The Washington times., 1931-09-14
REFERENDUM
ON ARMS SEEN
FOR J.. s.
1892 Election May Decide If
America Trades Cancellation
of Debts for Disarmament
By WILLIAM c. MURPHY, Jr.

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During the coming IL months
the people Of the United States
may be called upon to decide
whether they are willing to pay
more than SO, 0,000, ,000, 900 to bring
about some measure Of real world
disarmament.
Stated in blunt nOndiplOmatic
verbiage, that is the meaning at.
tached here to the warning
sounded at Geneva Saturday by
DIR. Julius Curtius, German For.
eigh minister, against attempts
to revive German reparatiOnS pay
ments after the Hoover mora
tOrium expires July /, 1882.
If Germany does not resume
her reparations payments to the
Allies, the Allies will not resume
their war debt payments to the
United states; that has been con-
sidered automatic in official circles
for many months, notwithStand.
ing all the official casuistry used
to show that there is no legal con.
nection between the two sets of
obligations.
Not Exactly New
The Curtius statement is mere
ly confirmatory Of information
which has been in the possession
OF the American government for
some time, possibly even before
President Hoover enunciated his
moratorium proposal.
Presumably. that is the back
ground for official kites" flown
from time to time in the form of
suggestions that the United States
might be willing to discuss an
adjustment" Of reparations and
war debts after the moratorium
expires.
The idea, apparently, has been
to prepare the public for reduc.
ti0l or possible cancellation Of
the war debts and, if possible,
to test popular feeling on this
subject.
HO0ver'S Implication
simultaneously there have been
suggestions that if the United
States agrees to reduction or
cancellation, it will insist on
European disarmament in return.
Long before the moratorium
was proposed, President Hoover
served notice that Europe's an.
nual expenditure of $4,000, 900 900
or more for armamentS is q poor
argument for American leniency
on debts growing out of the last
war.
The Presidents speech carried
the implication, that if Europe
was willing and able to spend
that much each year getting
ready for the next war, it should
be made to pay for the last one.
If the Hoover Administration
should undertake to sell the
American people the idea Of
cancelling the more than $1O,-
OOO, 100000 Of outstanding war
debts, it is believed, it must be
able to show that something is
being received in return.
On July !, 1882, when the
moratorium expires, the United
States will have just passed
through its second successive
fiscal year of Treasury deficits.
aggregating more than $1,000
OOO, 900 annually.
That, it has been suggested,
would be an inopportuhe moment
to try to convince the nation It
should sacrifice another $4,000.
100000 without anything in re-
turn.
Arms Farley Cited
The arm ament conference
scheduled for February has been
brought forward as offering
logical way out.
If, at that conference, the
Hoover Administration should Of
fer a substantial reduction or
Of war debts in re-
turn for real disarmament, it
might then be feasible to argue
that the United States would be
justified in making this addi-
tional sacrifice to insure peace
and restore world economic sta
bility.
Adoption Of such q policy on
the eve Of q Presidential election
might have far-reaching political
results. For the first time since
Woodrow Wilson's solemn refer.
endum" on the League Of Nations
in 1920, the voters generally
would have an opportunity to ex-