Evening star., 1922-01-05
America to Express willing
ness to Listen, But Feels
Europe Should Lead.
FEELS CHANCE WAS GIVEN
TO BEGIN BY ARMS CUTS
Administration Takes Stand That
Europe Must Show Disposition
to Correct Faults.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

america attitude toward tne eco
nomic relief of Europe has been given
to Ambassador Harvey for presenta-
tion to the supreme allied council. 1t
consists. in brief, of an expression of
willingness to listen sympathetically
to any proposal that the European
| nations may offer, but reserves the
right to approve or disapprove, par
ticipate in or, stand aloof from the
plans that may be suggested.
Talks which this correspondent has
had with members of the cabinet since
the session on Tuesday, when the
greater part of the discussion was
about the European economic situa-
tion, lead to the conclusion that the
Harding administration is not going
to tell Europe what to do, but is go
ing to wait and see if Europe can
recognize it's own shortcomings and
show, the world that it is ready to
overcome them.
Arms Burden at Root.
The viewpoint of the American gov
ernment is simply this: The arms
conference was called at Washington
in the hope that reduction of ar
mament both on land and sea would
bring relief to Americas overbur-
dened Treasury and would at the
same tifAe start Europe toward
balancing of budgets. The United
States felt that armament was the
root of the whole business and that
exchange couldn't be stabilized until
up against it and couldn't pay All the
reparations France was demand1r" OF
her and that Europe herself couldn't
begin to balance budgets until the
immense expenditures tor military
and naval armament were stopped.
The United States government
feels that something was accom-
plished along naval lines in the con-
ference here. but is amazed to hnd
some of the nations so FAR from see
ing a solution of the economic sltua-
ton as to be actually proposing an
came France to argue that the ian.
armament question couldn't even be
taken up.
Americ, Has Done Her Part.
Surveying the situation at the cabi-
net meeting. members of the admin
istration came to the conclusion that
America had done her part in taking
the initiative, had shown the world a
willingness to cut her Navy to the
very lowest possible basis, and now
was being forced against her will to
build ships for the next two years so
as to match the desires of the other
nations. Instead of an immediate re-
duction, there is in fact only future
Limitation. But aside from that, the
disappointment is most keen over the
European ideas on land armament
AS cabinet members here see 1t. Eu-
rope has about three and half mill
lion men under arms for total pop
ufation of 160.000.000 people. Poland
alone has 100000 men in her army
and hasn't begun taxing her peas
ants. Her receipts are only 20 per
cent of her expenditures If the ra-
tio of men under arms to tota. popu-
lation were maintained in the Cnited
States as in Europe, the equivalent
would be about two million men in
the American Army, according to es-
Inmates made by American officials.
Question Revolving One.
So the whole question is revolv-
ing one There can be no stabilized
exchange until there is credit. There
can be no credit system if there is
no balancing of budgets. There can
be no balancing of budgets until
rigid taxation is applied and until
military and naval expenditures
cease. There will be neither Of these
things until Europe recognizes the
unfortunate truth, that she cannot
be expected to recoup her war losses
ont Of bankrupt Germany, and that
the war lasted too long and too much
was destroyed to expect Germany to
nav for the war in the sense that
French statesmen are leading their
people to believe.
The United States government,
furthermore, disclaims responsibility
for the present economic situation in
Europe No pressure has been ex-
erted for the payment of the war
debt. No request has even been made
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