The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-24
FRANCE OCCUPIES LONE POSITION 'AS ALLIES LEAVE HER
Bourgeois Premier Poincaire Fighting To Last Against
 Menace Of Germany
By OTIS PEABODY SWIFT CBy Leased Wire to The Age-Herafd)

By OTIS PEABODY SWIFT (By Leased Wire to The Age-Herald) NEW YORK. June 23.-Raymond Poincare, bourgeois premier of re- publican France, is trying cn the tri-corner hat and faded but swagger cloak of Napoleon. The stocky statesman may we'll look around and ask: Am I not the dictator of Eu- roper"
 Two recent events are markers on Frances course. First the Theunis cabinet of Belgium, leaning to the British viewpoint, resigned, when faced by a rejection of the measure to increase military units in the Ruhr. Second, England urges the hastening of a conference to discuss Tangiers. where French attempts at domination" are seen.
 To discuss the situation it is neces- sary first to examine Frances posi- ton in Europe today.
 Briefly. Frances World war allies have abandoned her.
 The Anglo-French "entente" stag i.ers reeling from the Lausanne crisis to become swamped in separations squabbles. There is no agreement. The entente" wells a cold dislike and distrust in Downing street and the Quai D'Orsay.
 Mussolini tends tc support the English position. Diligent propagan- da is carried on to encourage Anglo Italian relations. England offers Italy the manufactured goods she so badly needs. France has nothing to tffer. Racial dislike between the peoples is complicated by Italian memories of Napoleon's savage cam paisns.
 o Q O
 France Stands Alone.
 Belgium swings toward support of England A cabinet resigns because its parliament will not support pro- French measures.
 France stands alone.
 Tn this condition she faces Ger many, Viewed from distance, there seems little to fear In the picture of bankrupt. pauperized Germany. wracked by fascisti. monarchist and socialist internal dissensions.
 France looks beyond this. She sees q Germany united, welded together daily in firmer bonds of French ha- tired. She sees a high birth rate. She sees that the gigantic indus trial machine of the Ruhr is intact Miles upon mile stretches the man. made forest of Ruhr factory chim- neys. dark under d smoke pail by day. livid in the glare of blast fur naces by night. When "der tag" comes this machine will be ready to furnish the guns, the tanks. the tory of another Waterloo. another Sedan. France lives in this fear.
 What has France done in this sit- uation?
 She has created the continental diplomacy. which has led to the standing army outside of Russia. She is carrying on propaganda to in- crease the birth rate. She is de- veloping her African and Far East colonies to provide troops and food stuffs for the next war
 Significant D,piomncy.
 These are surface indications Far more significant are the unseen but wide spreading ramifications of her diplomacy.
 Her aim is to surround Germany with an iron ring" of states allied with France. Belgium and France, herself, were to form the southern boundary.
 German courts have just finished trying Bavarian plotters who are charged with being backed by France in move to make Bavaria a re- public, under French patronage.
 -Slovakia forms the next link in the chain where French pol icies seem to dominate. Certainly dislike of Germany is evident in the Czec-ruled state. Yet Czecho- -Slo- vakia wavers, and is not firmly pledged to France.
 Poland. however, is pro-French, heart and soul. She has secured coal mines from Germany, her Polish corridor bisects Prussia. She will eventually have to fight to hold her terrain France backs her The large Polish army is trained by French officers, commanded by French staff. armed with French weapons. Attention On Russia.
 Diplomacy makes strange bedfel- lows. Analysis of French policy in- dicates that. despite the loud-voiced cries of hate Paris directs at Mos COW. France would be glad to make her an ally rather than permit Eng land or Germany to do so.
 Southeast Europe again shows the working of French diplomacy. Here Jugo-Sl is pledged to France. France backs her as the strongest Balkan power, and one that threat ems Italy. For French statesmen fore- see the day when Rome and Paris must split and Belgrade makes a ready foil to engage Italy's activities eastward
 Jugo- Slvaia and Czecho Slovakia have built up the little entente. gen orally credited with being of French persuasion.
 Thus has France built up her policy Of "foring from within" The policy, however, is based on the support of weak second-class powers, which, in event of catastrophe of the World war type. might crumple rapidly.