer
lean troops at the front and they stood
the fire with bravery, too"
"Of course this has nothing to do
with the question of whether we are
militarists or not. 1t is an attempt
of German propaganda TO oppose
America and obscure France in what
is really the great question.
THE Germans and MI Of our foes
had been killing enough of our white
men and 100000 black men fell fight
ing or the frontiers of liberty as
Woodrow Wilson called them. We are
not going to deny them a place in his
tory.
NO, these black soldiers were al
ways more Or less occupying towns in
France and they got along perfectly
well with the white French people.
Even, | should say their discipline is
s%tricter than any white troops.
Called German Propaganda
"So-I have seen papers of German
propaganda which | suppose inspired
Mr.. Hitchcock's sayings and ! can
plainly say they are so many lies.
THE day before [ left Paris ]
heard that these stories would be en-
ployed to prove we were a militaristic
people. So ! asked, the official peo-
pie to give me plain information.
The answer vas that there was
only one established case of q Sene-
galese having mistreated a German
woman. He was sentenced by a mill
tary tribunal"
The reason black troops were sent
into the occupation ZONE at first.
Clenenceau said. was to provide n few
months Of home leave for the white
troops, that had stood the fire for
years until America could come, and
were rather exhausted"
I'VE couldn't foresee" he said, that
it would be more Objectionable to the
Germans than to the French, in whose
they had been garrisoned. When
we learned it was, they were with
drawn.
THE German objection was more of
n surprise because they employed
Dlack troops ana IL tneI ulu not Df1nS
them to the front, it was because no
means of bringing them could be
found. They did find means to invade
Congo with blacks"
Frances Viewpoint Different !
Then the Tiger came to Senator
statement that he, Clemen- :
ceau. was responsible for most of Eu-
'ope's woes, because Of the treaty of
Versailles.
Declaring that the criticism was
the opposite in his w coun-
try, where he was a~ssailed for not
enough, he continued.
Let those who say | asked too
much, go to Europe-Iet them bring
heir German friends and let us set
lie it there where the damage can be
seen.
Moreover if too much was asked at
Versailles, which | do not believe, yet
b per cent of it has been taken out
my assent and out of my
III
Ending the interview, Clemenceau !