Evening star., 1933-04-16


prime minister can do better at close
range than by long distance discussions
the World Economic Conference will
not assemble before Autumn. Nor Is 1t
less plain that agreements between the
two will still have rough road to travel
before they are accepted on the Eu-
ropeGn Continent.
1t seems to have been the British
view, ever since their debt payment on
December Is, that no mere installments
could be paid and that no useful dis
cussion of any other international ques-
ton was possible until the payments
scheduled for June Is were either for
given or postponed by a new mora
torium. In the British mind debts come
first, tariffs second, and beyond that, at
a remote distance, the matter OF de-
preciated currencies.
BY contrast, Mr. Roosevelt has always
wanted an economic conference.
He has steadily endeavored to per-
suade the British to consent to June
payment with the idea that an all
around benefit would emerge from such
a conference and would justify the
transfer of $75,0o0,000 or more gold
from London to New York. But boiled
down to simple terms what Macdonald
wanted to get was a debt settlement
first, while what Roosevelt sought was
a successful economic conference as
starter-both statesmen being controlled
by domestic political circumstances.
Wanted Farley at Hcme.
Macdonald and Roosevelt were also
divided over another and more personal
matter. Both wanted the world economic
conference at home for domestic
political reasons. Having settled repara-
tions at lausanne. Macdonald now
wants to get rid of debts in London
and thus round out his public life, which
is visibly drawing to not too brilliant
close. Roosevelt. by contrast, wanted
to launch his foreign policy with
shining success and in addition recog-
nized that if American prosperity Is to
be restored in time to keep the next
House of Representatives safe for
Democracy, it must be achieved by rails
ing world prices of commodities.
In the end it would appear that
Roosevelt and Macdonald have compro-
missed. The former is to head the
street parade" the latter to preside
under the big tent" But what remains
to be disclosed is whether either is
able or willing to make the prelimi-
nary meeting a preface to greater
conference. Can Roosevelt get Con-
gress to agree to June moratorium?
In case that seems impossible, can Mac
Donald wheedle the House of Commons
into a new payment? If neither proves
possible then of course the London
Conference would be foredoomed to
failure.
But suppose Roosevelt succeeds in
getting permission to postpone the
June payment and Britain consents to
go on with the London Conference
promptly, what then of France? She
may consent as mere gesture to pay
up for December, but she is almost GER
tain to come to any new conference as
she has come to every postwar meeting
resolved that political problems must
be disposed of before anything else can
be dealt with
Again, Mr. MacDonald's excursion to
Rome and the resulting Four-Power
Club project has aroused resentment all
over France and indignation in every
one of the succession states. France,
Poland and the little entente, then, are
going to watch with extreme suspicion
an economic conference prepared by
two Anglo-Saxon statesmen equally
eager to avoid European politics and to
start international business.
And how. after all. can Europe talk
and getting back to ordinary business
when the tariffs which 1t is proposed to
readjust are the counters in the politi-
cal game now being played on the
continent? Poland and Germany,
Czechoslovakia and Hungary, Italy ana
Yujoslavia are naturally complementary
markets. But Germany has for more
than 10 years refused to trade with
Poland in the perfectly sound belief that
such an operation would contribute to
consolidating the Polish state which
Germany means again to partition.
Since normal trade relations would
mean establishing permanent Poland
on present lines. will Hitler now consent
to an arrangement which StreSemann
at the height of his power could not
bring about?
Must Meet Political Demands.
The truth is that although MacDon-
aid and Roosevelt can sit down beside
the Rapidan, the Antietam or any other
stream celebrated in Civil War history.
and discuss the restoration of world
economic order. they cannot take any
steps which will insure such restoration
so long as they are unable to satisfy the
political demands of Continental Euro
pean states. It must be remembered
real war scare provoked by the rise Of
Hitler and the prospect of an Italian
German combination against France
and her allies.
The nations menaced by such coan-
tior are at present naturally concerned,
not with economic, but political mat
ters. They want security before all else.
Moreover, IN the past economic pro-
posals have invariably broken down for
political reasons. The French destroyed
the proposed Austro-German tariff
union two years ago because they saw in
1t first long step toward the political
union of the Reich and Austria. And
ir the end they had Italian aid in this
destruction.
But the next year the Germans and
the Italians destroyed the Tardieu plan
for a Danubian economic combination
because they saw in that a plan to for
ward the interests of the little entente,
which was close ally of France in
Central Europe The League of Nations
poured out money to save Austria in
1881, but when Austria undertook to
make its tariff union with Germany,
France resorted to money power and
the general debacle in Central Europe
began. Mr.. Hoover tried to save Ger
many thereafter by his moratorium, but
the French blocked that because he had
not in advance called upon the Ger
mans to change their foreign policy.
So far it has never been possible to
make any progress in the limitation of
armies or land weapons because arms
constituted the only means by which
European nations could defend them
selves when threatened with mutilation
or partition by their neighbors. Mill
tary parity between France and Ger
many or naval parity between Italy and
France has been out of the question be-
cause, while present French arms supe-
riority would be abolished thereby, pres
ent Italian and German purposes to
better themselves at French expense
would not be modified.
Mr.. Hoover thought he could put over
his moratorium as a purely financial
matter. He found instantly that his at
tempt involved him in the sea of Euro
pean politics. He believed that he could
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