The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-11
FRANCE BELIEVES
GERMANY CAN PAY
4! SHE DESIRES
Much More Concerned Over
Reparations Than Washing
< ton Conference, Is View
of Andre Tardieu
BY ANDRE TARDIEU
Former French High Commissioner TO
America


Special Cable to The Age Herald
Copyright. 1921. by The Age-HeraId)
Paris, December 10.-French in
terests has swung away from Wash
ington for the time being and is CEN
terest has swung away from Wash
many is making to get out of her
financial engagements.
AS l said before in reparation af-
fairs, the question of the will to pay
comes before the capacity to pay.
II Germany wished to pay in gold
she could. If she refuses. nothing re-
mains but to force her by a means
which will not be difficult TO dis
cover.
Louis Locheur. minister of recon
struction, by his negotiations with
Germany at Wiesbaden - setting
thereby a dangerous precedent of sep
arate negotiations with Germany
! has unfortunately helped to create
an opinion that only payment in goods
and material is possible for Germany.
This has been fostered by newspaper
comments. The treaty OF Versailles
anticipated that payments in kind
also would be necessary, but the
treaty arranged more equitable bases
than the accord of Wiesbaden, which,
tually grants Germany still another
debt reduction.
Cash Payment Possible
But cash payments are equally pos
sible if there is a sincere desire to
pay. This principle should be fol-
| lowed before there Is any more talk
of a moratorium.
France, which in the past two years
has abandoned so many rights guar
anteed by the treaty, condemns her
self to a still darker future II she
consents to enter the road toward
which certain English journals would
push her. We ask only our dues and
base our hope of Just treatment on
the spirit of equity and justice OF
those who have been our comrades
on the field of battle.
| Germany agreed in 1919 to pay for
| property and personal damage suf-
fered by the lands and the victims of
her aggression. At London in May OF
1921, after is months debate, the prin-
| cipaI of a partial instead of integral
reparation was excepted, The total
German debt was fixed at 132 mil
| lizards of gold marks The total darl-
age in France was fixed at 1876 mil
lizards of gold marks. The London
/ agreement accorded France 6S mil
| lizards. This sacrifice was supported
| by the argument that the debS~~a as
thus made payable and that the sys-
tenn of the PREPARATIONS commission
absolutely assured the regularity of
these payments.
But this second installment has not
| been met before it is rumored that
Germany asks delay. AS 1 write, the
official demand has not been formu-
| lated, but dispatches from London
and Berlin indicate it will be made
soon. To appreciate the emotions of
the French people it might be well
to remember that the reparations and
pensions total Almost 80 milliard
| francs.
Pact Provides Way.
1t is perfectly true that the Yer
sailIes treaty envisaged possibility
of delays, but it was precisely this
which stipulated the paymen of ~
milliards before May, 1921. There is
also a provision for a reduction or
the annual installments in the two or
! three years following, thus safe
guarding all Interests.
But the accord of last May ex-
empted Germany from paying IL
milliard balance. Premier BRAND ex-
cused this concession by claiming that
thereby the danger of a moratorium
was thenceforth obviated. The French
public is rtaher astounded that al
though last Mays milliards are still
unpaid. Germany once more talks OF
a moratorium.
But that is not all There is gen.
eral attempt to establish the dogma
that Germany is unable to pay In
gold. 1t is forgotten that German fl
nanciers and industrial leaders gath
cred in the last two years many mil
lizards of foreign securities, and II
the government wished, 1t could use
these securities to pay its debts.
Plans for transferring these securities
to the state have even been studied,
but today are no longer discussed.
1t is much SIMPLER from the Ger
man point of view, merely to declare
that Germany cannot pay.
We shall see.