South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-02-16
Five Minute Talks by
National Leaders
HOW LONG WILL 1T TAKE FRANCE
To RECONEE FROM THE EFFECTS
or THE WAR?
BY MYRON T. HERRICK
Former Ambassador 10 France.

after the coming Ot peace, 10 recover
from the effects of the war?
Who can tell? To hazard an an
swer one would have To know how
much longer the war will last. what
the French losses in men and money
will be and what the terms o. peace
will be.
one thing is certain in the mind
OF every Frenchman and every
French woman-France will not be
beaten. The battle Of the Marine de-
cided that. The France of 1914 was
not the France of 1870.
Naturally. the terms Of peace will
have a decided effect on the recup-
erative process. = victory that would
include the recovery of Alsace-Lor-
raine. the definite ending of the
menace of German invasion, the at
tainment of all that France is fight
ing for. would have wonderfully
stimulating effect on her people,
even though she should come out Of
the war pretty we'll drained of men
and money. The French are more
susceptible than some peoples TO that
sort OF physiological influence. as
was illustrated by the effect OF the
war of 1870.
On the other hand, they would be
disheartened for future exertiOns If.
after their prOdigiOus efforts and
sacrifices. the war should end I'm a
draw. This they are determined
shall not be the issue. While France
| lives there will be no peace without
victory for her.
1t is true that the fighting on the
western front has been almost whol-
| ly in France and Belgium, and that
the strip OF northern France now
| held by Germany or actually in the
| battle zone includes some of the
most valuable industrial territory
| that France has. 1t mas been stated
! that so per cent of the normal pig
iron production and 20 per cent Of
the steel production of France Is in
the region now held by Germany.
The French expect 10 get all this
northern territory back at or before
/ the end of the war. The re-acqui-
sition of Alsace-Lorraine would give
them also the rich fields of iron ore
I
There are many points of differ
ence between the situation of the
| United states at the end of our civil
war and the probable conditions in
France when she energies from this
war. We were d divided people
then; France has been unified by the
war. We were new country, with
vast areas vet TO be opened up;
France can concentrate On recon
struction.
During our war the unusual de-
mands for goods and produce Great
/ ed by it and by the shutting off OF
foreign competition through high
/ tariffs made an industrial boom in
| the northern states somewhat like
that which the European war has
made here for the last two years.
| High prices and high wages contin-
ued four or five years after the war.
| Then there came a reaction, cul-
minating in the panic of 1873, from
which the north did not fully re-
cover until the resumption Of specie
payments in 1879. Thus it was
about 10 years before the northern
states ceased to feel the effects of
/ the war.
The south, which had been a rich
and prosperous part of the country
before the war, felt its effects much
more than the north and was a good
deal slower in recovering.
The process of reconstruction in
/ the South was not even we'll under
way until the election of Mckinley
/ i'm 1896 opened a new area of pros
perity that was shared by all sec
tons of the country. Soon after the
! S-au'sh war. uniting north and
sou in a patriotic and humanitar-
/ ian rand, practically completed
the uuification of the country. but
the southern states had lost % years
orlmore in getting back TO normal.
France will not need any such
length of time as that to return TO
normal conditions unless some un-
| foreseen developments should de-
plete her resources TO point that
is still remote. There is sure TO be
a reaction. Nations, like indiVid-
nails. cannot undergo terrific strain
and loss without subsequent effect
There Will be delay and confusion
in making the change from war t.
/ peace But the French are vigor-
Gus race and look for a rapid res
toration of the country.
Financially, France is better of
than most of the belligerents. The
land is fertile. fully occupied and
highly productive under a system OF
intensive cultivation, aided by ade-
ouate methods of rural finance. Di-
rection of military and civil affairs
is in strong hands. The business
men and the labor ORGANIZATIONS, al
| sects and all classes, are standing
behind the government in the most
patriotic and self-sacrihcins man
ner.
Frenchmen are introducing the
most modern methods in their fac
tories and are organizing produc-
ton on a large and efficient scale
heretofore unknown.
Il Most important of all. the French
people are united in spirit and in
purpose. Forgetting ancient differ
ences they are welded together in a
national unit TO carry through an
undertaking to which as individuals
and as a nation they have set them