The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1921-02-18
ALLIED Debt TALES
FALSE HARDING TOLD
Lamont Says Wilson Made
No Agreement, Hays
Sees President-Elect

ident-elect Harding today finally re
viewed his cabinet decisions with his
campaign manager and prospective
postmaster general, Will II. Hays
ED received from member of Presi.
dent Wilson's peace delegation un'
qualified assurance that no agree
ment for cancellation of the allied
war debt was made at Versailles.
~ yhe conference with Mr.. Hays, gen.
e.ally interpreted as conclusive evil
dence' that the Republican national
chairman is TO become a member OF
Mr. Harding's official family, is UNI
derstood to have covered every fea-
ture of the cabinet situation as well
as various questions Of policy. The
two were together several hours and
altho no formal announcement fol-
. lowed, the President-elect said their
talk omitted none of the problems
facing the next administration.
% Details OF what happened at Yer
sailles in regard to cancellation OF
the ten-billion-dollar war debt were
given to Mr.. Harding by Thomas w
g Lamont, a member of the Morgan
banking firm and a fiscal attache OF
the peace commission. In a state
ment after his conference with the
President-elect he made a flat denial
of recent stories of mysterious
agreement to wipe the war debt off
.he books and said he had assured the
Rrasident-elect his administration
would be "as free and untrammelled
as air" in dealing with the question.
Liked Harding's Views.
Mr.. Lamonts statement attracted
particular attention because of his
intimate knowledge of the Versailles
negotiations and because his firm is
the principal fiscal agent in this coun-
try for the debtor powers. Mr.. Hard
ing Is understood to have discussed
with him his own proposal for con-
yerting the debts into negotiable pa
per, but neither would comment af-
terward on that feature Of the dis
.cussion. Mr.. Lamont did say, howev-
err, that he found the views OF the
President-elect sane and reassuring.
Tomorrow Mr.. Harding will con-
tinue his consultation with Mr.. Hays
and expects also to see Harry M.
Daugherty, his pre-convention CAM
paign manager, who is understood to
be slated for attorney general. Sew
.eral other prominent party leaders
are to be here later in the week.
Announcement was made that the
President-elect and Mrs. Harding
would hold a reception tomorrow
night to other guests of the fashion
able hotel, which is their home here.
Since her arrival from Washington
Mrs. Harding has attempted no social
duties and has remained in her suite
resting.
The statement of Mr.. Lamont, who
came here at Mr.. Harding's invita-
tion follows: .a-
ri found that President-elect Hard
ing wished to ask me about certain
phases of the international financial
situation, which had come under my
observation during my attendance at
the peace conference at Paris in 1919.
found, too, that Senator Harding
has himself been giving very serious
thought to the same situation, and ]
may say at once that his view is both
sane and reassuring. He began by
disclaiming any ability as a financier.
but l must say that many OF his sug-
gestions were very practical and
showed the result of careful, cool
and friendly analysis.
"In my turn / was able to assure
the President-elect that there was alb
soluteiy no truth In the statement be-
ing constantly repeated to the effect
that at the peace conference in Paris
there was some secret understanding
between President wilson anu MS au-
yisors on the one hand and the French
and British representatives ON the
other, to the effect that the allied IN
.debtedness to the Omitted States
should in whole, or in part be can
celed
Opposed BY Wilson.
at is only fair to say that from
start TO finish of the peace confer
.ence President Wilson and bis adj
yisors, without exception, opposed
vigorously and finally any such sug-
gestion of cancellation. To repeat
there was no commitment expressed
or implied, near or remote moral or