Milford chronicle., 1922-03-24
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
why We Said '.NO' to Genoa

''Well, if Uncle Ted doesn't come pref
ty soon. I'm going to bed" It was Jack
speaking, as he lay curled up in a big
arm chair where he had been studying
his lessons. He and Ruth had both fin
ished preparation for next day in school
and had been waiting for their uncle to
come home and tell them a story.
Il wish Uncle Ted would tell us why
there is so much in the papers these
days about Genoa" replied Ruth Il
have not read any of the pieces in the
papers but have seen Genoa" Genoa"
in the headlines until 1 am tired of it,
I'm really more interested in the stories
about ghosts up in Canada, but 1 sup
pose there must be something interesting
going on in Genoa or there wouldn't be
so much in the papers about it. I can
read the stories about ghosts, all right,
but want Uncle Ted to tell me about
Genoa. I never heard of the place be-
fore, except in the history where it said
that Christopher Columbus was born
there"
81 guess Uncle Ted will tell U.S." re-
sponded Jack. "All I know about it is
that Mr.. Hughes isn't going there.
heard a man say so a few days ago."
Here comes Uncle Ted now," ex-
claimed Ruth. bounding from her chair
and rushing to the front hall. what
made you so later"
"Oh, I've been down at the club, and
got interested in the conversation among
a bunvch Of men there"
Politics." asserted Jack.
mo- not politics as we usually under
stand it, replied his uncle, "but poll
1aa1a Nra FOL oh
Europe and the refunding of Europe's
debt to us, and the proposed conference
at Genoa"
That's just what Jack and I were
talking about and we want you to tell
us why Genoa has become so important
all at once"
'I can't tell you all about it, but I
can tell you few things that may be
important, though Genoa itself is no
more important than it las leen in the
past. You see, we don't really know all
about the Genoa matter and can only
surmise part of it. Just in few words,
a number of countries in Europe wanted
to hold meeting to talk over and agree
concerning a lot of things of interest to
them, and they invited the United States
to send her representatives to the meet
ing, which was to be, held at Genoa,
Italy.
NOW ith as been my idea, and it is
the opinion of most of the men 1 talk
with, that this Genoa meeting was in
tended to be a sort of revival of the
World Club, that I told you a lot about
last year. You know the United States
refused to go into the World Club, and |
the Club, or League of Nations, as it is
called, has not amounted to much. The |
nations that are trying to get up this |
meeting at Genoa are nations that were
interested in the World Club. They are |
making one more effort to get the United |
States to pull them out of their trou-
bles.
You remember that I told you once
that the League has not reduced war
in fact there have been lot OF little
wars going on in Europe almost ever
since the League was formed. There is
hardly any nation that is satisfied win
the treaty that was entered into IN
France to end the war with Germany
That treaty established new boundaries
for a number of old or new countries and
fixed certain amounts the defeated ma
tons must pay. A number OF the ma
lions borrowed money from the United
States to help pay their war expenses
and they still owe it. They haven't even
paid the interest. In Russia, where nun
lreds of thousands of people are starV-
ing. the Soviet Government has 1,25O'-
200 men, and perhaps more, under arms.
That many men who ought to be farm
ing or manufacturing or running rail-
,oads or building houses or cutting fire.
wood, are in the army, and the United
States sent several shiploads OF food TO
Russia to feed the people. No one IN
europe is satisfied with the condition OF
,ffairs there, but because the United
states is peaceful and getting down to
work and earning money, they want us
q come over there and help them.
''Ndy guess is that they want us in the
irst place to give them the eleven bill
ion dollars we have loaned them, and
hen become a party to their new agree
nents. so that if anyone breaks the
.greements we will be under some oDh-
,ations to send our army and navy over
o enforce the agreements.
'oThose boundary disputes and repara-
ions debts and treaty relations are pol
international politics-but tney are
hings in which we are not directly con-
erned and in which we have very re-
note interest. Our President called
netting at Washington some time ago ,
n discuss matters in which we ana !
ther nations are mutually interested,
nd those matters were settled by agree
tent. That is the way to settle dls-
ute. The differences existing in Eu-
ope ought to be settled, but they ought
, be settled by the people affected
I'VE are willing to help European
,untries in any way we can without TOO
reat a sacrifice of our own people. We
ave put off collecting interest on the
,oney due us, and have spent lot OF
,onev trying to help the people in Rus
a. We believe it is a good thing for the
uropean countries to get together at
enoa or some other place and end their
fferences. But it is no place for us TO
md a representative, for the quarreis
re not ours. We are. willing in the tu-
ire to help in any proper way. AS Sec
.tary of State Hughes said in his let
r declining the invitation to send
elegation:
" It has been found impossible to es-
me the conclusion that the proposed
inference is not primarily an economic
inference, but is rather a conference OF
political character in which the gov
nment of the United States could not
,lpfully participate. This government
mot be unmindful of the clear convic-
IN Of the American people, while desir-
ls as has been abundantly demon
rafad silifa hlv fo assist in the recOV-