Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-24
SEES LITTLE TO GAIN
IN POINCARE DEFEAT
Harden Throws Cold Water oil
German Rejoicing at I'M
minent Fall.
WOULD NOT ALTER POLICY
Any French Premier Must Keep
Same Foreign Program.
WOULD NOT ALTER POLICY
BY MAMMALIAN HARDEN.

/ BY Radio to Tie Star.
| BERLIN, February 23.--Some Ger
! man newspaper rcjoiccs daily in an
, ticipation of the fall OF Premier Poin-
care OF France. Since his dome site
policy often displeases the parties of
, the right, and his foreign policy dis
pleases the left, and since he will not
sacrifice any of his convictions, his
fall is possible ut any moment.
But the writer does not believe
Germany would then have any reason
to rejoice. NJ Poincarc demanded
with juStifiable pride that the senate
should not let fear OF. consequenccS
for the foreign policy restrain it from
overthroWing him. since any sue
ceSsor would continue his policies
And no one. whether BRAND Barthou
LouChrUr. Herrtot or Tardicu viii b=
more ready TO adopt a policy of yield
, ing cOmpla isaucc than the I4urraincr
whom nobody can accuse of p"ssrSS-
ing weakly inclination to make UNI
necessary concessions.
Hamprred by Errors.
y solution Of the PREPARATIONS prob
lem does not depend upon individuals.
II is hampercd by blind errors Of
both sides. Instead of looking back
ward and increa sing their mutual
difficulties. France, and Germany
| should seek to level the way for
peace.
Even an honorable opponent must
/ wonder at the earnest Industry ana
| the tenacious will power OF NJ. Poin
| care, who does almost everything
alone: it must bc admitted ais" that
! his stubborEneSs has gradually re-
! Taxed of late, and that this jus list has
| displayed elements OF state TuInship
| But his powers OF neeatiuu ar.
stronger than his positive creative
ability. cool, clever. all too mis-
| truStful head. without vision. who
knows only that old Europe of firmly
drawn divisions Of might. and has not
! the imaginative power to conjure up
| the vision Of 4 new Europe. he cannot
bring himself to formulate definitely
demands upon TIL" fultillment Of
which Germany ma! regain her eco
nomic sovereignty in the Rhtncltnd
and the Ruhr and see her territory
freed of foreign troops.
Whether any successor would quick
" make this decision is doubtful. He
| too would face hindrances difficult TO
overcome. France has made 100000
hectares of land cultivable again in
the deSolated northern districts; SHE
has built dwellings for 100000 peu-
Pile; she has erected and equipped
1000 factories and rebuilt countless
railways, bridges. workshops, etc.
Her debt is r"ckoned at 100. 0u0. 9"u.-
oo0 gold francs. Her citizens must
raise at least 5000, 100000 francs
yearly, and the franc has dropped 10
u sixth of its normal value.
GrowIs of French.
"All this" growl the French, lis
due 10 the fact that Germany has not
paid U.S.
How. then. can the French budget be
balanced: Since the victorious CONT
mental powers owe the Americans and
the Britors great sums. these powers,
in the London uitimatum, not only i'm
posed fifty billion gold marks upon Ger
many as PREPARATIONS. but Il further sum
of cighty-two billions TO cover those
debts if they be not Cancelled 4 school
boy realizes that Germany cannot pay
one hundred and thirty-two billions. and
most Germans believe that this impossi-
be demand is intended To furnish u
preteXt for permanent occupation Of the
Ruhr.
Some reports trom Paris state that
the experts committees SstinIa1 e
total repaiaticns; at seventy billion gold
marks. which they believe Germany can
pay at the rate of four and Il htlf bill
lions annually. The new figure is based
on Enciauds declared Willingness to az
cept from her continental allies the
amount she must pay America, namely
fourteen billion gold marks.
The sole ground infayor of cancella-
!, ton Of debts, it seems TO the writer,
would be Il growing realization in the
United States that q financially rehabiii-
tated and denilitarized Europe would
be more useful, both ideally and prac-
tically. for American spirit and bust
ness. than a Europe afflicted by ftnan-
cial slavery, steadily increasing its
hatreds and listening eagerly to every
llureinent Of the CONSTITUENCIES nation
t4list&.
As long as intcr;tllied d.htS clog the
streets. only provisional solution OF
the reparations pl obtcm will b. attain
able. But at least a provisional solu-
ton must not he delayed "a day longer.
Copyright. 192t.)