i Aug. 9
Discussion of the Lausanne fPreaty in the House of Commons Hust before the Parliamentary. Feces showed the Government in good form. Criticisms of the Treaty were stimulated partly by the piecemeal manner in which the full- terms of the undertandinys associated it were revealed to the. public. Mr. Winston Churchill and Mr. Lloyd George brought the heaviest guns to bear on the Government sponsors of th Treaty. They scored.some points but on the whole, they had to admit by implication that Mr. Ramsay MacDonald and Mr. Neville Chamberlain could not have done better. Mr. Chamber-Jain effectively met the. attempt to find in the "sentleman's agreement" a sinister flaw in the Conference's. decision, by explaining succinctly what that agreement Han agreed summary of conversations which took place. between the creditor Powers....on. what was going to take place over the main agreement with Germany."
Mr. Chamberlain, in summing up the Treaty itself declared that, in using its influence to get a settle ment of: the reparations problem, the British delegation, if it! nad not got at the root of the evil, "had got very near to the root, fg. had solved fe temporerify, is tre, subject to the ation of the' United States at a Inter Stage, and had made long step forward towards the restoration of that confidence which was the fne essential of the world today."
On that note the House of Commons was satisfied to rest until ithe next day when Sir John Simon read the announcement summarising the Franco-British Pact to which subsequently other European Powers sub-
The "gentleman's agreement" published asa White Paper on July 14, in London, was signed. bby Great Britain, France, Belgium and Ttaly and as already indicated in the cables it provided that if the four countries Jeould not come to a satisfactory [settlement with their own crediors, then the agreement with ding reparations would not be ratified. The declaration of European co-opera tion, constituting a separate document, imposes on the signatories the obligation to consult each other fully on European affairs, in regard to the proposed World Economic Conference and lather matters of mutual interest.
This European entente has been widely welcomed as_inaugurating a new era in Europe and "Jcontributing greatly to. the breaking down of isolated ixroups. It is regarded, too, encouraging to the closer relationship of Germany with France, Sir John Simon's actual words in commendation of the Pact, described it as a proposal to the other principal countries in Eutope to. declare Their adhesion tothe rule that we will endeavour to promote political appeasement in "Europe by open and friendly discussion on all points of difference. the debate on the preceding day, Mr. MacDonald had made it clear that the proceedings at Lausanne were essentially direct-_ Jed towards the straightening out lof the internal difficulties Europe. The suggestion there was any sort of tion against America w: led by him as.also was the notion that any criticism could be made of America's attitude.
The Prime Minister, in a later passage, impressed on the House the impossibility of solving financial and economic issues without regard to the political factor. The political problems lof Europe could not be ignored when the problems of the other kind were discussed. This was merely another way of saying that the representatives of the different countries had to be lable to carry their own respective nation's with them. Good people who restively declaim against the politician's weakness: land pin their faith to the infallibility of business men oF, other experts, will do well to note this practical aspect of international affairs, Mr. Mac-Donald, incidentally, expressed his admiration for' first class business men, but he also had trouble with' them: he could never get the same advice from larly two. This vindication of the iticfan may have been super-its immediate appli. tion. It certainly had an important bearing on the discussion of the attitudes of the var-fous Powers. No spokesman at. Jan international conference can beyond the political limits Jassigned to him in his own country. This explains the reason lwhy.the imminence of elections must retard. progress in agree-_ ment. Mr. MacDonald roundly declared that no-one had a right to blame America for her in-lability to appear at Lausanne. He added:
although America_has never nitered a pledge so fam as 1 know nor in any way indicated how she is prepared to meet Us...
there is no nation in the world more ready to lend a hand in straightening out the entanglements and troubles with which we are. surrounded than is America and her people..
That was the keynote of the Prime Minister's championship
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.