Evening star., 1925-01-23
IMPRESSED BY BoRAH.
BY HAL O'FLAHERTY.

By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
LONDON, January %. Senator
Borah'S defense of the American debt
policy. made in reply to the French
deputy Marin, is considered in Lon
don to be the most effective state
ment Of Americas side of the con-
troversy 50 far propounded. Com
pared with Deputy Marin's high
flown figures of speech. which placed
the settlement Of the debt on a senti-
mental basis, Senator Borahs words
appear to the English mind to be
much nearer the truth.
Ever since the armistice, American
diplomats have failed to place suffi-
cient emphasis on the fact that the
other allies emerged from the war
with material gains. especially France,
with the Saar Basin and Alsace Lor-
Taine, together with huge indemni-
ties and reparatious from Germany.
Some appreciation Of this fact and
Americas comparatively insignificant
part has developed as a result of SEN
ator Borah'r clear-cut reply to the
French thesis
For the first time since the Balfour
note of August, 1922, the British
press today carries a detailed account
of the American war finance balance
sheet. The Washington CORRESPONDENT
of the London Times cables a lengthy
article, not only submitting figures to
prove Americas contention that the
debts owned her by the European
countries are largely commercial, but
quoting liberal authority in sup
port of this claim.
Significance in Charge.
There is a real significance to this
Willingness to listen to Americas
arguments. While Great Britain's
genera policy is declared still to rest
upon the Balfour statement. 1t has
changed considera bly, in the past two
Years. At that time Great Britain
expected to wipe out all the war
debts, but she now claims from her
debtors enough to cover her own pay
ments to America. Logically, she can
no longer support the French thesis
of cancellation.
Even if the British policy had re-
matned what it was when Mr.. Balfour
issued his famous note, it Is doubtful
II the practical minded British states
men would indorse Deputy Marin's
emotional plea that France was the
only ally to make a blood sacrifice,
and on that score should be allowed
70 wipe out her external debt.
Memories of how much was paid to
France for the use of her ports. her
equipment, are still too fresh to be OBJ
scured by exaggerated sentiment of
this sort. Deputy Marin's references
TO the British war effort arouse no
little resentment, especially when he
gives this country credit for holding
only 45-kilometer front compared
with Frances line of 700 kilometers.
His later modification of this state
ment fails to carry weight, and leaves
the British mind disposed to discount
his conclusion that the war involved
great communistic effort on the
part of the allies, with France shed
ding all the blood and the others sup
plying their wealth.
If anything, Deputy Marin's argu-
ment along this line has injured the
French case outside France Ger
tainly no Britisher will ever admit
that any country lost more precious
blood during the war than his own.
Such contention merely places the
financial settlement on a false plane
and makes any attempt at reasonable
argument futile.
Copyright, 1925, by Chicago Daily News Coz