Evening star., 1922-08-04
j. s. SHOULD HELP
|. TO END DEBT ROW,
BR|T0NS DECLARE
Press Expresses Hope That
America Will Participate in
Allied Conferences.
ELECTION MAY FOLLOW
MEETING OF PREMIERS
Lloyd George Believed Ready to
Submit Whole Matter to
Peoples Vote.
By the Associated Press.

Dy tne Associated PfeSS.
LONDON, August 4.-The attitude
of the United States Treasury De-
partment toward the allied DEBT
question, indicated by Washington
dispatches saying the Balfour note
would not affect the American policy
toward the payment OF war debts,
has attracted universal attention
here.
This, together with the emphatic
statement by the chancellor of the
exchequer in the house of commons
that Great Britain has no intention
OF suggesting any alteration of her
financial obligations to the United
States gave a somewhat new direc-
ton to this mornings newspaper
comment on the question of inter
allied debts.
There was, on the whole, a less
anxious note to the editorials The
prospect of next weeks conference
now tends to overshadow the BaIfour
note, and hope is eagerly expressed
that it will lead to some arrange
ment between the European allies
which will avert the ugly menace
hanging over the continent through
the reparations and cognate ques-
tions.
Want u. s. in Conference.
Further hope is ventured that the
meetings will prepare the way for
wider conference. in which the United
States can participate. Referring TO
this hope, the Daily Mail says the
conference in Washington for the
funding of the British debt may as
sumo greater significance, and that
Sir Robert Horne, chancellor of the
exchequer, will probably be the prin-
cipal British delegate. 1t adds that
Ameassador ;a,noassaa Geddes is taking back
British view for communication 30
the Washington government,
News dispatches from Paris to the
London newspapers today indicate
also some increase in hopefulness
through France. and the conference
which opens here Monday is conse-
quently looked to with growing ex-
pectatfons.
Discussing the agenda of the con-
ference. the diplomatic expert OF the
Daily Telegraph say. the earlier i'm
preston that the Balfour note would
preclude examination OF any project
for q broad settlement cf the intef-
allied debts is no longer wisely held.
and it is believed that a' rhs 17ry
least an explanation OF this lem
The supposed division of opinion
in the cabinet regarding ting British
policy toward the debt problem seems
responsible for another revival CT
the report that Prime Minister Lloyd
George contemplates an early e'ec-
ference yields nothing of value and
conditions drift from bad to worse.
the premier is likely to resort to
the dissolution of parliament. with
an election in the autumn.
CancelinE Policy Approved.
Speculation in this regard extends
in several directions. one idea being
that the policy Of canceling the Eu-
ropean debts regardless of her own
debt to the United States will be
adopted by Great Britain, but that
the work of carrying out this pro-
gram will be transferred to other
hands, to be chosen by an appeal to
the people.
The Star. advanced liberal news
paper. yesterday asked editorially
whether the critics of the arguments
set forth by the Earl of Balfour in
his note thought that the British
were going TO work twenty-five years
to repay the United States, while the
other allies repaid nothing.
The newspaper warns its readers
that those who answer this question
affirmatively are living in a fools
paradise and are likely to be ru6ely
awakened by the advent of labor
government, which will act with
courage to obtain fair play for the
hn ri bot n af
those who risked only their money,
and get the country out of this web
of organized rapacity."
The intended inference Is apparently
that a labor government would in
stitute the coniscation Of. or a levy
paying the debt.
Another incident which is taken as
a straw indicating the change in the
political wind was an important
private meeting of unionists, under
the presidency Of Austen Chamber
growing desire for the independence
Of the unionist party. The meeting.
according to the Daily Mall, decided
to press energetically for the premiers
acceptance of a more pronounced
conservative policy.
Labor Approves Note.
The labor party has given its Of
fetal benediction to the Earl of Bal
four's note. This was done through
Arthur Henderson, secretary of the
party, who, in a speech at Haywood
last night, said:
1.-The only satisfactory method for
relieving Europe from an intolerable
burden and removing and sterilizing
the uncertainty due to financial en-
barrassments is TO arrange an all
round cancellation of mutual in
debtedness. We welcome, therefore,
the note issued by Lord Balfour. 1t
is a great step forward in the right
direction and indicates, / believe, a
sincere effort by the government to
solve the difficulties in which Eu-
rope finds herself"
Mr. Henderson added that the gov
ernment policy, however, was condi
tional on what the United States
might or might not do. But IL was
his opinion that the question of
Great Britain doing the right and
wise thing ought not to be condi-
toned on America also doing the
right thing. Better trust the good
sense of the American people to fol-
low our generous example In their own
good time" the speaker added.
Mr.. Henderson regretted that the
note did not appear to contemplate
Russia as being a party to general
settlement. asserting that q prosper
GUS Russia was just as important to
do mr. Gar