Evening star., 1933-05-14

event
l. is true that President Woodrow
Wilson in 1919 discussed the politics CT
Europe and entered into negotiations
regarding European political solutions
He did it. however, in Paris. He threw
himself into alien problems under an
alien sky.
In this year, 1888, those problems
Of the Seine. of the Thames. CT the
Tiber. OF the Rhine-Werc ofhciaNy cx-
ecutively discussed en- the banks OF the
Potomac.
Nor was this merely because we were
entertaining French envoy. 1t was not
our first experience-since the great war
with visiting ENJOYS of France. In
1921 we had BRAND. In 1881 we had
Laval.
BRAND discussed naval ornaments
Laval discussed intergovernmsntal ueols
Neither was able to put the polit
situation of Europe into the FORE
ground Of his conversations here.
In M. Herriot's case the atmosphere
was different and the outcome was dlf-
ferent. M. Herriot dared to utter-even
within a mile and half Of the Capt.
tol and Of the Senate and of the senior
Senator from Idaho-the word "secur-
ity." His host. President Roosevelt,
dared to utter it. too. They were me.
to discuss economics. They perseVerso
into politics If that order OF Thought
had been reversed. their behavior might
have been thought academic. Arriving
at politics through consideration OF
the problems of bread ami butter. their
behavior may perhaps be considered
realistic In any case, they together
composed a sentence of mingled eco
nonics and politics which is likely to
be a literary landmark in the develop
ment of relations between Europe and
America.
Urgency of Understanding.
The sentence occurred in the joint
ccmmunique issued by M. Herrlot ana
President Roosevelt at the end OF their
| repeated exchanges Of views. 1t COM
pressed into a few words the distilled
significance of the worlds present eco
| nomic crisis in its accidental or causal
conjunction with the worlds present
political crisis. The sentence Is:
"At no moment has understanding
been more necessary between France
and the United States for mainte-
nance of peace, for progressive and ST.
| multaneous economic disarmament and
! for the restoration Of stable monetary
conditions in an atmosphere OF general
security"
It is q marvelously comprehensive
sentence. It strikes all the keys IN
which the orchestral deliberations OF
the International Monetary and Eco
nonic Conference in London next
| month will be played.
Restoration of stable money condi-
tions" Economics.
Peace" Security" Politics.
! Economic disarmament" Economic
! politics. Or political economics.
OF a sudden the nature Of the ap-
preaching international conference was
thus changed from being unitary to be.
ing dual It was changed from that OF
I being only the prospective savior OF our
livelihoods to being also the prospective
savior of-as it were-our lives. 1t was
war.
The conference thereupon becomes
now a sort of concerted reincarnation OF
previous separate conferences.
The Versailles Conference at the con-
clusion of the Great War condemned
economies and dedicated itself to politics
and produced q so-called settlement"
in violation of economic possibilities and
in unconscious furtherance of the most
disastrous economic consequences.
Economic Conference.
Subsequently, at Geneva, in 1927,
there arose a worldwide international
Economic Conference" wholly devoid OF
political responsibilities-and wholly ur-
fruitful also, in fact, of any economic
results.
This international Economic Con-
ference" of 1927 had all the panoply OF
Iostensible importance. It had Pre-
paratory Committee" The "Prepara-
. tory Committee" exhibited IS emf.
nent members from 81 solicitous end
alarmed countries. It labored for more
!; than a year. It labored amid clouds OF
circumambient experts" who dripped
} torrents Of data" upon its table. II
produced 60 memoranda" for the in
struction Of the conference to which II
! was the mere prologue.
The conference itself, assembling In
jMay, 1927. was supported by so coun.
tries. It enacted resolutions" It found
that the economic situation of the worlo
was bad. It found that the economic
situation Of the world might readily be-
come worse. It pointed backward with
economic regret It pointed ahead with