The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-06-11
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
House Rati6es Settlement of
French Debt-Egypt May
Lose independence.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD


BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD
GO FAR as the house Of representa-
~ tives is concerned, the settlement
of the French war debt to the United
States which was reached by the
foreign debt commission and Ambas-
sador Berenger is accepted. The Bur-
ton bill ratifying the arrangement
was passed by vote of 236 to III,
after the house had rejected motion
to recommit with instructions to the
ways and means committee to hold
the measure until the funding ar
rangement is approved by the French
parliament
Eighty-eight Democrats voted in
the negative on the bill, and were
joined by twenty Republicans, two
Farmer-Laborites and one Socialist.
Fifty-one Democrats and one Social
list voted in the affirmative with 1874
Republicans. The measure now goes
to the senate. which, however, will
await action by the French parlia-
ment. Unless this is forthcoming
within two weeks the senate prob
ably will not pass the bill before next
winter, which would be great dis
appointment to the administration.
The settlement, as ratified in the
bill, is estimated by the treasury to
be a so per cent settlement as COM
pared with 26 per cent settlement
with Italy and an 80 per cent settle
ment with Great Britain, the percent
ages being based on the proportion of
the total principal plus interest at
Az per cent to be paid. The debt is
to be funded over a 62-year period
with no interest for the first FIVE
years, after which interest shall COM
mence at per cent, increasing to 31s
per cent in 1865.
WITHOUT record vote the SEN
wv ate passed the house bill de-
signed to build up the army air serv-
ice and creating the Office of second
be charged with the supervision Of
the air corps and the coordination of
it's activities with other governmental
agencies. The senate also passed the
navy air expansion bill, and bota
measures went to conference.
XXTHILE the senate judiciary sub
wv committee was deciding that all
prohibition measures should be
shelved, there were two outstand-
ing announcements ON the booze
question. Senator Borah of Idaho,
addressing the Presbyterians assem-
bled in Baltimore, came out SO
strongly in favor of prohibition and
against the attempts to weaken en-
forcement that he was Immediately
hailed by the most enthusiastic drys
as their national leader and "a fit man
to be nominated for President by the
Republicans in 1928. Certain politi-
cal spectators who have been trying
to find signs of the waning of Cool
idge's strength called attention to the
fact that the Anti-Saloon leaders have
kept away from the White House ever
since the President made it clear he
was not disposed to let Assistant Sec
rotary of the Treasury Andrews be
disciplined for his testimony before
the senate committee, and made the
most of this in their guessing that the
drys were preparing to oppose the re-
nomination of Coolidge.
Borah was unsparing in his denun-
citation of liquor and the liquor traffic
but, being conservative constitution
alist, he made his strongest point
when he said:
"Even greater question than the
liquor question is the capacity of the
American people for constitutional
government. The question of the hour
is: Shall we live up to and enforce
that provision of the Constitution TN
til in the orderly method pointed out
by the Constitution we see fit to
change it? Can we enforce the law
which we have deliberately made?
ut is perhaps as definite and spe-
ciflc challenge of our love for the
Constitution, our capacity for self-gov-
eminent, as could be presented to our
people. am infinitely more con-