Evening star., 1921-12-18
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.


TINE spirit of the Washington
conference has permeated
Europe.
There, where nations are
facing financial chaos and social
atrophy by virtue of breakdown in
the whole economic structure of the
continent, the spirit of r"get-together"
is becoming more manifest. WASH
ington deliberations and conclusions
have pointed the way to successful
deliberation in spirit of interna-
tional welfare to the sacrifice of
strictly nationalistic veal.
Consequently when Premiers Lloyd
George and BRAND confer today and
tomorrow in England there will be
made manifest a sincere wish to rec
oncile the interests of England and
France which have been SO in con-
issues have been crying out for set
tlement for the perpetuation of the
concord which is SO essential to the
furtherance of settled order in all
allied countries, as well as the con-
tinent as whole.
Germany has announced that she
cannot meet the heavy allied repara-
tions stipulations for January and
February. This. naturally. will be
the first subject to be taken up by
ward of far-reaching consequences.
results which will strike at the very
heart of all nations save possibly
Italy, which more or less has acted
on her own initiative and made swift
progress in adjusting her own recon-
struction problems. despite tremen-
dous handicaps.
France cannot and will not permit
default of reparations payments.
Something must be done to remedy
the situation and bind firmly the de-
cisions reached at Spa which marked
the extreme limit of French conces-
reparationa Britain is forced to
stand back of France in the protec-
ton of Belgium and the preservation
of the treaty of Versailles. But both
nations now realize that Germany
cannot pay and therefore something
must be done at allied initiative to
bring about a going Germany-one
which will be able to pay reparations
as has been demanded and one which
at the same time can set her house
in order and with consequent pro-
gress insure the safety and welfare
continent.
The course to be adopted neces-
sarily must be a compromise. but
that eventually there will be con-
crete allied assistance to Germany
is taken for granted. The French
foreign office in Paris, which is known
to oftentimes mold policies of the
government and announce them, to
the embarrassment of French pre-
miers. insists that the total sum OF
reparNtions cannot be reduced-that
1t must be paid In full and at times
stipulated. But to answer to the
people of France the foreign office
and French financial experts have
lies may have their cake and eat it.
too-namely. there is in French
circles a growing belief that en-
forcement of further sanctions would
he suicidal from the standpoint of the
future safety, not only Of France. but
Europe as q whole. This viewpoint
is strictly British and one also tena-
oiously clung to by Americans in their
capacity as unofficial advisers to the
allies Therefore, it will be fncum-
bent upon the allies to devise some
form Of loan to Germany whereby
Germany can in turn pay the allies
without hazarding complete financial
bfeakdosel and bankruptcy in Ger
many. In Paris the mortgage loan,
which would embrace the collection
of all German customs as guarantee 9
for an international loan of bill
lion dollars to spread over fifty years.
has been suggested. 1t meets with
favor in some financial circles OF
England, and should Premiers Lloyd
George and BRAND be entirely unable
To agree upon a moratorium, 1t Is un-
ouestioned some sort Of international