Evening star., 1922-03-12
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.
.HE United States does not in

tend to underwrite false
European political theories
or capitalize selfishness In
the guise of nationalistic veal. Uncle
Sam, in answering Europe's ex-
pressed desire of bringing about
general economic and financial re-
habi!itation, has cabled to old world
capitals the equivalent of the cryptic
colloQuialism, Go to it,
The American people will see how
well Europe does the Job and when
there has been readjustment of
certain political thoughts and gov
ernments have really set about
processes looking to the common
welfare OF continental peoples, then.
and then only. will this government
intervene to lend national assistance
to such rehabilitation processes as
are set in motion. Good faith must
be proven.
The attitude of Secretary Hughes
in refusing to send official delegates
to the Genoa conference is in line
with the general American policy of
keeping aloof from strictly Euro
pean questions, and in keeping aloof
he has cast a bombshell into certain
European capitals which have hoped
to use the United States as the prodi-
gal big brother in time of emer-
Eency. The American government
apparently Is not disinclined to act
as a big brother to the suffering
peoples in many of the nations of
Europe, but. like wise big brother,
whose gullibility has passed with
adolescence, he demands that there
be some accounting, some show of
genuine effort to prove the sincerity
of oft-expressed desires to restore
Europe to a normal working basis,
economically and financially.
war and materially assisted in
. bringing down the curtain on four
years of terrible struggle. a conflict
to which four-fifths of Europe's Ills
today are attributed. Immediately
with the armistice European nations,
realizing their impotence, cast eyes
toward that nation which, it was
believed, could alone of all others
help Europe to it's feet financially.
Before the Paris peace conference
and afterward there has been a veri-
table avalanche of propaganda de-
signed to break down the intrenched
American viewpoint that what is
strictly European, politically, should
be left to Europe to solve.
Cancellation of Europe's debt to
the United States has been but one
sentiment in this country toward
helping Europe. The average Eu-
ropean has looked upon the Amer
lean as a gullible individual, who
with a big heart is willing to answer
any and all pleas that might rebound
There is no question but that the
American statesmen, past and pres
eut, have the big hearts and are
ready to aid, but when it comes to a
point of making the American treas
ury the means of aiding strictly
them even being militaristic. Europe at
large has found this country adamantly
opposed.
The latest note of Secretary
Hughes, though couched in the polit-
est phraseology, nevertheless ought
until sincere efforts have been made
to set their own house in order can
equally as serious steps be taken in
this country to assist in the general
process. IN Otnef WOfQS, Cn6 united
States rightly takes the position that
i. cannot be used while the European
governments follow the line of least
resistance in caring for their own
necessities, particularly when this
country is not in anywise responsible
for the debacle of 1914
X X X x
As Secretary Hughes has pointed
out, there are reasons to suspect that
the conference will be largely politi-
cal in character. The economic par
ley is largely the thought of Lloyd
George, who is sincerely desirous of
adjusting the economic balance of the
continent at the earliest possible
moment, but the restrictions that
have been placed about it by the
French in perpetuating their desire
not to disturb the reparations issue
or modify the Versailles treaty. and
to which policy the British apparent
" have momentarly subscribed. alb
solutely preclude the presentation of