The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-31

y
~ THE Making of the Reparation
and Economic Sections of tho
Treaty" is so strong in its praise of the
work Mr.. Wilson and his representatives
had to do with the Versailles Peace Treaty
and its mass of detail various subjects
and in various quarters that at first blush
one might take 1t to be inspired by political
motive. We don't think ii is In the first
place the book is given to the public too late
in the campaign to have any partisan influ-
ence one way or the other In the second
place, Mr.. Baruchs intellect is too keen. his
experience is too wide and his judgment Is
too trained for him to have any halucina-
tons as to the fate Of Mr.. Wilson admin
istratlon and Mr. Wilson's party at the ma
tional elections on November 2. Probably
Mr.. Baruch would be the last man in the
United States to try TO fool himself or any
body else with the idea that anything could
save a cause which is beyond possible h ,pe
of salvage.
Notwithstanding Mr.. Baruch's earnest e.
forts to show the intellectual and moral per
lection of Mr.. Wilson's representatives in
the Paris deliberations. quarrels and com
promises, however, his book is of uncommon
value because uf its treatment of facts-eco-
nomic facts financial facts. Mr. Baruch's
whole story. in truth. is marked with solid
chunks of economic sense which come natu-
rally from his lucid brain.
Undoubtedly Mr.. Baruch and his asso-
ciates were not the only men engaged on
the reparation problem who saw that II was
impossible to squeeze blood out OF a stone
Undoubtedly there were others who realized
that worse thing for France than for
Germany, even, would have been the sad
ding of all the French claims and demands
on the broken back OF Germany. Undoubt-
edy the British. representatives, compre-
hended that some Of the things they de-
olAred must be exaoted from the bankrupt
Germans were merely political humbuR for
homo effect Nevertheless. the fact remains
that II was Mr.. Baruch and his associates
q the PREPARATION work who Rad to point
out that II the economic life Of Germany
was annihilated there would be nothing left
To go Ia the Allies as replration or damages
or anything else. II was the American
representatives who fought for fixed and
final sum as indemnity. II was they who
maintained from first TO last that it would
be wiser and safer for the Germans TO know
from the very beginning exactly what they
had TO pay and do and for the Allies to know
from the very beginning exactly what they
had TO expect to get.
II the American representatives fell down
on their job Of making Great Britain and
France see all these things as we who were
not going to get much OF anything out of tho
reparaton business anyhow, could see them.
theirs the credit none the less for trying
And European events to-day Indicate that
not merely the British but the French q,
now understand that Il would have been
better for them II their extreme claims had
been modified-understand that Il win ba
better for them II there is further readiust-
ment OF their extreme claims, an In all proba-
bility there will have to be-
In respect of such lumin ous and convtr,
ing argument criticism and proof Mr.
Saruchs book La an oppressive piece q worh