Evening star., 1935-02-23
Believes 1t Renders mo
Longer TenabIe" American
Policy on War Debts.
DECLARES U. S. CAN
HARDLY ASK PAYMENT 7
Says Court Action Is Based on Set
of Conditions Now Prevalent
Throughout World.

DEPRESSING from his regular pro-
gram to analyze the Supreme Courts
gold decision, Rev. DR.. Edmund A.
Walsh, S. j., vice president of George
town University, declared last night
that Ito many observers this is an ex-
ample of revolutionary process effected
without public violence"
While believing in the business of
American claims on debtor nations, DR..
Walsh declared that in his opinion
the gold decision renders mo longer
tenable" the American policy of de-
manding payments.
Il do not see how any such call for
payment can ever again be made" he
said. 'or foreign governments denied
recourse to the practical reputation
which the Supreme Court finds pres
ent in the attitude of the United States
toward its own citizens"
Decision Revolutionary.
The Georgetown educator, in his
second lecture on THE Progress of
Revolutionary Thought" discussed in
general the concept of revolution and
| specific instances OF violent outbreaks
throughout the ages.
Referring to the recent Supreme
| Court decision as one phase of revo-
luton in this country, he said:
The refusal of the court to re-
verse the action of Congress in re-
| spect to Government bonds. and the
decision not to require actual pay
ment of what is actually due, is a
| conclusion obviously based on a set
| of conditions now prevalent through
out the entire world.
1T recognizes a changed buying
! power of the dollar. assumes the ex-
| istence of a price level not foreseen
| when the contracts were drawn, and
takes due, though tacit, consideration
of the Attorney Generals argument
that any contrary decision would in
| vite chaos and confusion by adding
| $69, 900 ,000, 900 to the national debt
catastrophe that might easily pre-
| cipitate the most dangerous crisis OF
the depression period.
| In that fear and In the general
tenor of the Supreme Courts recogni-
tion of the abnormal emergency now
| existing I believe the country as a
whole will concur. But let us not
blind ourselves to the fact that the
triumph may turn out to be Pyrrhic
victory.
Mind Changed on Debt.
II, for one, have believed that the
. debts owed to the United States by
| foreign governments ought to be paid.
not evaded. and international faith
thus maintained. Since IL o'clock
noon of last Monday, February II,
! that position in my judgment is no
longer tenable by any American pos
| seSsed of residual logic or sense
of humor.
Il have previously felt that each
note dispatched by Secretary OF
State to defaulting government was
legally correct. ethically sound and
well within the meaning of the honor
expected among gentlemen. do not
see how any such call for payment
can ever again be made, or foreign
governments denied recourse to the
practical reputation which the Su-
preme Court finds present in the
attitude of the United States Govern.
ment toward its own citizens"
| DR.. Walsh said he was well aware
of the difference in the jurisdiction
possessed by government with re-
Spect to its own nationals and the
relationship of juridical equality oh.
tanning between sovereign states which
have no direct claim to benefit by the
internal policy of another nation
That difference, he said, is a common.
place of Jurisprudence.
I'VE cannot without hypocrisy re-
fuse to our international debtors tht
pragmatic escape from a dangerous
situation which our Government ha.
seized and legalized when it was {
debtor itself. he added