Evening star., 1922-01-17
us. WANTS EUROPE
TOPAY WAR DEBTS
Senate Resolution, Due to
French Attitude, Taken to
Be "First Call"
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Americas first call to Europe to
pay her war debt has gone forth.
The adoption by the United States
Senate of the resolution introduced by
Senator Medin Mccormick Of Illinois
| asking the Department of State to
submit to Congress all the informa-
tion In its possession with reference
to the financial affairs Of European
governments is the beginning of a
movement which looks toward pay
ment and not the cancellation Of Eu-
ropean debts.
For nearly four years the Senate
has kept quiet about the allied war
debt. fearing that the executive
branch Of the government might be
embarrassed. The fact that Mr.. Nc
| mediately after his conferences at
the White House is taken generally
to mean that the President not only
interposes no objection. but that the
Department of State will not hesi-
tate to ask the Treasury Department
to furnish all the data necessary.
France Changes Sentiment.
Just what the effect will be of the
official publication by the American
government Of what 1t knows of the
financial affairs of Europe is not
seriously thought of at the moment.
but the object is to let Europe know
that America expects her to pay the
war debt. The policy of France at
the arms conference is the direct
cause Of the change Of sentiment in
the Senate from a policy OF passive
silence to active interest. in the pay
ment Of the European debt. Great
Britain has told the United States in
formally that she does not expect
terms on the fixing of the dates Of
payment for principal and interest.
France, on the other hand, has let it
be known that she considers the war
debt as "a political debt" and her
statesmen here have referred to 1t
as in the same category as the other
scars" received by France during
The United States government has
not yet formally called upon The
Of the war debt or its interest. AS soon
as the funding bill is passed. however,
such negotiations will be begun. For
the moment the significant develop
ment is that the Senate means to have
all the Information about European
budgets made public so that if there
are any errors in the data they may
be corrected at once. A good deal of
controversy has arisen as to the exact
size of European armies. The Senate
resolution will bring out the Ameri-
can governments information as to
what is being spent in Europe for
armies and navies.
New View Of Senators.
If it had not been for the militaristic
policy pursued by France at the
Washington conference, where the in
sistence on a large standing army was
the right to build a large navy, the
chances are that little would have been
said about the European debt in the
Senate. But many senators now feel
that II France has the money for
armament she has it to pay the
France claims her budget cannot be
balanced until the reparations ques-
ton is settled and payments from
Germany are regularized.
America is being drawn involun-
tarily into the discussion alongside
tain an adjustment of the reparation
question, but"the United States has
already made 1t clear that the collec-
ton by the allies Of their debt from
Germany Is one thing and their pay
ment to the United States of the
money lent during the war is quite
another. =
Protest Aroused In France.
. The demand for the publication Of
the governments data about Euro
pean fiscal affairs has already aroused
a storm Of protest in France, where
1t had been expected that some private
loans might be made by American
banking firms from time to time. But
with the American governments at
titude toward France at present the
fotation of any more loans in the
United States il extremely doubtful,
for the executive has the moral power
of veto even over private loans
1t may be that the new Poincare
ministry will learn soon enough what
havoc was wrought by the French
delegation at the arms conferences,
but the first public evidence of 1t 10
the Mccormick resolution, which
passed BY overwhelming vote.
(CoDyri1ht 1922