Evening star., 1923-01-09
FRENCH RUHR MOVE
|RR|TATES AMERICA
Friendship of Two Nations
Believed at Lowest Ebb
in History.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

At no time perhaps in American
| history has the traditional friendship
between France and the United States
sui.k Ii, K ,nw an ebb as today.
Disappointment and chagrin over
the French determination to occupy
the Ruhr in spite Of the mild, but ex-
plicit protestations of the United
States government is unmistakable.
Opinion in government circles is prac-
| tically unanimous that France is
| making a mistake not merely in her
own situation, but a mistake of seri-
Gus consequence to the whole world.
French Legally Right.
Yet the official attitude is that the
United States government and the
other governments associated in the
war against Germany, have no legal
right to interfere and that the pro-
visions Of the Versailles treaty per-
mits France to exact penalties when
ever Germany is in default of repara-
tion payment. Irrespective of parties.
the one thought is that France should
have compromised before applying
drastic measures.
But if the feeling toward France
is one of GOODNESS, 1t cannot be said
that there Is any increasing warmth
toward Germany. There is no en-
thusiasm over Americas being placed
in the position of morally supporting
the German cry Of inability to pay.
Seek Better Atmosphere.
In fact, a high official of the De-
partment of State was asked today
what assurance Of German willing
ness to pay debts there would be
under the American plan of q bank
ers' commission to fix the indemnity
than under the present London
agreemet of a year ago, which Ger
many says she cannot fulfill. He re-
piled that the American government
had felt the informal proposal would
lead to a better atmosphere. that the
fixing in definite figures of Germany's
capacity to pay would be accom-
plfshed by an international commits
sion in which the public opinion OF
all countries would have unbounded
confidence and then the moral pres
sure of the whole world would be
applied to make Germany pay What
the commission of experts said she
COuiQ anu SnOulQ pay.
He intimated that this proposal was
more or less past history now, but, of
course, 1t can be revived by the French
II they desire. 1t may be that after
the occupation of the Ruhr France may
accept the American proposal as a new
method of tackling the reparations
problem.
Want to Convince Germany.
Fer the moment the French are rep
resented as desirous of showing Ger
many that France means what she says
and that evasion Of payments cannot be
practiced hereafter without mourning
serious penalties. When once this view
point is convincingly driven into the
German mind the French may look
with favor on the idea of a complete re-
adjustment of the whole problem-but
not before. That's the expectation here.
now that planse for a French occupa-
tion OF the Ruhr are progressing, though
there is faint hope yet that out of
London may come some new suggestion
which Will give France a chance to
abandon her march on the Ruhr.
Bank Move Dormant.
The same official of the Depart
ment of State practically admitted
that the proposal for an international
bankers commission had not been
pushed anywhere but with the
French government, as it seemed
useless to ask the other allied gov
ernments formally about 1t till there
was some assurance that the French
would support the proposition.
So far as the American govern
ment is concerned, IL is making no
move, but, having recorded is dfsap-
proval. is resigned to the conse-
quences of Frances individuality of
action.
Copyright, 1929