Evening star., 1926-10-17
UNDERWOOD FINDS.
ANTEU. S. SPIRIT
Returning From Abroad, Says
Europe Feels America Fell i.
Short in War Duty.
By the Associated Press.


A strong underlying sentiment
against the United States was noted
by Senator Underwood, Democrat
labama. on his recent trip abroad
he said yesterday, on his return to
Washington.
The European feels. ne added. thai
the wealth of the United States was
made out of the war and that this
country did not do Its part in the war
Any consideration now for the can
collation. of the debt he said, would
appear as if the United States were
pleading guilty to an Indictment OF
failure properly to participate in the
World War
He expressed the fear that 1t would
be impossible to collect the debt un
less the tariff was lowered TO 'rea
sonable competitive basis" as the peo
pie of Europe feel that the United
States has closed its doors not only to
them in person. but commercially.
His statement follows:
BIames Mistaken Propaganda.
1T is hard for an American on this
side of the water to visualize economic
and financial conditions as they exist
today in Europe. 1t is A mistake "
think that Americans are not treated
pean countries, but undoubtedly there
is a strong underlying sentiment
against Americans and the citizens of
the United States II is a condition
that probably has grown up through
mistaken propa Uganda, a part Of which
our own people are responsible for.
During the var, Of course. there
was a great sentiment in America
to help the allies and do what we
could for our friends in Europe, and
undoubtedly we did our part. After
the war was over, some American
travellers in Europe made statements
as to what we should do in regard
to canceling the International debt
and other matters that were merely
expressions of private opinion, loose
ly conceived and ill-advisedly made.
not rejecting in any way the atti-
tude of our Government, but It is
easy for the man in the street to
mistake the statement of a common
citizen for the attitude of his gov
eminent. The foreign press have re-
f1ected these statements. The Eu-
ropean politicians have tied them
selves to them, in order. in part to
avoid their own responsibility. The
result is that there is a general idea
in France that we have all the money
in the world and that we made il out
of the war and that we did not do
our part in the war years.
European Labors' View.
The result is that, due to this
mistaken and misleading ganda,
the average citizen of England and
France believes that we should cam
Gel International Indebtedness be-
i i Il to- l.
war There may be good many
arguments on both sides of the ques-
ton, but when the people of the
United States are expected to cancel
their honest international debt on
the grounds that they did not do
their part, it makes II impossible for
us to do anything.
'Certainly no patriotic. country
loving American can consider for
one moment the cancellation of in
ternational debts on the basis that
we did not do our part in the Wa.,
for we not only did our part. hut we
saved the situation when we came
In. and if we now cancel these debts.
IT looks as If we We're pleading guilty
TO an indictment. Aside from this.
though. there is an underlying
EraVer proposition.
There is a good deal Of unemploy-
ment in England. and in Europe
labor is finding difficulty in meeting
the increasing cost of living with
steady employment and adequate
wages We have closed our doors TO
European immigration. legislation
that met with my hearty approval.
but at the same time. European labor
thinks we have closed the door of
opportunity to them 10 come TO the
only country in the world that they
think would give them golden oppor-
tuntieS.
"On the other hand, at the close of
the war, we have adopted the highest
customs tariff against imports coming
from Europe that has ever been on
the statute books. We have practi-
cally closed the door to European inn
portation. and they feel that we have
not only prevented their coming in
person. but that we have closed our
markets to the sale of the products
of their soil and 1t leaves hard feel
ings in its wake. The European
countries that owe us money and buy
our meat. our wheat and our cotton
CanEot pay us in gold. as they have
not the sold to pay us.
In my judgment. unless we reduce
our tariff duties to a reasonable com
retitive basis and open the doors to
some fair amount of European i'm
rortations. we will not only he unable
10 collect our debts. but we will de
stroy the market for the great agri-
cultural products that we have always
sent to Europe. That question is a
far more serious economic one than
the cancellation Of foreign indebted