Evening Star Newspaper, May 16, 1925, Page 1

WEATHER. Weather Bureau Forecast.) (U. 8. Increasing cloudiness slightly warmer; tomorrow unsettled, probably showers, Temperatures: Highest, today; lowest, 54, at 5:45 Full report on page 7. tonight, 75, at noon a.m. today. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 26 ch WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION Entered as secos post_office, Wa 29,600. 0. nd class matter shington, D. C. WASHINGTON, D. C., SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1925—THIRTY-SIX PAGES. 80 RUN-ROW SHIPS CUT 70 12 BEFORE PERFECT BLOCKADE Remaining Vessels Ringed and Every Inlet Guarded, Foiling Smugglers. SHORE BOATS TIED UP, COAST TOUR REVEALS Officials Plan to Wait Runners Out Till Landing Organization Is Completely Broken Up. By the Associated Press MEXICAN BANDIT GANGS CAUSE OFFICIALS ALARM Vera Called From Leave to Watch for Signs of Revolt. By the Associated Press. MEXICO CITY, May 16.—The out- laws in_the state of Vera Cruz have resumed their activities to such extent that Gen. Andrew Almazan, the Vera Cruz military commandant, has been ordered to return to his post, cutting short his leave of absence here. Announcement is made thaf the warship Bravo captured the schooner Anita off Nautla, in the Gulf, carry- ing arms and ammunition for the Vera Cruz bandits. The war department, though de- claring that banditry 4s apparently the sole object of the outlaws, has directed that a careful watch be kept over former rebel generals and that they be arrested as soon as they show intention of again revolting. THRIFT AX TO FALL Cruz Commandant A semi-off over the At NEW YORK, May cial observation cruise lantic from Narragansett Pier, R. L. to Atlantic City, N. J., which ended today, revealed only 12 rum-carrying ships in that area, which provided | anchorage for more than $0 rum ves. | sels at the time the Coast ard block ade was inaugurated, May 5. 1t was further indicated cruise, which took a party of news. paper correspondents to points be- | tween 30 and 40 miles from shore, that virtually no contraband liquor is | being smugsgled into’the country from | this area. H As a result of the inspection. Lieut. Comdr. Stephen S. Yeandle, chief aide to Rear Admiral F. C. Billard, Coast | Guard commandant, announced that ! he considered the rum blockade in his area entirely successful. Only 12 rum carriers were seen by the news- ! paper men. These were anchored in | widely separated berths and each ves- | | 16. 5 | on the| sel was closely guarded by various of Coast Guard craft, which ringed them, keeping them solutely cut off from the shore. An inspection of the inlets of the Long | t revealed ons or more Government boats lurking in every waterway that could possibly provide an entry way for the shorerunning boats. Rum Runners Tied Up. The inspection also included a num- ber of rum-running centers on the South shore of Long Island, revealing scores of rum boats tied up and in disuse with their usually busy crews loitering their days away in in- activity. “This just marks the start of the war on the rum runners by the Coast Guard,” Comdr. Yeandle said on com- Ppletion of the trip. The cruise which_started at New London, Conn., last Wednesday after- nocn and ended off Sandy Hook this morning, provided the first eenfirma- tion of the statements of Coast Guard officials that the blockade was dis- persing the rum armadas. Three areas off the coast which provided local centers for gathering of rum fleets were inspected. These were what _long has been known as the New York-New Jersey row, the Block Island sector and the Montauk Point area. The once populous and popular New | York rum row, which had 38 rum; carriers in line on May 5, had but| seven there last night. Three remained off Montauk Point, | and another two off Narrangansett | Pier, where 10 days ago there had been 30. - Anchor Far Out. Comdr. Yeandle, who was in charge of the cruise which was made aboard the Coast Guard cablelaying boat Pequot, said that many of the van- ished craft had retired to positions from 50 to 150 and 200 miles from shore and had anchored there in the hope of wearing out the patience of Coast Guardsmen. Still others—he did not know how many—had made for their home ports in the Canadian maritime provinces, Bermuda, the Bahamas and elsewhere. | All of the departing boats had been followed by patrol or picket boats of the Coast Guard until they had passed Nantucket on the north or Atlantic City on the south. rom these point Coast Guard offic picket boats kept vigil over the fugi- tive ‘“rummies,” as their