The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-15
US. THREATENS REPRISALS.
AS FRANCE And BELGIUM.
VOTE DEFAULT ON DEBTS.
French Deputies Defy us. Demands; Sharp
Tariff War Already On
British Will Pay On Own Terms; us. Congress
Whips Up War Feeling

The increasingly war-like
character of the fierce strug-
gle over the war debts is sharp
ly brought out in yesterdays
developments in Europe and
this country.
These include:
I President elect Roosevelt de-
4 nounced an interview accredited
him in the London Daily Express in
which he was quoted as favoring a
waiver by the U. S. Government of
further interest payments on the
war debts. U. s. Imperialism in
creased its pressure on the debtor
powers for trade and colony conces-
sions in exchange for debt revision.
Q The French Chamber of Deputies
4 voted $50 to 81 to default on the
100000 payment due by France on
December Is. The Chamber later
voted 402 to 1877 to reject the de-
mands of the Wall Street Govern
ment for payment without condition
and that it be applied to problem
atical future agreement on the debts.
The vote signalized the fall of the
Herriot Cabinet which resigned
shortly after.
Q The Belgian Cabinet voted unam-
y imously to default on the $2,125,-
900 instalment due on Dec, Is.
A The British Government continues
4 to promise payment of its $685.
100000 instalment on Dec. Is, but
insists that payment will be made on
its own terms and that the sum be
applied not to the existing agreement
but to future arrangement for re-
vision Of the debts.
z French Governmental Spokesman
u sharply denounced the Hoover
moratorium as responsible for the
terrific deepening of the world eco
nomic crisis of capitalism, and
threatened to take the initiative in
calling a world conference to enforce
debt revision.
Excited Discussion In Congress
The rejection by France and Bel
gian Of the U. S. demands was
made the subject of an excited dis
cussion in Congress yesterday. Both
democratic and republican represent
atives in the House denounced the
defaulting nations as ingrates and
threatened severe reprisals against
French trade with the U. S. They
utilized the situation to whip up the
most vicious chauvinist nationalist
feeling for the furtherance of U. S.
imperialism's war aims. Senator
Kenneth Mcclellan, democrat Of Ten
nessee lead off with the statement:
Germany is not the only European
nation that treats it's obligations as
scraps of paper. I think it is the
most ungrateful act in the career of
any nation in the world"
Representative Willis c. Hawley, of
Oregon, ranking republican member
of the House Ways and Means Com
n1ittee attacked the French default
as very serious in the light of
Frances utmost assurances when she
borrowed the money that she would
repay. 1t certainly will not increase
the United States love for France"
Secret Meet in Capitol
Following a secret conference be-
tween Hoover, Secretary of State
Stimson and Secretary of the Treas
ury Mills, new notes were handed the
Belgian ambassador and the Czecho-
slavakian minister, refusing for a
second time the demands of these
two governments for postponement
of the Dec. Is payments and for debt
revision.
In the French Chamber, Herriot's
left-handed proposal for conditional
payment of the Dec. Is installment
failed to rally even all the deputies
of his own party, the Radical Party.
The French Socialist Party supported
Herriot up to the last minute, but
when the vote was called voted
against payment under the fierce
pressure of the French toiling masses.
The Communist deputies all along
opposed payment of both che war
debts and the private debts due the