The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-02
Medal of France Presented by
Edouard de Billy at Lotos
3 Club Dinner.
PROUD OF US. FRIENDSHIP
High Commissioner Predicts
Strengthening Of Bond as
the Years Pass.

French High Commission, high officers
of the French land and sea forces ana
nine knights OF the Legion of Honor.
detachment of sailors from the French
warship Gloire stood at attention.
Edouard de Billy. French High Com
missioner. received Mr.. Munsey at the
dais and said:
at is an agreeable duty that I have
60 perform. II is to speak Of what you
have done for the friendship Of the
United States and France. ! find In you
most eloquently. in your life. In your
personal worth the evidences Of that
splendid friendship. You have worked
increasingly for the cause which was all
civilizations. In recognition Of your
service the French Government hereby
decorates you with the Legion Of Honor
'Sr. Muneey, In the name Of the
French Government. have the honor to
bestow this decoration upon YOU"
Predicts Strengthening Bond.
Then, after the manner Of his people
and In accord with the nature OF the
ceremony. the French High Commits
oioner saluted the new legionnaire.
Mr.. Munsey made a brief reply OF
apprecia ton and was conducted to the
speakers table by F. Cunliffe-Owen.
NJ. de Billy then addressed the diners,
speaking OF the close relations OF France
with America and predicting that the
bonds will strengthen as the years pass
He spoke of German intrigue and OF
the German submarine warfare that
forced the United States into the war.
dwelling upon the cooperation that the
French High Commission had met with
in its dealings with the Government and
people of this country in meeting the
vi nf nj no N l.
ture. he said that France will greatly
need all the aid that America can give
her. Continuing NJ. de Billy said:
81 feel very deeply that your help
which you gave us In the near past
will not be lacking In the period
which Is beginning now. France
still needs to be helped. France
has been the battlefield OF the world.
A part Of her territory has been
eavagely, wantonly devastated, and
It was the richest part of France.
the coal and iron producing areas.
with mi7es and factories Of every
kind. All this has been destroyed.
Under Terrible Handicap.
"Before ton OF coal can be
hauled from the mines, whose shafts
have been blasted, years will elapse.
While in other countries. and in
Germany, every industrial plant Is
IN good order and can re-
sumo work at a moments notice,
France has to spend billions OF dol
lars to rehabilitate the devastated
regions and French industry has to
work several years before being able
to compete again In the worlds
market This is a terrible handi-
\ cap
Our debt has increased during
the war to such proportions that the
interest of that debt amounts to
sum higher than the total French
budget before the war. To raise
taxes in order to meet the needs of
our more than doubled budget we
must have, in the quickest possible
time our industrial forces set to
work at the maximum rate OF efil-
cheney and production.
"Of course this situation has its
offset Alsace and Lorraine are for
France precious assets on account
of the riches contained in the land
and on account of the valor and
energy OF the men, happy to return
TO the mother country. But not
outstanding this the problem which
the Finance Minister has to work
out Is one OF the most difficult ones
ever proposed to man. We are not
discouraged, a little impatient only
sometimes when we hear some of
our friends returning from France
after a hurried trip and a super
ncial examination OF the situation,
who say that France Is richer than
she has ever been and needs no
help.
Restrictions Arc Necessary.
France needs to follow a very
A,,axr
n to restore her industry and to pro-
tect 1t as long as the conditions will
not be normal; this means certain
restrictions, which some of you re-
gret, but which are imposed upon
us by the distinctions Of war. At
the same time France wants food
stuffs she wants materials for her
reconstruction work. 1 am shipping
monthly 100000 to 100000 tons of
goods to France-meats and cereals,
and locomotives and cars, and trac-
tors and agricultural implements.
and steel plates and angles, and
bars and rails and so on.
'In order to pay what she needs
from foreign countries and to solve
the tsw BILE financial problem a.
which / spoke a while ago. she will
have to make some big financial
operations. and for a few years she
needs credit. In all the contin-
gencies we feel and we know that
we will have no friends safer and
more willing to help than the United
States"
OF the League OF Nations NJ, de Bill
said only that In whatever comes out Q
the present confusion Of European poll
tics America must know that Franc
can be trusted. He added:
France has always kept to her
word, and II you want to discover
what the policies OF France will be
you only have to refer to the two
declarations which have bound
France TO the future first, at the
moment when the armistice was
signed the acceptance of President
Wilson's propositions. Second, the
answer made by the Allies to Presi-
dent Wilson in January, 1917, when
he asked all the belligerents what
were their war aims, and when they
replied that having been attacked,
they were fighting for their indie
pendence that they wanted neither
annexation nor indemnity, that their
aims we're threefold: reparation
of damage, restitution of what had
been robbed. guarantees for the fu-
ture."
NJ de Billy referred to Clemenceau .
sour grand young man." evoking a stor
Ct applauEe and he quoted the Premt
as saying The League of Nations shou
be in our hearts," Inc problem OF Il
future, he said, is TO bind all nations
common ties OF language and study
peoples through education.