Evening star., 1919-03-07
LAW WOULD LIFT
BLOCKADE ON HUN
Britain's View Expounded by
Americans at Outset OF
Peace Farley.
SEEN AS A WORLD NEED
by DAVID LAWRENCE.

Andrew Bonar Law S announcement [
in the house of commons that the
sooner the blockade is lifted the bet-
ter for Great Britain and the world
In general Is Significant of the trend
in the economic councils among the
entente powers. and is of the greatset
Importance to American exporters
and import efs as well al those Ameri-
can business houses which would give
more employment 10 discharged SOL
diers if they could be assured of an
early resumption of foreign trade.
The British chancellor OF the ex-
chesuer is stating a view that Curl
ousiy enough was expounded at the
very outset of the Paris peace con
ference by the American delegation,
with very little favor.
Men like Herbert Hoover. Bernard
IL Baruch and Col. House argued
from both the economic and political
side that trade refat tions with the
central powers were yitaliy neceS-
sary To prevent bo4sheyiSm and an
archy. Vance Mccormick of the War
Trade Board who was then in Amer
d.
view, however. that with the block
ade relaxed the strongest economic
weapon over Germany would be gone.
Mr.. Mccormick Changes Mind.
When Mr. Mccormick got to Paris.
however, and studied conditions first
hand, he changed his mind and be-
came the stanchest advocate of the
policy TO relax the blockade. With
his change Of opinion came coinci-
dentaily "a modification of the British
attitude, until today it can be said
that Great Britain and the United
States favor the earliest possible re-
sumption of trade relations with neu-
tra1 countries contiguous to Ger
many and subsequently with the
central powers.
1t is no longer sentimental aues-
tion, for unless Germany is able TO
re-establish some of her industries
she will not only be una BILE to furnish
employment to the thousands who are
idle but her people will have less
money to buy food, and everybody who
has watched conditions in Russia now
admits that the masses were able to
oyerturn the Kerensky government
largely because they were hungry and
poverty stricken.
The French government has OPP
DOSGU
SO much on the ground that she is un-
willing to aid her former adversary,
hecause she, too, realizes Germany
must soon be put in condition where
she can earn money enough to make
regular payments on the big iudem-
nity. but because France wants her
own Industries to be re-esta blished
firsf and raw materials supplied her
so she can have Il long start on Ger
many.
Fear to Wait Too Long.
Great Britain and the United States
seem to be willing to discriminate in
favor of France with respect to raw
materials and the establishment of
her Industries, but the British and
American representatives are fearful
that the cost of too long a wait will be
a paralysis of American and British
foreign trade for an indefinite period,
and they believe IL wouic be best for
France as well as all concerned If all
artificial restrictions on foreign trade
were removed at once.
A great step forward toward a better
understanding of the blockade situation
was recently taken when the question
of dealing with the Germans on the
subject was put into the hands of a
civilian commission OF the allies instead
of with Marshal Foch, who hithel to
controlled all armistice negotiations with
the central powers. This was due to
the feeling among the business men of
the allied countries that economic ques-
tions had better be dealt with by per-
sons who had been handling them
throughout the war in the interaIIied
councils than by the military authori-
ties.
1t is interesting incidentally in con-
nection with Andrew Bonar Laws
sneech to note his argument with re.
spect to the size of the indemnity to
be collected from Germany. He says
the British government realized full
we'll that English people expected to
get the best possible indemnities from
Germany, and he emphasized. more-
over, that it was Britain's business
to get every penny it could. but 1T
was useess to hold out the hope that