Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1914-10-23
EFFECT OF WAR

w nat uoSS ~ Eaths Nhob NNSS ~
Josef"
What classes in the United States
viii gain and what viii lose, and
howl"
asked these questions of long
list OF public men in Washington.
Their answers have been as varied as
their physiognomies.
"In everything except the actual
bloodshed and loss of life the United
States will suffer with the countries
actually involved in the war" say
one class of people.
1T will be the opportunity for the
United States to take the worlds
lead in finance, industry, anu COM
merce. 1t will make us the foremost
power of the world at the beginning
of the twentieth century" say the
representatives of the Numerically
opposite school.
1T marks tie twentieth century as
Americas own era" add these opti-
mists.
lit will be the last great war, :"
say the great majority. THE end of
war" say the socialists.
Two of the most interesting ex-
pressions we're made by two eminent
members of the senate Said one:
Il believe that the ruling classes
ia Europe have realized that the
time was ripe for some blood-letting;
for a great revival of patriotism, of
national feeling. They have seen the
spirit of unrest growing fast, till it
threatened their domination. Moth
ing will knit the miscellaneous fac
tions and parties together in given
country like a foreign war. The rul-
ing classes prefer to see the common
people killing each other rather than
to the let them go on thinking of
social revolution, of more democratic
government, of sheer socialism. The
people are to be permitted to eXpend
their enegies in a war at the end of
which they will be ready to come
back to their masters and lick their
wounds while the masters lay on
the lash of heavier taxes and more
autocratie government. 1t means
that the forward march of civiliza-
tion will be stopped; that social gov
ernmental, institutional development
will be turned backward at least a
generation, probably two or three
generations.
That was gloomy enough, wasn't
1t? A certain plausibility about it
too!
But the other senator tooksexactly
the other view.
"A general war means that half
the thrones in Europe win be over
turned" he declared.
1t means more republics. organ
lied on the lines of our own. 1t
means more democracy than the
world has known before, pretty
general reputation of debts, the end
of vast armies and navies, and gov
eminent with the real interests of
the whole people more sincerely in
mind than ever before
You can pay your money and take
your choice-if you like Personal
ly | didn't choose either extreme. 1t
never seemed to me that human ma
ture had been changed much by
great cataelysms.
There have been many great
wars in the past, and most of them
didn't leave very deep mark on the
surface of history.
The philosophy of history is prodl-
giously interesting. but it has occur
red to me that the philosophy that
will perhaps help the farmer and
the business man to judge the effect
of the war on his particular occupa-
ton is more practical at this time
At the outset it is necessary to in
quire where Europe is going to get
NAS - SANJ W pay lSt tue Iu1nSS IL
must buy from us during the war.
The answer may be surprising.
She will have to get it largely
from us. Just how much will we ul-
timately gain if we sell more pro-
ducts to Europe but have to furnish
Europe with the money. to pay for
them?
That is just what we will have to
do.
And the process of it is very sim
pie. Europe holds a vast amount OF
investments in the United States
bonds of our railroads, bonds and
stocks of railroads, industries. and
all manner of securities. These ag.
gregate billions. They have been
sold to European investors in the
past because we had big new coun.
try, and needed ready cash to do
Yelop 1t: Europe had the cash.
A great war will make Europt
want that money back. Her field,