The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-05
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

/
ByDAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Refermer.l
Copyright 1921.
| WASHINGTON, Ecb. J.-The United
States government is considering wheth-
or or not it shall file a legal protest
against the reparation settlement pro-
posed by the allies to Germany. Behind
the indecision of the state department
in the matter-for it is fact that Off
cials are in a quandary as to what should
be done-is the best illustration that
has yet come to the surface of the en-
barrassments that accrue from change
of administration in the United States
without some measure of cooperation
even unofficial between the incoming
and outgoing administrations.
The customary way to protect and
safeguard American rights i'm any trans
action in which government may be
unprepared To argue ease is to file a
/ "caveat' of legal warning which is in
! the nature OF notice to all concerned
| that exception is taken to the negotia-
| ton and that views on the question will
| be filed separately and at a later date
| The trouble about filing such a "caveat.
however. in the present case Is that
{
promptly ask for Americas position on
/ reparation. and state, department Off
Gals here are unwilling to say anything
that might be handicap to President
Harding after March 4. 1T may be
that President Harding will approve the
! rcparatIOn settlement" said one official.
+ We don't know anything about the
views of the next administration or its
desires"
On the other hand. the Wilson admin
/ lStratlon has made clear its position
again and again in memoranda filed with
the allied powers and there is no doubt
1 now in the minds Of the European states
! men that the present administration con-
/ sidcrs the proposals Just made to the
allies as 'prepOSterOuS" and ''impoSSible
/ of fultillment." Another interesting an
gle to the question is the fact that Eu-
ropean governments asked the United
/ states To send an ambassador to attend
! unothcially the council at Paris. at which
| the reparation settlement was agreed
upon. President Wilson declined to per
init an American representative to sit
in the council because America had not
ratified the very treaty under which it
was proposed to collect rcparatiOn.
! We can't eat our cake and have it
/ too" continued u high official of the de
partmcnt today. We cannot ask for
/ rights under a treaty which we have not
even ratified
'Ht fortunate tntuS IN the situation
/ * the prospect that rtiormany win de-
cline to accept the settlement and that
the whole matter may be under discus
/ sion when the new administration comes
| into power. The speech in the French
parliament of Andre Tardiau. formerly
/ French high commissioner to the United
! States, in which he took the BRAND min
/ istry to task for Mastering Il settlement
| before President Harding could take the
oath of office in Washington. is looked
i upon here as the beginning of Il better
understanding by Europe that without
| American cooperation the entire repair
alton settlement may fall 10 the ground.
| For unless the moral support of the
! Jnited States government is back of the
settlement. our officials believe it will be
| impossible for tine allies to use repara-
| ton bonds in their financial transactions
| with the United States, either as a basis
of credit in foreign trade. or as collat-
| cral i'm the support of foreign loans past
| or future.
The more the terms of the reparation
proposals are studied the more officials
/ here are beginning to feel that the en-
! tire proposal will collapse unless radi-
Cally modified In the meantime. how
ever. opinion is divided as to whether
| the United States ought to file Il legal
exception to the allied proposals 50 as
to form the basis for an effective protest
| later on in the event that the l. per cent
vantage of American trade and industry.