The Washington herald., 1920-03-14
|EUROPE NEEDS
RUSSIAN GOODS
Allies Look to Soviet to
Furnish Them Food and
Raw Materials.
HATRED DIES DOWN
AS Lenine Government
Grows In Favor U. S. Be-
comes More Unpopular.
HATRED DIES DOWN
BY CARL w. ACKERMAN.
Herald-Public Ledge

10 Russia for food. raw materials
and co-operation. The United States
Is criticized. denounced and hated
The suspicion that we are dollar
chasing nation which was always
talked about during the war. is now
a conviction. England and France
England more than France and
Italy more than England-look TO
Russia instead of to the United
states for future economic assist
ance.
do not believe it would be a rash
forecast to say that within consider
ably less than a year England, Italy
and possibly France will extend de
facto recognition to the MOSCOW
government. Today everything GER
tainly tends toward such an official
step by these three great allied
powers.
soviet Favored i'm Europe.
Coming from the United states,
where there has been such a decided
reaction against the Soviet govern
ment within recent months, to Eu-
rope, where the reaction is favor
able to Moscow. 1 have been trying
to learn all the reasons. Some were
obvious: others were soon obtained.
The crux of the matter is that the
United States has disappointed Eu-
rope by delaying the ratification OF
the peace treaty.
Since the Senate began to object
to the work of the Peace Confer
ence, Europe has lost its faith In
President Wilson. and Europe
faith in the President symbollzed
her faith in America. Now that Mr..
wilson's star has fallen. the United
States has been counted out.
The hatred of America. however.
is not all placed upon the Presi-
dents back. Wall Street and the
-greedy" Americans get their full
share. No one thinks of what we
have done. excepting our Oldest
friends. Everyone mentions what
we should have done.
The high exchange rates have
harmed the United States as much
as anything. Today 1 received four
teen francs and ten centimes for
81, Two years ago 1 received hVe
francs seventy centimes- For ev-
cry dollar the French spend in the
United States today for food ana
materials they must pay out almost
three times as much as they did In
1918.
French Citizens Views.
-why don't America cancel
Frances debts? America is rich.
See how the Americans spend money
over here" say the average French
citizens. why did Mr.. Wilson tell
us the hope of the world was IN
a league of nations when his own
country is the only one blocking
the league?" France and England
would like to have that question
answered.
These are the financial and polit-
ical reasons for the condemnation
of the United States. The third is
economic. "why should England
and France, or Italy. for that mat
ter. continue to buy food and raw
material in the United States, where
prices are high, when 1t may be
possible to buy the same things In
Russia while the ruble is dis
counted?"
That question suggests how they
reason over here. Russia, they claim
has the raw material they need for
their industries. Russia has food In
the south and in Siberia Europe Is
after that food. During the pangs
of hunger few persons ask about the
political ideas Of the many who can
stave off starvation or bring down
prices. The people of Europe think
the opening of Russia VIII orlng
down prices, so they want Russia
opened up.
Public Opinion Changes.
Public opinion is bringing about
these changes over here. We may
condemn and reviIe the Bolshevist
government in the United states all
we wish, but in so doing we may
find ourselves alone before long
OF course, the communistic princi-
pies of the Russian government are
still condemned. Statesmen still
voice their disapproval of Lenine'
but they know that each day SYM
pathy for Russia is growing in their
own countries.
They know that while they may
not be in power when the time
comes still their own countries will
eyentuaIly join hands with Russia
Men and women and the newspapers
state and pfint opinions about Rus
sia in England and France today
for which they would be arrested In
the United States.
The propaganda in favor of Rus
sia is ceaseless and now that the
tide has turned against the United
states; now that our country Is so
disliked 1t is easy for the people
of Europe to forgive and forget
Russia's part.
Faith I'm America Lost.
II would not be accurate, how
ever, to obtain an impression from
fo nnnnafffnn In
Europe to cooperation with Russia
or recognition of the Russian gov
ernment. The opposition is still
strong, but it is losing ground. One
still reads in some of the leading
London and Paris newspapers ar
guments against such steps.
One still hears that IL Russia is
starving she cannot supply the
wants of Europe and that Europe
will have to turn again to the
United States, but even these state-
ments are not as effective as they
were. Europe has hope in Russia.
Europe has lost faith in America.
That sums it up.
AS to the future, everyone ex-
poets that to take care" of Amer
lea. There are all kinds of Wild pre-
dictions, about what will happen to
us. from panics to 9. Japanese in
vasion and a revolution.
Europe Misjudges U. 3.
But to one who Is observing Eu-
rope again, after thorough inves-
tigation of Industrial and labor. con-
ditions in the United States, there
is one important factor which Eu-
rope generally overfooks. In the
United States we may not be pro-