L’Écho d’Alger
- Inter-Allied debts
- M. Poincaré in Alsace-Lorraine
- The Marne taxi in America
L'Écho d'Alger's front page for 14 October 1926 carried news from Paris, Strasbourg and New York. In Paris, a Chamber finance sub-commission heard its chairman, M. Dariac, present a long historical and critical report on the inter-Allied debts and the Washington and London accords. The report offered no conclusions, and the sub-commission still had to decide whether to question the government or send the file to the full Finance Commission. Dariac then said he would step away from mid-November because he was running for the Senate. In Strasbourg, Raymond Poincaré toured schools and received a senator, religious leaders, business figures, judges and professional delegations before leaving for Colmar. From the United States came a report on a Marne taxi, number 610 G 7, cheered from New York to Philadelphia, where it was to ride in the American Legion's convention parade before going back to its French manufacturer.
Translation
Inter-Allied debts
At the Chamber's Finance Commission
Paris, 12 October (delayed). – Two sittings have been held by the finance sub-commission charged with studying the file on the Washington and London accords communicated by the government. Both sittings were devoted to the presentation by the chairman, M. Dariac, which explains in detail the question of the inter-Allied debts from its origins. This presentation includes an extensive historical part and a critical part. But it contains no conclusions. It will be typed and made available to the members of the sub-commission.
The commissioners paid tribute to the effort made by M. Dariac to present the debt problem completely and impartially.
The sub-commission will meet next week to hold an exchange of views. It will decide whether there is cause to put questions to the government, and on which points those questions should bear. Finally, it will have to decide whether it intends to keep the matter before it or whether it should refer it to the Finance Commission in plenary session, which would then be responsible for presenting the conclusions to be submitted to the Chamber.
M. DARIAC GIVES UP THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE FINANCE COMMISSION
Paris, 13 October. – Concerning the Washington accords, M. Dariac, chairman of the sub-commission for the study of the Washington and London accords, announced yesterday to his colleagues on the Finance Commission that they should no longer count on his collaboration from mid-November, since, being a candidate in the senatorial elec-…
M. Poincaré in Alsace-Lorraine
HE RECEIVES NUMEROUS PERSONALITIES AT THE STRASBOURG PREFECTURE
Strasbourg, 13 October (delayed). – This morning M. Poincaré visited the schools of [?] and of Lavanceneau, and the rural schools, and this afternoon the schools of Saint-Guillaume and of the academy of mixed schools. He then returned to the prefecture, where he received various personalities, notably MM. Taufflieb, senator; Muller and Oberkirch, representing the three religions, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish; M. Herrenscheidt, president of the Chamber of Commerce; and Dellinger, director of the Port.
M. Poincaré also received various delegations, notably the Federation of Civil Servants; the Professional Group of Schoolteachers; the Trade Union of Insurers; the Students' Association; the Friendly Society of the War-Blinded; the Commercial Group of the Bas-Rhin; the Federation of Independent Unions, etc. M. Poincaré also had talks with MM. Carrodemalberg, first president of the Regional Court, and Siben, first president of the Court of Appeal.
M. Poincaré leaves this evening for Colmar.
ON THE EVACUATION OF THE SAAR
The Marne taxi in America
IN THE UNITED STATES
THE HISTORIC VEHICLE AROUSES THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE CROWDS
New York, 13 October. – The Marne taxi, bearing the number 610 G 7, was given a very enthusiastic reception on its arrival in New York. After being exhibited for a day in that city, the car, driven by Mr. Peck and accompanied by Mr. Herring, crossed the [?] of New Jersey, then of Pennsylvania, to reach Philadelphia. Along the way the taxi was exhibited at Neward Rahway, Newbrunswick, Elisabeth and Trenton. At each of these stops warm receptions were given; it is now on display in Philadelphia, near the congress hall, right in the centre of the city, and receives thousands of visitors every day.
The Marne taxi will remain on display there until the day of the American Legion's review, when it will take part in the parade among the veterans of the French front grouped by the American Legion. At the close of the convention, the car will be taken back to France and returned to the automobile manufacturer that built it and that kindly lent it to the American legionnaires.
