VILMINGTON, N. C., FRIDAY *j' OLDEST DAILY ifo THfc STXTE. - i Fair Friday and Saturday > FOUNDED a. D. 1867.—VOL. Zii i I Of Sin, on Spread angelist God is An Ever-Present Help t« Those Who Seek Aid, He Declares SIN IS SIMILAR TO DEADLY LEPROSY jje points Out How is Usually Has Small Start, Increasing With Time The audience at the tabernacle last al^bt was one of the largest since the revival began over three weeks ago. LnV fair visitors were In the seats ‘ a their voices joined with the big ehoir in singing, "He’s a Wonderful saviour to Me.” The Rev. J. E. W. ,ook archdeacon of the Episcopal ,-hurch. offered the Invocation. The Itev Purcell announced the prayer meetings today. He said 183 men at the Victoria theatre had a wonderful lime at the noon hour, while Mr. Smith was addressing business girls at the Y. W- C. A. Evangelist Smith opened his service by asking every woman present to co operate in making the home prayer meetings a success. He SgMkth&t If the work in Wilmington hifa fallen down it was in the prayer meetings. The Story of the leper The lesson was from the fifth chap ter of the second book of Kings. It was a history of the Incidents that preceded the visit of Naaman the svrian general, who was # leper, to Judea, where his soldiers had captured a Jewish maiden, who told him Of the cures being wrought by the prophet. And of his unwillingness to accept the simple formula offered—that he dip seven times in the Jordan. “He was a great man, but he was a leper,” said the evangelist. "He want ed some special treatment because of his high standing, but there was only one simple way, and when he ha^l humbled his pride and accepted it he was cured. .... "I want to use this story as the basis for What' I shall say tonight. All through the Bible leprosy Is used as a type of sin. And I know $£ lio better comparison. ' r v. '““'Si ' “I don't just know how much there j, in the analogy, but it is remarkable when you study the pathology of the disease to find how similar leprosy and *in are First of all, It la small In its beginning. Leprosy starts with a spot no bigger than » pin’s hegd the body and spreads until theTwdy he conies 9 mass qf lasf- stikge* W ber'n to slough off. • “Sin is just the same. It is imwtfl in (he beginning. If the devil could show us the end of sin, he could never get us to take the first step, and society today takes no note of the beginning of ein. It will welcome the young fel low into their parlors and let him drink at their tables, and then, when society hears that the young fellow ^is about to become a muttering, stagger ing drunkard, society, horrified, rises up and shuts the door in his face. So ciety takes no note of a girl who flirts promiscuously with, any-Tom, Dick; or Harry, until her name becomes %n easy mark among the young fellows of the town. Society waits until it hears that she is about to become the mother of an illegitimate child and then society, horrified, rises up and shuts the door in her face. Sin is small in ita begin ning. as is leprosy. "Secondly, leprosy separates. When a person contracts that dreadful dis ease. we have to separate him from his loved ones and banish him for the sake of the community. And sin always sep arates. There is nothing in the “fforld that can separate a young man or a young woman from everything decent ike sin. Sin Like Leproey Thirdly, it is aosoiuieiy iucuiao^ by man. So is sin. The great medical societies of the world wait to wine and dine the man who can prescribe a .per manent cure for leprosy *J>ut as far as I know, no man has beefc able to pre scribe that cure. Sin 1s*aIso incurable by man. You may try this an# that and the other thing:, and you can rush to the quacks of the world, but your case is absolutely incurable by man. "If God could save a man like that be can save you. And he will if you folk accept his simple formula, God takes no account of your station |n life. The Bible says that the, Syrian general was a gTeat man, but it also says he was a leper. As it is there, let me put it here. . "You are a moral man, a#good father to your children, and a good husband to your wife, and that the men in toitin look up to you and respect your word, but in the final analysis, if you ,*re outside of God and of Christ, you are a leper. As it is there, let me put it here. Granted the wome^T of (the city vie with each, other in opening their homes to you, but if you.ar^ out of ';0d and out of Christ yu arei in the final analysis, a leper. Educated? Yea, j ut an educated leper. Winsome? Yes, but still a leper. !rr -•;•••■& Gets Mad at Conditions "And when Naaman heard the condi tions for cleansing, he got mad. Some times it is a very healthy thing to get mad. Some of you came here nigbt «fter night, and you never got mad, glad, or sad. You are like an old ditch Puddle, There is no rifle or fall. Naa man lost his temper and said, # bought because of my* position, he surely would have, come out and healr ;‘d me.’ And he turned away in a rage, but his servants went to him and ask* rd, ‘Why, he hasn’t asked you tor a nickle, and you have brought half a million dollars to give him if he want^ f-d it, and you have come 1|0 miles to Bee him. Why not do it* Then Naa inan lost his pride and said, “Why not? ^nd he went down into the river, and. having lost his temper, and lost his pride, then'he lost his leprosy, and 1 bat’s the way God healfl. His flesh -ame back again, not as the flesh of a full grown man, but as the flesh of/a • ittle child, pure, wholesome and fiv» eet. ; ■?'. V *’ * "Naaman was an enemy-^jof God's diosen people, yet God' was. willing £0 <»eal him if he would obey Hi% condi tions, That ifl. ofceujJC tfc# ma|Velsvof fbe gospel of Jesus Christ.., It doe?n t matter how far down -a; mjan get$, God (Continued on.Pip Two) , r High Lights From The Gypsy’s Talk cleanse. “Though your alig, £ scarlet, they shaU be nmdejg'? site as snow.” All through the Bible Wmfe*' Is used as a type of sin. V,- Karts snail like leprosy, but j'MSp-eads . until the body- becomes of sores. Sin acts the sa;i"'^,-*^,*|y. It Is incurable. So Is sin.-1 p; Big doors tom on &^ and 9th, and preparations are being: made to entertain all . leading: architects, contractors, engineers, sub contractors and others interested in contructlon work. The program is now being prepared and will be furnished to the press and. members within the next few days. Non-members interested in . the in dustry are also invited to \ attend. There will be an attractive program for te entertainment of the members and others who attend, consisting of music and several prominent men will deliver addresses alt the meeting. The annual election of officers will . taka place and the next matter of import ance will be. largely to exchange idea* and discuss various subjects consent ed with the industry in the hope of helping one another and of rendering better service to the profession and to the public whom they serve., Further announcement will be made' through the press. : ' The following are the officers of the association: ,. . _ . . rl J. W. Stout, president,Sanford; ,17. Underwood, vice president, Wilming ton- D. M. Wilcox, vice president,*Bes-, semer City; Nello D. Teer, vice presi dent, Durham; ' K. H. Halyburton. treasurer, Hamlet; O. Max j Gardner, general counsel, Shelby. , , Enormous Throngs^ See Cape Fear Fair (Special to The Star) FAYETTEVII-DB, Oct- 25.—With am Lttendaace Which exceeded that. • of ast year’s big day, the Cape Fear ’air today witnessed the climax of Its ive-day session. The crowds in town odav were the largest seen here in rears, and the Atlantic Cdast Dine was impelled to put «*tra coaches on some if the afternoon trains" to get the Measure seekers out of town. The Pickpockets working aaR?hg the t hr png were a ^little more ac«Y« than usual. 3ne Of their victims had Just drawn 4ve hundred dollars frojn a lecgl hank it luckily decided at t^e last moment o take 1400 of it in'a cashier’s check, illlltary ^police arrested:, one mam who £as not identified by the loser. . .. HARVEY'S FAREWELL 1 SPEECH IS SENTIMENT OF COOLID6E REGIME __/ France is Nation Which Closes Door to Any American Aid on Continent SO-CALLED HUGHES PLAN IS ONLY HOPE Indications Are That the Next ' Request Must Come From - France Herself By DAVID LAWRENCE (Copyright, 1923, by The' Star) WASHINGTON, Oct 25.—Ambassa dor George Harvey’s farewell speech telling Great Britain informally' that the United States is anxious to help Europe but that the door has been closed by Europe herself is exactly in line with the feeling of the' Washing ton administration and be re garded as an answer to all She pleas for American aid which lStSily have been directed toward this c(Wjtry.;.. Former Prime MinisteSy* IJoyd George, Premier Smuts of ; -'Sfcuth Africa, and publicists galoretftspfsv'e been continually saying that the'ffftlgtrt States could help Europe and^BWbt help. But the revelation by Ambassa dor Harvey that the door has been closed and no invitation for American help issued is the t truth of a situa tion no less enjoyed by the American government than the Europeans who want the United States to help. France is Responsible ■ The government which closed the door is France and the individual re sponsible! is Premier