M. RAYMOND POINCARE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 92, 16 October 1934, Page 9

M. RAYMOND POINCARE

GREAT FIGURE IN FRANCE

SERVICE TO COUNTRY

United Tress Association—By Electric Tcleeraiili—Copyright. . PARIS, October 15. The death occurred today of M. .Raymond Poincare, President of France from 1913 to 1920 and a former Prime Minister. M. Poincare, who had been in failing health since a serious operation, collapsed on Saturday. 11. Raymond Poincare was bora in Bar-lc-Due, in 1860. His father was a civil engineer in State employ. Ho wasa precocious youngster, and wrote poetry at the age of eight. It is recalled that at the age of ten, 1870, ha refused to attend school because the invading Germans had posted a sentry at the door. He spent the day in tears over the humiliation of his country. He was known among his playmates as of quick temper, which often led to fights in which he was a notorious, if courageous loser. The school records show that at the age of fifteen lie obtained first prize in narration, first prize in Latin prose, first prize in Latin verse, first prize in Greek prose, second prize in mathematics, first prize in history, second prize in German, and nine citations on the roll of honour. At sixteen he went to Paris to study philosophy. At nineteen, obeying the wish of his mother, he took up the study of law, although he had wanted to be a professor. In Paris, after his military service, he took up journalism, entering the employ of "Voltaire," a political review. But, pressed by his mother, lie returned to the law, going into the office of Maitre Barboux. one of the leaders of the Paris Bar. He won mnrked success in preparing the cases of Barboux. First entering politics in 1886 when Jules Develle, Minister of Agriculture, named him his private secretary, Poincare announced his candidacy for the Chamber the next, year and at .twentyseven was elected from a Mcuse district. President Carnot called on Meline to form a Cabinet and the latter offered Poincare the Ministry of Finance. Poincare declined the offer. Meline could not succeed in forming a Government, and when a week later Charles Dupuy presented his Cabinet to the Chamber the name of Raymond Poincare was written as Minister of Education. Poincare was thus Minister at the age of thirty-three. Immediately he won renown by his exhibition of training for this task —addresses at the Sorbonne, erudlite discussions of problems of education, appointments of scores of teachers,- removals of others and thorny questions relating to the influence ■ of the Church in education. When the Kibot Ministry fell in 1803 Poincare went out of office, but_ six months later found himself again a Minister, this time with the portfolio of finances. TO LEAD A CABINET. In 1899 he was summoned by President Louvet to form a Cabinet. Since the days when he had been Minister the French Socialists had enormously grown in power, and their leader, Alexander Millerand, demanded a place' in the Poincare Cabinet for a Socialist, Rene Viviani. Poincare refused, MiUerand had too much strength and Poincare had to drop the effort to forai a Ministry. For the next two years he fought consistently against the accession of Socialists to power. In 1003 Poincare ran for Senator and was elected. In 1906 he found himself again Minister of Finances. When in 1903 Clcmenceau was called on to form a Cabinet he offered to keep Poincare as Minister of Finances, but the latter declined and turned back to his law practice, which grew fast. For five years he remained out of power. ■. Up to this point in his career Poincare never had boon a big figure in foreign affairs. The Agadir incident brought France to the edge of a crisis, and in the settlement Poincare was appointed rapporteur general for the Franco-German treaty of November 4, 1911. When the fall of the Caillaux Ministry brought further difficulties Poincare was culled on to form a Cabinet. At once he had on his .hands the ratification -of the treaty with Germany the settlement of incidents growing 'out of the Italian-Turk War, troubles with Spain and so on. In several months he had gained in the chancelleries of Europe the reputation of a trained diplomat. When the time for the election of a President came in January of 1013 Poincare ranked as the leading figure in French politics. Despite the growth of the Socialist power in France, he stood forth as a figure which made an appeal in a time of many clouds, and in the Versailles election on January 17 he was chosen to go to the Elysee.

Following the end of his seven-year Presidential term in 1920, Poincare turned to journalism, editing the "Revue de la Quinzaine" in "La Kevue dps Deux-Mondcs," and contributing frequent virile articles to "Lc Temps. Ho early conceived the idea that Germany was trying to escape her obligations under the Peace Treaty, and he made it his task to fight that game. Always a bitter enemy of concessions by France, he criticised harshly all the compromises made by Millerand- and then by Briand in the conferences which followed one another in 1920 and 1921. ' 1n'1026 he returned to politics, fought in "the battle of the franc," became Prime Minister, and turned a Budget deficit into a surplus. He resigned finally in 1929. In 1930 he was seriously ill from phlebitis.