The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-06-07
BRITAIN TRIES
TOPASS BUCK,
SAYS SIMCNDS
u. S. Not to Blame for
Reparations Tangle,
Writer Declares.
ADVISED BY WILSON
Failure to Accept View
Now Reaps Whirlwind,
He Asserts.
ADVISED BY WILSON
By FRANK H. sIMoNDs.

The ATTEMPT OF Lloyd George TO
saddle upon the United States the
responsibility for the present repa-
rations tangle in the world cannot
stand the slightest examination Of
the evidence. On the contrary, the
present situation is the direct re-
suit of the failure Of Lloyd George
and his associates at Paris to sup
port the American view, and OF
the success of SHUTS. at the fatal
last moment. in persuading Mr..
Wilson. against his earlier protests.
to include in the separations the
amounts the allies would have to
pay for pensions.
All the moderation which Lloyd
George points to with obvious pride
was disclosed. not at the decisive
moment at Paris. but long after.
when IL becomes clear that British
policy at Paris and British refusat
to listen to American financial adj
vice had resulted in a supreme
British disaster, incident to the
paralysis of those world markets
In which the British had to trade
to keep their Industrial population
occupied.
Contrary to Armistice.
At Paris the American financial
delegation argued that, under the
terms of the armistice, Germany
was liable only for the costs Of
property destroyed by act of war
and civilians injured similarly. The
sum total of all of this damage the
Americans figured would not exceed
$4,000. 900. 900. a sum which Ger
many could pay. in their Judgment.
But Lloyd George had just con-
Quoted a campaign on the issue OF
making Germany pay the last
penny" and he felt unable or I'M
willing to support American mod
Grafton. His chief lieutenant. SHUTS.
of South Africa, finally persuaded
mission of war pensions, which
more than doubled the total OF
reparations and was responsible for
much Of the later trouble.
Today Lloyd George suggests a
mutual cancellation OF all allied
debts, with a corresponding reduc-
llOn Ol pAec
the resignation by Britain of all
tions. But what would this means
In the end the reduction of Ger
man reparations would bring the
total to approximately $4,000. 0oo,-
900 or pretty close to the maximum
figure regarded by American repre-
sentatives at Paris as possible: II
would wipe out all the British
profits prospective. flowing from
SHUTS Intervention. which Mr..
Baruch shows up SO clearly in his
book.
Says Wilson Was Right.
At Paris the only moderation
was American and we were able
to display II because VIE had no
claim against Germany for prop
erty damages ourselves. But II
only property and civilian dam
ages were allowed. the British
claim would hav. been inconsider-
able and Lloyd George was out to
justify his campaign pledges, which,
by the way. included hanging the
Kaiser, another bit of moderation.
Now after three years Lloyd
George has been driven TO see the
logic of the American attitude and
in substance to adopt IL.
He does not. however. do Mr..
Wilson and those financial advisers
of the President, whose advice he
followed pretty consistently, the
Justice of admitting that they were
right and he was wrong: instead
he attempts to put the clockfor-
ward and prove that the trouble
arose after the Paris conference
and was due to our withdrawal.
He has failed in both instances
with terrible consequences for his
own country and disastrous results
for the world in general. But the
root of the efil lies in the fact that
at Paris he felt bound by his fool
ish election pledges in 1918 and
gave his decisive influence to infiat-
ing, not restricting reparations to-
tails.
Offering to cancel allied debts and
resign Britain's share in German
reparations is clever device for
saddling responsibility and unpop-
ularity upon the United States, but
IL will hardly hold water. Appeals
to the Waterloo precedent for Brit
ish moderation are equally uncon-
vincing. After Waterloo. British
inAuanco uas exerted in the nego-