The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-10-13
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
By J.. Il, Jones.

10y ~ WV
The administration is having a very
hard time trying to put the muzzle
on congress, so that the lawmakers
will not be in their present gossipy
mood about the debtor nations of Ecu.
rope when their distinguished repre-.
sentatives arrive in Washington to at
tend the armament conference called
for November II. Over in Europe the
kings and queens have been uncles
and aunts, cousins and brOthers-in-law
ever since monarchs invented thei,
'sinche" methods of rule; and when
they visited back and forth it mat
tered little what the people, or theil
representatives had to say, because
family ties were always stronger than
discussions in parliaments; and a kiss
on the cheek between kings meant
more in world history than all the
editors might write in criticism of in
ternational policies and politics.
The armament conference marks a
new departure in our own customs OF
dealing with foreign governments, and
there is a good deal Of uneasiness in
Washington lest our usual brusque
manners should spoil the party" The
principal representatives Of foreign
governments, who are to be our guests,
come from countries that owe most
Of the eleven billion dollars which we
advanced during the a These for
eign countries do not seem TO be wor-
rying about this gigantic debt, and
they calmly assure that the United
States will wait indefinitely for both.
interest and principal. The United
States is not losing track OF its debt
ors, and there is pending before con-
greSs a measure giving the secretary
of the treasury full authority to ham
die the foreign loans. Secretary Mel
lon says it is imperative that he be.
given. this power, and the disposition
is to- accommodate him, in the hopes
that he may trade credits backward
and forward between the different
4 countries and finally land a few pay
ments to apply or account" The
1 Mellon scheme for funding the foreign
last spring, and it has been the sub
ject Of a good deal Of controversy. The
administration ant to remove the de-
bate from congress before the debtor
guests arrive; but as there is little
prospect Of the funding program going
through, the next thing is to put the
r"~soft-pedal" on the discussion, since
lit would be the heighth of bad man
ners to bring all these Europeans over
here and hammer at them constantly
about how we consider them as poor
pay. =.
The Panama Canal tolls matter is
also disturbing the administration
Great Britain firmly believes that free
passage through the canal of American
boats would be a fragrant violation of
our fifty-year old treaties with them.
On the point of treaties they surely
have every side of the argument: but
the republican party is committed to
extricate the United States from III
bad bargain with Britain. President
Harding has stepped into the contro-
versy to request that the matter go
over till after the big conference, be-
cause a Reputation OF the treaty at
this time would not set very wen with
John Bull. =
In order to be a thoroughly good
host to u debtor-guests II is going
to be necessary not to talk about a lot
Of tender subjects while the vtaitors
are here engaged in the great task OF