Poincare. Practi cally all of Europe may ask for Ameri ca to interfere in arranging the repara tions problem or the economic situa tion generally, but uninvited by the I principals the United States will not heed the request. For the fact is that the desire for American aid Is today almost pnanimous in Europe but the single dissent Is sufficient to keep America _ away. That dissent comes from France, the most powerful mili tary country in Europe. So while appeals may come from all quarters of the globe, the United States, will w'ait for an invitation from France. Except for the publication of speeches like that *>f Ambassador Harvey, which In itself is a significant event, the United States government will not renew its' proffers °f The speech made by Secretary pfffffiie Hugfiea, the plan proposed therein now J*r oujt of date and needs, modification oh whether some other plan which will be more effective is proposed, nothing will be done by America until an ex plicit request for intervention comes from all the principal powers. Administration Policy The position of the Coolidge admini stration, i as outlined by Ambassador Harvey who, it will be remembered, spent several days in Intimate confer ence with the new president as his personal guest at the white house, is that America respects the underlying principle of a Monroe doctrine applied to Europe, namely that while the United 'States would brook no inter vention from Europe unless Invited so Europe can hardly ■ expect ! the United States to take the initiative in Anything in the old world unless in vited. . . The opposite viewpoint is ; held of I course by the democrats who contend that America" .doesn’t have to be in vited to engage actively in plans for the rehabilitation of Europe because .American commerce is directly in volved . and because America became partner in the allied and associated power gi’oup in April 1917 and retains the-.privileges of a principal/ The United' States is ■ still Insistingupon theexercise of legal rights derived from mat partnership agreement and the co-operatlonists say this imposes on America the • obligation ■ of using her diplbmatlc influence for the set tlement of all problems that " may 'be located in Europe but' which like Germany reached * beyond the 'Atlantic and dragged America into the' great est war of all history. Ambassador Harvey’s speech Is an accurate reflec tion of the cautious policy of ‘ the present administration here : but ■ it (does not necessarily give the viewpoint of the opposition party In America." Daniels Declares .. Big Navy Essential ... , ... .>'; ! Should Be Second to None in World He Says ' % : ASHEVILLE, Oct 25—"So long as [there Is no world-wide agreement through the league of nations or some other organization, it is imperative duty of the United .States to make its navy second to none in the world” Josephus ‘Daniels, "secretary^-of the navy during the world war said tonight, issuing a Navy Day statement, i • “The Navy,” continued Mr:' Daniels, “to be strong and useful must be safe ly anchored in^the hearts of the people. "Its gr^at record during .the'world war,” he said ‘brought it close to the homes and hearts of the American peo pled More than 600,000 men paving serr ved in the navy during the'Vworld war. The more- the'.pedple know about the navy and its work,-, the more they will understand the -national obligation to keep it safe and'-strongr During the War‘the navy transported 2,079,888, men /to- France without the loss of a single man by enemy Submar ines or other vessels on the way over.” here is a record , • ASHEVILLE, Oct; 25.—Postal- author ities here are* claiming the record for the .“Christmas mail early” campaign, having, today, forwarded a package to Memphis, Tenn., marked “Do not open until Christina*.” „ ’ GOOD NEWS " .1 Secretary of Navy Denby, hla frlehds iare g:lai; to kndw, is: again outj- til the' hospSaX.”. He suffered with a tbriv tendon ItfcSfehh ffeel, and still ntust; use the japph, 1m.: the •; photo shows. Snapped '^phe c^irje 'fyom the Ortho pedic hospital, Jfew York. _-■■ ’-:-—i. WARRANTS ENTERED Ml WINSTON B 4 Disappearance Re tery; Finn Part no Stateme' Hr* WINSTON-SAIjFM, Pet. V&B-jFive warrants of attaqiiijneht werevtoiteped in the Forayth eoftnty court antStthree’ were entered In the superior courlshere today against T^uIb A.iMayhew, u%ose tron Tufty aftei:: tiiercceTpt’dT ,»if inquiry 'ffiijm "Bassett, Va., relative to the finding of ah abandoned car there. The missing . man was .associated with the brokerage firm of Mayhew and WJmbish, and has been in business here for about two years. He is thought ttr have'left