Evening star., 1925-09-13
America Is Disliked All Over Europe
AS Cause of Nearly All of Its Misery

Continued from First PageD
ceive the European point of view, par
ticularly with respect of the debts, be-
cause the debt question for Europe
comprehends all else. 1t is the
final manifestation to European
eyes and ears of the meaning Of
American idealism. In the first
place, the war made US the great
est Nation in the world. True, we did
not make the war and our expansion
was largely unconscious and not lit
tie at the urgent behest of the ma
tions for whom our resources were a
precious and an indispensable circum-
stance, not merely of victory, but of
escape from complete disaster. Never
theless. there is the fact: before the
war we bulked ridiculously small in
the eyes of the world; today we are
potentially supreme.
Therefore in the European mind,
while the nations of the Continent suf-
fered and sacrificed for principle, for
principles which at a later date we
embraced and affirmed with furious
zeal, we grew rich and powerful. Only
when the struggles had exhausted all
participants did we enter, and then, in
the circumstances and because of pre-
vious efforts, victory came with sur
prisingly little sacrifice on our part.
And when the struggle was over we
emerged supreme, the single victor,
the only nation with enhanced, not
crippled, resources.
Thus powerful, we imposed upon
Europe a settlement which did vio-
lence to practically every European
conception. That settlement ac-
cepted-only because Europe under.
stood 1t was backed by our strength
we calmly repudiated the settle
ment, retired to the security of our
own shores, disassociated ourselves
from every responsibility incident to
association in a common cause and
reappeared only at such times as
seemed to affect our material In
terests.
Victory itself to all European coun-
tries proved a profitless achievement;
the victors sat amidst ruins quite as
complete as the vanquished. The
struggle for existence took on an
almost terrifying aspect; ancient
fears were revived by present events.
Meantime every report coming from
the other side spread and expanded
the picture of ease, comfort and
wealth there existing, while every
cable and every ship brought new
AS a consequence of the war, Brit
ain had surrendered to America
not alone supremacy in the world of
finance but exclusive mastery of the
sea. More than a million and a half
British workmen walked the streets
maintained by public taxation, trade
languished. our commercial shipping
successfully challenged British all
over the world by virtue of the sub
sidy of our Government, taxation
within the United Kingdom reached
unparalleled heights, the very eco
nomic life of the Nation se.n.ad at
stake-and yet from Washington
came the inexorable demand that the
war debt be paid.
French Illusions Shattered.
For France victory was equally
illusory; the rebuilding of the devas-
tated areas absorbed the liquid capt.
tai of the nation. Promised Ameri-
can support by President Wilson in
return for surrendering the Rhine
barrier, she saw the pledge repudi-
ated while American public opinion
roughly repulsed all French claim to
hold that which she had only sur
rendered against a pledge she re-
garded as valid. Nevertheless, at all
times American opinion clamored for
the reduction of French military
strength. the sole protection against
the danger America had refused to
share. When Germany defaulted on
her obligations it was an American