Evening star., 1927-05-13
American Press Regrets Row
Over British Debt Payments

Regret is expressed by the American
press generally that discord between
officials of this country and Great
Britain should have followed a state
ment by Secretary Mellon on the
British relation to international war
debt payments. Some observers feel
that the State Department was un-
warrantably brusque in refusing to
permit diplomatic discussion of what
Mr.. Mellon said in letter to the presi-
dent of Princeton on the ground that
it was domestic matter. Others think
the departments case was entirely
proper, and many assume that the
British government simply seized upon
the lnadvertent omission of an except
Great Britain" from a sentence in the
Mellon letter to publish it's version of
the debt situation and tell the Cont
mental European people that Great
Britain was not getting enough from
debt and reparation payments to offset
it, own payments to the United States.
Making a mountain out of a mole
hill,' is the view of the Kansas City
Journal Republican), which contends
that were it not for the possible
effect on her debtors, Great Britain
could afford to accept the view of our
State Department that Mr.. Melons
letter is a purely domestic matter. "
The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Tin
dependent Republican, holds that "the
State Department has properly re-
fused to treat a piece Of propaganda.
whether put out for reasons of domes-
tic or foreign policy, as a legitimate
diplomatic communication"
X X X X
"If American college professors re-
quire aid In their debate with Mr..
Mellon" in the opinion of the Chicago
Daily News independently, there must
be something the matter with their
case. And if there is something the
matter with their case, it would be the
part of discretion for Mr.. Churchill to
occupy in silence a seat with the rest
of the audience" The New York Sun
independently would dismiss the sub
Ject with the statement: fortunately,
events have demonstrated that the
settlement is within their capacity to
pay. Both sides should be satisfied to
let the matter rest on this basis"
Contending that ION the face Of 1t
there is no reason for a revision of
debt settlements" the Louisville Cou-
rier-Journal Democratic) points out.
England is spending annually nearly
5000 100000 on armament. 1t is pay
ing to the United States $161 200 600,
and the same diSproportion between
armament expenditures and debt in
stallments is shown in the budgets OF
most of the debtor nations" The san
Bernardino. Sun independently believes
sit will be quite safe to let the matter
rest in the hands of men at Washing
ton, who know what they are doing"
X X X
"In his reply to President Hi bon
Of Princeton, which occasioned Mr.
Evening News Gndependent), "Secre-
tary Mellon made an advanced step,
admitting for the first time that the
debts and reparati0ns were connected .
The Wall Street Journal GinanciaD
discusses this subject: ''It is unfortu-
nate that Mr.. Mellon dragged in Ger
man PREPARATION payments in attempt
ing to show that what we are exacting
from our former allies will impose no
burden on them Heretofore
we have ignored the matter of repara-
tions in debt discussions, and to inject
it now is to invite hazardous argu-
ment. The way to settle the debt
question is to stop talking and leave
the matter to the matured judgment
of the American people. Some years
hence, when our own war debt Is ap-
preaching extinction, revision of Eu-
ropes obligations may be viewed in a
different light"
Nothing has been really settled in
the several compacts made by this
country with debtor nations" insists
the Baltimore Sun independently, how
ever, while the Brooklyn Daily Eagle
independent Democratic) feels that
| 1.-The time for the revision of agree
ments, for considering reparations and
armaments as parts of the whole prob
lem may not be the present, but that
such a time win come is a growing
conviction in the minds OF q great