New-York tribune., 1922-05-26
George
Upheld by Vote
OF 235 to 70
(CortinUed from psus onel

/
have been a question Of a more ex-
treme form Of communism than al
present or a military government
"W ould hungry Russia sit quiet
and die? That is not the experience
Of the past, or is anybody ready tc
insure the peace of Europe while that
policy is pursued.
THE only other apparent alternative
was to get the Bolshevik government
to adhere to the principles and con
duct Of other governments. The whole
British delegation at the conference
was agreed that some arrangement
must be made with Russia to allay her
misery, to enable her to make a CON
tribution to the needs Of the world
and to enable her to help in the restor-
alton of that volume of trade upon
which so many millions of people de-
pend
Mentioning the menace provided by
a Russo German combination, Lloyd
George said of their separate treaty
signed at Rapalo: Il think that was
a grave error in judgment and it was
a mistake undoubtedly for Germany.
Precedents for Confiscatlon
Members Of the Labor party cheered
loudly when the Premier said:
Revolutions on a great scale al
ways carry in their train confiscation
of property and. I'm sorry to say, con-
fscation without compensation. That
has been our experience in England
The French revolution was accompa-
MED by wholesale contiscation of land
in fact, the conservatism Of France to-
rantoI w
Russia, however, is coming to the
very people whose claims she refused
to pay and whose property she confs-
Gated and says; Lend me money.
The Russians are men of exceptional
ability. They are men with knowl- =
edge of the outside world and they
know perfectly we'll that they are not
going to get credit from the West on
the basis of conhscation and repudia-
tion Of debts They told us that they
realized that Russia could not be re-
stored without the help of systems
which are different from their own and
with which they are at war-the CAPT
talist systems. as they put it. They
told us that the amount of obligations
they would accept would depend upon
the assistance we gave them"
Soviet Bill Challenged
The Premier challenged the princi-
pie advanced by the Russians Of com
pensation for the ruin brought about
by the war. Their bill amounted to
$1,000, 100000.
eve cannot acknowledge this under
the circumstances, said the Premier,
though we are prepared to take into
liberation the fact that Russia was
damaged by civil war and also to write
down the claims of the Allied govern
ments which advanced money to Rus
sia during the war"
The Premier said the question Of
debts was comparatively simple, but
not so were private property rights, for
they raised the principle of the sove-
reign rights Of nation to do what it
pleased with the property within its
own frontiers. He said there was no
doubt that great struggle between
practical statesmen in the Soviet sys-
tenn and extreme theorists had taken
place, and that the former had been on
top until the great Communist demon
stration at Moscow on May Day.
ut isn't public opinion in Russia
that counts, for 95 per cent of the
masses there are Indifferent to the So
Wet system or hostile to it," the Pre-
mler said. "The only thing that mat
ters is the opinion Of the workmen in
the towns, who represent less than |
per cent of the whole population The
Soviet system is based on them. It
lsn a democracy, it is an oligarchy,
and all this talk abou. naturalization
OF property in Russia is humbug."
Calls Russian Note Foolish
The note sent to the Western pow
ers on May II by Georg Tchitcherin,
chief Of the Bolshevik delegation,
Lloyd George described as so foolish
that 1t could only have been written
by clever man.
Describing the work to be done at
he Hague conference next month.
Lloyd George said the experts appoint
ed there would have to find out how
the ,contiscated property in Russia
could be restored and what concessions
Russia would have to offer as we'll as
what credits could be arranged for the
development of Russian RAILWAYS.
ports and industries.
OF the eight months aggression
truce which Lloyd George arranged at
Genoa he had only few words to
say, merely expressing the hope that
after The Hague conference it would
become permanent.
Herbert H. Asquith, leader of the
opposition Liberals. followed Llovd
George with a highly critical speech
that was often interrupted by shouts
of 'Noi' from the Premier's supporters
and by counter cheers from the oppo-
slton. The results of the Genoa con
ference, Asquith said, seemed depress-
lngly and distressedly meager and they
were not a substantial step toward a
solution of the great European
trouble. The abstention of the United
states was serious matter, and the
half hearted participation of France
was worse. he said. He insisted that
the conference had ignored the one
thing upon which the ultimate restora-
ton of Europe depende regula-
ton of debts and the generous ren1is-
sion of British claims against other
nations.
Clynes Absolves France
John R. Clynes, Labor member. was
less critical. He held that the confer
ence had achieved no results, but that
he couldn't help but admire the per
slstent and Who!e-hearted manner in
which Lloyd George had devoted him
self to his task He said that he did
not blame France for her attitude. for
which Great Britain was largely to
blame.
The die hard" Unionists then opened
IRE on the Premier Rupert Cvfynne
described the conference a "a sort of
international rotary luncheon club"
Lord Robert Cecil said that there
would have been better chance of
finding really useful solution if the
United states had taken mart in tbe