The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1921-12-31
FRANCE HURTS
HER POSITION
BY ATTITUDE
If She Wants War Debts Can
celled She Must Recede
From Stand She Has Taken
on Questions.
is PLAYING POLITICS
Nv MARK SULLIVAN

o-N, iDCt. oi- II SOu ShshA
whether anything can be found to say
in extenuation of what the French
delegates have done to the conference,
the answer, after a large number OF
conversations with persons entirely !
open minded and without feeling about
it. is, for the most part. very little. Ii
you ask whether the episode is likely
10 have discouraging consequences,
both immediate and remote, the an
swer is, unhappily, yes.
1t just happened that the climax of
the steady French course OF prevent
ing success for the conference coincid-
ed with the most important utterance
made in America in the direction of
our cancelling the debts due us from .
France and other European countries.
The position of Justice John H. !
Clark both as a member of the su- /
preme court and otherwise, is such as !
o carry much weight. But II you /
were today to call the roll of congress |
and the senate together with other
public men in position TO influence |
the event, you would find hardly a |
man willing to follow Justice Clark's |
lead.
France wants several things from
America. Among them she wants the
cancellation of the debts she owes us, /
and she wants the assurance that we
will come to her help if she is ever
again attacked by Germany.
Must Behave Herself.
There was and is just one way for
France to get these things, and that
i- IN Of nc n mako the right
sort Of impression on American peo-
pie. and so to conduct her relations
with us that, whenever the issue
arises, the American people shall have
the feeling about her that would move
us to come to her help.
To visualize the effect of what has
lust happened, there is no better way
than the crude but effective answer
made by many American public men
10 the question of relieving France
from paying the money she owes us.
Are we'' it is replied. going to let
France have our money to pulld
huge naval equipment"
In the same way the other question
is answered, "are we going to come TO
the help of France in any future war
when she wilfully endangers success
at the very beginning of the elaborate
program President Harding has had in
mind. going much beyond the present
4 conference, for agreements and CO.
operation aimed to make future war
impossibIe?"
Effect Goes Further.
But the discouraging effect OF the
actions OF the French delegates goes
even further than this. What the
American public may have sensed
vaguely is realized even more con-
cretely and definitely by persons close
10 the conference. That is, that much
that has been done here by the par
ticular French individuals is not nee
essarily the act of the French people,
but is dictated to a considerable eX-
tent by personal political considera-
tions.
In addition to the situation between
BRAND and the French politicians now
out of power, who would like to get
themselves in. those who are familiar
with the French delegation, say there
tas also been tenseness between Bri-
and and one of the other French dele
gates, who through his position at
home. is in a position to influence a
considerable block of the membership
Of the French chamber of deputies,
upon which BRAND must depend for
his tenure Of office.
Discouraged Feeling
The net effect of all this is dis
oouraged feeling on the part of the
Americans that it is hopeless for us 10
become involved in this sort OF thlnS'
We can't possibly conduct our affairs
with one eye on the politics OF Paris.
In short. the result of this French
development must be accepted as hav-
ing the effect of making US less willing
in in q tinngl confer
cnces or in international affairs alto
: gether. . s.. ,-,,or
lea are greatly strengthened in their
position; and for those who realize
that France exists and we must live
in the same world with her, the pos
sibility of a satisfactory relation to the
world is made more difficult
Nevertheless, the net results OF the
situation, as il exists today is not dis
couraging. The American, British
Japanese and Italian delegates to this
conference are wise and able men. As
10 the Americans especially, they die
not go into this matter expecting il
would be an easy walk to success.
Worst Is Past
They took into account possibilities
of trouble even more serious thar
what has happened. These worse po
tential difficulties are already past
AS to the present and future of the
conference, there are resources no
yet used. 1t can be expected witt
confidence that today is the worst thu
conference will be likely to see.
Even as to France, there are con
siderations not of compulsion but o
self interest that sooner or later cal
n cd an to ,,al- hnr
better light.-Copyright 1921 by III
New York Evening Post