At the American Legion Convention
New York, 13 October. – The eighth annual Convention of the American Legion, the great association of American veterans, which opened yesterday in Philadelphia, heard the reading by Colonel…
Context
The Washington and London accords before the Chamber
The "Washington accords" studied by M. Dariac's sub-commission correspond to the Mellon–Bérenger Agreement of 29 April 1926. It fixed the amount and rate of repayment of France's wartime debt to the United States. The London file concerned France's parallel debt to Britain, settled in the Caillaux–Churchill agreement. The two settlements differed on the point that mattered most to French opinion. In the British agreement, payments were linked to the reparations Germany paid France. France wanted the same clause in the American agreement, but the United States refused. Resentment ran high. Some 20,000 war veterans demonstrated in Paris against the American agreement, and most French people felt the United States should waive its claims altogether. The procedure the paper describes took place against that background. Dariac's report dwelt on history and criticism but drew no conclusions, and the sub-commission had not yet decided whether to question the government or pass the file to the full Finance Commission. The dispatch reports procedure rather than a verdict and does not say which way the commissioners leaned.
A ratification that took until 1929
The cautious pace visible in October 1926 lasted for years. Successive French governments put off ratification. The Chamber of Deputies approved the Mellon–Bérenger Agreement only on 21 July 1929, after an all-night sitting, by 300 votes to 292, and then ratified the Caillaux–Churchill agreement on the British debt. That narrow margin, almost three years after the sittings reported here, shows how divisive the question remained. The sub-commission's work in October 1926 was therefore an early stage of a long parliamentary delay rather than a step toward quick approval. The paper's second item adds a practical problem: Dariac, the chairman leading the study, told his colleagues he would be unavailable from mid-November because he was standing in the senatorial elections.
Alsace in the months before Poincaré's tour
When Poincaré toured schools and met religious representatives, judges and professional delegations in Strasbourg, Alsace had just been through a tense summer. On 7 June 1926, a group that included Eugène Ricklin launched the Heimatbund manifesto, an Alsatian autonomist text. On 22 August 1926 in Colmar, the next stop on Poincaré's itinerary, Communists and the Catholic Popular Republican Union held a joint meeting to denounce measures the French state had taken against the manifesto's signatories. The day turned into political clashes in which around 60 people were injured. Poincaré's later course shows how the government regarded the movement. Before the May 1928 elections he tried to keep autonomists from taking part, six autonomist newspapers were banned and their leaders were arrested. The dispatch mentions none of this conflict. It lists courtesies instead: the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish representatives, the chamber of commerce, teachers, civil servants and the war-blinded. The visit appears as a display of official contact with the region's institutions.
Why the Marne taxis became a symbol
The taxi driven across New Jersey and Pennsylvania stood for an episode of September 1914. General Gallieni, the military governor of Paris, decided to make use of the city's taxis, and at 10 p.m. 630 of them were assembled on the Esplanade des Invalides. The Musée de l'Armée stresses that the numbers were small for a battle of that size and that most troops were moved by train. Even so, the "Marne taxis" became a symbol of France's determination to resist the German advance. That symbolism, not their military weight, explains the crowds the paper describes. The taxi in America bore the number 610 G 7, while the Marne taxi now in the Musée de l'Armée carries the plate 2862-G7. The car shown in Philadelphia was therefore a different taxi from the museum's. According to the paper, its manufacturer had lent it to the American legionnaires and would get it back after the convention.
The American Legion and France, 1926–1927
The American Legion, which the paper calls the great association of American veterans, was building a close ceremonial tie with France. The paper places the Marne taxi in the parade of the Legion's eighth annual convention in Philadelphia, among veterans of the French front. A year later, in September 1927, some 20,000 members of the Legion and its Auxiliary travelled to France for the ninth National Convention. The Legion's magazine promised them a welcome "mellowed by remembrance of the joint sacrifice of two nations." The 1926 loan of a Marne taxi belongs to this exchange of war memory. There was also real friction between the two countries. French veterans had demonstrated in Paris against the American debt settlement, the same agreement Dariac's sub-commission was examining in this edition. Ceremonies of shared sacrifice went on alongside a bitter dispute over war debts.
