The Washington herald., 1918-07-16
ECONOMIC
MUST WAIT ON
ENDING OF WAR
u. S. VIII First WIN,
Then Adjust Postwar
Trade Conditions.
WILSON TO DEFINE AIMS
Lord Cecil's "24-Nation
! Alliance" Fails to Excite
Washington.
WILSON TO DEFINE AIMS

Despite press association reports
from London giving Lord Robert Ce-
Gil. British under secretary OF state
for foreign affairs and minister OF
blockade, as authority for the state
ment that the twenty-four allied na-
tions have formed an economic al
lance against Germany effective
after the war, the United States Is
not a party to such an alliance and
has no knowledge of such an al
lance.
fact. a careful reading of Lord
CeciPs speech shows that he did not
say there was such an alliance
What he really said was:
1T Is no longer a question of form
ing some narrow defensive alliance.
but of laying down the economic prin-
sciples of the association Of nations.
which is already in existence and
to membership of which we are al
ready committed
And this association Of nations Is
''the association of twenty-four ma
tions which has grown from the orig
inal Alliance Of Eight whose entire
activity has been based on military
necessity. and whose only economic
cooperation has been to subserve
the military ends"
Council Table.
I hope the time is not far OF. -
Lord Cecil concluded, when we
shall meet around the council board
to discuss in detail the Economic
A ssocfation which will combine the
resources of the civilized world in
the Joint work Of reconstruction and
restoration of prosperity"
Such a conference is q possibility,
though the United States was not
favoribly impressed by the confer
ence of Paris, which sought to con-
slider economic conditions after the
war, and whose decisions seemed to
American authorities TO be breeding
places for continued international
friction
We are not now interested in
conditions subsequent to the con-
cIusion Of the war" Is the statement
of the War Trade Board, within
whose scope any economic alliance
would fall "All we are interested
in.now is the winning of this war. -
Await Wilson Policy.
The board would be embarrassed
Just at present by any approach from
our military allies for an economic
, postwar agreement. 1t must wait
some formulation of policy by the
President along those lines.
Its members had understood up II
recently that IL was the Presidents
attitude that this war must be won
and completely won, so that the
peace which was concluded would
be fnal in every way, and would
wipe out all war conditions. allow
ing the world to start anew with all
peoples taking advantage Of the
principle OF self determination, and
the world living in amity.
Lord Cecil thinks that the President
abandoned that policy in his Rel
Cross speech, when he considered
what would be the situation IL the
German people should still after the
war was over continue to live under
ambitious and intriguing masters in
terested to disturb the peace of the
world" Lord Cecil pointed out tha.
Il might then be impossible to admit
them either "to the partnership of
nations which must henceforth guar
antee the worlds peace or ito me
free economic intercourse which must
Inevitably spring out Of the othe,
partnership OF real peace"
German People Themselves.
But remembering the President
constant reiteration Of the fact that
peace can only come through the Ger
man people themselves and not
through their present masters, his
Red Cross peace proposal would not
|, OF necessity modify his attitude as
previously understood
Resolutions adopted by the United
states Chamber Of Commerce de-
r1anding economic retaliation against
Germany after the war and sent &c
each commercial body In the country
for its own adoption. are believed to
have made little impression on the
Presidents attitude.
The United States Is not planning
such q postwar offensive, and hopes
that none viii be necessary. II need
for action should develop later. II
will then be considered