Evening star., 1924-12-07
DEBT TALK KEEPS
BRITISH ANXIOUS
Semi-0fficiaI Assurance Is
Given Paris Will Not Get
Better Terms From U. S.

by Gable to The Star and New York World.
| LONDON, December 6.-The Franco
american pourparlers on debt funding
! continue to cause anxiety here, and
semi Official soothing syrup was
! handed out today by the British
press. 1t was admitted that Sir
/ Esme Howard has been in touch with
/ the authorities at Washington and
has asked to be informed of any de-
/ velopments (which might interest the
! British cabinet.
The Importance OF the Franco
american conversations. it was
stated, seem to have been exagger-
ated, as they have been of a general
nature and no concrete funding
scheme has been suggested by either
| side. The cryptic suggestion was also
forthcoming that it cannot be too
strongly asserted that with the coming
into force of the Dawes report the
/ whole question OF interalled debts has
entered upon new phase.
All the papers today reprint one
New York papers editorial demand
| ing equality of treatment for Great
Britain in Americas handling of her
! debt problems.
The Daily Express states: IF
Great Britain allows a settlement be-
tween France and America to take
place without putting in her own
claim for payment by France, her
own prospect OF recovering anything
Will be postponed, and ii will then he
pointed out to us that the whole
French share in German reparations
has gone to the United States, and
! that there is nothing left with which
to pay Britain. Mr.. Churchill is the
guardian of the interests of the Bri-
tish taxpayer and it is for him to
press the British claim on the French
financiers, and to do this firmly and
at once"
The Morning Post. under the head
ing "A Sum for Mr. Mellon" states
the American attitude that since Con-
gress has settled the debt question IL
cannot be reopened savors strongly of
rigid PrUssianism. This paper quotes
The main ground for placing these
debts in a special category is that
they would never have existed for any
practical purpose if the allies had lost
the war. 1t was victory with her
triumphant wings that gave them life
and carries them across the Atlantic.
If Germany had won the war, the
American Congress, instead of laying
down, the terms according to which
France and Great Britain are TO pay.
would be discussing the ways and
means of paying an indemnity, and a
pretty fat one, to William Hohen-
zollern
las victory alone made these debts
business proposition. any fair
minded creditor must consider who
was mainly responsible for that vic
tory Apart from what our country
has done. We ask the American peo-
pie to remember that France suffered,
in the loss of almost 1900, 600 of her
sons, the devastation of her richest
provinces and her four years of ag-
ony; whether it is sound morals or
even good business to mulct France
of sums lent to her for helping to
save America, and, incidentally, the
Monroe doctrine, from the clutches of
Germany.
"Americans may run from the is
sue, but they cannot escape it, and
we are glad to see that according to
the message that we publish from our
Washington correspondent already
faint doubts are beginning to he ex-
pressed on the other side concerning
the wisdom of it's attitude in this
matter. If we give a man a monetary
value we ask Mr.. Mellon are great
Britain and France in the debt of
America or is America in the debt of
Great Britain and France"
Copyright, 1924