Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-31
Disasters 7nge American Prosperity of 1926 With Europe $40
OLD WORLD DOING BEST
TO CONQUER ADVERSELY
Mussolini in Center of Stage Abroad as
Crippled Powers Try to Restore
Domestic and Foreign Peace.

she had been admitted to the League
OF Nations, she must be given full
confidence and independence. In this
connection may be mentioned the fact
that Germany paid 1921 900 900 in
separations as the second annuity OF
the Dawes plan payments. OF this
sum France received about one-half
Agent General Gilbert reported that
when European Sterilization becomes
general it will be necessary to reor
ganize the whole reparations scheme.
French Debt Pending.
Refunding agreements with all our
debtors were completed except with
France. NJ. Berenger, sent to Wash.
ington as Ambassador to negotiate a
settlement, succeeded so far as the
United States was concerned, but the
French government was halted in
every effort to have the very liberal
terms accepted by the Parliament.
Meanwhile France arranged a settle
ment of her debt to Great Britain,
Throughout the year there was an in
creasing though unofficial demand in
France that the United States cancel
the French debt.
Abd-el-krim, the leader of the Riff
fans. continued his warfare against
the French and Spanish in Morocco
until near the end of May, when, his
headquarters at Targuist having been
captured, he surrendered to the
French, by whom he was later sent
into exile.
Maj. Gen. William Lassiter took
over in January the ungrateful posi-
tion of president of Tacna- africa
Plebiscitary Commission, and was no
more successful than his predecessor,
Gen. Pershing, in settling the old con-
troversy between Peru and Chile. So
in June the whole plebiscite plan was
abandoned. Secretary of State Kel-
logg late in November offered another
scheme that seemed more promising.
This was for Chile and Peru to cede
the disputed provinces to Bolivia for
certain monetary considerations and
with the condition that they be main
tanned forever as a demilitariZed zone
with the city of africa a free port. He
also proposed that the MORO prom
ontory be established under interna-
tional control as memorial to the
valor of both Chile and Peru, with a
monument on the headland commend
rating the friendly settlement of the
question Before the close of the year
both Bolivia and Chile had expressed
their approval of this scheme.
Mexican Relations Strained.
Relations between Washington and
Mexico City were not very friendly
during the year owing to our Govern
ment's repeated protests against the
retroactive features of the Mexican
land and oil laws, which were due to
go into effect on January /, 1927
President Gales government was firm
in it's refusal to modify the laws. and
Secretary Kellogg warned it on Octo-
Der 80 that diplomatic relations would
be severed if American properties
should be confiscated.
: Months. of work in China by an in
ternational commission, headed by
Silas Strawn of Chicago, failed to clear
up the matter of extraterritoriality in
that distracted country. The COM
mission reported on November % that
the powers should hold onto their ex-
traterritorial rights for the present,
owing to the failure of justice, and
that they should be progressively
abolished only as changing conditions
warrant. From time to time the naval
forces of the powers were in conflict
with the Chinese forces engaged in
the civil warfare, and it was necessary
to land parties to protect foreigners,
but actual Intervention was avoided.
China demanded of the League of Ma
lions council the abolition of all I'M
equal treaties between LildC ndIlOH anu
Western powers.
The aeronautical conquest of the
North Pole should be classed as an
international event. On May the
Italian-built dirigible Norge reached
Spitzbergen ready to carry Capt.
Amundsen and his expedition over the
Pole. But two days later, before it
started, Lieut.. Comdr. Richard E.
Byrd, U. S. N. and Floyd Bennett
hoped off from Spitzbergen in an
airplane and few to the top Of the
world. They located the Pole, but
finding no landing place, circled about
1t thrice and returned. On May IL
the Norge started, next day 1t passed
over the Pole, and on May Is it landed
safely at Teller, Alaska. With Amund-
sen were Lincoln Ellsworth of the
United States, who helped finance the
expedition, and Col. Umberto Mobile of
Italy, the pilot of the dirigible. The
most important geographic result was
the determination Of the fact that no
large land mass exists at or near the
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