Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1921-04-29
HARDING TURNS
DOWN GERMAN PLEA
But Will Take Up Proper Pro-
posal With Allies
U. S. WILL NOT BE UMPIRE
American POsition Defined-This coun.
try interested in Reparations Set.
iiement AS crux OF Economic
Sterilization.

Washington.-President Harding has
been appealed to by the German Gov
ernment to act as mediator in its dis
pute with the Allied Powers on the
subject of reparations. In answer,
Secretary Of State Hughes has replied
to Germany that the President cannot
act as umpire but if the German Gov
ernment will promptly formulate such
proposals as would present proper
basis for discussion this Government
will consider bringing the matter to
the attention of the Allies.
The appeal of Germany to a coun-
try with which 1t is still technically
at war constituted an unprecedented
action; while the prompt reply made
BY Secretary Hughes indicates the
clear course which this Government
has charted for itself and which it
proposes to follow until the end of
the diplomatic road.
The attempt Of Germany to have
President Harding mediate the dis
pute and forestall the coerciye meas
trres which are contemplated by the
Allies is the elimination of "feelerse
which the Berlin Government has
been putting forth through various
channels Every one of these feel
ers has been met by the unvarying
response that the United States
could NOT chanee- frnnl-the- nos .silI.e..
which it took when Secretary Hughes
previously addressed Foreign Min
kter Siihons telling him that the
United States expected Germany to
assume full responsibility for the
ear and to pay to the extent Of her
capacity for the damage wrought
The German Government in the
note addressed to President Harding
has finally agreed to the position of
The United States. 1t is clear that in
bringing about this concession Secfe-
tary Hughes has won great diplo-
matte triumph for his government and
the Allies as well.
The German Government pledges
itself without qualification to fulan
In letter and spirit all the provisions
of any award that might be made by
President Harding. There is no reser-
yatsen in the German appeal Il
places the case Of Germany fully in
the hands of the President and asks
him to make the decision as to
amount of reparations to be paid by
Germany.
The qualified reply of Secretary
Hughes is necessitated by the align
ment Of the United States with the
Allied Powers in demanding repara-
tlon of Germany. Further action by
the United States depends to a large
extent upon the Allied decision. This
Government may want the Allied
Powers to reopen the reparations
negotiations, but it cannot press its
request beyond that Of intimation.
The publication in Berlin dispatches
Of the substance Of the German note
undoubtedly embarrassed the State
Department in handling the situation,
although 1t was recognized that the
vast economic values involved in the
situation possibly justified the Ger
man Government in giving the appeal
to the press.
1t has been made clear from official
sources that President Harding be-
lieves the United States should inter
est itself from now on in European
settlement which may affect the
United States, rather than await the
conclusion OF these settlements and
register its approval of objection after
the fact.
1t has also been officially stated
that the reparations settlement is the
crux of the economic stabilization of
Europe, and that in this settlement
every man. woman and child in the
United States is directly interested