Evening star., 1923-05-07
i. s. STILL SILENT
ON GERMAN OFFER
No Comment Required, View
Here-Hughes' Proposal
Held Solution.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Characteristic silence is maintained
by officials of the United States gov
ernment as notes are exchanged be-
tween Germany and France with re-
Spect to the reparations dispute.
As a matter of courtesy. the French
gave the American ambassador In
Paris copy of what they said to
the Germans. but since no communl-
cation was addressed directly to the
United States, the Department or
State takes the position that comment
Is not required.
About the only thing said officially,
however. which carries with it some
significance is that no change of
policy on the part Of the United
States is contemplated.
Many Views Here.
Officially, of course, there are many
views on the wisdom of the French
attitude toward the latest German
proposals. The argument contained
IN the French note on the one hand
or the German offer on the other
SINNERS down to a question of guar
antees and good faith. Even If the
Germans had expressed a readiness
to pay the full sum demanded by the
French. the French would have asked
FOR guarantees and since none would
be available more satisfactory than
retention of the Ruhr, this would pro-
duce a stumbling block to an agree
nent
The only other possible guarantee
would be the tlotatiOn Of loan under
written by the allies, which, when
dealing with credits nowadays. means
/ II cd % n q
since any big loan would have to de-
pend on getting large numbers of in
vestors in America. All hints about
general readjuStment of interallied
war debts are passed by here as hard
ly worthy OF comment. If the Eu-
ropean governments by this time
have not learned that both the re-
publican and democratic administra-
tfonS have committed themselves
against such a policy and that if they
hadn't it would furnish 4 dangerous
campaign issue for the opposition
Oarty here. they have missed the
meaning of developments on this side
of the Atlantic in the last five years
L. :. Favors Commission.
America has one bit of help to of
fer and stands ready today, as it did
several months ago. to assist in the
execution of that suggestion, namely
the creation of an international COM
mission OF tinanciers and business
men who would examine the whole
subject and recommend to their re-
spective governments what they think
Germany ought to pay. Secretary
Hughes has been the father of that
idea and he is still of the belief that
only by some such plan can the world
get fair notion of what Germany's
capacity 10 pay really is or will be.
Germanys word will not be taken
by Franc" and the latter is too much
filled with the antagoniSms of the
hour TO look upon reparations from
business standpoint rather than a
sentimental one. Meanwhile the
they are brought forth, diploma tic
correspondence will get nowhere and
the condition of Germany Will tend
10 grow worse instead of better with
a corresponding i'll effect on the eco
nomic position of the French-this is
the viewpoint here. And it is one
with which the British are sympa-
licly expressed their approval of the
Hughes plan.
Germany willing.
The Germans have officially stated
their Willingness to abide by the de-
Hughes proposed. The question now
is how long the French VIII continue
10 believe direct negotiations with
Germany will yield a better result
with a more satisfactory guarantee
than some cooperative settlement in
which all the allies participate. only
the French can answer that. and so
the American government believes In
watchful waiting while events and
facts have their effect on French
fCopyright 1921