The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-03
FRENCHMAN GIVES
INSIGHT INTO BIG
SENTIMENT CHANGE
Lawrence Gets Interview With
Noted Writer Which Ex-
plains Reasons for Amer
iCa'S Different Attitude.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
(The News Selmitsr's Special Core.
spondent.)

s%pondent.)
WASHINGTON, April S.-What are
the reasons for the change in seuti-
ment in the United States toward her
traditional friend, France? Americans
may have their own ideas, but the
views of a Frenchman also. who has
been making a special study of this
subject in the past few weeks, are eX-
poSitory Of the other side which is
SO vital always to impartial eXamina-
ton of any question.
Two years ago George Iecharlier,
prominent author and journalist, came
to Washington to. represent Petit Pa
r%isien," one Of the Leading French
dailies, He won the confidence of Of
ficials generally and frequently toured
the United States during the war TO
discover American sentiment TOWARD
European problems. He went to Paris
last November with the American cor
respondents who are assigned to write
about the peace conference n he
came back to the United States when
President Wilson did. He returned To
France yesterday and before leaving ]
asked him to analyZe the reason for
apparent Observation-Disclosures and con-
fliCt between the french and American
delegates at Paris and the change in
sentiment toward France manifested In
this country.
Il regret to say" said NJ, L~echarlier,
that there has been a change III
American sentiment toward France, J
hope 1t is only temporary, but w must
recognize that II exists. Two years age
France was everywhere praised. Amer
leans were ELUSIVE when they me-
Frenchmen. We are welcome and made
to feel that way. Before the war, in
I H. IN,A--A IA1 "a HlaaA Ia A VAh
can hearts which was enViable. | haVe
been back in the United States foul
weeks and have observed many changes
in public feeling about France.
First it must be attributed to what
returning American soldiers are say
ing about France. Naturally they have
gone through many ~hardships and are
glad to get home, Their chief com
plant seems to be that the French peo.
pie o~Yercharged them. l car not bu'
think that the American troops were
partly to blame, themselves, for higi
prices. Many of them. unfamiliar will
our currency, actually lighted their Gig
arets with five-franc notes when the!
arrived in France. Naturally some o
our merchants thought all Americans
must be m~illionaires and charged &C
cordingly,
ALSO, being u%nacquainted with thu
valueN of French money, the American
troops paid anything that was aske'
and the merchants took advantage o
their failure to protest. But It mus
not be forgotten that troops of othe
countries had to pay the same price
and hat Americans as a. rule were no
an object Of special discrimination.
Second, the sentiments heard on re
turning steamers from France and i
this country are so pronounced tina
they have the appearance to me of a
organized propaganda. Some day W
may know more about this than W
do now
Third, press reports Of the peac
conference in Paris have given an i'm
preston Of constant conflict betweet
the French and American delegations
Unfortunately it Is true that the Amer
lean delegation as well as most of tn
American correspondents, because O
their inability to talk the French Ian
guage, have not fully understood tn
French point OF view,
What France Asks.
I'VE do not insist that Germany sha
not have food but we do insist tina
before the Germans are fed we sha
have compensation In materials O
money so that we. may get starte
again. The Hotel Crillon where tn
American delegates and most of tn
American correspondents gather, give
only one point Of view. There ougF
to be more effort made to get tn
underlying reasons for the various pre-
posals made by France,
Then, it must not be forgotten tina
President Wilson is not as strong wit
French opinion as he used to be.
, am revealing no secrets perhaps whe
! | say that Frenchmen generally resent
: ed the fact that he gave audience |
4 the first few days Of his visit to Franc
: to NJ. Longust, a grandson of IA.
! Marx, and to M. Renaudet, anothC
, prominent socialist. / consider thel
1 Bolshevists."
!. "Then, too, Mr.. Wilson did not sho,
= any eagerness to visit the battlefield
I, or devastated regions of France. Man
; of III people could not see how tn
: president could appreciate or under
. stand our proposals until he saw tn
, real plight Of France.
! ut Is true he has since gone to SO
! the battle areas but the first impress
sion in France at Mr.. Wilson'S failui
to go to the devastated region befol
he went to other parts Of Europe wa
one Of keen disappointment. With
sentimental people this point can NJ
be ver-estimated.
Another thing to which / attribut
much importance is the campaig
waged by the Echo de Paris" one {
1 | our IIlOSl MlutlN tGdu Tic" SDdI1eTS. i
that newspaper, prominence was cor
stantly given to the speeches of Re
pubticans In the United States and
the Republican viewpoint, The argl
ment that Mr.. Wilson did not repre-
sent America, but only himself and h
party, which had been beaten in I'll
last elections, impressed many Of o,
people. The presidents prestige wit
| us began to diminish in accordance 4
| Republican criticism OF him in III
senate grew until when ! left Franc
four weeks ago it had reached a hig
point,
"Frenchmen felt that once the RI
| puhucans were to COMB into powe
| their views we're very important. ReaC
ing In one OF our largest newspaper
much about the Republican campalR
against the president gave impetus
sons program and no doubt this hf
been one OF the reasons for the do
bates and delays over what Americ
really wanted.
80 you see there are reasons @
both sides Of the water for misundel
standings, but they will gradually d
minish. I am optimistic enough
believe also that the feeling Of Amer
lea toward France will change for II
better. Even the American troops wi
now condemn France will very soc
begin to feel better disposed toward VI
They will get a different ~perspectiN
on their own experiences when the
| have been longer at home, and the
will value those experiences and beg
to cherish them with the same spir
of idealism toward France that the
used to manifest before 1917 when the
| only thoughts of France were Though