The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-20
CONFERENCES IN PARIS MEAN MUCH AMONG THE ALLIES Elimination of Red Tape Has Secured Fine Coop eratiOn Among Them ECONOMIC WORK IS
 THE PRIME OBJECT Plans Are All Made for Securing the Best Results in Keeping
 Products Out of
 Germany
By HOLLAND

There is no misunderstanding, however, I on the part of the international financiers who were in conference in London lit
 tie over a year ago, when the first sug-
 gestion of a meeting of representatives | of the allies was made.
 | It was one of the American financiers who attended the first meeting in Lon Cor who suggested that the customary
 red tape and formal etiquette of diplom- acy be abandoned and that those who | represented the allies get together as quickly as possible and without any cere- | mony. The first result of this suggestion was a cable dispatch to the finance min 1 ister of Russia in which he was asked if | h. would attend conference at Paris. | So also, the French finance minister was invited and he responded quietly, as did the Russian finance minister
 | As soon as practicable, a meeting was held at Paris and at that meeting the I first details of cooperation, economic and financial chiefly, were agreed upon.
 It was then decided to hold a second con- , ference in order to perfect these plans for cooperation That second conference was I held last winter. That was final, ex- l cepting that there was agreement for a supplementary conference which was to discuss certain trade and commercial propositions which are not of present | importance, but are in line of prepara- | ton for trade and commercial action to | te taken after the war ends.
 There was no understanding that this supplementary conference would be held | to devise ways and means for choking Germany industrially and commercially after the war was ended. The Baron q Estournelles d'Constant, who although a strong advocate of world peace never theless as a member of the French Sem ate has given earnest support to all lnes sures taken by France for defense, | communicated to some wh1 took part in the conference last week that 1t would be a suicidal, worse than childish, policy if the allies were to attempt to build a Chinese trade wall around Germany.
 There are intimations that the baron was informed that there was no purpose of that kind
 It is probable that the chief purpose of this conference is such cooperating agreement as would make it impossible for Germany or any nation to exact from Russja or any other country commercial treaties Of the kind Germany did ex- act from Russia shortly after the latter war with Japan was ended.
 One of the international financiers who shared in the conferences held in Lon don last year said this morning that mo-
 body of ordinary intelligence would sup port any proposition which had in view
 the choking of Germany industria.ly and numerically after the war is ended. On the contrary, there is every reason for encouraging trade with Germany, for the German markets should be among the largest in the world after peace has come. Certainly the United States would not tolerate an unfair proposition of that kind, for even from a selfish point of view this country should encourage great commerce between Germany and the United States.
 There is, it is believed no possibility of any agreement on the part of this con. ference in support of a plan to boycott Germany. What the conference aims to secure is absolute freedom of competition. This was something which Russia sought and her leaders said was denied to that country by Germany.
 TRADE FOLLOWS THE LOAN In an address delivered few days ago in this city by man familiar with com mercial conditions in South America, he stated with emphasis that the new prin- ciple of trade is not reflected by the old apothegm, Trade follows the flag !" Sometime ago a leading business man stated that it had been discovered that lIdQ6, WIl.e IL IS lIlluSiCCu Oy tHC dAS that is to say by new railroads, does not follow exclusively the laying down of railroad track. The new principle is that Trade follows the loan" To that country from which the loans come will the trade of the country go which has
 received the benefits of these loans One of the comments which have been heard since the new and extraordinarily skillful,y negotiated Russian loan of nnO Wo reference
 to the fact that since the United States began to lend money to Russia year and a half ago our trade with that country
 was greatly increased. This, however, is
 rot regarded as perfectly justifying the
 statement that trade follows the loan.' v
 Russia was in emers sncIes for time,
 needing munitions of war and other ap-
 paratus necessary for the carrying on of war. These commodities were obtained
 in the United States and Russia facili-
 tated payment for them-this payment being necessarily cash or it's equivalent, as we imported very little from Russia by borrowing the money here or by ob- taining financial assistance from Great
 Britain. Nevertheless it is regarded as certain that Russia will become a very 'arge customer of commodities produced in the United States after the European war is ended.
 Frequently comments have been heard expressing some astonishment and entire satisfaction at the evidences of new ma tional spirit in France-a spirit re-
 flected by dignity, earnestness sincerity
 and wonderful patience. These qualifica-
 tions were expected of Germans, but not
 until the war were they commonly ascribed to the French. Now Russia is
 commanding attention by reason of the evidences of a new spirit which animates
 her leaders and her people, and it is sometimes said that one of the compen-
 sations for the enormous sacrifices en-
 tailed by the war Is the development of
 new spirit not confined to the allies, but
 shared with them by Germany and Aus
 tria.
 BUSINESS AND POLITICS
 The opinion commonly expressed in
 business circles and in the financial dis
 trict is that the presidential year of 1916
 IS to be unique because no matter how
 great the interest in presidential politics
 may be it will not, as in other presiden-
 tia elections. cause tusiness to become
 sluggish Industry and commerce are to
 be as active throughout the campaign as
 they were before it began.