Evening star., 1928-10-14
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.

TT would be impossible to exaggerate
the disappointment for Europe of
the clear and definite declaration
/ by which President Coolidge replied
to Raymond Poincare. ex-President
and present premier of France. That
Mr. Coolidge should remain fixed in his
position, the position which he has
maintained at all times, namely, that
there was no connection between Ger
man reparationS and allied debts to the
United States. was not in itself surpris-
ing. But that Mr.. Coolidge should have
chosen. in the midst of the American
political campaign, to make such a
statement and that no equally clear and
utterly conflicting affirmation should
have come from the Democratic candi-
date was an unexpected blow.
For at the bottom of most Euro
pean minds lies the firm conviction
that between the Republican and DEM
ocratic parties in the United states
there is a profound difference of pr1n-
ciple in the matter of foreign affairs
When Europe thinks of American poll
tics, it thinks in terms alike of its own
Interpretation of American events and
of the manners and customs of its own
partisan divisions. It conceives the
Democratic party to be the party of
Woodrow Wilson. still dominated by
The conceptions of the late President.
It believes that Democratic victory
would restore the Wilsonian principles
to vitality.
What Europe Expected.
It is the European conception that
what was defeated in 1920 was not a
personal program of woodrow Wilson
but a policy of his party. 1t believes
and it continues to believe, therefore,
that a return of the Democratic party
to power would mean restoration to
vigor of all the Wilsonian policies,
among which it includes the purpose to
cancel the interallied debts. 1t is this
circumstance which explains the patent
fact that all European comment.
whether made by public men or con-
tanned in the press, steadily asserts that
nothing can be done in Europe in the
matter of disposing of the complicated
question of evacuation and reparations,
until the United States has voted.
In other words. Europe is in this state
of mind. 1t calculates that if Gov.
Smith is elected. then it will after
March find In Washington an admin
istration which will be prepared to deal
with the debt question as it imagines
Woodrow Wilson would have dealt with
1t. On the other hand, it Is satisfied
that If Mr.. Hoover is elected the Cool
idge policy. which it accepts as Repub-
lican. will prevail Hence Europe has
consistently believed that nothing could
be done before March 4.
President Coolidges emphatic state
ment and Gov Smiths equally signifi-
ell - nr;,
shock to European optimism Unmis-
takably the two circumstances combine
to create the devastating conviction that
there is not Democratic and Repub-
lican policy in the matter of the can
collation. of the debts, but that there
is an American policy. This American
policy. too, is summed up In the word
fulf1llment. If Democrats and Repub-
licans are agreed that the debts must
be paid. then there is an end to present
hopes based upon possible change in
party control in Washington.
Sees Mistaken Conception.
In my Judgment. however, it is a mis-
take to believe, as Washington seems to
conclude. that once Europe has recog-
ntzed the undoubted fact that the pol
icy of the collection of the debts is ma
t1onal, not partisan, it will adjust itself
to this fact and that France in particu-
lar will ratify the Mellon -Berenger
agreement and proceed to payment. It
is a. mistake. too. to conclude that
France will ratify as a preliminary step
to the substitution of a different time
period for payment-that is, for a
change in the length of time fixed in
the existing agreement.
American opinion. both official and
unofficial, is just as completely mistaken
in the conviction that Europe will pres
emily accept the American view about
debts. Nothing of the sort is. in nv
judgment, within the limits of poSsibil-
ity. On the contrary, while Europe is
willing to go on with what 1t regards as
the solemn farce of handing back to the
United States the money we lend Ger
many and Germany transfers to our
debtors, just as long as we and the
Germans are prepared to continue, Eu-
rope-the allied nations. France, Italy
and Great Britain-does not mean to
pay the debts.
The fundamental fact about the debt
question is that Europe has not vet
paid cent OF its own money so far. We
nave lent Germany more than she has
PAID her conquerors and she has paid
them more than they have paid us. The
real problem OF debt payments is only
posed on that day when there is a
settlement of the reparations question
In Europe and 1t becomes clear. as il