Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-25
DEBT CONTROVERSY
EMBITTERS BRITAIN.
Mellon Churchill Duel of
Words ReviveS Feeling
Against America.
BY A. G. GARDINER.

BY Radio to The Star.
LONDON, July 24.-The Mellon
Churchill duel has brought to the sur
face In England much latent feeling
in regard to the debt settlement with
America. Responsible sentiment here
keenly resents the offensive attitude
toward the United States adopted by
the blatant and vulgar Rothermere
press 1t is much to be desired that
America will not take Rothermere' 5
coarse jests about Uncle Shylock'
as representing any reputable teellng
here on the subject.
At the same time. it is undeniable
that the controversy between Secre-
tary of the Treasury Mellon and
Chancellor of the EXchequer Church
sll has released much accumulated dis
content.
The writer will not express an opin.
ion regarding the view attributed to
Mr. Mellon that Chancellor Churchill
is promoting a cabal in Europe Tor
the purpose of compelling America to
cancel her debts all around. The writ
er's confidence in Mr.. Churchilps Wis
dom is strictly limited, but at the
same time it is certain that any cabai
of that sort Mr.. Churchill would have
no countenance from Prime Minister
BALDWIN anu io SuppolI AicAAA eAA~
treasury.
Honor in Settlement.
1t is recognized here in all authori-
tative circles that Mr.. Baldwin's set
tlement, however premature and I'M
satisfactory, in view of the failure to
recover an equivalent proportion of
debts from the allies, is settlement
which must be honored.
=, - lot, hot N Il l.
mating in favor of other debtors like
France and Italy, as compared with
England, Washington is acting beyond
its rights. A cerditor's kindness to
one debtor implies no claim to simiL
consideration in the part of another
debtor. But in suggesting the
grounds for discrimination, Mr.. Mel
Ion clearly delivers himself into the
hands Of the British treasury, whose
categoric statement that the money
borrowed by Great Britain from the
States was spent in the States on
the States commodities, approved by
the States treasury, is unanswerable.
Further at the back of the feeling
here, is always the sense that the
debt problem, which has bedeviled
Europe so long, might have been
solved if America had agreed to the
cancellation proposal put forward by
Great Britain, or by treatment of
the whole debt as unit of obliga-
ton. So far as England is con-
cerned, the sacrifice would have been
equally great, but the view here al
ways has been that any price was
worth paying which would restore fl
nancial stability in Europe and with
it the activities of trade. This coun-
try is sick of the spectacle of success
sive chancellors dunning unwilling
creditors for payment, not of their
debts to Great Britain, but OF debts
incurred on their behalf to America.
Situation in France.
Whatever the truth of the allega-
tion with regard to Chancellor Church
ill which is attributed to Secretary
Mellon, it is certain that the Chancel-
Tor is not responsible for the present
hostility of feeling in France toward
Americans. The English have hither-
to been the chief objects of that hos
tility, which is the customary tribute
paid by a country in adversely to a
country in prosperity. Even the
wealth which American tourists are
pouring into the pockets of French
traders ministers by its sense of
Astounding riches to the feeling of ir-
ritation.
There is nothing comparable with
this spirit Of animosity visible in the
English popular mood, but it is I'M
deniable that public opinion is pro-
foundry sensible of the violent con-
trast between the British financial
position and that of the country to
which Great Britain is paying annual
installments of 37,000,000 pounds sterl-
ing.
Strikes Effect on England.
This contrast is aggravated by the
events of the most disastrous Sum
mer in the modern history of the coun-
try. An alarming estimate of the
cost of the general strike and the
miners strike has just been put for
ward in Parliament. The miners
strike continues to drag on without
much likelihood of an early end. The
struggle has become a sheer war of
attrition and has been prolonged by
the fact that the strikers families are
being maintained out of local rates,
which of course fall mainly on the
cOlleries.
Meanwhile, the general industry of
the country goes from bad to worse
and such industry as continues is
maintained by vast importations Of
foreign coal, which are making con-
tinental ports like Rotterdam, which
the writer has just visited, scenes of
incredible activity.
(COnvrirhf