Evening star., 1924-08-03

France and Belgium have spent and must
spend, all told, upward. Of $4,000, 100000 for
reconstruction. the French share being be-
tween six and seven billions. But this is not
all; since the United States insists that Eu-
rope pay her for loans during the war, there
is further sum Zof II billions to be found.
Since, in addition, Britain is already paying
the United States on account Of the $4,000
100000 she had from us, she is insisting that
she must have this amount, nominally, from
France, Italy and Belgium, actually from
German reparations, and her right rests upon
the fact that she loaned vast sums to her
continental allies, as we did to her and to
them.
In sum, then, the war or the peacemaking,
as you please, has, in its last stage. come
down to the naked question of who shall
pay-of who shall pay two things-the cost
of reconstructing French and Belgian ruins
the cost of reimbursing the United States for
her loans to her associates in the war. But
this simple question is again complicated by
two circumstances We and the British, while
each desiring to be paid also desire that the
German markets be restored. that the pur-
chasing power of central Europe shall
be renewed and that neither France nor Bel
gium shall do anything to Germany by way
chasing power of Central Europe shall
in any way interfere with our markets. And,
particularly as we contemplate lending Ger
many money to assist in her reconstruction,
We insist that no attempt of France or Bel
gium to collect reparations money shall take
a character calculated to injure later in
vestments.
French and Belgian View.
Meantime the Frenchman on his side, sup
ported by the Belgian, is wrestling with
similar paradox. He wants Germany re-
stored only because he believes Germany can
pay and thus save him from bankruptcy, but
he has abiding fear of the ultimate
quences to him of German restoration. and,
will anlS~ tn
it insures reparations, and in addition, he is
safeguarded to guarantee his security when
the restoration has taken place.
Consider, too, the German state of mind.
We have been compelled to dismiss the war
time expectation that the German, restored
to moral and mental sanity would see the
origin of the did and do; that
he would perceive his offending, repent and
accept in good faith and all humility the de-
cision of the peace conference, which called
for restoration and ,reparation. The German
has never believed that he was responsible
for the war and he is never going to believe
1t. He remains convinced that the stupidity
of his statesmen succumbed to the malignity
of the statesmen of the entente; that he is
the victim of evil designs of his conquerors.
which were to be sure, outwardly successful
: iN giving to German action the color of re-
sDonsib:lty and guilt
In the decisions of the peace conference
moreover, the German the entire con-
frmation of his original conception that the
war was forced upon Germany by her jealous
rivals commercial and political, the British
seeking to destroy naval and commercial
competitor, the French striving to obtain re-
venge for 1870. reconquer Alsace-Lorraine and
resume the Napoleonic and Bourbon policy
of partition and destruction of Germany The
present situation of Germany in the German
mind. represents the deliberate will of the
allies; it was to bring about this situation
that they involved Germany in the mesh of
diplomatic entanglements which led to the