The Washington herald., 1922-01-22

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of exalted poets and sages and mil
lions of the most ignorant. OF great
religious thought and of the dark
est superstition. Before British rule
India was an easy prey for despots
and maraudcrs. Under British rule
India has known peace and gradual
advancement. To make of India a ho-
mogeneous, harmonious nation would
be not less difficult than to make
such a nation of Europe. Britain
has been gradually increasing In
dian participation in government,
and doubtless, as a result of Gond-
his movement, may go even fur
ther but the withdrawal of Britain
from ludia would be a catastrophe
calamity for India. Evidence that
Indians realize that fact is not alto
gether lacking.
Blocking Help TO Austria.
II is unquestionably true that the
failure of the United States to agree
to the postponement for twenty
years of the payment by Austria Of
her debt of S24.000.00s owed to this
government for food supplies has
been one of the things which has
prevented putting into execution
the league of nations plan for the
rehabilitation of Austria. 1t is
equally true, however. that our gov
ernment is not the only one which
is guilty in this respect. Italy. for
example, has agreed to postpone her
claims only on certain conditions,
which the French have refused to
accept. Likewise. Jugo- -Slavia and
Rumania have made their accept
ance of>the plan conditional on con-
cessions to themselves. 1t is wholly
just and proper that these circum-
stances should be made known. since
IT is the very evident intention of
some European statesmen and pub
licists to place the whole blame for
the failure to do anything for Aus
tria upon the shoulders OF America.
OF all the states OF Europe di-
Iectly affected by the peace treaties
Austria is unquestionably the one
which has suffered most. At the
same time Austria, of all the former
enemy states, Is the one which
has been given the most sympathy
by the Allies. At innumerable
meetings of the Supreme Council
the case of Austria has been
brought up, and the representatives
OF Great Britain, France and Italy
have expressed the deepest regret
for the deplorable situation or
Austria, 4 situation which the
Austrians In spite of their acknowl-
edged efforts have been unable to
improve. The Supreme Council has
acknowledged all this, has dis
cussed the question at great length,
and has then adjourned without
doing anything about IL.
When the league Of nations plan
sor loan to Austria was finally
put through, the European states
which were chiefly responsible for
the Treaty of st. Germain and
which have failed to do anything
for Austria since that treaty was
signed. except to express their sor-
row for her condition, have found
in the failure Of the United States
to postpone the payment OF its
claims an excuse for shifting the
responsibility to America. So ef-
fective has been the propaganda
on this subject that even the
Austrians themselves have come to
regard the country which has done
the most for them in the way of
immediate relief as chiefly RESPONSE
BILE for their present troubles. In
calling attention to the fact that
three of Austria's neighbors who
have profited considerably from the
st. Germain and Trianon treaties
have also failed to ratify the league
of nations plan, step has been
taken to counteract an impression
widely held in Austria which is not
wholly fair to the United States.
A more effective answer. however,
to this propaganda will be the pas
sage of the refunding bill which
will give the Treasury Department
authority to arrange for the post
ponemeut of our claims