pursuers know the contraband ships, and saw to it that_they didn't anchor close to shore. None of the departed boats were believed to have anchored within | 50 miles of shore at any point. Discouraged rum captains are get- ting up steam or hoisting sails and leaving their idle posts daily. Three vessels, a steamer and two windjam- mers were seen to depart. Chased by Patrol Boat. The comprehensive inspection cruise included two interviews with men aboard the besieged rum ships and even a breath-taking trip aboard a 36-foot boat-to-shore rum runner, a feature a the newspaper men_them g While inspecting Jones Inlet, the correspondents had the Pequot’s boat place them ashore at Bay Shore, from where they proceeded to Freeport by automobile, and there arranged with the owner of an idle rum-running boat 1o take them on the trip, most of it | covered at a 35-mile-an-hour rate. The rum-runner had 300-horsepower engines, which developed a speed far in excess of any of the Coast Guard hoats except the few torpedo boat de- stroyers in the fleet As the boat streaked out of Jones Inlet into the Atlantic a lurking patrol hoat of the Coast Guard was seen in pursuic 2 miles astern. The. rum- runner loafed and permitted the pur- suer to creep on him. When less than a mile off, the runner’s pilot opened her engine and started to pull away, whereupon two men aboard the guard hoat opened fire with Springfield rifies, their bullets falling in the water sev- eral hundred feet behind the fugitive. Double System Effective. The rum-runner fled for 20 miles, easily outdistancing the patrol boat, and then permitted the grim pursuer to catch up, whereupon the news- paper men made known their identity. The guardsmen departed after learn- ing that the little vessel had no con- traband aboard. Through these maneuvers the cor- respondents learned the inshore vigl- lance of the Coast Guard was equal to that displayed in the individual blockade of the liquor ships, The double system—the picketing of inlets, bays and numerous small hoat rum lanes ashore, coupled with the blockade up to 50 miles from shore —seemingly provided an almost impassabie barrier to the shore-to-boat runners, on whose ability 1o zet the ~ (Continued on Page 4, Column 13 north and south | Is said inshore | By tl ON2DD N TREASURY Cut in Force Made Necessary by Small Appropriation. Rating Plan Scored. More than 200 emploves of the Treasury Department will be dis- missed by the end of this fiscal year, June 30. This was learned today, when it was said the cut must be made on account of ,the smaller appropriation granted by Congress for the opera- | | tions of the Treasury Department for the fiscal year 1926, as compared to the present year, 1925. It is hoped by Treasury officials that the new proposed efficiency rat- ing scheme, now being worked out by the Bureau of Efficiency and the Personnel Classification Board, may be ready for operation to effect the | reduction necessary. Under the new eficiency rating, where length of Government service and family responsibility would be taken into consideration in the cases of persons making a grade of more than 65 per cent, it would be much easier, officials believe, to pick out the emploves who will have to g In just what part of the Treasu ! Department the ax will fall was not revealed. Rating Plan Assailed. Most of the Government depart- ments were going ahead today with their regular May 15 efficiency rat- ings, under which each employe must be rerated as of May 15. The Per- sonrel Classification Board- has before it a proposal to eliminate the Novem- ber 15 rating, thus reducing them to one per year on May 15. Luther Steward, president of the National Federation of Federal em- ployes, issued a statement attacking the Bureau of Efficiency and the sys- tem of ratings now in force. Federal employes will continue to “suffer from this latest ill-advised e: { periment of the Bureau of Efficienc; said Mr. Steward, “until the whole job can be taken from such incom- | patent hands and placed with an ad- ministrative agency that has techni- | cal_qualifications as well as humane understanding of this great personnel problem.” Mr. Steward, who has been in favor of the Lehlbach bill abolishing the Personnel Classification Board and turning its functions over to the Civil Service Commission, criticized the Bureau of Efficiency and declared the system would work ‘“wholesale injustices on Federal employes.” FENG FORCES RETIRE SLOWLY FROM PEKING Leave Open Road for Troops of Chang, Reported Marching on Capital of China. Associated Press. PEKING, May 16.