The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-06
AME ER|CA AWAITS
 REQUEST T0 HELP. EUROPE P0WE Rs
Administration Will Not Act Until Foreign Premiers h. vite Assistance Hughes
 Plan Basis of Hope

WASHINGTON. Jan. 5.-The Wash ington government is waiting on de- velopments in the reparations crisis. It sees no present opportunity to make American help available to Europe.
 This was the substance of author itative glimpses of the situation given today at the White House and State Department. It was said flatly at the White House that the admin istration had no plan for calling an eeonomic conference. At the State Department it was asserted that the American government could not go beyt nd what it has already In Score taSy Hughes suggestion that inter aa.tiera1 financial leaders be asked to propose a separations solution.
 That suggestion, made in Mir. Hughes recent speech at New Haven, still Is before the allied governments. It was intimated today that Wash ington officials were without knowl- edge as t. whether the French au thorities were inclined to take it up before resorting to the drastic meas ures of the French reparations plan on which the council of premiers split yesterday in Paris.
 Senate Discusses stops
 WllH dCl1On thus HdlLeQ so IdT as administration officials are con cerned, Senate consideration cf the crisis also came to a temporary stop today. The resolution offered by Sen ator Robinson, democrat. Arkansas, to authorize official American repre- sentation on the reparstions commis- sion was before the foreign rela- tions committee but action was de ferred until Chairman Lodge could confer with Secretary Hughes and obtain official word as to the de- sires of the administration on the proposal
 He is expected to see the secre- tary tomorrow and report back to his committee.
 Direct comment on the repara- tions pro posal is withheld. At the White House, however the signifi- cant statement was made that the question of representation on the separations commission had ceased to be of pressing importance In view of developments in Paris. It was indi- cated that the view taken by admin istration officials is that the rup- whole relation of the commission to the problem as that relationship was planned in the treaty of Versailles.
 Washington Waiting
 Presumably that will be the view expressed to Senator Lodge by Sec retary Hughes. It is a curious side light on the American angle on the reparations crisis that President Harding and his cabinet did not take the subject up today. That fact is interpreted as clearly outlining the waiting attitude in which the Wash ington government finds itself with all initiative efforts at settlement resting in the hands of European statesmen.
 It was explained officially at the State Department that there Is no basis on which Washington can rest formal proposal of any character to the allies at this Juncture. The problem is theirs, deeply as 1t may affect American interests. present or future. Control of the situation Is in their hands and the United States cannot properly and with any hope of accomplishing good. do more than it has done in making a suggestion as to ways and means by which it believes the European governments can find way to agreement and also to American economic aid in world recuperation.
 Not To Force Views on Allies
 It js clear that Secretary Hughes
 
 ed the time for his utterance after most careful weighing of the pos- sible effect of what he would say. It was desired to avoid any possible impression that America was seek ing to force its views on the allies.
 It also was Mir. Hughes purpose to emphasize the wholly friendly object of his hint. particularly to France, for theer is no lack of un- derstanding in Washington of the peculiar difficulties of French statesmen or of8the trend of French public opinion.
 It woul abe going much too far to say that President Harding and his advisors are without hope that way out of the tangle will be dis closed before drastic action is taken by the French: yet there appears to eb no definite grounds for their hopes so far as was learned today.
 JussernDd Visits Hughes. Ambassador Jusserand was among secretary Hughes callers today. Pre- sumably. he went to the state de- partment under instructions cabIed by Premier Polncare to amplify the statement he has already made of Frances reason for rejecting the tContinued on Page sixteen)