POINCARE'S VIVID DREAM

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160735, 23 August 1920, Page 10

POINCARE'S VIVID DREAM

PAETS. 'July 19. The Matin to-day .prints the follow-ing:—Ex-President Poincare has dreamed a dream. He dreamed that Germany won Hie war, imposed a crushing peace at Versailles, and sent troops triumphantly through the Arch de Triumphe, with the Kaiser, the Grown Prince, Ludendorlf, and Hinder burg at their hea d. Franco had been stripped of her northern territory, Englvid of her colonies and fleet, and America forced to pay a terrific indemnity. But as time wore on, sixteen months after the peace treaty, the Allies began to recover. England had hid su bn. urines and airplanes. The United States was secretly rebuilding in factories that escaped control. French nationalist patriots were arming despite the half-hearted protests of the French Government. Rumours of this began to reich Germany, and there was agitation in the German press. Then a German Liberal icwsp&pcr proposed that a conference bo held at Cannes between the beaten Allies and victorious Germany to induce the former to fulfil the treaty thoroughly without tho idea of hope of revenge. What happened P The army was flung at France and the fleet at England. A cloud of Zeppelins and Gcthas bombed New York. French nationalist bands were hunted down and slaughterel. Paris was smashed into submission with mines, bombs, and machine-guns. The latter’s murderous rattle woke the French ex-President. For a moment he was dazed. Then memory returned—tho Allies had won the war, and were holding at Spa just the same conference as the Liberal German newspapers had proposed for Cannes. The cx-Prcsidcnt continues: “I don't for a moment desire to suggest that wc should imitate the brutal and bloody methods that the Germans might have employed, but is there not a middle course betwpen brutality and weakness?' After all, what have been the results at Spa? Hie principal problem that the conference had to settle —reparation, on which depends Prance’s resurrection —has not even been touched. It has been put off. Disarmament of Germany has been postponed. The amount of coal fixed by the treaty, even less in amount than was apportioned by the Reparations Committee, has been reduced still further. We have agreed to advance Germany money without even knowing if she will pay us our damages. It is true wo got the insertion of penal clauses in the event of non-fulfilment, but they arc a long way off, and meanwhile Germany has learned how Lest to play the game against the Alices, and, still more, how to temporise, for time> is on her side. She has seen what she gains by talking; she will go on with it. Tho sessions will continue indefinitely. And yet I dream no longer —the Allies are victorious and the Germans vanquished.”