France Will Not Pay America

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7031, 15 December 1932, Page 7

France Will Not Pay America

Chamber's Overwhelming Majority *m*»*m,*m ajii.iMurrry i Herriot Government Resigns Belgian Also Repudiates United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. PARIS, Dec. 13. The defeat of M. Herriot is merely a matter of hours. The Finance and Foreign Affairs Committees’ vote rejecting any form of payment in December has sealed his fate, and the Debt Commission passed a death sentence after hearing from M. Herriot’s own lips the text of his American Note. Even his own Radicals will vote against him. M. Louis Marin, leader of the Right, opened the bombardment in the Chamber with a speech against payment. Not a Cent, For America ! While dramatic scenes were in progress inside the Chamber of Deputies during the debts debate, equally exciting events were proceeding outside. Mounted and foot police guarded all the approaches, while crowds of Royalists and others demonstrated as close as possible, shouting: “Not a cent, for America!” There were several clashes between the police and the rioters. The latter threw paving stones at the tramcars, and tore up the iron railings protecting the trees in the boulevards and used them as weapons. The police charged and a score of people were injured while hundreds were arrested. The war veterans marched to the statue of George Washiugtton and laid a wreath with an inscription against debt payment. The Deputies loudly applauded allegations of America’s double policy consisting of intervening in Europe when America’s interests in Europe required her to do so and then withdrawing when she encounters disagreeable responsibility. Many speakers alleged that the real motive behind the Hoover moratorium was the interests of the private American creditors whose money was locked up in Germany. Speaker after speaker argued that the debt payments were no longer morally justified since they were no longer covered by Germany. M. Herriot declared that if France did not pay America Great Britain could not long continue to pay without asking France to pay her. The Chamber was still sitting at four in the morning when M. Herriot rose to make his final appeal to the Deputies to accept the Government’s decision to pay America with reservations. One of the most telling speeches during the debate was that of a Conservative deputy stressing the point that a creditor who by his action prevented a debtor from fulfilling his engagement thereby lost his right to the execution of that engagement. This allusion to Mr. Hoover’s action in declaring the moratorium which deprived France of her credit on Germany and thereby of means to pay her own debts was greeted with an ovation by three-quarters of the Deputies. M. Chanvin, defending the Government, asked what the British people would think to-morrow when they were told France was paying neither America nor Britain. Was it certain England would demand nothing from France? M. Herriot’s proposal to pay with reservations was defeated in the Chamber by 402.t0 187 and the Government has resigned.