Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-28
Statement Seen as Rebuke
to Borah for Reference to
Churchill Remarks.
PLEADS FOR TOLERANCE
AND INTERNATIONAL FAITH
Realizes That America Would
Make Adjustment Of Debt Pay
ments, if Necessary, in Future.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

PAUL SMITHS, n. Y, July %
President Coolidge has in effect ad-
vised the whole world that the Chief
Executive and not the chairman of
the Senate foreign relations COM
nittee is the spokesman for the
United States Government in mat
ters of foreign policy.
This Is the Interpretation which
must be placed on the extraordinary
session which the President had with
the newspaper correspondents here
on Tuesday. AS usual the exact
words of the President were no.
given out for publication. though
some Of the newspaper men thought
the utterance of such international
importance that they asked specifi-
cally If the precedent could be
broken and the impromptu remarks
made public as taken down by the
official stenographer. The request
was declined and it Is assumed that
Mr.. Coolidge did not wish to dignity
the recent hostile demonstrations
against tourists by anything So
formal as a statement. For the whole
subject of good relations with Euro
pean people was, outlined. not only
the necessity for circumspect be-
havior on the part of tourists in
foreign lands but the suppression of
irresponsible utterances and criti-
cism on both sides of the Atlantic.
Statement Meant for Borah.
No mention was made of the state
ment made last week by Chairman
Borah of the Senate foreign relations
committee, in which he spoke of the ut
terances of Winston Churchill of Great
Britain as insulting to the United
States. But since the only criticism
emanating from persons in official life
have come from Secretary Mellon and
Mr.. Borah, the former arguing tenn
perately on some differences of
opinion over the record of expendi-
lures on war debts, and the latter
answering Mr.. Churchilfs statements
with an utterance full of sarcasm,
there was no doubt here as to who
was being chided.
The President has always endeay-
ored to maintain the friendliest pos.
sible relations with Senator Borah,
and this is one reason why he did not
grow more specific in his observations
to the correspondents. For there was
danger that unless something was
given out officially by the President
the British people would take Mr..
Borah's caustic statement as rejecting
the attitude of the Government of the
United States.
Plea for Tolerance.
1t is even possible that the British
government pointedly asked that ques-
ton through diplomatic channels, and
that the Presidents informal remarks
to the correspondents were not as
casual as they appear.
In any event, the little speech made
to the correspondents was as diplo-
matically phrased as if it had been a
Department of State note. The CORE
spondents were taken by surprise, for
every word had a direct bearing on the
general subject of criticizing the Eu-
ropeans for their outbursts. In other
words. 1t was made clear that allow
ances must be made for the state Of
mind of peoples who are working des-
perately to overcome handicaps and
burdens left by the war. Some day,
if the utterance 1s ever made public,
it will go down in history as one of
the most tolerant and broad -guaged
statements made since the war, and
more than one correspondent regret
ted that Europe today could not read
the exact words, for it might have al
layed ill-feeling and shown Europe
that In the White House is a man full
of sympathy and understanding, who
need not be shocked into comprehen-
sion by parades Of protests and edi-
torials charging America with Shylock
tactics.
Respite If Necessary.
The President feels that the debt
settlements are a matter Of history
now and that no good can come by
provoking debate or controversy over
them. He does not minimize the diff
ficulties which Europe will have In
paying America, but after all a 81.
year period has been given in
which to make payments and the
American people can be depended
upon through Congress to make what.
ever adjustments should be necessary
If there should be a default on repara-
tions and an economic crash. The
point Is that no private understanding
to that effect was made either in the
diplomatic correspondence preceding
the final settlements or in the con.
versation Of the negotiators,
Nor is any Official or unofficial prom
tse made at this time, but Europe can
take it for granted that during the
next So years, II moratorium or ad-
justment should become temporarily
necessary, 1t will be as much to the
interest Of American trade to grant
a respite as to the debtor.
tCopyriKht. 1e26)