here for Greens* boro. Sunday night on a business trip. His continued: absence did not cause any' investigation until the inquiry came from* the . Virginia authorities. The car bore a Winston-Salem .license plate, and this, with the state license identified■. it as: belonging to bouts Mayhew. The finding of the car in Virginia and the belief that Mayhew left here on the: 8:50 o'clock train Sun day night have raised-a question that has not yet been solved by. those In vestigating the case, r The warrants of attachment were entered against * property owned by Mayhew in the city. The warrants In the superior court weie made against Mayhew and the firm of Mayhew and Wlmbish. John G. Wlmbish, partner inr tlje firm,, hast not made any statement as to the disappearance of his partner or as to the state of affairs the business was left in. .The warranto were made by clients of the firm. He told the local press yesterday,that he would not make any statement for a. few days, at least, until he Is certain-that his part ner does not intend to return. ■ ' ■ ’ General •• Freak j-esolutlon almost disrupts boll weevil' conference. .' ; ’ ' ■ ? Starved mobs in Germany clash with police in raids. <*■„ ’’V 1 , I,t.’gfov. Trapp, of Oklahoma, is de clared In: charge by' judge. Harvey’s' farewell, speech in London suits administration. ." Llyod beorge visits Washington for the day, calling on Wilson.. State Christian. Endeavor delegates, ready. (Or conference. '. ■( - - jk v ■ Architects-flip report on. Fayetteville, court house. , < ^ Winston-Salem, broker Is mysterious- j ly missing while Warrants are en tered against him. , - Secretary Daniels declares, in Ashe ville, speech, for bigger navy. "1 Fayetteville fair registers record breaking crowd.. V; .. ., , i 'Local ,! .'/ ! ' 1 U. S. 8. Cjfse arrives at Southport, and -will arrive here today. , Belgian > steamer Gand.brings huge cargo of fertiliser here. . , , Good weather brings,, good crowds to Southeastern' fair. v '. '5| £ ■! Tarheel -contractors i will meet here in November.' - A ‘. ‘ / ’ , Editorial - ■■ , , Efficient porta a national' need. Furniture. manufacturing and importance to *North Carolina. X its Rep; Thomas Takes ' ’ on WASHINGTON," pet. 25.—Represen tative Thomas, democrat, 6f ’Oklahoma, who recently visited Mpecle Shoals, de claredtin a statement fo’day that.if the present)’administration did pot adopt a pofldy ■ of acceptance of;1 the' Ford proposition ,.foir the, disposition of Mus- -| cle :Shoals, congress - should declare against-the policy of-private exploita tion of wafer power-development and should declare In, favor, of . altpollcy, of developing,valuable water'power sites for the “benefit ;»f the publla. . WkMM’t > v.' JOKER PARAGRAPH IN RESOLUTIONS ALMOST ROUTS WEEVIL PARLEY Would Have TJken Contro : From Conference and Made it dy Wind jamming?'Body SENATOR RANSDELL HURRIES TO THE RESCUE Resolutions Coiq| to Session to-: Repc ►ittee Goes In' $ng in Full lay NEW ORLEANgglpct. 25—An inno cent looking paragraph in the length; report of the cofflagSttea in vestlgating the scientific sj^gcf killing the bol weevil almost bt^gght the national bol weevil menace-jSSnference to an enc late today. (W Its adoptiop^would have taken th» forming of sSlfermanent organization out of the kjrijfgfjr of the conference and left that body with nothing else to dc except to listen to persons who desired to .talk on almost any subject the; miglit bring up Gusiness men :who had coipei long, distances in response to in viiatfbns to participate in the confei efrqe eventually awakened to that fact and made a fight against it, but they put up only a iheak showing in face oi the scientific .and non-scientific weevil killers, it ivas not until Senator Joseph KaSsldeil of Lcmisiana, took the lead in a jBjifceful sally' against it that the par. agtafch finally was stricken from the rt port. The paragraph follows: This Is the Bill. "We recommend that the president o fthe- convention and four other repre senting various.'interests in cotton pro | duction and- consumption serve with him" as a committee ‘on .perfection of a pefrmartent Organization which.commit tee shall l?e empowered' to cortfferwith a Kttrtiiir committee,- proposed by the as st'MjMion.