Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26
English Press Hits
Conference Results
BY A. G. GARDINER.

A chorus Of disappointment touched
with anger issued from all sections Of
the press this week at the neager re-
suits OF the conference Of powers In
London
I'VE are very well pleased" said
Premier Ramsay Macdonald at the close
of the conference.
why are they well pleased?" asked
the Manchester Guardian. What less
could they have done than they have
done?" The London Times strikes the
same note, Voicing impatient diSsatis-
faction with a mountain which brought
forth such a pathetically small mouse.
1t insists that If all the conference
aimed at was the persuasion of bankers
to leave IN Germany such money as
was already there, there was no neces-
Sity to call the conference. It also
criticlzeS the government for its failure
to give a bold lead to the deliberations.
Chancellor Bruening of Germany
has come to London asking bread" says
the New Statesman. He goes back to
Berlin with few biscuit crumbs"
Resentment against France as the
Chief author of the pitiful results of the
conference Is widespread and the opin-
ion Is expressed that if the only object
was an appeal to bankers the presence
OF France was unnecessary, inaSmuch
as practically all the short term money
in Germany is American and English.
1t Is only fair to say that the personal
impression created by Premier Laval at
the conference was excellent and his re.
lat1ons with Bruening were most cor
dial. No one doubts that there is q
more reasonable and generous France
than appears in the public attitude of
the country and in the Partisan press.
Evidence of this is given in the popular
reception for the German ministers on
their arrival in Paris last week end.
Unfortunately the policy of France is
dictated by the Quai d'Orsay, which
learns nothing and forgets nothing, ex-
cept, as one critic remarks, the art of
sucking gold into Paris.
It is significant that this moment was
chosen for renewed Withdrawals of gold
from London, resulting in an increased
bank rate. Even the London Morning
Post, which has been the most faithful
apolog1st for France in the London
press, no longer pretends that this is
other than deliberate act of policy.
Unfortunately" says the Post, 1.-The
handling Of the problem of the German
crisis is rendered more difficult by the
fact that France has elected this par
ticular time to make fresh inroad into
the worlds gold supplies. With her
barns Of precious metal pressed down
10 oVeTHoWmg, She, within the space OF
less than fortnight, has taken con-
siderably over 500, 000, 900 in gold from
this country, withdrawal which even
IN war times can scarcely have been
exceeded IN so short period"
In two years the gold holding of
France has increased $1,000, 000, 900,
and the Post points out that while
Great Britain uses gold for the good of
Europe as whole, France manipulates
1t for her own purposes in ways which
keep the situation uneasy and disturbed.
This Is fact which constitutes a poor
return for the consideration which has
been shown her by this country in the
matter of tightening war debt"
Feeling aroused here by the mental
processes of the French toward Ger
many Is aggravated by the whoops Of
triumph of the Moscow press at the
threatened fall Of the moderate Berlin
government and prophecies Of the rapid
approach Of q Communist revolution.
Pravda and Izvestia published frantic
exaggerations Of the disorders In Ger
many, While these exaggerations have
been discounted, there is enough truth
in them to warn France that the ulti-
mate consequence of her policy may be
that she will have Sovietism established
as neighbor on the Rhine.
(Copyright. 1917