The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-08-24
POINCARE is
LEADER OF
ALL EUROPE
French Premier Forces Gov
ernments to Reckon
With Him,
BY MILTON BRoNNER

PARIS, Aug. 24.-Who's the most
important person in the, world?.
All Europe makes the same answer
I-smilingly or frowningly. proudly or
profanely, as the case may be:
Raymond Poincarer'
Upon this little 63-Year-old, bearded
Frenchman - whose Nbeard seems
queerly to droop and brist1e at the
same tirne!-world eyes are focused.
= Some say he will be Europe's sal
walton; others say he will be Europe's
damnation. But they all agree that
he's the man to be ~reckoned with,
the man who sits In the worlds
greatest gambling game with pat"
hand and a poker face"
Man of Action
Lawyer, writer and master politi-
clan, this prime minister of France
by virtue of Frances strategical po-
sition, its army and its air fleet gov
ems Europe.
eff Poincare remains in office, :"
they tell you in Paris, "every gov
eminent in Europe-and America,
too!-will have to reckon with him.
II he falls from power his fall will
have the effect of quiet revolution
in France that will have echoes all
over Europe. They hate him in Ger
many, and they hate him in Eng
land"
What next from Poincare?
This is the way an observer in
London answers the question:
IF Europe is a powder barrel.
Poincare is the man. who is playing
with lighted match. If Germany is
full of open wounds, it is Poincare
who is poking them to keep them
open. II England is really trying to
bring peace on the continent, it is
Poincare who bars the way II
France actually has the only prac-
ticable plan, 1t is Poincare who is
expected to point the way
Highly Explosive
Poincare-whose policies are the.
despair of the rest OF Europe and
his whiskers the delight of -caricaturi
lists here and abroad-is highly ex-
plosive both as an orator and a
writer He proved It when he was
cabinet.
Then, called to power, he had to
act or swallow his words He acted,
He took France into the Rnhr. And
he has Just announced he won't get
out.
He is the most nicknamed person
in French politics. Clemenceau, is
simply the Tiger" But the list for
Poincare begins with the wsn;known
"Poincare-la- Guerre" - Poincare- the.
war Meaning, of course, that he
began in 1914 Only the other day
one of the publications bitterly OPP
posed to him called him:
''Poincare, Poincaroff, Poincaruhr,
Poincarit.'' 30 Jn..s ~
Many Names
The "roff' refers to his bringing
about the close political and military
alliance between. France and Russia
of the Cars. "Ruhr," of course, re-
fers to his taking the French army
into the Ruhr. "Rit" refers to a
charge that not long ago, when max
ing one Of his numerous speeches in
a war graveyard, he laughed. Friends
explained that 1t wasn't really--a
laugh; that the sun got in his eyes
and caused him 70 grimAce!' 9
Born IN 1860, son of a government
Official. educated for the bar, Pom
care had a long and distinguished
career in the Chamber of Deputies
and afterward in the French Senate
He was president of the republic dur
ing the war and IS now premier Sup
ported in the main by the bulk of the
Partisan press, he is nevertheless the
object of sharp attacks. = He has been
described as made for war, made by
war" 100 "a