- of southem agriculture- work. ,er's iwltk a view to bringing into exi stence apermarnent organization which drill provide the co-ordination, coreia tion and augmentation of plans and facilities for weevil control investiga tion and for the adoption of the best practices -throughout the cotton belt and further to secure the fullest posfble cooperation, intellectually and finan. cialiy among all interested parties in this final solution of this surpassingly important weevil control problem.” The association of southern agricul, tural workers, it developed in the.dis cussion, will meet November, 1. This or rganization is said to be composed ot agricultural college professors and workers of the various government re seftjkjr-ptKtlons. graph. C. G. IWvds, Jr., chairman ap pointed the resolutions committee, which went into session immediately. This committee has instructions to re port tomorrow morning with sugges tions for a permanent organization. The resolutions committee is com posed of H. M. Royce, vice president of the New York, Cotton exchange; Dr. J. W: Lea of Jackson; La., one of the sailers of the conference; R. D. Bowen, of Texas; Dr. W. D. Hunter, of the United States department of agricul ture; W. R. Scott; president of th.e ■Southern Pacific railroad of Texas; H. S. Mobley, of the Illinois Manufactur ers Association; J. W. Arrington, of Sreenvljle S. C., O. E. Bradfutte of the American Farm Bureau; L; K. Nichol son, editor of the Times-Picayune, of New Orleans; Dr. Tate Butler, of Mem phis; J. W. Fox of Scott, Miss, and Miss Duncan of Oklahoma.\ ' Calcium Arsenate Keconuncnaci Calcium arsenate appjied’-either as a syrup mixture or In the form of dust before the blossoms form was recom mended to the conference by the. special committee of investigation, as the pro per weapon to be directed at the cottpn pest. . The recommendation was embodied in the report of the committee which suggested there should be one treat ment with the poison, and possibly two. It declared that when dusting was re sorted to there was better control of he weevil after the plants had reached the blossom stage and it urged that the dusting be done early in the season. The Florida method, developed at the Florida experiment station 3t Gainsviell, the committee said, result ed in good control of hibernated wee vils and'reduces the attack in the ear ly part of the season, increasing th'e yield, but this treatment sometimes leaves the field subject to re-lnfesta tion, causing a shorter fruitage period. The Florida method involves removal o fsquares from the cotton plant in conjunction with the dusting- — Reeves Is Permanent Chairman The general session of the-conference began today with the election • of Mr. Reeves, president of the ■ Louisana bankers association as permanent chair man and the appointment of J.- C. Ber ry, secretary of the ! association, as secretary of the conference. - * ■ ' The speakers included • Governor John M. Parker of Louisiana; -former governor Frank O. Lowden,- of Illinois, and Senator Ransdell. . Mr. Lrowden, declared that • American farmers during 'the -last- three years had had a more trying time -than ever before in the country's history, - urged greater cooperation in marketing- or ganisations, which would enable them to . work in greater unison-on-produc ing methods and measures to eliminate insect pests. ■'••••. Steel King Urges Better Co-operation NEWYORK, Qct. 2 5.—Doubt. that America can' now. be of much , asslst ance iif restoring European equilibrium and faith that prosperity wlll/tAntlnue in the United States if busings . men co-operate with President Cooiidgei to day waS expressed iby Elbert. B. Gary, chairman of the board o-f the -United StatesfSteel corporation in an address before' the American1 Iron and Steel in stitute; of which he is president;.’ :r -“It would not be appropriate for us to take sides in European controver sies nor 1 to ’ condemn individual, atti tudes or conduct.” he said, .“hut - - we know' •the/ gt’eat seas are not wide enough to‘separate us from the.itifhi ences otdisaster in Europe." \ - • i. , , ? /t \ 1 ~~ * , : £%**>&}* ' •» ■ " -J. ■Sil$&*S£feS ^British Invitation toU. S. Catches Publicby Surprise: i Press i4fco Found NappiMg j Lloyd George Has Big Day at Capitol 1 WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (By soda ted Press)-—Daiid 4 George came to Washington tod^ay to find a friendly handclasp await ing him at the official thresholds he crossed. There was almost ho ceremony about this first visit of the sturdy little Welchman to the American capital. He spent the day making new acquaintances among the men who now guide American destinies and in an hour’s fireside chat with an old friend and col league of the trying months at Ver sailles. Mr. Lloyd George met President Goolidge,. all cabinet members and other high officials of the the Wash ington government during the day Both during his calls at the white house and the state department; and at the white house luncheon, he lat er, attended, conversation was gen eral in ^fts scope but It could, not ^ help'but be tinged with the color of world events in which he men with whom he talked are participating,' l *-■---J • _________ HUNGRY MOBS SACK GERMAN SHOPS; MANY CLASH WITH POLICE A Thirteen-Year-Old Boy is Shot !; v to Death;. Little Girl is Injured BERLIN, Oct. 25.