Evening star., 1923-02-12
FRENCH EXPRESS
DESIRE TO PAY Up
huhr Prospects and Funding
OF British Debt Cause
Change of Sentiment.
"e 10 Inc Star and New York Tribune.
Copyright 1904 ~''eN"''

~ Ssoie 10 The Star and New y.rk Trih,r.
Copyright. 1898
iS' February 12.-The eeonornic.
occupation of the Ruhr and the aere.
nent FOR funding Great Br,tain.s
oeot TO the United States hava rro-
ouced a marked change in tha attituda
or the French public toward Iio,ida
e,oh Oh FRANCES American debt If
germany is to pay France. as the
french now expect. then France is
oouho logically to pay her two allies
hahy people here and in the United
states nave been skeptical about
FRANCES ability to pay or even her
oeslre to pay, except In the far distant
iu'ure' This skepticism was based
oh the assumption that France wouId
never be able to realize anvtb,ne
substantial on her German rers-..toa
account NOW things look different.
Editorial Is Significant.
Highly significant OF the e,..,t re
tnis change of view is the fact thai
an EDITORIAL expressing Frances nm
SonuIeiohal purpose to pay her foreign
1eots should appear in the ponuiar
IrhinS rtenSh newspaper. lie Petit Parisien,"
winch claims to have the Iarrest
circulation in the world.
Expressing its own opinion, not that
OF any special contributor. LIE Petit
farislen said the other day:
since we are fnaugurating a new
,netnod or making Germany pay US.
has the moment not come also To-
consider in new light our debts TO
our allies?
What Frenchman did not expert
ence painful feeling during the las.
conference at Paris, and even for sew
erai years back, when the question
OF the interallied debts was being
considered. at seeing France in the
rather shabby position of a debtor
his creditors?
Must Face Duty.
we may say that all the costs of
the war ought to be pooled and that
Great Britain entered the war on her
own interest, in order to prevent Ger
many from establishing herself at
Antwerp and Calais. But it remains
true, nevertheless, that no agreement
to pool war costs binds either Great
Britain or America, or that we owe
11,00O.000,000 of marks to the one and
1900, 100000 to the other-25, 100000
Ooo IN All; representing in round fig
paper francs.
However enormous this foreign
debt may be, however difficult it
may seem to us to begin to pay II,
ADVANCED
100000, ,000, 900 of our paper francs on
Germany's account to our sufferers
in the north and our war pensioners.
we must face this duty, cost what il
will, if we wish to restore our credit
and see the franc rise again in value.
This liberation from our burdens once
accomplished. our financial horizon
VIII clear, confidence in our credit
Will be greater than ever our good
name VIII no longer have anything
70 Tear form the manouvers of stock
1obbers; the economic readtustment
which Will result form this situation
Will be Of benefit to all
Want to Pay Debts.
In a newspaper interview the other
nobody likes to pay his debts. He Is
wrong. In France the worker, the
peasant, the business man, the house
keeper. all like to pay their debts.
!hey DO not really live as long as
wh;c, tRey have ave, debts debts. The government
we. like England. intend to pay our
foreign obligations. which Will float
at home a special loan for the amor
tization of those debts. will demand
or the country. no matter what new
tax for the purposes of that amor
tization, will not appeal in vain to
the nations pride.
For he is not a Frenchman who
does not feel that a great nation like
france. which would cavil over the
would not bleed herself to pay them,
would not only do grave injury TO
her credit and her prestige. but. which
is still worse, would surrender some
thing OF her liberty and her independ-
ence."
There could be no stronger ass.r-
tion than this French financial scru-
pulousnesS and determination to paw.