Evening star., 1920-02-08
CANCELLATION OFF DEBT Hz
BY AMERICA, VIEW HELD
Some Europeans Believe u S. Should For
: -
get Ten-Billion Loan-Misunder- --
-s
standings on Both Sides =

states en'leavorinE to .scap. frosn,..,,
moral obligations voluntarily ae----s
kh"w "wledged. when these oblieations7'NA
| involve material burdens. white al. -
! United States sees Europe attempting
I" take advantage OF what il regards
as us previous generosity. by sad
dung upon il enormous financial bur -
| uthS. not properly to he charged to -
! our account. --..
Could Remakr Peace Tremty
/ Keynes. in his book. gives an all
! inirahie example OF certain other Eu-
! r"Peah nn"S OF reasoning. What. L.
| inquiries. Will Americ.. f:"t in r.tnrf.
| Tor the $4,000. 10000 Why a r.
making of The peace treaty in ac- :.
cordanc" with ideas which were ad-
Eocated eN the Presid. TT al i'aris. 80
; he would have France consent to an
| immediate and sweeping reduction OF .r
| hrr claims against Germany. TO a r. -
nun"iation of her Sarre valley CON
tract so far as the question "f uiti -
mate possession is concerned itait l. r
! would give up financial claims against
austria Great Britain would give up
! certain financial claims against Ge:- -.
| many There would be general rcdilr-
, ton OF economic burdens. which tlt''t~
treaty of Versailles placed upon tn 80.
, German.
to an approximation OF the idea Nj.
| Wilson had of European peace than
does the treaty of Versailles. Ameri- rlr
can ideas as advocated by him. l-....
! successfully, would be re-estabiishcd
| Now this means merely that M -
Keynes reasons that the United
States would be perfectly willing 10
! contribute $4,000. .000. 900 IT, as "A re- ,ss,,
suit of the contribution. the world !.
peace were more firmly established. II -l''
! what he holds to be a juster well g.
/ as a more tolerable settlement were
thus to be achieved. ~.
According to the so-called liberal fss<
European view. America is today
holding back from the signing of the -
i refusing its sanction because of the
| character of the treaty, not as it af- --e
fects the United States. but as it af- -
fects Europe. They believe we are
concerns Germany. But if Europ@y +
consents to modify the harsher>r--
erals" say. then the United States -
will not hesitate to chip in $40. 600. 900. oce CO.,
as its contribution to the gener"
funds necessary to achieve this bet r"'
! ter settlement. -..sss
! OF course, it is fairly obvious thai
there is no burden of right or wronryesa
| on either side of what amounts TO a A.
Europe and America. The difficulty ssfi
: is the difficulty Of comprehension OF
one nation by another The Germans
for example. feel that the United zss
States, through President Wilson
totally betrayed them in the Natter
of the armistice. persuading them TO .-z
lay down their arms on certain con-
ditions and then consenting to the S5H
! enforcement against them. when they 49,
had been disarmed Of totally dlner-
ent conditions. And our associates ~'s
feel. not SO differently from our en-
Lemies, that we proclaimed our will
4 ineness to make any sacrifices. ma-.-ass-
! terial or otherwise. to further the
| cause Of certain ideas in the world. -
| and now. when the moment for sac, ~
! rifice comes we are deliberately and
consciously repudiating those obliga- "s'
| tions 1850
| that SO far as the mass of Amer:- ss'
cans were concerned. We entered the s.a.
| war only when the Germans forced
US into it, by their submarine cam -s
paign, that having entered. we were s,o
| nrauared to consent to all sacrifices
| to attain the defeat of the German: 20.
but that when he had been deIeatea
and his defeat was IS SO ,So Sompae'r mar reeos. s i
nized it as such our responsiveness
| were at an end.
| Secs Ruin Of Europe. - -
! Keynes book is straightforwafa- ;
exposition of the thesis that the pres
end in the ruin of Europe, If they are >k1
not modified. modified mainly py
lchanging the terms anectng orerWanS' sHA
but also those aHecting AZ ths oniv eers
nossible means of achieving these ~ia
| notifications American Intervention, -
| American Contribution Oy
~ !. debt of sl0. 900. 900 900 contracted r.
, Nv our European associates in fight
| ing Germany. He reasons tnat suen @
contribution by the Sni1ed S'a. -
| would suffice to persuade France ana
i italy to give up impossible claims for
much more modest realities. "..es
a, But this merely means that the INIT
ed States shall undertake. using lts Hi1
! financial power as club. to drive an, .,r.
! the European nations to accept ar
! ferent set of peace terms. IL means -Sr'
! <,l-a
dictatorship of world affairs which
Mr. Wilson essayed to exercise at 4.ar
paris. but did not wholly succeed IN -
preserving to the end
Europe MIsunderstnnds. Af'~
! All over Europe. in Germany. in .rsf-
rsrance in Austria in Italy and even
in Great Britain. there is very clear
misunderstanding of the situation a. n 9-t
the people of the United states see II,
, with totally different evidence ne ~
fore them peoples on either side OF the -.,
ocean are arriving at utterly different
conclusions. Europe is Judging our 'f'
present actions by the words or Presl-
cent Wilson and his associates spoken
at Paris. When Europe. when me
French and British suggest that t w W.
resign our claims to S10.Ooo."o".ooV wv
, owed us in the main by those two ma -
tions. neither regards it as a pure
gift rather to the Frenchman II IS =
payment of debt our own pubic s,ee
snol, ,esmen have acknowledged in
their utterances, to the Englishman II
lis payment. made necessary now to-
bring about the establishment OF that
system of world peace and order for .,d1
which we, through the same voices,
pledged all our resources. -
In the present article l am not en- rs.
deavoring to suggest that the Euro
pean view is correct. that ii is lust.
that it should be accepted in the tnt72
ed States. But it does seem to me es-
santial if there is not to be dangerous ~
resentment and unjust criticism. that
There should be recognition in the
United States of the reasons whlca -
underlie the European view. IT Eu-
rope is not warranted in its present
opinion there is no less unmistakahle
basis for that opinion. discoverablc IN
American utterances in Paris. =
CopErigh'' i"-'' mcclure "" sP'l'' .. "u'e" sssj