Evening star., 1924-05-25
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cooperation between France and
Germany was essential to France
as to Germany-and it must become
evident with what apprehension
Frenchmen looked at the prejudice
and even worse against Poincare in
both Britain and Germany.
France had turned to Poincare in
1922 as she had turned to Clemenceau
in 1917, not because of any popu-
larity-neither man enjoyed popu-
larity in the ordinary sense of the
word, save as Clemenceau won it
with the war and for a moment-but
because in each case these seemed
the necessary men. But in the end
she dropped Poincare as she had de-
MED Clemenceau the presidency be-
cause the necessity had passed and
the asset had become a liability.
The Frenchman would say: 1 be-
lieve that Clemenceau had won the
war and therefore deserved well of
the republic, despite his later fall
ures He would in the same way say
that Poincare, by overturning Lloyd
George and by occupying the Ruhr,
had saved Frances rights both to
reparation and to security. But he
would say also that, since Poincare
had come to appear as milltarlstlc,
whatever that might be, that since
he had become a symbol of trouble,
an apparent barrier to European
peace and since, in any event, his
task was done, 1t was time to choose
other men to negotiate with both
Britain and Germany.
New Men in Power.
The new men who have come to
power in France are not, in the
main, radical in our bolshevist sense,
nor Socialist in the German sense even,
Just as the British Labor party Is
millions of miles removed from the
Russian brand of radicalism. Both
parties are essentially nationalistic, as,
witness Labor accepting the air pro-
gram of the tories and launching
naval program of it's own. But both
are liberal in the sense of building
their policy without intent of ag-
gression. To put it more exactly. in
America the majority of British
Laborites and French radicals would
he out and out pacifists and in Europe
they travel in this direction as far as
their unfortunate situations permit
Now, obviously, between MacDon-
aid Labor government in London and
a Herriot or Herriot- -Painleve- BRAND
government in France there can be
vastly more cooperation than be-
tween a Poincare ministry and Lloyd
George ministry or Poincare min
istry and a Macdonald ministry, for
on both sides of the channel there
will be now a clear perception that
men of the same general sympathies,
beliefs and aspirations, but with diff
ferent national conditions, are with
equal good faith seeking a solution.
slE Difference in Personalities.
THAT is the great gain which 1 see
in the French decision. France, the
French democracy has met the Brit
ish half way, in so far as the choice of
men to govern is concerned. Mac
Donald can talk with Herriot, with
Rriand or with Painleve as he never
could have talked with Poincare. Re-
member, however, that any one OF
these three men will have to say to
Macdonald much that Poincare would
have said, but the difference in per-
sonaiities is incalculable. Labor
England and a Radical France
Radical in the French sense, not ours
can probably get on together better
than any other combination imagin-
able.
What then. of Germany, which has
gone in the opposite direction with a
resounding bang? In reality nothing
much of Importance, because when
ever Britain and France can agree
Germany must accept the terms pro-
yided. But there are at least GER
tain number of Germans as weary OF
war-of war in peace-as are the
maiority of Britons and Frenchmen.
For them there has been no apparent
way out with Poincare In the saddle
and France in the Ruhr perhaps i'm
moyabiy. If the Nationalists won
zreat victory in the recent election
they did not gain majority more