The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-01-18
Senate Asks State Depart
ment to Give Congress
Information
FRANCES ATTITUDE
STARTS PROCEEDINGS
England Willing to Pay But France
Trying to Evade 1t - Negotiations
viii Open Soon as Refunding Bill
Passes-PrOtest Starts I'm France.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

Copyright W.. "..
WASHINGTON. Jan 1S.-America's
| first call to Europe to pay her war debt
has gone forth.
The adoption by the United States SEN
ate of the resolution introduced by Sena-
tor AIedill Mccormick of Illinois asking
the department Of state to submit to CON
gress all the information in its possession
with reference to the financial affairs of
the European governments is the begin
ming of a movement which looks toward
payment and not cancellation of European
debts.
| For nearly four years the senate has
kept quiet about the allied war debt fear
| ing that the executive branch of the gov
eminent might be embarrassed. The fact
: that Mr.. Mccormick introduced the reso-
! luton Immediately after his conference
at the White House is taken generally to
mean that the President not only inter
poses no objection but that the depart
| ment of state win not hesitate to ask the
treasury department TO furnish all the
! data necessary.
Expects Payment.
! Just what the effect will be of the Off
! cial publication by the American govern
ment of what it knows of the financial al
/ fairs Of Europe is not seriously thought
1 of at the moment, but the object Is to let
/ Europe know that America expects her to
ipay the war debt. The policy Of France
at the arms conference is the direct cause
lof the change of sentiment in the senate
! from a policy of passive silence to active
interest in the payment of the European
/ debt Great Britain has told the United
States informally that she does not expect
cancellation. but merely wants fair 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 re
ferred to it as in the same category as the
other sears" received by France during
! the war.
/ The United States government has not
| yet formally called upon the European
governments for payment of the war debt
or its interest. As soon as the funding
bill is passed, however. such negotiations
will begin. For the moment the significant
| development i that the senate means to
have all the information about Eur0lIean
budgets made public 50 that If there are
any errors in the data they may be cor
rected at once. \ good deal Of cOntro-
verSy has arisen as to the exact size of
European armies. The senate resolution
Z viii bring out the American government
! information aS 10 what is being spent in
/ Europe for armies and navies
France Too MilitariStic
! If it had not been for the militariSt:c
policies pursued by France ut the Wash
ington conference where the inSistence on
Il large standing army was coupled with
! the demand later for the right to build
/ large navy. the chances are little would
have been said about the European debt
in the senate But many senators now
/ feel that if France had the money for
armament. she has it to pay the United
( States mt least the interest. France
claims her budget cannot be balanced
until the PREPARATIONS question is settled
and payments from Germany are regular
lied. America Is being drawn involuH-
tarily into the discussion alongside of
Lloyd George in an effort to obtain an
adjustment of the reparatiOn question,
but the United States has already made
it clear that the collection by the allies
and their payment to the United States
Cf the money lent during the war is quite
another. Under no circumstances viii the
two be tied up together though 1t Is by no
means impossible for the American gov
eminent to grant terms TO the allies which
/ will correspond more or less to the time
/ when funds may be expected by them
j from Germany.
France VIII Learn.
| The demand for the publication of the
! governments data about European fiscal
affairs has already aroused a storm of
protest in France where it had been ex-
pected that some private loans might be
made by American banking firms from
time TO time But with the American
governments attitude toward France at
present the flOtation of any more loans
in the United States is extremely doubtful
for the executive has the moral power of
veto even over private loans.
1t may be that the POincare ministry
will learn soon enough what havoc was
wrought by tue French delegation at the
arms conference, but the first public evil
dence of it is the Mccormick resolution
which passed by overwhelming vote. and.
while without White House inspira ton.
bnarg pf Hplacy Oh from