Evening star., 1923-10-28
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

| BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.
| NGLAND and the United States
r. have been drawn closer. polit-
IL ically and spiritually. war;
] ranting prediction that in con-
sideration and settlement Of future
great world problems they will be
found standing shoulder to shoulder
more and more, thereby exerting
| great moral pressure on nations TAX
| Ing viewpoints and courses not de-
| signed to enhance the safety and
progress Of the peoples of the world.
This. in brief, is the outstanding
I'result of the efforts of Secretary
| Hughes and Lord Curzon, foreign
minister of England, to bring to an
| end the impasse on reparations which
| Is speedily working for the disinte-
grafton of the whole of central Eu-
rope and its consequent disastrous
| effect on the financial and commercial
| equilibrium everywhere.
| America is Approached.
Alarmed at the swiftly flowing cur
| rents of disintegration, believing
| that herculean efforts are necessary
to stem the conflicting political cur
rents of Europe If there is to be ma
tional upbuildirg, and believing that
| Americas is the one voice essential
/ to undermine that suspicion which
| hazards any strictly European effort
to bring order out of chaos. Lord
Curzon, during the past month ap-
preached Secretary Hughes, solicit
| ing reiteration of Americas stand in
| regard to flxation of Germany's abil-
ity to settle the vast reparations
| exacted of her through the treaty Of
Versailles. Secretary Hughes reit-
| Grated his governments readiness to
be represented on a commission of
| experts to decide Germany's financial
| and economic status. he restating
| the advisability of pursuing expert
methods in attempts to reach set
| Elements, forestalling Germany's
complete incapacity to pay. These
statements and apparent agreement
| as to the wisdom of future courses
have been hailed in both Washington
| and London. but as a matter Of fact,
even though France, Belgium and
| Italy, interested powers. have, ac-
! cepted the idea Of close study of
Germany's present situation. with the
view of permitting 1T to have bearing
upon the whole reparations question.
France still holds the whip hand and
will continue to.
| Must BE Change of Heart.
| Only a change of heart on the part
| of Poincare will make possible any
effective action.
Should the French premier remain
adamant in pursuit Of present pol
| icies, then the committee of inter-
| national experts might as well never
be called. for. with its decisions going
| to the reparations commission for
consideration, a body which France
| controls by virtue of necessity of
unanimous decision as to future
courses. if by no other way, the ex-
perts' work can be thrown into the
discard at any juncture.
| Just as the So o-called Morgan COM
mittee of bankers was spurned in
| it's financial analysis, so can any fu-
| ture committee of experts be shunted
| aside in case verdicts are contrary
to fixed French nationalistic policy.
| Consent to the naming of an expert
commission is one thing. Agreeing to
abide by it's decision is another.
! And. with political trends in France
\ as they are, it is believed that Pre-
mier Poincare will commit political
hara- kari If he in the slightest modi-
\ fies the two dominating policies of the
1 French government. namely, collec-
| ton of at least 10000, 100000 gold
marks from Germany in the way Of
reparations for Frances account
l alone, and the disintegration of Ger
many to a point where the future
| safety of France will be insured.
| Disciple of Blood and Iron.
| Premier Poincare won his present
exalted position as the result of his
long continued bitter assaults upon
Clemenceau and BRAND, whom he de-
| clared had vascillated in handling the
| whole German problem. France must
| pursue a course of blood and iron in
order to wiring from the detested
Teutons every farthing provided for
| in the treaty of Versailles. he argued.
Every move of previous French gov
ernments designed to follow more
moderate courses-policies inciden-
| tally suggested by the strong, firm
hand and farseeing vision Of Premier
Lloyd George of England-were as
! sailed by the at present premier. He
| went into the highways and the by
! ways preaching the gospel of forcing
| the Germans to pay-with the might
| Of French arms If necessary. When
it appeared that BRAND was about to
/ adopt an extremely moderate course.
BRAND fell under Poincare-inspired
attacks in parliament. Poincare was
I called to head ministry.
| Backing his pledges he proceeded to
handle the German situation from
strictly a French nationalistic view
point and the chasm between Down.
ing street and Quai d'Orsay grew
broader. it being absolutely impossi-
BILE to reconcile the policies of Eng
land and France. insofar as methods
of exacting payment were concerned.
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