The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-12-11
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
By FRANK P. LITSCHERT

By FRANK P. LITSCHERT
Europe continues to be the hotbed
for the development of all sorts of
political rumors, some of which con-
Germ the United States. The past week
or two has sent US a new crop and
some of them would be rather dis
turbing if true. So disturbing were
the possibilities of some of them that
Secretary of State Stimson felt it
necessary to issue firm and vigor-
GUS denial. Among the stories sent
out from European capitals were tales
to the effect that the United States
through Ambassador Hugh Gibson, at
the Geneva conference had voted the
United States into an agreement for
preserving certain armament provis
ions of the Versailles treaty. Another
rumor was to the effect that Uncle
Sam and the French government, pos
sessing three-ffths of the worlds
gold supply between them, had
formed a financial alliance and would
henceforth refuse to lend money to
nations which did not agree to disarm.
This latter story was evidently direc-
ted against Italy, the inference being
that Italy, who has been insisting on
naval parity with France, would be
through French American cooperation
compelled to accept something else.
The first story, regarding the Yer
sailles treaty would particularly have
affected Germany which still has
hopes for changes in comparative
military strength.
Both of the rumors turned out to
be untrue as nearly everybody, with
the exception of few ultra-interna-
tionalists, expected that they would.
The story concerning the peace treaty
grew out of the fact that Mr.. Gibson
at Geneva supported French motion
to reassert the integrity of the arms
limitations of previous treaties. But
Mr.. Gibson stated specifically that his
action was only governed by his con-
sideration of the London and Wash
ington naval treaties. To gather
from such a statement that Uncle
Sam would help enforce various
clauses of the Versailles treaty, which
he even refused to sign, were some
what far fetched to say the least.
In denying the story that through
Mr.. Gibson's statement the United
States was changing its policies re-
garding participation in European
policies growing out of the Versailles
treaty, Secretary Stimson also took
occasion to deny another story to the
effect that he had informed the Ger
man Ambassador at Washington that
if the former allied nations failed or
refused to reduce their ornaments ac-
cording to existing treaties, this
would be no excuse for Germany to
disregard treaty obligations and start
arming. Mr.. Stimson also took occas-
ion at the same time to deny the stor-
les of an economic and financial
agreement between the United States
and France, and he denied also that
he had been approached concerning a
500, 100000 or $15O,OOO,OOO loan to
Italy. Taking it all in all, it was a
good day for sweeping denials and
Mr.. Stimson made good job of it.
The American people will be
pleased to know that this latest out
pouring of European rumors concern
ing our willingness to mix in Euro
pean politics is without foundation.
The American people do not want our
time-honored international policy of
attending to our own business
changed in the least. They realize
that conditions in Europe are more
chaotic now than for several years
and that an expedition into the mael-
strom of European politics would be
more dangerous and less conducive
of good to ourselves or to Europe,
than such an expedition would have
been even three or four years ago.
In 1920 the American people voted
in tremendous majorities to keep the
foreign policy of George Washington
and the founders of the republic, and
they have voted the same way on var
ious occasions since then, whenever
the issue has been paramount in a po-
litical campaign. Any politician or
statesman who thinks they have
changed their minds on this important
subject is due for a rude awakening.
The denials of Secretary Stimson as
noted above were timely and in keep
| ing with American tradition.
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