The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-08

He points out - vxrN
that it must be WILLIAM nfAksD
very surprising
to the members of the British debt
commission to read in the papers
| in London that our President
pine to be helpful" to the
Old World and then discover when
they get over here that we have no
effective yearning or pining Whatso-
ever to forgive them one farthing Of
their debt to us. Just what we mean
when we talk about "helpfulness" is
becoming more and more mystifying
and Inaddening to the Europeans. A
| two-year moratorium" during which,
since we decline to put up" we
would at any rate ''shut up," would
be welcomed by wearied world. So
says this visitor from Europe, and
his observations are corroborated by
q reading Of the European press.
The current articles In European
papers show that we have earned
| for ourselves a vast collapse Of our
popularity in Europe by the enor-
nous difference between our
language and our performance.
| ''The United States talks like a
| Christmas tree and behaves like a
| Shylock" That would be an &C
curate summary of the sentiments
now displayed regarding US by large
numbers Of European writer's.
The Europeans do not understand
4 that when we talk about being
/ helpful to Europe we mean only
J that we stand ready at any Tune 70
give Europe any amount that y
NAV want OF our surplus export
wisdom. They imagine that when
we saw "help' we mean dollars out
of our public. treasury or troops
F., out Of our army posts or something
! eIse-anything else-that they can
! actually physically touch or see.
They do not understand that all we
| intend to give them Is a "helpIui
!, Chautauuua lecture course on oelng
/ good. and therefore happy. Senator
/ johnson Of California has u IN n -
1 mind to make them understand IT,
tn a. IN course OF conducting Q
campaign on the Senate floor 70.
S~ard driving ali our takers OF
"helnfulness' toward Europe into
a corner where he says--and wlH
3HeInfulness? what do you
mean. 'helpfulness?' Forgive them
their debts to us? Diminish the
ktareat on the debts? Send
soldiers? Sign alliances? give the
French a guarantee against the
Germans? What? Just. WHAT! ,u
These questions he asks-ano WIN
J continue to ask-until he has uons
EUROPE the immense service Oh
proving to it that the bulk OF tne
statesmen Of America, in fact' arg
without the slightest intentlon Uh
giving Europe any Of the Things
which Europe regards as consul
Ituting "help."
Consider the case. for lnsIaIl O.s.
LOT Senator Borah. The Europeanss
Ihave most seriously misunaerstopHe o
! him. They dream that somehow ne
might vote differently now on the
Isubiect of the League OF Nations
Ior on the subject Of o military
Iguarantee to France. I know from
talking with Senator Borah tnaC
nothing could be farther from the
i. truth. If out Of any lnternatlonaA
conference there should come back
} Ito America any proposition. con
} ItaininR the political "helpfulness
. which Europe wanted from US IN
. the treaty OF Versailles, and Which
: lit still wants from us. Senator
I'll
} lust exactly as he voted against II
J then.
{ There was a young lady once In
, Illinois who became famous IN =
day all over this country by telling
, a. group of newspaper correspond
tents that they could get no infor
: nation out of her because she was
perfectly accustomed already to be
; ing "kidded by experts" Europe
, after a while will learn that 1t hat
; been "kidded' by the worlds great
, est living experts on helpfulnest
: without help. It will be accelerat
ed toward learning 1t if 1t will cot
, low Senator Johnson's questions IN
: the Senate and note the answers
! given to them, Senator johnson is
, determined to puncture this bal
! loon Of verbal "helpfulness" and tC
end the Observation-Disclosures which II
scatters through the American and
E!IIra mean air