—The troops of Feng Yu-hsiang, the “Christian gen- eral,” are withdrawing from Peking to the north, but their evacuation of the capital is not yet complete. Aithough it has been reported that large forces of Chang Tso-lin’s Man- churian warriors were moving on P king, none has yet arrived. Feng's withdrawal, however, leaves the road open for Chang. Peking advices Thursday morning said apprehension existed owing to re- ports that Gen. Chang Tsolin, the Manchurian war lord, was moving troops toward Peking. It was gener- ally believed, the dispatches added, that Feng Yuhsiang would allow Chang to occupy the city without fighting. BUYS 38 THEATERS. Famous Players-Lasky Corporation Takes Olympia String. NEW YORK, May 16 (#.—Pur- chase of 38 theaters in New England owned by Olympia Theater, Inc., was | announced today by the Famous Play- ers-Lasky Corporation. Control of the theaters will be assumed by the pur- | chasers on-July 1 Communist Russia Seething in Wrath Over Executions Planned in Bulgaria By the Associated Pre MOSCOW, May 16.—Communist Russia is aflame with indignation against the projected execution at Sofia, Bulgaria, of the men recent- 1y sentenced to death as responsible for the bombing of the Sveti Kral Cathedral, in which 160 persons were killed. Great public demonstrations of protest against the executions are being heid in Moscow. Delegations of peasant and working men today called at the British, French and Italian missions and urged them to protest against the proposed public hangings. The bolshevist news- papers are seething with wrath and violent threats. The Pravda says: “‘Bourgeois Europe, with a smile on its face, indorses the horrible sight. While these executions are occurring we ask the workmen and peasants to listen to what we tell them. Wae tell them in civil war there can be no mercys [Ths.Hmg.4 alty without his confirpations . ! MILTARY AND OV HONORS T0 ATIEND GEN, MLES BURAL Arlington Cemetery Final Resting Place of Hero. Rites Tuesday. FUNERAL AWAITS RETURN OF SON ON LEVIATHAN Every Branch of Service to Pay Respects at Tomb—Stricken at Circus Yesterday. Every military and civil honor that | can be bestowed upon a lieutenant | | general of the United States Army will | belong to Nelson A. Miles, veteran | { hero of two wars and grizzled Indian | fighter, when he begins his long jour | ney to the bivouac of the dead at Ar lington National Cemetery Tues afternoon. Stricken with a fatal heart attack while attending the circus vesterday afternoon, Gen. Miles lies peacefully sleeping in the drawing room of his home at the Rochambeau apartment awaiting the arrival of his son, . Sherman Miles, who is nearing New York on the Leviathan, before he | is laid to rest in the quiet mauso!eum“ that was built under his personal di- rections. Rites Wait on Son. Arrangements for the funeral have been placed in the hands of Maj. Gen. | Rockenbach, commander of the dis.| hington, who had worked | out tentative plans for services fitting the high rank of the dead warrior and the services he gave to his countr These will be submitted to Maj. Miles | for his final approval upon his arrival in Washington some time Monday. The body of Gen. Miles will be taken to St. John's Episcopal Church, Six- teenth and H streets, at 2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, with military es-. cort, where short religious services will be conducted. The cortege will then proceed to the mausoleum in Arling-| ton, by way of the Highway Bridge, where the last rites due a soldier will be accorded by every branch of the Nation’s armed service, in the pres. ence of high officials of the Govern- ment. Troops to Go With Body. The casket, draped with an Ameri can flag, will ride on an artiller: caisson drawn by six black horses. | Beside it will march high officers of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, followed by Gen Rockenbach, as com. | mander of the District of Washington, and his entire staff. The United States Army Band will march behind the staff officers, followed by a squadron of cavalry with sabers sheathed. | _A battalian of the 16th Field Ar- tillery with guns draped in black: the 3d Battalion of the 12th Infantry, a battalion of engineers, the Navy Band, | a battalion of United States Marines | from Quantico and a battalion of sea- men from the Norfolk naval base will march next in order. Immediately be- hind carriages containing members of Gen. Miles' immediate family and | close friends will march representa. | tives of military and patriotic so- cleties. | Gen. Miles' daughter, Mrs. Samuel M. Reber, arrived in Washington to- day from