American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-10-19

borrow from other countries her fnan-
cial credit would have sunk very Low
If not altogether collapsed. But as il
is the German government has met its
vast expenditures mostly By taxation
and borrowing from its own people.
This means essentially that most Of
the able-bodied men Of Germany have
been in the employ 81 the government
for the last three years and working az
var instead Of working at more pro-
htable and agreeable industries. They
have had lower wages. but in some
cases better food and clothes than for
merry The economic effect Is the
same as if the cOurtiers and capital
lists Of Germany had increased their
personal expenditure 70 the same
amount as by giving ten thousand dol
lar diners every night and smashing up
Al automobile every day. The Ger
T0an people nave lost most Of their la
Dor for three years, but they have not
lost a large part Of the property they
had al the beginning Of the var. The
land is still there. though its fertility
has not been kept up. the cities are
intact, the Libraries and museums are
safe. the mines are 10 existence. al
though they have been robbed Of part
Of their treasures.
But, generally speaking Germany
has paid for the var day by day. and
as a whole viii owe little al the end
Of the war. The German government
has already accumulated a war debt
OF 5000. 600. 900. but in 50 far as this
is owing to its own citizens it would
not make any difference to the amount
. IF mnnaw in the rrnwrrU whether 81 ia
ever paid OF not. Suppose the govern
ment should repudiate its internal
loans or all IFS creditors should burn
up their bonds. The former would be
an economic crime and the second
would be ar unparalleled act Of pa
triotism. but either course would wipe
out in an instant the var debt that
looms so large in our ina ginatiOns,
yet Germany would be not a pfennig
richer or poorer.
What has been said Of Germany ap-
plies 10 the ~belligerents as a whole.
This is practically a worldwide war.
Now the earth. as Wells has said. i'm
ports nothing but m%eteorites and ex-
ports nothing at all. All Of the great
capitalistic nations, that is all that
have accumulated any considerable
amount of available wealth. are now
numbered among the belligerents, SO
il is impossible for them as a whole
to acquire a heavy external burden OF
debt. Within each group Of belliger-
ents there have been extensive trans
fers of wealth. Great Britain. France
and the United States have made gi-
gantic loans TO their weaker allies.
: Russia, Belgium. Serbia, Italy and Ru-
mania. Germany has furnished funds
to Bulgaria and Turkey. Japan. which
has been making munitions instead Of
. fighting for the past Two years and
half, is getting relatively richer. Sucl
neutrals as Norway and Sweden anC
: the rem0ter belligerents, such as Can
: ada and Australia, have been obtain
e ing good prices for their products. bu
probably no nation. neutral or belliger
g ent. is as we'll off as it would hav.
4 been if there had been 10 war. Al
have suffered. though not in the sam
o degree.
AS we have said, all the bills hav
been paid by somebody. But the par
u who has paid for the depreciation
: OF the war and the expense of carryin.
: II on ought in many cases. 70 be re
- iiered Of the burden. When the Aus
trians burned down a Serbian cortag
I or the Germans blew up a Belgian
L factory it was the owner who stood 10.
the loss. He should be recompense,
q al the cost OF the invaders. The militar,
expenditures have been largely born
= b whose patriotic citizens who vOiun
, tarily contributed their savings TO n
government for national defense. The.
should be reimbursed at the sxpensi
Of the nation as a whole. The coun
try also owes II 10 those who havl
risked their lives in its defense tina
: they or their dependents should ueye
suffer want The financial obligation
Of these loans and pensions may ex
tend 10 the end of the twentieth cen
= fury or longer. and this is really Via
' people mean when they speak OF III
: burden laid by the war upon tutur
' generations. The point We are max
= ing is that this is not a new burde,
10 be imposed but merely a readjust
ment in the name of justice ana mere
n OF losses already sustained. We, tn
5 people now living. have paid in ful
Il for this war in blood and gold and al
y that can be done about Il is 10 see tha
g those who have suffered least or eve
1t prohted by it individually shall shar
with those who have had TO suffe
j. most.
l. All nations. even the richest OF then
live from hand TO mouth. II all IN
s people should stop working they voul
all speedily starve. There is barrel
p enough food in the best OF times :
at last from one harvest TO another. tn
re food the soldiers are living on vas prs
l. duced within the last twelve-mont
and the same X rr7ra nj mOSr of m
things they are consuming. Shoe
n rifles. clothes last only a few week
Is The submarines. aeroplanes and moi
K of the big guns nov in action hay
OF been built since the war began. A