—(By the Associat ed Press).—The pillaging of shops and potato fields and the inevitable san guinary clashes between the hungry ; mobs and police continued to be the outstanding feature of the news pub lished in Germany. Today’s reports ffrom more than 50 points throughout Germany yield an impressive cross Bectional cataclysmic' social 'situation in which all classes of the population apparently, are' being graduaiy en gufed. , » The recurring dearth of bread and ; andsuph^elief ernment hastily devises ; lavaflablj founded on. the price confusion caused hy .the rapidly deteriorating currency. ^Berlin today again: was the scene oi boisterous rioting, crowds storming the bake shops and public markets in va rious sections of the capital. About a thousand men, women and children this morning invaded the municipal potato fields in the eastern suburbs and when these Were exhausted, proceeded to loot private premises. The police were forced to intervene and in the ensuing disorders a boy of 13 was shot to death and a little girl seriously wounded. Reports from a half dozen mining centers in the Ruhr indicate that, the food situation there is daily becoming more chaotic, continually calling for armed intervention by the local aU fhnritioR tn nnt down the outbreaks. MISS BLAIR RAPS REPUBLICAN MOVES, DECRIES MR. SLEMP Civil Service is Much Abused, Democratic Committeewo J man States . ■WASHINGTON, Oct. '26,—Women voters were urged to investigate the “abuses of , civil, service by the repub licans," by Miss Emily Newall Blair, vice-chairman of the democratic com mittee, in a. statement today. She Charged that the .‘‘republican adminis tration has returned;; outright to -the spoils system, a®& ;i8;. clinging to the service'in name- only/* Mrs. Blair called attention to re marks of f.ormer Postmaster General Work and postmaster General New oh postoffice appointments, in which she -declared “they ignored efficiency rat ings to -give jobs to policy henchmen.” Dozens of cases have been cited, she said, and hundreds of others have not been written ‘into the records. i “I know that no womah,” Mrs. Blair said, “will fail to see the injustice in the treatment of A. P. Davis, scientist and expert engineer, 36 years in the government .‘employ, who was ousted as director of reclamation by Secretary Work in order that his job might go to D. W.. Davis, of Idaho, a politician and grocer. There’ ate other equally vicious acts." Mrs. Blair' referred to C. Bascom Siemp, secretary .to President . Cool idge, as "secretary of patronage,” and declared continuation in office of Mr. Siemp "and his type of politicians means the turning of. hundreds of thousands of office appointments and other jobs now Under civil service, oyer to the highest bidder . . Deficit is Reported. NEW YORK,- Dot.' 25—The American Cotton Oil company -reported a deficit of 65,717,609 for its fiscal year ending August 31, 1923, according, to the cor poration's annual-report made public today: . ‘ A? • ■ Referring- to tile company's policy at curtailing the cotton seed Oil endt President George K. Moyrow said the corporation had decided to decentral lie on soap and washing powder pro ducts. ■im —-~1 pondence of Foreign Shows London Of< Anxious American Participation 0 }■ fUaZON WANTS NATION’S HELP WITH REPARATIONS f No Official Opinion, However Can Be Gleaned From For* eign Office Attaches. , LONDON, Out. 25.— (By tlie Associa ted Pres?).—Correspondence Issued by the foreign office tonight showing that the British-government had seis ed the occasion of the first public statement'by President Coolldge' of the ■situa^jfth in/. Europe to send another formal invitation to the Washlngtor . government^ tty .co-operate In a new conference in, an • effort to settle the reparation difficulty, came almost as a coniplete-surprise to the public and newspaper*;, , ,*% „ , - ; . , • 4 ■ The Bechet had been well kept, es pecially considering the presence In . London, of, all the empire representa tives. who must have been aware bi the .move,, which undoubtedly whs discussed in the confidential debates in the imperial conference on foreign af fairs. ’ ' Lord Curzon’s request is for Amer ican participation, in any form, either official. or unofficial or alternatively, to participation in an Inquiry by a ‘special commissioh