New York with her hus- band, Col. Reber, where they have been visiting. Maj. Miles, the late general's son, has been on a long tour of duty with the American high commissioner at Constantinople and is expected to land in New York some time tomorrow or early Monday. He has been appraised by wireless of the death of his father. Was Romantic Figure. With the passing of Gen. Miles one | of the most romantic figures on the | vanishing horizon of America’s ear. | lier history of expansion has been re- | moved, and the final chapter of that crucial era has all but been closed. The hero of two wars and conqueror of the wilderness empire that is now the great American West, he was the sole survivor of that gallant band of | crusaders who pushed the frontier of | the New World to the shores of the Pacific. The same stamina and grim deter- mination that carried him safely through the Civil War, the conflict with Spain and to a crashing triumph over the Indian nations that had tak- en up their last stand beneath the shadows of the unconquered Rocky Mountains served him up to the last minute, and Washington recalls how in late vears, throwing off the weight of more than three-score yvears, he continued active in the interests of his country to the very end. As late as 1922 he called back to his support his remarkable, robust nature. Gen. Miles had been designated to serve as grand marshal of the mili- tary pageant that marked the unveil- ing of the Grant Memorial here. A few days before the event he was stricken with double pneumonia, and when his chief-of-staff called at hi home members of the family an. [ nounced flatly that the general could not, and should not, ride in the parade. | 1 i (Continued on Page 4, Column 5.) will come when the whites and the bourgeois will be in the hands of the workers. Therefore, remember today’s lesson from Sofia—no mercy! We know that these Com. munists in Bulgaria will perish with the belief that “from their bones will rise a victorious revolu. tionary army. We swear we shall revenge them. Our workmen will settle accounts with their hang- men."” VIENNA, May 16 (#).—The Sofia correspondent of the Allgmeine Zeitung telegraphed his newspaper that {t is doubtful whether the men sentenced to death for the Svetl Kral Cathedral bombing will actu- ally be executed. This dispatch points out that King Boris always has resolutely refused to sign death warrants and that the Bulgarian government hesitates to apply the death peme BESIEGED QUTPOST ! of the concentration of Abd-el-Krim's | with the bare minimum force required SAVED B FRENCH Riffians Routed—Garrison | Supplied With Ice by Planes for Two Weeks. By the Associated Press. RABAT, French Morocco, May 16. —The French outpost at Aouley, where 50 men have been surrounded for two weeks by Abd-el-Krinm's in- vading Riffians, was believed today by Gen. Colombat's forces, and of- | ficial communique announced. | The French troops had a hot fight cleaning out the Rifflans who had | surrounded the garrison. The res- cuers, however, were aided by a half- dozen members of the garrison who still were able to fight after two weeks' of continuous day nad night resigtance to the tribesmen. Capt. Duboin and one other French | officer, and 50 Senegalese soldiers | held' the blockhouse under constant fire, with food and block of ice to be used as water being dropped for them | from French airplanes. Both officers had been wounded and only six of their men were able to continue fighting when the rescuers reached them today. Gen. Freydenberg's forces are fac- ing a growing menace by the con- stant re-enforcement of the Riffians opposing this front. However, no general action has yet commenced and quiet continues in this sector. TRIBESMEN ARE RALLYING. Abd-el-Krim’s Forces Gather in Hills, New Drive Expected. PARIS, May 16 (#).—The next big clash between the French troops in Morocco and the invading tribesmen under Abd-el-Krim will be on the rough foothill _territory between Chechaouen and Ouezzan, it is believed here. This conclusion is based upon news forces on the western flank of the French. The French need reinforce- ments to deal with an attack from this direction, which is taken in official circles as explaining the periods of stagnation between the French drives. Gen. de Chambrun has been gpliged to use air forces extensively to pro- tect his flanks because he is operating to protect his advanced posts. How- ever, relnforcements continue to ar- rive and will be available for use whenever the Riffians chose to attack. The flying corps then will be avail- able to fight in full force instead of on a small scale, but with deadly effect, as if fought at Bibane Wed- nesday. ULTIMATUM TO BANDITS. { Wood Threatens Force to Quell Mountain Band. MANILA, May 16 (®.