The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-02-17
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

7 by Ia IL LA " r.
I Especial Despatch to The Reformer)
| Copyright 1922
WASHINGTON. Feb. 17.-America
would be immensely obliged if Italy
France, England or somebody would
| postpone the Genoa conference indefn-
! itely or at least until the senate of the
| United States consents upon the treat
les negotiated at the arms conference.
! The United States government doesn't
| want to be in the position of asking for
a postponement and would prefer to have
the initiative taken from the other side
of the Atlantic but there are half
! dozen reasons why the United States
hopes it will be done.
! The mystery of the missing note an
| nounced in the cable news dispatches
| from Paris as having been given to the
press by Premier Poineare is intertwined
| in the American reluctance to ask a
! postponement. Although the Paris cor
| respondents cabled the substance of the
\ note nearly week age. the department
of state officially hasn't received copy.
/ Nor are the department officials making
| any vigorous efforts to locate the note.
| The general impression prevails here that
! Ambassador Herrick received unofficial
| word from the government here rs to its
attitude just about the time that the
4 French premier was calling i'm the CORE
EspcudCntS and telling them about his
| notes. The note probably has never
been delivered to the American embassy
at Paris.
Announcements Delayed
Il Another incident in connection with
the missing note was the announcement
| from the White House week ago that
/ the reply of the American government
Ito the Invitation of the powers TO at
i tend the economic conference at Genoa
would be given out on Friday. Feb. TO-
but that day has come and gone and
! the only word from the White House
! was that America couldn't respond to
i the invitation until more information
/ was available as to the scope and pro
gram of the conference.
\ Reduced to its simplest form. the sit
uation here is one of anxiety about the
! various treaties signed at the arms con
| ference and until they are out of the
/ way, the administration doesn't want To
Il enter into another conferences. Evidence
tof this is to be found i'm the departure of
1.-The secretary of state for an extended va
! cation in bermuda as well As in the
| tendency of administration Officials to
| argue that unless the pending treaties
/ are ratified economic reconstruction will
f be delayed a. The Wilson administration
\ also employed the leverage of economic
necessity TO compel action hv the senate
.
\ bilitics are that the same will be the
! case with the arms conference pactS.
II Entirely apart from the domestic rea-
/ sons which would make q poStponCmcnt
! Of the Genoa conference fit in with the
(. administration plans there are serious
\ doubts as to what can he accomplished
1 in any economic conference until the
N European countries themselves give evil
\ dence Of a better spirit toward the all
/ important problem of German payments
\ on war reparationS.
II Genoa Program Eague.
\ If the United States were required, to
! answer the invitation to Genoa, it would
base its note on the vagHeneSs of the
\ GenoH program. the necessity for some
actual manifestation of self-help by Eu-
rope and the separation of economic
from political questions. Such topics as
] the 'peace of Europe may be vital to
the settlement OF economic questions but
the Harding administration stands com
mitted against the discussion of Euro
pean political questions just as much to-
day as when the league of nations con-
troverSy was at its height
A Any economic conference in which the
! Harding administration does participate
1 Will have to be strictly economic. finan-
cjal and commercial and divorced from
any OF the enforcement provisions of
previous treaties governing the peace of
| Europc. The belief prevails here that
! the Genoa conference ultimately will be
| changed in character and that the
United States will in the end be par
| ficipant though the negotiations for the
! funding of the allied debt may be ear
| ried on separately either in Washington
| or in London during the summer
months.