Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-03-20
I Highways and By-Ways
Of Lii OF New York
Copyright 1922 by the Public Ledger Company
!, 1922, by the Public Ledger Company
by RAYMOND CARROLL

NEW YORK, March 20.-Nothing since
, the armistice has caused such a fiuttei
among fnanciers at the gold center Of
the world-Wall street-as the disdaiT
Of our allies ofethe late war with respect
to our bill covering a portion Of the cost
| Of maintaining American troops on the
Rhine since peace was declared. In
these trying income paying days any
suggestion that European economic
sharps are seeking to Jockey the poor
old United States out Of $24I ,0000 coo, pro
vokes such sputters or rage and such
outbursts as the following:
what kind Of a contract have we on
file over there in the chanceries OF
Europe?''
Are we going to lose the S241. OOO, OOC
owed, and the balance of our bill fol
the keeping Of American soldiers on the
Rhine to protect Belgium and France p
was Uncle Sam asleep at the Paris
peace conference?"
This s24t,o O0,cGO may be "chicker
feed" compared with the great S10,000,-
100000 tten bilHons) war debt owed Ut
by the allies for what we advanced them
during the war, but all Americans want
it paid, every red cent of it. 1t is pas
for the policemen hired after the-wal
the cost ef the war itself.
However. acting for the United States
on this subject of payment for postwar
police work we had Norman II. Davis
and Albert Strauss. both bankers and ex-
perts on finance, with Jeremiah Smith Of
Boston for their legal adviser. Then OF
the reparation commission was Bernard
NJ Baruch who certainly is wide awake
/ Others OF the Wall Street district active
at he time whom We recall were Thomas
w. Lamont and Edward Il. Stettinius OF
the firm Of J. P. Morgan & Co., John
Foster Dulles, lawyer; Herman Cook
now vice president Of the Equitable
Trust Company and Jerome Greene of Lee
Higginson & Co.
Mr. Davis when found at his office
frankly acknowledged his share In tbs
Paris responsibility. Concerning the
matters now under dispute rs said:
"The financial chapters Of the treaty
Of Versailles specifically provided thai
the cost Of the armies Of occupation IL
the Rhine province should be a frs
charge against Germany and payable
ahead OF separations. 1t was logical fol
the payment of the police force to have
priority over reparations, and 1t was 8
wise provision thus to discourage the
maintenance Of unnecessarily large ar
mics because, to the extent that costs
are incurred for such purposes, that
much less VIII be collected on repara
lions. II the allies claim that our fail.
ure to ratify the treaty of Versailles has
deprived us Of a first lien for the S241,.
100000 which otherwise we undoubtedly
would have had, q question is raised
more or less legal which must be de.
termined and settled by the United
States Government with the allies"
Mr.. Baruch was not at his office in
East Fifty Seventh street, but his book
The Making Of the Reparation and Eco.
monte Sections Of the Treaty" on pages
90 G2 and "A, not only clearly established
the American position, but goes further
and points out what particular German
money might be used to pay for the
expenses Of the armies OF occupation"
The treaty OF Versailles provides thai
there shall lie paid by the German gov.
eminent the total cost Of all armies OF
the allies and associated governments in
occupied German territory"