—Gov. Gen. Leonard Wood has issued an ulti- matum to bandit leaders who have been terrifying the residents of Lanao Province. He_ has notified the band that they must abandon their moun- tain fortress from which they have been defying the authorities or the constabulary will be directed to dis- e them by force. ‘O(gcv, Gen. Wood issued his ulti- matum today after he had returned from Lanao Province, where he held a conference with bandit leaders and invited them to surrender. They re- fused. Recently the bandits have been making sallies from the fortress, where 50 are housed, cutting com- munication lines and burning two schoolhouses. —_—— JAPAN GETS HUGE SUB. Capable of Cruising Across Pacific and Return. TOKIO, April 27 (P).—Japan’s Jarg- est submarine, capable of cruising across the Pacific and return without difficulty, has been completed and will be delivered officially to naval author- fes late in May. e new underwater dreadnought, which has been named “No. 53" dis- places 1,700 tons. It was launched in 1928, but owing to the wish of Japanese authorities to introduce a number of original attachments, the outfitting required more time than expected. \ ; Following official delivery, “No. 53" Gov. MARRIAGE LONG SECRET. Fiske O’'Hara Announces Wedding After 17 Years' Silence. W YORK, May 16 (®).—After being married for 17 years, Fisk O'Hara, whose Irish songs are feat- ures of the comedies in which he plays, is just announcing his wed- ding secret. Miss Pat Clary, his Invitations have been issued for a formal announcement from the stage, Sunday afternoon at the theater at which he is playing. A clause in his contract hitherto has forbidden rev- elation of the marriage, it is ex- plained. ceet s e GREENWOOD BACKS FRATS IN COURT Refuses to Join School Board Defense Against Se- cret Societies. Ernest Greenwood, vice president of the Board of Education, declined today to join with the board in de- fending the suit filed against it in the District Supreme Court for the rein- statement of three high school boys in positions they lost in school organi- zations because of affiliation with un- approved secret socleties. Capt. Julius 1. Peyser, chairman of the board's committee on athletics and playgrounds, who consistently supported the fraternities in the re- cent controversy with the board, also is expected to align himself with Mr. Greenwood in the legal battle. Points Out Position. In a letter to Corporation Counsel Francis H. Stephens, who has been designated by the commissioners to defend the board, Mr. Greenwood pointed out that he believed the board had exceeded its authority in at- tempting to wipe out fraternities and sororities, and requested that he not be made a party to the defense. The letter follows: “You have doubtless been advised of the fact that the members of the Board of Education have heen served with an order signed by Mr. Justice Bailey to show cause why a writ of mandamus should not be issued to us commanding us to restore certain high school students to various honorary positions, eligibility to rep- recent_their schools and other rights, these having been taken from them because of membership in organi- zations not approved by the superin- tendent of schools. I understand, from a statement issued to the press by President Lloyd, that you have been instructed by the District Com- ‘missioners to represent the board in these proceedings. Agrees With Frats. “This is to advise you that I am in thorough accord with the statements made by the petitioners and that I do not wish you to deny them on my be- half. I believe the writ should issue to the board members and do not care to be placed in a position before the court of attempting to show cause why it should not. I agree with the peti- tioners that the adoption of the rules of the board with regard to organiza- tions which do not happen to have the approval of the superintendent of school, “was wholly beyond the power and jurisdiction conferred upon the Board of Education by law, and was an abuse of the discretion vested in said board, * * * that said rules are arbitrary, capricious, unreason- able, and discriminatory, * * * and that by the action of the defendants in bringing the relators within the in- hibition of said rules they have been wrongfully, iregularly and unlaw- fully deprived of the positions, activi- ties and representative honors which they heretofore lawfully held and en- joyed.” “I_wish