appointed by the reparation commission. Whether fhe government’s move was prompted by General Smuts or whether General Smuts’ famous speech was intended to lend weight to’ the government’s move is not khdwn, 'but it will be noted that ' Geiiebal Smuts' proposal was for a conference of all tile powers including the neutrals, not merely, those inter ested in reparations. : ' emphasise Three PAlnts In his reply, to Lord Curzon, rieerg-' tary Hughe? declareathat th.e United States is willing to take part' in1 an economic conference, in which all the European allies chiefly concerned itf German reparations participate, for. the > purpose of ascertaining Germany's ca-, pacity to pay and an appropriate* plan -' for payment. He emphasizes tlirea points, however, ‘ first, thatthe United States has ho desire to.see Ger many relieved, of her responsibilfty^dri just obligations, , regard must be had for Germany’s capa,city to pay and for the fundamental condition Sf Germany’s rehabilitation; second, that such con fevemte. should be ji;SVbiory.an4 tKitfc Wipe#*\of :fcbei,thter-amV ; debt Is entirely separate fro'm’the. ques tion of reparations. •" ? - N^official opinion could be gleaned at the foreign office tonight, but the general, view seems'to be that there , is not sufficient, evidence in Hughes • attitude as revealed -by the correspond-i ence, as to warrant a very strong hop? that the suggested conference'will ma- ’ terialize. fjrunve may uppose It is feared that France still will oPP0se any such suggestion, mors es pecially as Mr. Hughes so firmly main tains, the position that the question of • the inter-allied debt must be treated' separately from that of reparations, j confirming that the new President has no more intention than his predecessor of forgiving the allied debts. The publication of the correspond ence was clearly planned to synchron ize with Premier Baldwin’s state ment of his government’s policy- a* regards . the reparations question apd to attract some of the lightning likely to strike the government on the reali zation that part of this new effort to secure American • co-operation, ‘ .the British government’s policy is still that of waiting for France to move. The telegram from Marquis Curzon secretary for foreign affairs to the British, ’charge d’affaires at Washing ton, October 12, says: "The information. w(hich reaches America will have acquainted the'Am erican government with the extreme critical economic position that has arisen in Europe owing to failure to ■ find any solution for the reparation ■< problem, which’ daily becomes'. mJrh acute as the financial and political condition of Germany grows worse. ' There does not appear to be, among the European powers, that unity of thought which either renders common action feasible or will be successful in fixing an early solution. His majes ty’s government has, during the past nine months, made a series of propos als to the#*<*11168 for meeting these difficulties, none of which ■=' has been so fortunate as to meet with a measure of acceptance^ sufficient to bring about common action. -And yet, without such action, not merely Germany, but Eu rope, appears to be drifting into eco nomic, disaster. “IiythesfcdJKmmstances his majesty's’ govern mawr, have for long entertained the belief that the co-operation of th* United States government is an essen tia1 condition.-of any real advance tow ards a settlement. America, by reason i of her position and history, is more disinterested than any of the European powdrs; at the same time she is di rectly and vitally concerned with the - solution of the European problem, -If 1 for1 no'other reason ’because in It '1s involved the question of the inter-al lied debt. * - • - 4. A Assistance Welcomed “When Mr. Hughes made his declara ition in December last; both Great Brit ain and Germany made It clear that they would warmly welcome proffered assistance. And whenever the sugges tion has been revived it has met with the hearty approval of his majesty's government. ; - ' •• r > j "The French’ government , hitherto has taken a different view. This lack ' of unanimltyjs, so far as his majesty's government are .aware, the sole reason : why the proposal has not been proceed ed with. * t ... 1 ,ifi ‘‘Hhr majesty’s government wCre al ready engaged in formulating, an In'- , quiry to the United States as to the manner in which, in the opinion of the latter-united action, which is the' com mon desideratum, could best be brought about, when they read Jn the press yesterday morning a- declaration re ported to have,been mad*.by President ^ ( (Contslnusd on -Pag**®##^ - ' - “. .. - i