The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-03-11

cept credit paper. This meant that
America, which is the largest Of the
food producing countries, would have
to stand a deferred payment and the
United States government was pre-
Guided from using its $500, 900, 900 food
appropriation for the benefit Of Ger
many.
So the French ~endeavored to force
upon the Germans the surrender of
her merchant shipping without any
agreement or guarantee that they
Germans naturally objected and the
Americans and British felt sympathetic
with the. agreement advanced by the
Germans at Spa, namely, that Ger
many would go to pieces unless she
had food.
Marshal Foeh, by virtue of his pssi-
ton as commander in-chief of the al
lied army, has taken a vigorous hand
in the proceedings and II is known
that the Americans and British dele
gates came away with the feeling that
they could accomplish more II the mill
tary point OF view and method of hand
ling the situation were dispensed with
for the present. Not only was the COM
duct OF the armistlce proceedings then
put, in the hands OF civilian delegates
from the entente countries, but now
the meeting place has shifted to Brus-
sells which will be much easier Of &C.
cess and Marshal Foeh viii not attend
the neXt session.
While all this may give the impress
sion of serious dtssenBion, the truth
that the incident is but one OF a NUM-
Der OF natural differences Of opinion
that arise at the Paris peace conference
when respective national desires Of the
allies conflict. The politicians of
France are SO much obsessed with the
idea OF collecting a big gold payment
from Germany as indemnity that they
] 100 49, NnNtra tnAA .r-a4In,n Atnv, Akn
possible damage to the German imam
cial and credit structure upon which
a restoration OF normal conditions in
Central Europe most depends.
The Americans n British are try
ing to convince the French that any
insistence on appropriating most of
the German gold supply to themselves
would only work to the disadvantage
Of French people in the end, for, If
the extraction OF a large sun Of money
crippled Germany's opportunities to es-
tahlisht credit relations with the Sean
world generally, anarchy would surely
ensue and the prospect of collecting
any indemnity would be very dim.
1t is interesting to note thatN both
the British and American delegations
are viewing the matter of feeding Ger
many not SO much from the sentimental
sid as the practical necessity which
Is bound to be OF as much ultimate
advantage to France as all other mem
bers Of the entente allies who believe
| that Bolshevism is now the common
enemy OF the world, The reported
shift in the French point of view In
favor OF feeding Germany as announced
today from Paris, was therefore In
evitable and Is an excellent illustra-
ton Of the progress that can be made
even under the most trying conditions
OF intense national desire towards
smoothing out the kind Of difficulties
that a league OF nations will have to
| reconcile from time to tina.
Already the conference OF powers in
Paris has had to wrestle with very in
tricate problems which In another age
and with another school OF diplomacy
would have led to secret combinations
and menacing friction. Common coun-
sci and open appeals such al made
by Premier Lloyd George in bringing
to bear the sentiment Of British troops
occupying parts Of Germany who in
sisted that the Germans should be fed
are significant Of the new international
intercourse.
Copyright 1919 by the New York
Evening Post, lnc)