Evening star., 1927-03-31
Press Defends Mellon in War
Debt Issue With College Men

United States Treasury steps In and
sweetly informs France that the
money which she gets from Germa nv
VIII for the most part be passed on
TO the United States in payment OF
her war debt to us. And this on ton
or the formal and official statement by
the American Government that il
would never for itself demand repara.
tions from Germany"
The unWillingness of this country
to consider reparations in conjunction
with the debt issue" declares the
Cleveland Plain Dealer Gndependent
Democratic), was directly RESPONSE.
bic for the failure of the French Cha m.
ber OF Deputies to ratify the Mellon.
Berenger agreement. That BODY held
out from the first for a guarantee
from the United States that her an.
nual obligation to us should never ex.
ceed her reparation income from Ger.
many, and on the ground that the two
issues were never connected we have
consistently rejected the proposal"
The Hartford Times independent
Democratic) cites former Secretary
Hughes contention. never since dis
avowed by the administra tion, that
the issue OF the debts has only Incl.
dentally to do with the reparations
question and Ia not essentially, govern
able by the latter" Yet the Times
finds that Mr.. Melons lengthy de.
Tense fatiy assures President Hibben
that the reparations are, for all prac.
tical purposes, the debt settlement, the
treasures OF our debtor countries be.
Ing converted into sluices through
whicn the major portion Of the repara.
tions snail pour from the Golfers of
Germany into the Treasury of the
United States"
In the midst of our abundance we
are asking from Europe what are gen
uine sacrifices only in order to fill our
own cup or prosperity to overf1owing, ="
says the Utica Observer Dispatch Tin
dependenU, adding that Great Brit.
ain. Infinitely more heavily burdened
than the United States, is actually
making much more liberal terms with
regard to her own loans to her allies
than Is the United States"
The Springfield Republican 0nde-
pendent) feels that dependence upon
reparations "is putting upon the
Dawes plan greater weight than 1t
Will. perhaps, be able to bear. The
test of that plan Is still to come" In
the opinion of that paper. which con
ciuucS, ne american pOflcy or re-
fusing to link the allied debts with
German reparatiOns has been sound
in both political and legal sense.
IL the debts are ever to he collecte ed,
even in part"
WAS 1t advisable for the Secretary
of the Treasury to make precisely this
hook.up In the worlds mind?" asks
the Grand Rapids Press independently,
which remarks of the American re-
ceipt of reparations, THAT Is gall
and wormwood, and Mr.. Mellon in
creases it's bitterness by calling frank
attention to the fact" that this Nation
zig getting all the repara tions due to
those who were impoverished"
The Youngstown Vindicator Demo
cratic) advises the Nation to wait a
while and see how the present ar
rangement works." and the San Ber-
nardino Sun dndepe ndenU Is convinced
that there can be no fair test IL
European countries are continually ad.
vised that in the United States there
is agitation for cancellation"
The Des Moines Tribune I Ca pital
independent Republican, sums up it's
views OF the situation with the state
ment that it has yet to find an econ
omist or student of foreign affairs who
believes the war debts can or will be
paid."