The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-02-22
POLITICS WON'T LET
U. S. WIPE OUT DEBTS
ALLEGED PROMISE CAUSES
LITTLE FURRY, BECAUSE 1T
DOESN'T CHANGE STATUS
WON'T CONSIDER PROPOSITION

Anglo-American Issues Are Made Sc
rious by Anti-British Sentiment in
United States. Situation, Worrying
Diplomats of the Two Countries.
WASHINGTON, D. C.-The re-
port that high U. S. officials had given
assurances to the peace conference
that influence would be used to have
the debts of the allies to the United
States, amounting to about Sl0,0OO,-
000. 0OO Cancelled failed to stir senators
and members of the house to the in
dignation which it might have year
ago. This is not because there is not
great deal of feeling against cancel
ing the foreign debts. On the contrary
few members of either house would
support such a move 1t is due more
to the conviction that alleged assur-
ance, news of which leaked out Tor
the first time yesterday, makes no Vi
tai change in the present situation.
The whole question has been reyiv-
ed in interest only because OF the re-
cent statement by ]. Austen Chamber
lain, British chancellor OF the excheq-
uer, that Britain had sought to have
all the inter-allied debts Cancelled, and
that the United States had refused
Mr.. Chamberlain made no public
statement that this move on the part
of England had been a logical follow
TO the alleged assurance given by rep
resentatives of the United States at
Paris But so far as canoeing any
debts is concerned, it is doubtful il any
one in congress would make such
move. even if down in his heart he
might believe lit to be a good thing
economically for this country.
Industrial Crusade Feared.
That this last is not too far fetched
statement may be seen by reading
over some OF the speeches IN the house
by republican leaders, notably Memo,
las Longworth, declaring that 1t would
be better to cancel the debts than to
permit Europe to pay the United
States in goods, thereby building up
machine during the period OF pay
ment which would swamp this coun-
try industrially after the last debts
were paid
AT present, however, the feeling
against England is so vocal among the
Irish voters of this country that any
man in either house of congress would
be apt to think three or four times
before doing anything which anti
British agitators in his state or dis
trict could characterize as pro-British
action.
So there is little chance that any
proposal of canceling allied debts to
the United States could be considered
bv congress on its merits, even II
there were conviction that it might
be the sensible thing to do Incidental
ly, the fear of permitting Europe. and
especially Germany to pay its debts
in goods is not general, although it is
fairly widespread. There is a consid-
cradle element, headed by Senator
Penrose, which believes that tariff
barriers should not be built so high as
to make such payments impossible. :.
The attitude in congress, and indeed
all through the administration, to-
ward the cancellation of debts is typi-
cal of every point at issue between
Britain and America which is worry
ing the diplomats of the two coun-
tries. 1t is frankly admitted by some
of the men most concerned that the
normal avenues of solution OF such
tangles are not open, for the reason
that no American official or member
of congress who is looking forward
to a political future would care at this
time to propose the slightest conces-
sion to Britain on any one OF these
disputes