The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-29
HUGHES POLICY
ONE OF FIRM
PATIENCE
Resisted Efforts to SWerve
Him From Own Views on
How to Aid Europe
By WILLIAM HARD.

BY WILLIAM HARD.
In preceding articles it has been
pointed out that Mr.. Hughes al
lowed neither the reuests of Euro
pean statesmen nor the demands
of the Democratic party and of a
large element within its own party
to swerve him from his policy of
making the United States not the
arbiter Of Europe but only its
suggester.
h gave Europe the suggestion
treatment for three patient dull
years.
He has large teeth and is ex-
,tremely stubborn. His large robust
shining genial smile is the smile of
a man perfectly physically healthy
and perfectly mentally healthy and
rejoicing in his health and going
straight forward to do what he
wants to do irrespective of the feel
lngs OF the persons upon whom he
smiles. 1t is not an ingratiating
smile. It is smile like that Of the
sun rising over the horizon and
about to go over the sky in it's
own course and blaze as it pleases.
He took occasional rhetorical
refuge indeed in the fact that
Congress had forbidden him to APP
point anybody to be officially and
FULLY a representative of the United
States in the Reparation Commits
aion.
Policy Consistent.
His own policy nevertheless was
totally consistent with having that
representative remain unofficial.
Mr.. Hughes was determined to
make Europe stand upon it's own
1eet. He was determined that Eu.
rope would not be dragged about in
q perambulator by the United States
as its nursemaid. He thought that
the role Of nursemaid might ulti-
mately give to the United States a
lot or unpopularity and peril in
Europe. He was willing-at the
most-that the United States should
be a kind Of moral crutch with
which the countries Of Europe
might help themselves.
Other policies than his would
nave had other merits-perhaps. in
certain ways, superior merits. The
John w. Davis policy of official
participation in administering the
treaty Of Versailles might have
made the United States much mere
Spectacularly the rescuer Of our
friends. The La Toilette policy of
trying to revise the treaty of Yer.
ealIles might have made the United
states much more spectacularly
the avenger Of perfidy and the
Keeper of the allied and associated
Wilsonian fourteen-point promise to
our former foes.
Either the Davis policy or the
La Toilette policy, if successful.
might have made the United. States
much more spectacularly and
actually the master of the world
Wants No Empire.
The essence Of the Hughes
policy is that Mr.. Hughes, thinking
1t perilous for the United States to
assume to be the master of the
world, declines absolutely to have
the United States grasp the scepter,
He deliberately confines the
United States to the role of the
cfutch.
His policy thereupon had, and
has, two parts.
First he outwardly, in making
suggestions to the European powers.
confines himself TO the ideas which
IN appearance are perfectly neutral
between all the contenders.
"A committee of experts to deter.
mine Germany's capacity to pay"
What could be more neutral than
that?
1t is neutral on the surface.
Underneath the surface it was an
IDEA which France approached with
the utmost reluctance.
France at first suggested one
hundred billion dollars as the figure
Tor the PREPARATIONS to be paid by
Germany. Then it accepted fifty-six
billion five hundred million dollars
AZ the agreed figure Then it ac-
cepted the PREPARATION commission
decision of thirty-three billion dol
lars. Now it is going along with
the Dawes report which fixes Ger
~2ny's ultimate annual sure paw
ment of reparation at figure which
represents a reasonable annual in.
terest on a total reparation figure
OF approximately only twelve billion
rive hundred miton dollars.
How U. s. Aided.
This abatement of views bv
France is the central reason why
the so-called Dawes settlement is
now possible.
Has the United States done moth
ing to further that abatement?
The answer has to be that the
United States had definitely en-
deavored to further that abatement
and has made it's views perfectly
and totallV-though privately and
quietly-plain
From observations in Paris this
writer personally knows that the
views Of the American Government
In favor of a lowering of the repairs
ton figure were just as fully known
TO the French as If they had been
broadcasted through official diplo.
matte amplifiers.
In 1922, the reparation commission
named a committee of bankers to
advise it regarding a loan to Ger.
many. The committee asked the
commission II it could consider
modifying the reparation figure. In
the commission m thio ruAsk;o,.