Evening star., 1922-05-15
VANDERBILT BACKS
RUSS GENOA STAND
Banker Declares Soviet Claim
as Successor to Car
Logical.
BY FRANK A. VANDERBILT.

Logical.
BY FRANK A. VANDERBILT.
GENOA, May 14.-Both M Barthou
and Mr.. Lloyd George have had their
eye on the move to ask America to
participate in a new commission for
the settlement of Russian affairs. The
matter has been informally discussed
for several days.
The British premier hoped to take
home from Genoa" the accomplish
ment of bringing America into the
discussion.
| But the French delegate made the
first public move by using as an argu-
| ment for the appointment of a COM
| mission by the various governments,
instead of by the conference, the sug-
| gestion that under such an arrange
ment the United States could be asked
to participate. but could not If the
commission were appointed by the
| conference.
Declares 1t II Logic.
| I do not think it likely that I will
be accused by any one Of bolshevist
sympathies. Nevertheless. I cannot
fail to see the logic of this Russian
contention.
The Russians point out that the
soviet government is regarded as the
| legitimate. unbroken successor of the
! late cars government and there
| fore liable for all the debts of both
| the czarist and kerensky govern
! ments, as well as any they have con-
] tracted THEMSELVES. Therefore, they
1 say, the. must also be considered in
| the same light as the legitimate sue
| cessor of the czarist and Kerensky
governments in the matter of claims
| as an offset to the debts for damages
inflicted by powers which were not
! at war with them. but who supplied
| war munitions and funds in vast
| amounts to their enemies on all bor-
ders.
The powers waive aside this claim
| as too absurd for discussion. New
ertheless. it is strictly logical de-
| duction.
But the difficulty of applying logic
is about the same as being strictly
logical in removing household goods
| when house is on fire. Russia is
| in position where she needs finan-
cial help. Logic is thrown to the
winds by both sides and the matter
! becomes no more logical than a horse
| trade.
| Russia wants money. What will
| she give, for 1t in the way of recog-
! milton of old debts. restitution of pri-
! vate property and guarantees for new
| loanS2
Lloyd George Torpedoed.
Mr.. Lloyd Georges ten-year non
aggression pact was effectively tor
pedoed by Premier Benes of Czecho-
slovakia. and M. Benes has incurred
\ D~;t Al
| Obviously. Mr.. Lloyd George had not
| thought through the difficulties of his
seemingly simple proposal for a pact
| of non-aggression.
With typical Lloyd George adroit-
ness, the corpse of the dead non-ag-
gression pact was made to turn a
somersault and come up smiling as
| to nothing but a gentlemen's agree
ment in respect to de facto borders
| for twelve months.
1t undoubtedly has force, but would
| not prevent an aggressive state from
! claiming that it was confronted with
| special conditions if it should con-
| clude to invade a neighbor.
Poland and Rumania exhibit gen.
uine fear of the soviet red army.
Both deserted France in obstructing
the commission plan because they
saw some promise Of temporary Sc
| curity in the commission idea and the
truce.
There are many people here who
have Nightmares in red army figures.
Mr.. Lloyd George talked of Hungary
and Russia, equipped by England and
Germany, and has compared western
Europe with its more ample food sup
ply to the land of wood and wine to
which Napoleon pointed when he
| urged his soldiers to invade Italy
The Russians themselves have not
| minimized how formidable force of
100000 men may be.
No Danger Of Invasion.
In spite Of all these nightmares, 1
do not believe there is any imme-
diate prospect of western invasion
| by the red army. The reason does not
lie in any supposed forbearance on
the part of the bolshevists, but IN the
perfectly practical question of feasi-
| bility. 90.
Russia's food supply is extremely
| scant; her transportation system
! tragically deficient. The red army
| could not advance to the west and
! keep up a rear connection with sup
plies. 1t would have to advance
| steadily, living on the countries
, through which it passed.
The failure Of the campaign against
Warsaw in 1920 illustrates the diff
Guilty. The red army got within thir-
| teen miles of Warsaw, and was tenn
porarily halted. 1t had no supplies
| that it could bring up from the rear
1t could only live while it marched.
| A forty-eight-ho4lr halt left 1t hun
| cry. In the face of a position where
| it had to turn back to look for its
| breakfast.
| The difficulty of any invasion to the
west would be similar. Without sup
/ plies in the rear. a brief halt in the
| army's advance would mean hunger
| and confusion.
| fcopyrixht. 1927