Evening star., 1923-07-16

whole, years that she has been allowed,
to default on all her obligations so
that we had to pay with our own
money Que hundred billion FRANCS she
owed us and has not paid? Has she
not been allowed to rebuild a COM
mercial fleet and develop gher canals
and railroads and enrich her great
industries .at the expense Of her
creditors?
! ''If we were not in the Rahr Ger
many would have continued to slip
into the abyss she~dug, but ave would
have been empty handed. while now
we hold security. and we are power
full enough net to have to let go"
Heads Methods legal
The French premier reasserted his
position that Frances present meth
ods are legal under the Versailles
treaty and laid stress on his and the
governments hope that close 'refa-
stions with Great Britain will be com
tinued. ~
M. Poincare said France had fin
ished the making of concessions to
Germany. She was tired of tempor-
izing with that country. >,
- M. Poineafe Aprefsssed Ito, have no
shatEsd autl no. spirit for arevenge for
the 4devast ia tion. the traces of which
M esgeSiaible from where he smoke.
Z We sahouldssIlk no longer to talk of
aeyasta tton lpr s,to think of It, she de
,clated. I'VE Should like ,to forget
France said M Poincare. had been
no better treated in PREPARATIONS than
m the concessions wrung from her
and the security denied her.
Interests Ignored.
In the reparation commission es-
tablished under the treaty" he said,
we are in the minority, although
ours h., the major interest. -Neverthe-
Less. 1t has bsen sought for. four
years ito relieve this eommission of
It's bowerS--to replace 1T with inter
national financial committees SO as to
attempt to ccalesce against us inter-
estj opposed to ours
lfhe peace treaty. the premier con-
which the commis ssion should fix the
,German- debt. There was a pre-
tense of respecting those conditions"
he added, "but the debt hardly had
been fixed when there was imposed
upon US in one of those supreme coun-
ellis where we always left behind us
some Of our rights. a schedule of pay
ments that the commission accepted
reluctantly and which reduced our
claim in undetermined proportions
We then accepted this schedule Of
payments as an international conven-
ton. an an engagement of honor
pledged to US"
A few months later, Premier Poin-
care asserted, this schedule again was
questioned, taas certain of our friends
seemed no longer to have any other
thought than to tighten the German
debt, and as they themselves were
our creditors, We told them: There
are three kinds of bonds provided
for. Let us keep our part of the
first two. As for the third. we will
use them against Germany only in
proportion as our creditors ask us to
pay our debts Still, we We're found
too exacting."'
sSs..- Hits ReproacheS.
The premier said France was re-
preached for not having sufficient re-
gard for Gerpany and for exposing
her TO disaster that would affect all
other nations.
n. aPQincare asked if any one imag-
iRed. ,tAat Germany would stabilize
the mark and put her house in order
IF France watched with arms folded"
For three years." he said 1.-The
allies have followed this mirage, and
for three years things have been
going from bad to worse. If we
We're not in the Ruhr Germany would
have continued to slip into the abyss
she dug. but we would have been
empty handed, while now We hold
security, and we are powerful enough
not to have to let sgo.' ..
France, the premier asserted, un-
ceasignly had been making conces-
sions. Then" he added, why have
we said we have reached the end?
1t is because until now they always
have been at our expense" The peace
treaty had promised reparations and
security. For security France had
been given the right of temporary
occupation on the Rhine that was
to cease. at the precise moment Ger
many should become stronger"
! lGuarnpty Not ixen.
France also had been promised a
guaranty pact, but this had not been
fulfilled and nothing had been offered
to replace it, for "the new guaranty
pact proposed by Mr. Lloyd George
was for a shorter time than ,occupa-
tion and without precise engage
ments. Military aid was nothing; it
was only a dangerous deception"
NJ. Poincare emphasized the gov
ernalenI,s and his own personal feel
ing in favor of close relations be-
tween France and Great Britain. He
recalled that it was he who brought
about the alliance with Great Britain
before the war when others were ad-
yocating better relations between
France and Germany
8 The premier eonclnded with. what
was Interpreted aS carefully word
ed reminder of Frances supreme
position on the continent and the
Versailles. for, he said. Through a
breach opened in the Versailles
treaty other propositions would pass
that would reopen the entire peace
settlement. destroy the new status of
central Europe and menace our
friends. Czechoslovakia, Rumania
and Jugoslavia."
NOT REPLY TO BRITAIN.