to call your attention to the fact that a little over two years ago and before I became a member of the board I appeared before it on be- half of the Sphinx Club of Western High School, making claims which, in substance, were identical with those made by these petitioners. Prior to that time and for a period of approxi- mately a year I had been correspond- ing with the superintendent of schools, laying the facts with regard to the Sphinx Club before him again and again, without result. Finally I threatened court action and the su- perintendent then lald the matter be- fore the president of the board and I was granted a hearing. My conten- tion was that the school authorities will be included in the 17th Submarine Flotilla and attached to the Yokosuka naval port. Radio Programs—Page 11, had no jurisdiction over this organiza- tion for reasons which in substance were identical with those set forth in the present proceedings. The board (Continued on Page 4, Column 4.)- ¢ Toening Staf. ¥ DERBY HOST TREKS 10 TRACK AT DAWN 80,000 to 100,000 to See Kentucky Classic—20 Starters Likely. By the Associated Press. LOUISVILLE, K: May 16.—Thou- sands of souls with but a single thought—to witness the titanic strug- gle between the outstanding three- vear-old kings of the American turf— descended upon Louisville today for the 51st running of the $50,000 Ken- tucky Derby. % As soon as the gates of the Churchill Downs course were thrown open, the turnstiles started clicking like the sec- ond hand on a watch, giving indica- tions that a record-breaking attend- ance of 80,000 to 100,000 spectators would witness the struggle of speed, stamina, breeding and fitness of the | Nation’s best thoroughbreds. 20 Starters Likely. Twenty-four colts and one gelding has been named to face the starter, but it seemed certain that the field would be narrowed down to possibly 20, and perhaps less, depending on track and weather conditions. The track was in excellent condition this morning, intermittent showers having been too light to wet the course. Reputation, Williams Bros." Derby candidate, on which J. A. Mooney was to have had the mount, was scratched this morning. Chantey, owned by ‘Harry Payne Whitney, and Elsass, owned by W. P. Whitehouse, were withdrawn shortly after noon, reducing the field to 22. The race, the fifth on the program, is scheduled for 4:45 p.m., central standard time. The event, at a mile and a quarter, carries a cash value of $53475 to the winner, provided 20 horses go to the post; with $6,000 g0ing to the horse finishing second: | $3,000 as the prize for third place, and | $1,000 for fourth. Quatrain is Favorite. Quatrain, winner of the New Orleans Handicap and the Louisiana Derby, re- mained the outstanding favorite in the early wagering at odds of 5 to 2. Captain Hal was quoted at 8 to 1, while the Whitney entry was third in the wagering. The price on Kentucky Cardinal was 6 to 1. Notwithstanding , Quatrain's tre- mendous popularity, the experts figure the race as an open event, in which anything might happen, but they are unanimous in naming Quatrain, Cap- tain Hal, Kentucky Cardinal, Lee O. Cotner, Chantey and Almadel as the six ranking contenders with Prince of Bourbon as a_possible dark horse. Quatrain will be ridden by Jockey Benny Breuning, a comparative nov- ice, without the skill and daring of Earl Sande, but chosen because the colt seemed to work better under Bruening's guidance than any other rider. Sande, rated as America’'s premier jockey, will have the mount on Flying Ebony, while Mack Gar- ner, the leading jockey in the West, { will be astride Kentucky Cardinal. Louisville started filling up with the invading thousands early, until street intersections were impassable because of traffic jams. A steady stream of dust-covered automobiles poured into the streets and thence to the Churchill Downs course. It was an impossibility to obtain hotel accommodations u{lsl night. Thousands of visitors spent the night in private homes and sleeping aboard special trains, every inch of space in the railroad (Continued on Page 4, Column 4.) “Standing Room Only” By Irvin S. Cobb. Begins in Today’s Star This is one of a series of the best short stories pub- lished in America during the past year. It will appear serially, concluding in about four days. Today’s Star On Page 29. which cluttered up | “From Press to Home Within the Hour” The Star’s carrier system covers every city block and the regular edi- tion is delivered to Washington homes as fast as the papers are printed. Yesterday’s Circulation, 100,171 w M TWO CENTS. Czechoslovakia, By the Associated