Evening star., 1924-10-31
DAWES CHIEF HOPE
IN EUROPE'S VIEW
Observers Count American
Election Result as Certain
to Favor Old Countries.
BY WILLIAM BIRD.

BY Radio to The Star.
PARIS. October 31.-"Whatever hap
pens. we shall have Dawes" That
appears to be the extent of Europe's
interest in the American presidential
election.
Somehow or other--and whether
rightly or wrongly-the Europeans
have figured out that Charles G..
Dawes Is bound to be part of the
next American administration. Either
they believe the Coolidge-Dawes
ticket will be elected outright or else
they believe the election will be
thrown into Congress. with the Sem
ate electing Gen. Dawes as Vice Pres
ideut.
You may tell them the Vice Presi-
dent Is nobody in American politics
They point to the fact that President
Harding started the custom of invit-
ing the Vice President to cabinet
meetings and then they add, dawes
will he somebody, no matter what
office he holds"
Americans may wonder why all this
fuss about Dawes; why Europe is so
jubilant at the prospect that he will
play major role in the American
Government after next March. They
may wonder why EunNpe takes no in
terest in Coolidge. Davis. La Toilette,
Bryan and Wheeler.
Plan Takes By storm.
The truth is that the Dawes plan
has taken Europe by storm for the
simple reason that ii has laid to rest
a question that appeared to be in
capable OF solution-a question which
has kept Europe in q state of ebulli-
tion for five years. Although gossip
says the plan itself was drafted by
Owen D. Young on a sheet of brown
= ( l. ~ -
on the boat coming to Europe, and
was practically thrust down the
throats of the European delegates to
the experts conference. nevertheless,
to Europe 1t is and always will be,
the Dawes plan and nothing else.
Just why this plan is so important to
Europe may be comprehended il one
thinks Of a personal quarrel, after
which both parties want to be friendly,
but neither desires to make the neces-
sary overtures. Such was the repara-
tons problem following the great war.
The allies had demanded more than they
, could collect, and needed a convenient
way to climb down. The Dawes plan
provided this. Without seeming to yield
] to Germany, it provided q method Of
settling with honor to both sides.
But why does Europe want to see
Gen. Dawes in the American Govern
ment? Simply because Europe believes
that the same logic which settled Eu-
ropes difficulties in Europe will settle
Europe's difficulties with America. In
short, Europe thinks that Gen. Dawes
in high place in Washington will
eventually evolve another plan-a plan
for settling Europe's debt to America
on the same terms as Germany's debt
to the allies-which is to say. a way of
settling the debts without paying them.
Seeks Way to Climb Down.
In other words, Europe hopes and be-
lieves that Gen. Dawes will come for
ward with scheme enabling America
to climb down from her demands upon
the allies just as the allies have climbed
down under the Dawes plan from their
demands upon Germany
The writer is not Offering his own
views on this subject, butt merely
citing general opinion on this side
OF the Atlantic, where Gen. Dawes
IL regarded as genius in recon.
ciliation.
In short, Gen. Dawes election
10 considered as the first step
toward a long awaited settlement Of
International debts. And it is cur
rently believed in the highest politi-
cal and financial circles that such
settlement on terms which Europe
can conveniently meet meaning
practically almost complete cancel
1ation-will enormously facilitate the
world of commerce and stimulate a
new era of trade prosperity
All these hopes may seem to
Americans over sanguine. but they
sum up Europe's creed today and tell
why, so far as Europe is concerned,
there is only one candidate in the
American presidential election -
Dawes.
Copyright, 1924