The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-16

est of fair play those who know the facts
concerning the alleged promise of Mr..
Wilson to secure the cancellation of the
allied war debt have no hesitancy i'm say
ing that far from welcoming the suggeS-
tons made informally to him he actually
resented the idea. One man who was
with the president during the peace ne
9otiations tells an incident that occurred
at luncheon given to President Wilson
by members of The French Chamber of
Deputies, which corresponds to the
American house of representatives Mr.
Wilson fully expected that the affair
would be altogether social and was not
prepared to talk shop. The president of
the French chamber was seated next to
Mr.. Wilson and his attempts To get Mr.
Wilson to commit himself in private
conversation to some plan for the pooling
of war debts was received with such a
frown of disapproval and with suclr en-
phatic remarks that persons at the table
related the incident later as an indica-
ton that so far as Mr. Wilson was con
cerned there was no hope of getting him
to agree to any cancellation of war debts
1t is true that the proposal was never
othclaHy made TO cancel war debts but
at least a score of different suggestions
and plans were laid informally before
Mr.. Wilson by French. Italian and Brit
ish experts, all preSuming to arrange for
pooling of assets and liabilities but in
much of her financial obligation to the
United States. Mr. Wilson grew so sen
sitive indeed, 50 suspicious of the plans.
that the newspaper correspondents who
were present ut the p,enary conference
i'm February. 1919. win not forget with
what abruptueSS Mr.. Wilson interrupted
the proceedings to inquire what was the
purpose of the special financial section
which was to be a part of the organiZa-
ton of the league of nations. The pro-
posal was made as an amendment to the
| general declaration of principles which
| had Just been adopted pledging all the
| countries present to a league of nations
and Premier Clemenceau read it 50 rap
| idly and in such perfunctory fashion that
| the president showed signs of uneaSinesS
and asked. Mr.. Clemenceau where the
suggestion had originated and what it's
purpose was. The French premier
pointed out that the powers of the spec
and that it would not interfere with the
| freedom of action of the individual ma
| lions.
| Everybody who was in Paris watching
| the American peace commission from day
| to day knew of the efforts of the Euro
| pean statesmen TO interest the Americans
in proposals that would tighten the IL
nancial burdens of Europe. Suggestions
for the cancellation of the allied war
| debt became 80 numerous that America :
peace commissioners found II necessary
| i'm their informal conversations with the
Europeans to make clear two points.
| First. that the United States was by no
prior to April 1917. and, second, that
means responsible for any debts CON
tracted or anything done in the war
America could not in justice to her own
people who had loaned the money
through Liberty bonds accept any Sug-
gestion even remotely affecting the or
| iginal obligations.
The European governments. however,
sharing to some extent the popular con
! ceptionS abroad, of Americas limitlesS
wealth insisted upon urging Il cancella-
ton or pooling of war debts The pro-
posals made public within the last fort
night are part of the same misundcr-
standing of Americas position even
| though il has been made plain by Repub-
| lcanS and Democrats of influence from
| the very beginning Speeches made by
men like James NJ. Beck abroad have Of
| ten been wrongly interpreted as the
American viewpoint. While only a few
| Americans of prominence have urged the
cancellation of the war debt their utter
/ ances have been displayed III European
| newspapers and have to some extent en-
| Outraged false hopes. But the Euro
pean governments know that not only
| did President Wilson resent the Sugges-
| tion at Paris but that Secretary McAdOO,
| Secretary Glass and Secretary Houston.
! have each in their told European dip
lomats in unequivocal terms that the
] American people expected their European
debtors to make good their promises to