Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1914-10-08
Europe Able
z Q Care For
O@n People

MIR. and Mrs. w. D. Porter have re-
ceived a copy of the Superior Telegram
which contains a contribution in which
the writer believes that Europe should
care for her own people. Among other
things the writer says:
Editor Superior Telegram
Next Sunday is Peace Sunday"
On that day all the citizens of the
United States are invited to attend
church and to pray, properly enough,
for peace. But they are also invited,
on the same occasion, to contribute: to
fund for the relief of the ''war
widows" and the war orphans" of
Europe. Now Mr. Editor, for the
very reason that the words widows
and orphans are terms with which
70 conjure among the kind hearted
people of this country, it is extremely
desirable that little calm reflection
and forethought should be given to
the matter. Let us consider, for exam
pie, the following indisputable matter.
This country is indebted to Europe.
in sums so colossal as to stagger the
imagination. At the beginning of the
present war, it was in fact estimated
that we owed Europe about six thous-
and million dollars. All the gold on
earth would not begin to pay this debt.
1t amounts to sixty dollars per inhabi-
tant of this country man, woman and
child. To offset this vast amount of
indebtedness, Europe owes to US practi-
cally nothing. There can be no question
about the existence of this state of af-
fairs, which, though not fiattering to
the good sense and economy Of a coun-
try of vast natural resources, is none
the less for that reason, a fact and
ought like every other fact to be. faced
squarely. I might go still further than
have, and point out that many
of the railroads Of this coun-
try are owned body and soul Gf
railroads have souls) by the financiers of
Europe. The great FIGURING industries of
the United States are largely owned IN
Europe. Vast tracts of land In, this
country are held by numerous Europe
ans. And so on. But, not to weary
your readers, | may state, very briefly
that, in spite of the great balance of
trade each year in our favor, that bal
! ance does not take into account
the 500, 600, 600 spent in Europe year
ly by tourists from the United States;
it takes no account of the vast sums
which titled foreigners yearly marry
! awav from this country land most i'm
portant point of all, dess not take into
consideration the floods Of gold sent to
Europe yearly in payment of enormous
sums of interest and dividends: By
these othe. items which do not appear
n "the balance of trade, - that balance
is more than wiped out every year, so
that, had it not been for the continu a.
discovery of gold in this country and
Alaska, this country, long ago, could
not have paid it's bills to Europe.
Now this was the state of affairs
when the European war broke out.
And, Mr.. Editor, whose war was that
war? The war of the German people
Not at all. The war Of the English
people? By no means. Whose then?
Why, it was simply European fnan-
ciers' war, trade war. All the world
knows that that is true. ~
And now these plutocratic European
magnates-the very men who have
made these widows and orphans-turn
to this great nation Of debtors, Amer
ica-a nation which in the best OF
times, must run to Belgium, Germany,
England and France, and pray for mon
ey with which to build ten mile line
of railroad and pitifully beseech us
saying, please, Oh please to take
care of our poor.