The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-30
LOWELL 81 TELLER

any affirmative course but simply must
wait developments. There has been a
good deal of talk to the effect that the
United States government has not from
the beginning been DESTROYS of finding out
whether the German proposal was accept
able, but whether it would afford basis
for negotiations.
Inasmuch as officially the American
government has not transmitted the doc
ument to the allies, the chances are that
the supreme council will not comment on
the German proposal either as to its
merit as a basis for negotiation or any
thing else.
Can Act as Mediator.
One important fact remains, however,
and the allies are deeply sensible of that
fact 1t is that the Germans have form
ally placed before the United States gov
eminent document which the American
government can answer II 1t chooses
either now or next week after the Ruhr
valley has been occupied.
America, in other words, has become
means OF communication between Ger
many and the allies and if the United
/ States wishes to adopt the role of media
I tor next week that position Is still open
| to the Washington government. But the
allies view such a contingency with pecu-
! liar emotions. They insist that if the
| United States acts as an intermediary,
! the Washington government automatically
deserts the allies and becomes more or
/ less neutral as between the allies on the
one hand and the Germans on the other
hand, and Is no longer 4 partner in the
lreparations question on the side of the
allies. This. the allies declare, means
also that any proposition made by Ger
| many and transmitted by the United
! States Will eventually have to be under
written by the United States. The allies
have no faith in German promises. Will
the United States be ready to furnish mill
tary or economic support to the allies if
the Germans, after agreeing to pay, decide
to rcpUdiate their PROMISES The allies
/ imagine that an administration which
has repudiated the league of nations and
ENHANCEMENT in European affairs viii de-
! cline to take the Responsibility of mediat-
! ing in a European affair, although to be
sure the allies would be happy to have
! the United States underwrite German
! promises either financially or otherwise
| In other words, will America as negOtiator
| for Germany accept the responsibilities
| which any agent assumes in carrying on
any transaction for his principal?
Not Inclined to Mix In.
The department of state is weighing
| these considerations carefully and the
entire administration is diSinclined to
get mixed up in the reparations contro-
verSy at all, and if Germany imagineS she
| has pleased the American government by
| dropping the reparation problem on the
doorstep of the White House she is mis-
taken. The United States government has
rarely been so perplexed On the one
hand the Germans ask the United States
To mediate. On the other hand, they pub
| lish all the documents and automatically
prevent diplomatic conversations and ne
gotiations. The United States govern
ment, for the moment, is doing nothing but
following the wishes of the allies and thus
far the latter have expressed no desire
to receive officially the terms of the Ger.
man proposal. Next week the Germans
may make new offer and the allies may
be ready to discuss terms, but the only
n language which the allies believe will bt
effective in causing the Germans to cleaI
up the reparations tangle is the Language
of the military in the wealth-covered Goa
fields of Westphalia.