The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-12-24
PRESS ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

FREOS ON FORElGN RELA HONS
 Gradually the republican party is coming to admit that it's policy of splendid isolation from the affairs of Europe will not work. Indeed, it is doubtful if the party leaders would ever have supported such view had it not been for party expediency The desire to defeat the work of Woodrow Wilson in Europe, particularly the League of Nations, was stronger than any consideration of the merit of that work of the national well fare. President Harding, even before his election, perceived the lack of logic in the republican position, and discussed the prac- tical necessity of an association of nations" for the protection of international concerns. Now there comes forward the very ringlead- CT of the league and treaty opponents, no less parsonage than the implacable Borah, and proposes a plan looking to that very participation in European affairs which he has repeatedly declared this nation could never afford to consider. This plan is merely another step in the inevitable process of ab- sorbing the league idea, which the republi- cans have chosen to accept piecemeal rather than at once and as a whole. Senator Borah,
 
 tional isolation, now champion a commission to assist France, Great Britain, Italy and Germany to arrive at settlement of the reparations and the other stipulations of the Versailles treaty.
 The reason for this step is that even a political intelligence cannot longer refuse to admit that, instead of being unaffected by conditions abroad, such conditions ac- tually control our commerce and set limit on our industrial output. A depression in Europe is a cloud on our own horizon. We may take the view that our proposed com mission on separations is altruistic, but that is pose and the world knows that it is pose. Perhaps even some of those on this side who are posing know it. The main question is how it is being received on the other side. It is believed that all the nations concerned except France welcome our par ticipation; France is still considering the question. For some reason the opinion pre- vails in France that we are opposed to her policy, and in Germany that we are coming in the guise of Santa Claus to give them money and act as their counsel against the Allies.
 As to Europe's opinion, the Washington Post says: Practically all of the French journals express the opinion that American intervention would not be successful, while some of them attribute unworthy motives to the United States. It seems to such journals as Le Temps that American inter vention is aimed solely at assisting Germany, and, of course, at the expense of France. tc ,rL, tho oh fnpo of skepticism, which ranges from polite sneers to downright insult. In the British press, on the other hand, the general atti- tude is one of curiosity. The strongest British newspapers welcome the idea of American assistance and counsel patience while the plans are being unfolded. It seems to be assumed in Britain that some thing tangible it to originate in the United States which will place the reparations and debt questions in new light, and therefore possibly exercise profound influence upon the welfare of Europe. German newspa- pers reflect the universal hope in Germany that the United States will be Santa Claus coming with bulging pack to feed the nation and put it on It's feet. The naive expres- sions indicate that the German people expect America to dig into it's pockets to the extent of couple of billion dollars, without both ering much about security or settlement of the reparations question. It goes withou. saying that the Germans will be disappoint- ed in the expectation that the United States or the American people will make direct loan of billions of dollars to Germany or any other country
 The Chicago News believes that ethe cir cumstances in Europe are such that the United States would be heard gladly if it offered constructive suggestions" In the view of the Dallas News the state department and the President "can not, of course, pledge the United States to that course (extending period of debt payments) without the assent of Congress, and there will not be time to get action in Congress before France will have time to accept or reject the plan that is to be offered But at least the President and MT. Hughes can pledge themselves to urge that policy to Congress, and that pledge alone should be highly persuasive with France" As to the possibility of bankers loan to Germany the New Orleans Times Picayune remarks: "The J. P. Morgan Company in it's statement makes it plain that large loan is out of the question and that even small one of short maturity cam