The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-28

every year in beautifully situated conference places with sumptuous living, these with reporters chroni- cling chatter and Quarrels not worth reporting, swallowed mountains of money. Who, then, would confess tLat the whole show was no better than stack of wet fireworks? Such confessions would show the people that The Hague meeting will be su- perfiuous. Enough already is known about Russian conditions and the bolshevik mentality-as Hoover's re- cent speech plainly showed--to judge whether the credit should be granted Russia without trying the arts or the Dutch cooks, but The Hague, as the name implies, is to be the hedge which hides political failures, taking for granted that the United States. which some regard as Greater Nor gania. is so eager for continental re- covery that the Olympic will blos- som with dollars and Europe will bs turned into a policeless paradise.
 If nothing is accomplished In ths Carnegie peace palace the ministers might go to some fashionable bath ing place and put the world in or- der during lunch and bless the people at dinner.
 voltaire's Statement
 All this would be impossible if the truth were known about Genoa. When Voltaire wrote. "and that's how hi<tory is written" nobody Imagined what new poison gas weap- ons official lies would have at their command two centuries later. Today when home coming delegations are credited in the papers with huge success and an extraordinary in- crease of German prestige" the dol lar Is worth 30 marks more than before the conference, meanwhile the purchase value of the mark is fall- ing and whether 1t will rise depends not on parliamentary oratory but on the Paris reparations loan negotia- tions The Genoa gathering re- ceived much greater attention here than the Washington conference. Whats the difference between tho two? Washington was quiet im- partial discussion of state affairs. Genoa was the greatest show since Barnums. At the former there was a clear program. the greater part of which was accomplished. At the latter there was confusion and mist of words wherein no urgent European question was solved. It Is clear to every business man that ruined and starving Russia can get capital and credit only If old debts are recognized and private property guaranteed.
 Lloyd George was under the delu- sion he could decoy the Russians from the communist trenches, tame them and. without offering capital, parade them before his distrustfui English constituents. When he per ceived this was pure Illusion he tried in an anti-war pact to pose before the old, and particularly before the new world, as protector of peace and trade.
 No Material For Farley
 When Poincare declared France also wanted peace but did not be- lieve trade could be obtained refused to recognize property rights. the white haired gentleman from Wales could do nothing but switch on the lights in the lighthouse near The Hague. There Is no real ma terial for conference in that mass of quarrels and election tricks Thirty governments had opportunity to pre- sent their views and take nothing home but hotel, restaurant and tele- graph receipts. The Russians have only been emboldened in their de- mands for the naturalization of for eign properties since their hopes for gold were crushed.
 And Germany? She has the Ra- pailo treaty which ensures absolute ly nothing. It brings resumption of diplomatic relations but aroused dangerous illusions in the nation