Press. out further delay. The nations so notified are France, Italy Greece, Czechoslovakia, Jugoslavia, Disclaiming any intention to payment is impos. The natlons addressed make up the whole list of important war borrowers except for Russia, where there is no recognized government to which such a notification could he addressed In addition, Ambassador Herrick, at Paris, has informed the French gov- ernment that the Washington Gov- ernment would be pleased if a French debt commission was sent to this country. U. S. Takes Initiative. Some inkling of the conversations with France previously had been per- mitted to reach the public, but it was not disclosed until today that Wash- ington had taken the initiative in seek- |ing a general refunding arrangement { with all her principal war debtors. |~ Details of the negotiations still are withheld, but there were indications today that the American move virtual- Iy amounted to a circular notice to the-debtors that this Government be- lieved the time had come to strike a general balance. For many months the administra- tion has been under ever-increasing pressure from leaders in Congress and others who opposed any longer delay in resolving the obligations of the bor- rowing nations into definite paper agréements to pay. French Gestures Fruitless. During this period France, in par- | ticular, has made a succession of diplomatic gestures indicating that she would enter into discussions at some unnamed future date under unspeci- | fled conditions, but not one concrete proposal emerged from all the dis- cussion. The Debt Commission, despite the re- peated delays, has adhered until the present to the policy of awaiting pro- posals from abroad, taking the view that the debtors should have plenty of time to turn themselves around {financially before they could be proper- ly pressed for a settlement. Half of Debtors Paying. During the period of waiting fruit- ful proposals came from exactly half of the 10 principal debtors. Those who voluntarily entered into negotiations which resulted in funding asreements Belgium . Czechoslov: Esthonia France . Greece Ttaly . Latvia Rumania Jugoslavia . Grand total These calculations do not include Ar- menia, which owes $14,959,479, but which has no government recognized by Washington, or Liberia, whose total indebtedness to the United States is less than $35,000. Russia owes about $200,000,000. FRENCH DEFINE DEBTS. Think Pre-Armistice Loans Be Called “Political.” PARIS, May 16 (®).—The part of the diplomats in the settlement of the French debt to the United States will be mostly a discussion of what are called here “political debts,” as distinguished from borrowings cata- logued as “commercial debts,” it was said today in official circles. Frequent references have been made lately to the fact that the ac- counts between France and _the United States have never been aadited and that it is necessary to £0 over them and ascertain the exact amount France really owes. Despite the tendency shown lately in official circles to recognize the total borrowings for which French receipts have been given as the total amount absolutely due, there re- mains a lingering idea that the money _borrowed by France from the United States before the armistice was a sort of political ald by America, while the amounts advanced by Washington after the armistice must be considered as commercial debts. Some ideas still exist that the former may yet be subject to discussion. Duties of Briand Defined. Forelgn Minister Briand is expect- ed to deal with the ‘“political debts” phase of the question} while Finance Minister Caillaux, who is obliged to find the money, will take direct charge of negotiations regarding the terms of payment. There are indications in the ex- pressions of officials in both the finance and forelgn departments that the question of France’s right to de- mand for her debts such favored treatment as Germany received in the matter of reparations payments has not been abandoned. Press Comment Bitter. Bitter editorial expressions appear in the Paris newspapers today, in re- ferring to the problem. Comment is, however, rare, and many papers fail entirely to mention the decision of the cabinet that Finance Minister Should | Government now feels U. S. ASKS 9 NATIONS ACT AT ONCE TO PAVE WAY TO REPAY LOANS Serves General Notice Thaf Time Is Ripe to Balance and Close War Books. FUNDING BODY DENIES INTENT TO UNDULY PRESS FOR PAYMENT France, Italy, Belgium, Rumania, Greece, Jugoslavia and Baltic States Called Upon. The American Government has advised its European debtors that in its opinion