Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-29

A sincere and general expression of
approval is voiced throughout the coun-
try over the new reciprocal agreement
between France and America concern
| ing passport visas. Beneath the nat
ural qualification over the fact that re-
duced passport fees removes another
| bar to the free intercourse among
friendly peoples lies deeper feeling
| 10Y over the return of another liberty,
| lost to the world through the war.
1.-The announcement that at last
France and the United States have
! agreed upon reciprocal reduction in
their visa fees from $40 to So marks
the most important step yet taken
| toward the ultimate goal Of that free
dom of travel which generally prevailed
before the war;" according to the New
York Evening Post, which states its
belief that there should be no visa
charge whatever" but comedies that
lin view of the protracted negotiations
which were necessary before even this
reduction could be obtained, American
tourists should not look their gift horse
| in the mouth"
The Hartford Courant explains that
| ''the French visa fee has for some
years been a source of irritation to the
| American abroad. Although he would
not consider his European travels COM
plete without visit to Paris, he has,
not entirely without reason, grumbled
| at the charge made for official permis-
| sion to enter France" The Courant
directs attention to the fact that, Gin
asmuch as Sweden, Denmark, Belgium,
| Germany, Switzerland, Holland and
! Italy charge no visa fee whatsoever"
while some other countries charge only
nominal sum, the French visa has
seemed at best an imposition on the
| tourist"
In justice to that country, however,
| the Columbus Dispatch asserts that
1.-THE French fee of $40 was almost en-
| tirely q retaliatory measure against the
| similar fee charged by this Govern
ment," and the present drastic reduc-
| ton means far more to French rev.
enue than to ours since French tourists
to this country are few compared to
| the hordes of Americans who annually
| invade France"
Frankly, our Government committed
an error of judgment when it was the
first to establish the SIG visa fee for
| tourists after the war;" Says the Bos-
ton Evening Transcript, and it declares
! that 1.-THE retaliatory steps taken by all
other governments shortly thereafter,
| charging Americans the same price for
| this formality which was exacted of
| their own citizens by the United States,
was only to be expected as a result of
| the American move and 1t was one
which bore much more heavily upon
our own travellers than upon Europeans
since ours are by far the more nu-
merouS."
The Rochester Times Union points
a moral, saying: This whole matter
is fine illustration of the principle
that before action is taken. hitting other
countries, it is well to consider the pos
sible recoil on our own beads" and
strikes a note of warning in the words.
There's a tip here for Congress in its
tariff making" AS the Des Moines
Tribune-Capital puts it: Horse sense
at last prevails in this matter of visa
charges. Our State Department at
Washington deserves a little bouquet
for finally switching around on this
| whole business of visa charging. for it
is not the other countries that started
the competitive high charging, but the
United States"
The Kalamazoo Gazette notes that
thus far our Government has been un@
able to arrange for reciprocal reduc-
! ton with one of the countries chiefly
| favored by American travelers-Great
| Britain. This, according to the British"
explains the Gazette, is due to our I'M
willingness to exempt British immi-