San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-26
.P0|NCARE QUITS
AND SAYS HIS
DECISION FINAL
French Premier Tenders
Resignation After
Minor Defeat.
LOSE BY SEVEN VOTES
Finance Minister Makes
| Question Of Confidence
in Chamber.
LOSE BY SEVEN VOTES
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press.
Paris, March 26.-The Poincare
ministry fell today. Premier Raymond
Poincare, after an adverse vote in the
| Chamber of Deputies, handed the res
ignation of his cabinet to President
Millerand, who accepted it. The pre-
mier announced he had decided ire
vocably TO give up power.
| Gentlemen" said NJ. Poincare to
| the newspaper men, as he left the
Palace of the Elysee this afternoon
after the cabinet meeting with the
| president at which the resignation
had been presented, my resignation
is final" ......
| NJ. Poincare raised his hat, entered
his car and drove off homeward.
Fall on Minor Issue.
| The fall of the cabinet after it had
survived a long and arduous struggle
in putting through parliament its
program OF heavily increased taxa
| ton TO balance the budget during
which It was constantly obliged to
propose the question of confidence, fell
| this morning on a comparatively in
significant issue.
The chamber was considering a re-
vision of the civil and military PEN
sions with only a couple of hundred
members present. Socialist Deputy
Bouyssou demanded that the mea-
sures under consideration be referred
back to the finance committee to be
considered in connection with the
senate bills on the same question.
| Debate Finance Bill.
| Finance Minister de Lasteyrie, in
charge of the measures. objected to
| this. He pointed out that the senate
! bills involved a, heavier outlay than
those in the chamber.
| Premier Poincare was not present
| but the finance minister declared HIM
self obliged, in line with the economy
policy of the government, to make the
question one of confidence.
| When the vote was announced show
ing that the government had been
defeated by seven votes-264 to I'll
there was surprise, with consterna-
ton on the majority benches, while
the radicals and Socialists cheered and
cried Resign! Resign!
/ Decide to Resign.
The finance minister reported to his
chief, who called the cabinet together
and it was decided to resign. Ihey
!. went into a cabinet council with
ItSlQtuI " MhOh So
Poincare presented the resignation.
1 President Millerand insisted that
4 the cabinet appear this afternoon be-
fore the chamber, retaining power
meanwhile. The president said he was
ready to explain by special message
reasons for this procedure.
| After each cabinet member had
given his opinion the president retired
and left the cabinet free to deliberate
i on its decision. 1t was at the con-
clusion of this meeting that Premier
| Poincare announced that his decision
to resign was irrevocable.
| In Power Two Years.
| The Poincare ministry. which thus
comes to an end. has held power since
January, 1922-its slightly more than
two years Of life covering q most mo-
mentous period in postwar history.
| Taking up, the reins of government
on program of more vigorous fo--
eign policy than had been followed by
his predecessor. M. BRAND. Premier
Poincare adopted an energetic attitude
on the question of reparation pay
ments by Germany, and when the
year 1922 had gone by without any
satisfactory adjustment being arrived
at. the Poincare government, IN jan
uary of last year. decided upon the
seizure of pledges" from Germany:
The occupation of the Ruhr valley
| by Joint action of France and Belgium
followed. Great Britain was not IN
sympathy with this move and the diff
| ferences between the two nations on
/ this and other questions relating 10
/ reparations led to something Of rift
| in the entente, which only latterly has
| seemed about to be bridged over
through negotiations between the
| Macdonald government and the Poin-
care ministry.
Experts to Report.
| The fall of the government comes
| lust on the eve of the expected pres
entation by the Dawes expert COM
mittee of its report for the reparation
| commission on Germany's financial
and economic status and the commit
| tees anticipated presentation OF a
| program which it has been hoped
would lead to an adjustment Of the
| reparation question, solve the Ruhr
| difficulty, start Germany on a path
of economic soundneSs and eventually
bring about renewed economic staou-
ity in Europe.
Just what effect the withdrawal OF
the Poineare ministry at this crucial
time may have upon the result OF the
expert committees investigations and
conclusions remains TO be developed.
In Politics 40 Years.
Raymond Poincarc himself has Tor
40 wears been prominent in French
public life. Elected deputy from the
| Department of the MeuSe in 1887 az
the age of ~, he has almost eontlnu-
ously been in the public service as
DEPUTY, senator, minister. premier aad
as president of the republic, to which
high office he was elected in 1915 and
held throughout the World war. bis
term expired in 1920 and be engages
| in literary work on public questions
for a time. taking 8 strong hand Tor
firmer policy toward Germany y
nally, early in 1922, he took up the
membership and Immediately began the
| task of setting forth Frances position
| that Germany must be made 10 pay
| in full the reparation decided on I'M
der the treaty Of Versailles. Consist
emily for a year he reiterated France
would not finch from her position.
A tireless worker, Poincare threw
all his energies into his task. Finally.
in, January. 1923. he east aside the
warnings of Great Britain and en-
barked on a policy OF forcing Ger
many 10 pay. French troops marched
into the Ruhr. and POincsre declared
they would stay until Germany had
settled.
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