Evening star., 1925-08-30

extending American recognition. No
part Of the debt of the old cZarist
regime is owed to the American Gov
ernment. and very little of it to
American bondholders. The only Rus
sian debt of which the American Gov
S1S7 900, 900 loaned the Kerensky
government after the downfall of
the czar. No part of this debt has
ever been paid and no demand has
ever been made that the Soviet gov
ernment either pay or fund it. 1t is
an item Uncle Sam is likely to carry
in his bad debt" column for good
many years to come.
American Property COnfiscated.
The kerensky debt has not infiu-
enced our State Department one way
or the other in the matter OF recoe.
nlZlng the present Russian govern
ment. But an item this government
has not been able to ignore is the
between 400 and 500 million dollars
worth of American property which
mas been confiscated by the Soviets.
1T Is not likely there will be any con-
siderable investment OF American
money in Russia or that Russia will
De able TO negotiate any considerable
loans In America so long as the Mos
COW government brazenly maintains
the righteousness of this downright
steal.
All this is aside from the question of
BolSheVik propaganda for the over.
throw of other governments. Estab.
llshment OF diplomatic relations has
made 1t possible to increase the in
tenslty of this propaganda among the
peoples OF governments which have
extended recognition, and should the
government at Washington change
It's mind and recognize the govern
ment al Moscow there would imme-
ulately be a hooking of propaga ndists
TO the shores of America. There is
no reason to think the Soviets would
De any more considerate of us than
they nave been of their European n
neighbors.
An Economic Hodge -Podee.
For information about Austria ana
Hungary and the other states in tho
Danube basin | went to Sir Willia m
Ioode. 10 whom | carried a letter of
introduction, and who is said to know
more ABOUT conditions in these coun.
tries than any other man in the world
Sir William has had a remarkable eY.
perience with the fragments of the
OLD Hapsburg empire. He was one of
Herpert Hoover's right-hand men in
relief work in Belgium and western
H.
ed the Austrian relief administration.
Later he was the British member of
the austrian reparations commission.
ana sun later was economic adviser to
the austrian government, and is given
credit for having devised measures
which saved that country from utter
collapse. Having gotten Austria on
IT'S leet ana on the way to measur-
able prosperity, he is now undertak.
plo 10
Sir William is hopeful, but not opti.
mistic, as to the future of Austria and
hungary and the succession states.
The old Austro Hungarian empire
never was politically homogeneous.
put Its parts were economically inter-
dependent. In their eagerness to tear
things apart and in their efforts to
satisfy aspirations of miLor allies, the
makers or the peace treaties DESTROYED
Ihe economic unity of the Danube
Basin and left economic chaos in it's
place. AS the situation stands TODAY.
economic requirements are thwarted
Dy political ambitions, so that hunger
ana want are the blessings" that
have come in the train of self. defer
mination." Dire necessity has forced
Austria and Hungary and the little
entente - Czechoslovakia. Jugoslavia
ana Rumanla-to tear down some of
V
makers, but there still is nothing like !
healthful intercourse among them. and
there can be no prosperity or assur- |
ances of peace until trade is permitted !
10 now again in its natural channels. !
Suspicion and Fear.
All the countries of central and east /
ern Europe recognize the necessity Of |
correcting the absurdities Of the peace |
treaties, but suspicion and jealousy |
and fear stand in the way. Each of |
the countries, it would seem, prefers |
to go hungry up to a very painful |
point rather than gain an advantage |
by conceding a reciprocal advantage |
to rival group. When hunger pains |
nave grown too severe to be longer en-
dured, some small step toward an ad-
Justment is taken. then they all settle
down again TO see whose stomachs
will hold out the longest
Some of the fears" which beset the
Danublan states are grotesque, but are
typical of the fears with which all
Europe is assailed. | asked Sir VIII
liam Goode about the recent discus. |
sion of Hungary as a menace to the
peace Of eastern Europe Its a lot
of humbug." he answered What !
are the facts? Hungary has a popula-
ton of 1900 900, and an army restrict
presence in the country of an allied
mission to not more than (
35 900
she is only permitted 10 manufac-
ture under allied supervision war ma
terial within the limits of the treaty
and is forbidden to import it. She is
prohibited from ma anufa cturing dirigi-
bles or any airpfanes except slow duds
Armored cars, tanks, poisonous gases
and even defensive gas masks are also
on the forbidden list In addition to
these peace treaty restrictions it
should be remembered that Hungary's
expenditure is under the strict
control of the league
The little entente--that is to saw.
Jugoslavia and Ru-
ma n1a-have combined population of !
over $4,000 ,000-more than five times
the population of Hungary-with ar i
mics totalins 405.0a0, peace strength,
and about 100000 war strength, as
compared with Hungary's $4,000 max.
imum, peace or war. These three coun-
tries are also giving, annually, mill
tary training to two or three hundred
thousand men. They have complete
freedom to manufacture or import as
much war material as they desire, and
SO far they have taken full advantage
of this freedom. 1t is surely rather
the bow to suggest that the |
little entente are really afraid of Hun
gary. If an inha bitant of Mars drop.
ped into the Danube ba sin he would |
be puzzled to know why Hun
gary was not daily appealing to the
world for a security pact against the
populations and armies
with which she is almost completely |
s. rrounded-population which, 1t |
mus, he remembered. are united in |
armed alliance against Hungary under
the little entente agreements"
Thrnll Ghn1f all fhA rest of ElIrnnA