Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-28
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.


"Your pride Of race, which has in.
| creased since the war, your wonder
full assurance that you alone know
what is right, makes it very difficult
for Europeans to love YOU" said NJ
Andre Tardieu. the French statesman
who was high commissioner to
America during the war, and is now
member of Poincare's cabinet. He
infers that he does not love us, and he
furthermore intimates that France
should repudiate her debt to us: it is
too difficult to pay q creditor whom
one does not love.
THE Berlenger-Mellon agreement
will never be ratified" says M. Tar.
dieu. mo French government will
ever take the responsibility Of binding
France for So years. Our people would
never understand and our Parliament
would never approve. The debt agree.
ment is dead.
If that ultimatum had been spoken
In German, instead of diplomatic
French, 1t seems likely that Senator
Smoot. member Of the American Debt
Commission, would answer it with one
expressive word: 1907" AS 1t Is, he is
obliged to use several expressive
American words to indicate that the
dead" is only playing 'possum."
When NJ. Tardieu was about to
take his departure" says Senator
Smoot, "he asked me IL / had any
word to send to the President OF
France, and replied:
Yes. there are two words I would
ask you to convey: First, that 1 shall
never ask the United States Senate to
ratify this settlement until after the
French Senate has ratified it, and.
second, that so long as / can prevent
it. France will never get better set.
tlement."
"One morning during the negotia-
tions." added Senator Smoot. IT said to
NJ. Tardieu: If we wipe out all the
loan to Fr:s1ce made during the war,
for carrying on the fight, and consider
only the debt for supplies and goods
sold to France after the armistice,
will you agree to settle that on the
same basis that Great Britain settled p
He replied that he had not figured up
what that settlement would amount
to. The final settlement was even
more liberal than that"
X X X
In the light of Senator Smoot' s
statement, there can be no further
argument as to how much the United
States fell short in it's financial sup
port of the war, for every cent of war
loan is donated to France in the
pending settlement-and 1t amounted
to more than $3,00O,000,000. All that
we ask is payment for goods sold to
France after the war-and sold for
go cents on the dollar OF Value--over
81, 0O0, 900 900 worth sold for $407 ,000,-
900, and that $407 ,000,0 900 not paid yet,
nor liquidated in bonds.
Not only does M. Tardieu advocate
reputation Of the national debt and
honor, but he does so in the light or
Frances treatment Of her saviors In
the war, wherein she charged rental
for every acre occupied by the Amer
lean camps and trenches even While
we We're fighting in her defense, and
for every acre occupied now for ceme-
teries Of Americans who died In her
defense. This has been questioned and
contradicted, but 1t Is now confirmed
by Senator Smoot.
AS for the burden which America
Is charged with putting upon France
by extending the time within which
she may pay her debt, 81 years, 1t Is
usually counted as a favor to be
lenient in collection of debt, through
granting long extensions.
why, says senator Smoot, IL tHey
want to pay it all in 10 years. Heaven
help them! The faster they can pay
the better. They protest against the
small installments we ask Of them. but
next year Germany is to pay France
1910. 000. 900, and there will then be due
from France only $407 100000 for
goods bought after the armistice at
20 cents on the dollar, and much OF
which was then shipped and sold at
profit in the American market-until
we stopped 1t by law. They sent to
our market automobiles, mule shoes.
mems underclothing, caps and shoes;
they kept the bacon and sugar. Yet
our object in selling the surplus in
France at such a price was to pro-
tect our own market for American
producers after the war, and to help
France by sacrificing the goods"
y \
"You know how ignorant the PEG.