Original
Les dettes interalliées
Les dettes interalliées A la Commission des Finances de la Chambre Paris, 12 octobre. (Retardé). - Deux séances ont été tenues par la sous-commission des Finances chargée d'étudier le dossier des accords de Washington et de Londres communiqué par le gouvernement. Ces deux séances ont été consacrées à l'exposé du président Dariac où est expliquée en détail la question des dettes interalliées depuis son origine. Cet exposé comporte une partie historique qui est développée et une partie critique. Mais il ne contient pas de conclusions. Il sera dactylographié et mis à la disposition des membres de la sous-commission. Les commissaires ont rendu hommage à l'effort fait par M. Dariac en vue de présenter de manière complète et impartiale le problème des dettes. La sous-commission se réunira la semaine prochaine pour procéder à un échange de vues. Elle décidera, s'il y a lieu, de poser des questions au gouvernement et sur quels points ces questions devront porter. Enfin, elle aura à se prononcer sur le point de savoir si elle entend rester saisie de la question ou si elle doit renvoyer celle-ci à la commission des Finances en réunion pléniére à laquelle reviendrait le soin de présenter les conclusions devant être soumises à la Chambre. M. DARIAC ABANDONNE LA PRESIDENCE DE LA COMMISSION des FINANCES Paris, 13 octobre. - Au sujet des accords de Washington, M. Dariac président de la sous-commission d'études des accords de Washington et de Londres, a annoncé, hier, à ses collègues de la commission des Finances qu'ils ne devront plus compter sur sa collaboration à partir de mi-novembre, car étant candidat aux élections sénatoria -
M. Poincaré en Alsace-Lorraine
M. Poincaré en Alsace-Lorraine IL REÇOIT, A LA PREFECTURE DE STRASBOURG, DE NOMBREUSES PERSONNALITES Strasbourg, le 13 octobre. (Retardé). - M. Poincaré a visité ce matin les écoles de [?] et de Lavanceneau, et les écoles rurales et cet aprèsmidi, les écoles de St-Guillaume et de l'académie des écoles mixtes. Il est rentré ensuite à la préfecture où il a reçu diverses personnalités, notamment MM. Taufflieb, sénateur; Muller et Oberkirch, représentant les trois religions, catholique, protestante et israélite; M. Herrenscheidt, président de la Chambre de Commerce; Dellinger, directeur du Port. M. Poincaré a reçu également diverses délégations, notamment la Fédération des fonctionnaires; le Groupement professionnel des Instituteurs; l'Union syndicale des assureurs; l'Association des Etudiants; l'Amicale des Aveugles de guerre; le Groupement commercial du Bas-Rhin; la Fédération des syndicats indépendants, etc... M. Poincaré s'est entretenu en outre, avec MM. Carrodemalberg, premier président du Tribunal régional et Siben, premier président de la Cour d'Appel. M. Poincaré part ce soir pour Colmar. AU SUJET DE L'EVACUATION DE LA SARRE
Le taxi de la Marne en Amérique
AUX ÉTATS-UNIS Le taxi de la Marne en Amérique LE VEHICULE HISTORIQUE SUSCITE L'ENTHOUSIASME DES FOULES New-York, 13 octobre. - Le taxi de la Marne, portant le numéro 610 G 7, a été l'objet d'une réception très enthousiaste à son arrivée à New-York. Après avoir été exposé pendant un jour dans cette ville, la voiture, conduite par M. Peck, et accompagnée par M. Herring, a traversé les [?] de New-Jersey, puis de Pensylvanie pour atteindre Philadelphie. Le taxi a été exposé en cours de route à Neward Rahway, Newbrunswick, Elisabeth et Trenton. A chacune de ces étapes, des réceptions chaleureuses ont été données; il est actuellement exposé à Philadelphie, près de la salle du congrès, en plein centre de la ville, et reçoit chaque jour des milliers de visites. Le taxi de la Marne restera exposé là jusqu'au jour de la revue de l ' «American Legion», où il prendra part au défilé, parmi les anciens combattants du front français groupés par l ' «American Legion». A l'issue du congrès, la voiture sera ramenée en France et rendue à la société de constructions automobiles qui l'a fabriquée et qui a bien voulu la prêter aux légionnaires américains. A la Convention de la Légion Américaine New-York, 13 octobre. - La huitième Convention annuelle de la Légion américaine, la grande association des anciens combattants américains, qui s'est ouverte hier à Philadelphie, a entendu la lecture faite par le colonel