Evening star., 1922-12-07
Rule of Reason Will Be Ap-
piled in Steering Course on
Reparations.
FAITH HELD ESSENTIAL
IF TOTAL SUM IS CUT
Bonar Laws Position Not Definite.
ly Fixed-Premiers Get To-
gether Saturday.
BY HAL O'FLAHERTY,
BY Gable to The Star and Chicago Daily
COpyright 1892

By HAL O'FLAHERTY.
BY Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright. 1922.
LONDON, December 7.-When Prime
Minister Bonar Law meets the allied
premiers on Saturday he intends to al
low the visitors to define their atti-
tude toward Germany and interna-
tional Indebtedness. and then thresh
out every reasonable suggestion. hop
ing that by moderation and clear
thinking some feasible plan for deal
ing with the situation will develop.
He occupies the most unenviable
position of any minister delegated to
the conference. because he must enter
the negotiations without a definitely
outlined plan. He knows that the al.
lies must agree of disagree upon ques.
tions affecting the economic and po-
, litical stability of Europe. Yet he
! must await the very hour of the de-
cision before knowing what direction
he must take.
Would Avoid Ruin.
II reports from Paris are correct
Premier Poincare already has devel.
| oped his plans. confident that he cor.
rectly interprets French opinion
| which holds Germany guilty of delib.
| erately avoiding reparations pay
| ments and falsely representing hel
internal situation, especially hel
| finances.
Up to certain point British opin-
ion comedies with this view. vari-
Gus cabinet members having admit
; ted their belief that Germany is
must be forced into il despite her
| groans. But at this point British
opinion diverges. for it Is held that
Germany is willing to pay a reason
able indemnity. provided she has the
time. while the French insist that
| must be whipped into it by further
occupations of industrial areas.
From the British point of view it
is now question of granting Ger
many some slight benefit of doubt
and modifying the reparatfons to a
meet them without complete financial
ruin. Without this feeble faith in
Germany's good intentions nothing
but further armed pressure is pos
sible. and this. according to the Brit
ish view, is not only undesirable, but
v,
Pressure for the rule of reason is
being brought to bear upon the pre-
miers from every side. If NJ. Poin-
care insists upon exerting force
against Germany he will undoubtedly
meet objections from Mr. Bonar Law,
whose views. as expressed so far, in
dicate his belief that hope of repara-
tions payments must diminish as Ger
many is kept weak and in a con-
tinuous state of disorder
Allies mt Odds.
He. believes that the danger from a
rejuvenated Germany is far less than
that from a weak, disordered, tnfec-
tious condition with a possible al
lance with the bolsheviki.
On both sides of the English channel
antipathies exist as the result of the
financial chaos, both the British lnd
French apparently being assured that
their respective views are right. but
| the French are more insistent tha,
the British and more determined 10
make Germany pay.
In official quarters in London the
opinion is held that Prime Minister r
Bonar Law is capable of toning down
French extremism by using his own
force of logic as well as that of Pre-
mier Mussolini to give Germany an
other chance without adding the final
blow of further occupations
If France insists upon military ar.
tion it is considered more than likely
that she must go on her way alone.