Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-13
EUROPE'S DISLIKE OF u. s.
TRACED TO 'sPREACHINC"
Nations There Declared "Fed Up on
Advice, Criticism and MOralizing,
Without Real Assistance.
By FRANK HI. SIMONDS.

- lNCE my return from Europe
great many people have asked
both directly and by letter
~ what are the causes of the pres
ent unmistakable and we'll
nigh unanimous European dislike and
worse Of the United States. Is 1t
purely and simply the result of jeal-
ousy, the not wholly unnatural con
sequence Of the comparative condi-
lions of the United States and all
European countries? Is 1t resentment
| over the debt question? Does it arise
from European dislike of our own
| policies and principles. because theirs
are in matters of international rela
tons something totally different?
| On the whole it is not possible to
explain the European feeling toward
the United States by reference to any
single circumstance. Undoubtedly our
| prosperity has its part in European
sentiment. but not because Europe be
grudgeS us prosperity, rather because
despite our prosperity we seem to the
European pursuing grasping and
| selfish policy. AS to the debts, our
course is eXecrated from one end of
Europe to the other. not merely or
mainly because we insist upon pay
| nent, but because our insistence seems
strangely out of keeping with our past
| and even present professions OF Will
ingness to help Europe.
| Nor does the difference of standards
really count much, for from the Euro
pean point of view we are fortunate
people who are able to exist and pros
| per without regard to our interna-
tional policies because we are to
great extent a world by ourselves. To
oil nf
peace and international conduct are
| to be explained by our geographical
position. The people in the tropics
are able TO get along with a minimum
of expenditure for clothing because of
the climate. What more natural than
that the native of Borneo, for eX-
ample. should reprobate the inhabit-
ants of Canada or Sweden for money
wasted in furs and Woolens? That is
about what Europe thinks of much
of our peace conception.
Tired Of Our Advice.
If one is to go to the bottom of the
present European feeling, which is so
general as to be almost unanimous.
one must recognize at the outset that
the chief cause lies not in what we
possess or what we do, but in what
we saw. Europe is tired and bored
and bitter over the eternal flow of
advice, admonition. exhortation and
denunciation which it steadily re-
ceives at American hands and par
ticularly from official quarters.
The obvious tendency in many
quarters to attach moral value to
purely material issue, to scold and
denounce every nation which comes
TO grief because of conditions and
circumstances which are totally re-
moved from any American under
standing. to group the whole con-
tinent of Europe under one umbrella
and then shower upon it denuncia-
tions for militarism. imperialism
extrava gance and bad morals gener-
ally, this process, which has been
going on for a long time. but tends
rather to increase than diminish in
volume. has, to put the thing quite
colloquially, gotten Europe's goat. :"
From the European point of view
a large part of the mess which fol-
lowed the war is due to President
Wilson's share in the peace treaties.
Never for moment does Europe
disassociate the President and the
country 1t holds us responsible for
Mr.. Wilson, and it holds him and us
responsible for the worst of the
trouble which has followed. i have
been from one end of Europe to the
other in recent years. and. without
exception, sometimes politely, some
times bluntly. now by men of no
public Importance. now by men in
the most responsible places, l have
been told that the American deser-
ton after the Paris peace conference
explains a great deal of Europe's
present misery.
Offer to Help lrritates.
Again, nothing more irritates and
enrages the European than the con-
slant statement that the United
States is ready to help Europe. This
is to the Transatlantic mind adding
insult to injury. We have refused to
join in any association of nations
which might insure security to all by
a common guarantee to aid any
nation wantonly attacked. This was
the conception of the league which
Europe had originally. This is what
Europe hoped of us first of all. that
we would promise to join in the de-
Tense of any nation assailed without
provocation. Such guarantee,
France in particular held, would pre-
vent attack, because our vast
deterrent to any intending aggressor.
That was what broke the French
heart, because the promise of our
guarantee alone led Clemenceau to
resign all claim to a military Occu-
patton of the Rhine barrier.
From the European point of view we
talked big" but utterly refused to
make good our words. And it is also
true that this American retirement re-
mains at the bottom of every Euro
pean mind as the foundation of dis
trust and dislike.
AS to the debt question, all Europe
feels the same about it, but not SIM
ply on the issue of payment. We an
nounced the principle that our debtors
should pay, not in FULL. but in pro-
portion to capacity. Outwardly at
least we did this very grudgingly.
Now what did it mean? : 1t meant
patiently that we decided not to try
and collect what was beyond the ca
pacity of our debtors to pay. From
their point of view we simply said
1--WE will take all we think you have"
But we continued to insist for long
time that they had more than they
said.
Not Considered Forgiveness.
Having decided only to take all that
we thought they could pay, we at
once celebrated our generosity-we
spoke of forgiving the debtor large
sums. But in the European mind we
only forgave what the debtor did not
have and could not pay. Even there
we did not. stop. In the case of Italy
we entered into long denunciations of
the form Of government Italy Is try
ing. AS to the French, having in
sisted upon a settlement from them at
a time when the whole financial struc-
ture of the country is in danger, we
indulge in endless denunciations of
French militarism. Because Italy
owes us money we indicate that we
think she should dismiss MuSsolini.