Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-07-26
War and Profits.

David Starr Jordan, who writes fire.
quently of the financial forces At work
behind the scenes of war. making skill
full use of the patriotism Of the people
for their own benefit, discusses The
Higher Politics" in the current number
of the Independent He tells how
French banks had large amounts of
money invested in Turkey, and at the
same time lent the money which arm
ed the Balkan allies for war against
Turkey. The fortunes of war, he points
out affect the people, but not their
eXptoiters. The disappearance of SOY
ereignty is not allowed to cancel debts.
1T is tire triumph of diplomacy" he
SAYS, that the sick man of Europe is at
| last allowed to die, and this without
| discommoding his internal parasites,
| for whose sake he has been kept alive
| for tie thirty-five years since the
| treaty of Berlin And France, he says,
does not stand alone in these relations.
Austrian and German banks have sim
| liar interests. So he says that the Bal
kan Nar went on as a side issue with
its patriotism,<its horror and its sacri-
fees, the final result lying with the
agents of the various conflicting in
terest5.
The governments of the world" de-
clares DR.. Jordan, take the risks of
imperialism. The great trading, mining
and exploiting corporations receive the
gains. In almost every large transaC-
ton of every government. there is this
constant source of confusion. What the
nation spends should be balanced by
what the nation receives. 1t is not
enough to estimate our outgoes' on the
one hand and our receipts on the 9TH
CT when the outgoes are drains on the
public funds and the receipts are pri-
waite gains. This fallacy of administra-
ton may be found on every hand in
connection with almost every item of
public expenditure Public expenditure
turned to private gain in the very es
sense of privilege, and privilege wher-
ever found is the betrayer of justice
the antithesis of democracy.
THE British navy, among other
things, Is supposed to safeguard the
Indian trade. The actual profits of this
trade can not much exceed the part
Of naval expenditure engaged in insnr-
ing it, But this cost is paid by the
British people, While the profits of
trade accrue to just those few among
all British citizens who are least likely
To divide with the people at large, who
have made great fortunes possible
Dr. Jordan quotes Norman Angel,
" no imagnes an Englishman watching
the coronation procession of soldiers
Of all races. and saying:
[ own India. Africa and Antipodes,
the islands of the tropic seas, the SHOWS
of the north. the jungles of far conti-
nents, and ! am starving for a crust
of bread. rule all the black millions
from which these legions have been
drawn. My word is law in half a world.
and negro savage turned from me in
disgust when | cringed before him
for aims.
There is no wrong in exploitation as
such" says Or, Jordan "Fhere is no
reason why the people of the earth
should not utilize its resources. The
evil lies in the use of the national au-
thority as a tool for private gains. This
evil is intensified in proportion as the
private instrusion is backed up by
armed force Indiana polls News