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The Harvard International Assembly, meeting at the Liberal Club last night, decided that France was neither legally nor economically justified in her occupation of the Ruhr. The vote was five to four against France on the legal question and eight to two on the economic side. The representatives of the United States and of Canada voted for France on both questions, while the representatives of France, Belgium, and Germany were not allowed to vote.
The meeting was opened by a brief speech by V. S. Phen 2G., of China, the presiding officer. G. F. Jentsch 2G., representing Germany, then spoke on the legal justification of France's occupation of the Ruhr. He stated that France was not justified for three reasons; the clause of the tretay covering the question allowed only concerted action and France's invasion was not valid unless backed by the other signatory powers; according to international law France had overstepped the rights of "financial and economic measures" authorized in the Versailles Treaty; and finally all reprisals should be made by the Reparations Commission and not by a single nation.
Belgian Defends France
Jules Romans Sp. of Belglum defended the French action. He maintained that since the question of default in the German payments was a question of fact rather than interpretation, the treaty provided that it should be settled by a majority rather than by a unanimous vote.
Discussing the economic phase of the question, Mr. Jentsch claimed that Germany could not pay the reparations demanded. Speaking for almost an hour, and producing a mass of figures, mostly from French or Allied sources, the speaker proved that the payment to France in 25 years of 33 billion dollars, equal to the gold supply of the entire world, would be absolutely impossible.
Mr. Romans argued that the loss of Germany's navy, cables, merchant marine, and trade, has not Incapacitated her and that Germany was sending her gold marks out of the country to avoid payment.
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