Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-08-11
u. S. WILL NOT
CANCEL DEBTS
Treasury Department UnoffiCiaIly
Informs England of Amer
iGa's Stand.
STATEMENT MADE BY MELLON
Senator Borah Issues Warning That
the Senate Will Turn Deaf Ear
to Any Proposals for War
Debt Cancellation.

Washington, Aug 5.-The Treasury
department served informal notice
upon Great Britain that her war debt
to the United States 'annot be can
celed. At the same time Senator
Borah issued warning that the SEN
ate will turn deaf ear to any pro-
posals for cancellation.
The Treasury department statement
was that Great Britain's note to her
debtor nations suggesting cancellation
of the whole interallied Indebtedness
will have no effect upon this govern
ment's policy with reference to it's
war credits. The fact that the note
was not addressed to the United
States makes it diplomatic impossi-
bility for this government to address
Great Britain directly upon the sub
ject. The statement was therefore
regarded as an indirect reply to the
British proposition.
Secretary Mellon takes the position
that Great Britain has formally ac-
knowledged her war debt to this gov
erIment and has indicated her will
ingness to pay. Therefore he holds
the American funding commission
must continue its negotiations without
regard to Great Britain's suggestion
for general cancellation.
Senator Borah, in his statement, de-
clared: HThere is nothing to be
gained by our canceling this debt, or
any part Ct it, if the gigantic military
and armament programs in Europe
are to continue. 1t would amount IN
practical effect to our aiding and abet-
ting the building up of these great
military and armament establishments
and thereby abetting war If cancella-
ton is to be considered at all, it
should be considered in the interest
Of humanity, of economic sanity and
not to enable these countries to build
up and maintain these military es-
Establishments, these great ar1-ies which
are now burdening and torturing and
threatening Europe, and which will
lead inevitably to greater suffering,
more misery and more war. Within
the last week the premier Of England
has declared:
Keep your eye on what is hap
pening. They (the nations Of Eu-
rope) are constructing more terrible
machines than even the late war ever
saw. What for? Not for peace
What are they fer? They are not
even to disperse armies, they are to
attack cities uIlarmed where you have
defenseless population, to kill, to
MAIN, to poison to mutilate, to burn
helpless women and children
Nov, if this is the situation and
this is the program and this cannot
be changed, it is more or less an i'm
pertinence to talk about canceling
debts in the name of economic re-
Mobilization If these plans and
schemes are to continue, to go for
ward, we cannot help Europe by can
ceiling our debt to France, or any
part Of it. I feel, therefore, that in
order to interest anybody who is in
terested in humanity, or the cause of
peace, or the restoration of economic
sanity, all schemes for canceling
u0DIS SuOuIQ UC dcCOlupdulSu by d
practical plan for disarmament.
"The washington conference adj
journed last February. The senate of
the United States ratified the treaties,
I think, in April. The treaties are
yet, however, to be considered by for
eign countries. l observe by the press
dispatches that the assembly in France
has adjourned and that these treaties
will not even be considered before
October. They were not so much as
considered by the committee, accord
ing to the same dispatch. And even
If they are ratified ultimately, the
spirit of the movement has been
crushed and the great cause Of dis
armament halted and scotched by the
delay and utter loss OF interest in the
proposition.
IF we cancel these debts it would
appear therefore that 1t would simply
fit into this scheme Of ornaments, Of
huge land forces, of more wars, and
thereby more debts. So the vicious