the time has come for settlement. munication addressed’ to nine nations it has expressed an earnest desire that the war debt question be brought to a solution with- In a com- Belgium, Rumania, thonia and Latvia. unduly press for payment where ible, the communication, nevertheless, reflects the view of Washington that the acute stage of the reconstruction period is passing and that the debtor nations now should be in a position to put their promises to pay into definite agreements. were Great Britain, Hungary, Finland, Lithuania and Poland. Congress has charged the Debt Com- mission with responsibility for keeping * the subject before those countries which have not settled, and the recent notification to the e remaining debt- ors, though sent through the State Department, emanated from the com- mission. It is understood that the com- munication to Mr. Herrick, dispatched last week, instructed him to say that the settlement made with Great Brit- ain was regarded here as a desirable standard for other nations. References in today’s Paris dis- patches to a possible distinction be- tween “political debts” and *commer- cial debts” do not appear to strike a sympathetic chord in Washington. Neither are such theories regarded here as calculated to advance the pur- poses of the present negotiations. The United States contributed heavily in money, men and political influence to the winning of the war, and, in addition, loaned to her asso- ciates certain tangible assets belong- ing to the American taxpayer. The loans were made without apparent apprehension that the money might not be returned, and the American that nothing has intervened since the war to alter the understanding that it would be returned as soon as the debtors are able to pay it. President Coolidge himself took the war debts out of the category of “political debts” when, in receiving the credentials of Ambassador Daesch- ner at the White House last January he made reference to the sacrifices of American troops on French soil, and continued: “Thus was paid the debt of grati- tude, and, as you so rightly observe, both’ governments should expsrience deep satisfaction in their solicitude that material debts shall also be dis- charged.” Seven Billion Owed U. S. If paid today, the debts of the nine circularized governments to Washing- ton would amount to $7,100,978,695, and the total is increasing daily, as the in- terest column mounts. The Treasury's balance sheet, as of today, shows these figure: oo D D1 e SRAI3LESS Caillaux and Foreign Minister Briand shall start active negotiations with the American administration. L'Ere Nouvelle, representing the governmental majority, remarks that the question now has been reduced to the basis of a business discussion, from which all sentimental considera- tions are to be excluded. “French opinion,” it continues, “has been stirred by the crudeness of the American demands. We do not con- ceal the fact that this crudeness jars on our sensibilities, sharpened by so much suffering and so many disap- pointments. But we must take the facts as they are and try to forget all that might have been done to make them otherwise.” ‘Would Drop Opposition. This paper thinks it would be bet- ter to cease opposing the United States to England in the debt ques- tion, and let England solve the prob- lem herself. Likewise, there should be no more question, it says, of sub- ordinating payment of the interallied debts to that of the German debt to France. This was former Premier Poincare’s idea, the paper remarks, and when taken up afresh did much to alienate the United States from European affairs. Le Journal comments along the same lines, but in a bitter tone, giv- ing figures calculated to contrast the immense prosperity of the United States and the immense poverty of France growing out of the war. L'Ouevre, another organ of the Left, is the bitterest of all, and says France now is paying for having made the mistake of thinking that ‘VVoodroW ‘Wilson represented Amer- ca. CAILLAUX MEETS HERRICK. Conversations Give Room for Much Speculation in Paris. By Radio to The Star and Chicago Daily News, PARIS, May 16.—Private conversa- tions between Finance Minister Cail- laux and Ambassador Herrick re- garding eventual settlement of France's war debt to America have given room for much speculation. M. Caillaux is one of the few leading French financial experts who truly believe that some arrangement be- tween the countries must be reached, since the entire future of French credit abroad depends upon the satis- factory settlement of this long delay- ~(Continued on Page 4, Column ' 1