Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-11-22
Germans Wm' Profits.

indemnities Germany can pay cannot
- be answered accurately. of course eX-
cept through a comprehensive investigation
such as the Allied Governments are now prob
ably conducting. That her resources for meet
ing Just demands are great. however, appears
from even casual reflection upon the financial
condition in which she entered the war, the
enormous booty she seized in the course of its
prosecution, the unchanged state of her fields
and industries in contrast with those of the
countries she invaded, and the low per capita
war cost which her people have borne in COM
parson with that of the Allies.
/ Germany's financial preparedness for her
long plotted raid was as thorough as her mill
tary preparedness For years the Potsdam
lbattle-chest had been heaped in readiness, one
of its particularly interesting deposits being
the untouched billion dollars of gold mulcted
as indemnity" from France in 1871. The
leading financiers of the Empire knew as well
as the Kaiser himself what was brewing, and
they fell in with the scheme as avidly as the
arch militarists. expecting to reap prodigies
of wealth from their bread cast so freely on
the red waters. 1t is apparent, indeed, that
the German people as whole regarded the
war in its earlier stages as glittering ad-
venture which would flood them all with for
IAnes squeezed from conquered foes, so that
they eagerly poured out their money to add
a huge reserve to the Potsdam chest.
Once on enemy soil, Germany proceeded to
conserve these vast funds by levying upon the
invaded country. Scores and, perhaps, hun
dreds of millions of dollars were wrung from
en- md
forced loans. Besides these pseudo-legal ex-
tortions, millions were unceremoniously stolen
in the form of jewels. coin and household
goods-stolen. not by irresponsible individuals,
but under the direction of German command
ers and with the sanction of the German Gov
eminent. Thus in the autumn of 1917, 1t is
authoritatively recorded, 'they seized at one
stroke the deposits of Allied subjects in the
Belgian banks amounting to one hundred and
twenty million dollars" and at Noyon emp
tied by order the safes and strong boxes of
private persons and banks, carrying off securi-
ties. jewelry and silver" So proud of such
loot we're the German officials that on one
occasion they published an inventory showing
how much richer were the pickings from this
invasion than from that of 1870. The most
important spoils, however, were not money
and goods, but raw material, machinery and
ensIaved labor. Throughout the invaded ter
ritory the Germans appropriated what they
did not destroy-minerals, textile materials,
foodstuffs, live stock and means of production
ION methodical plan," says French account
Of the situation, "the motor engines, machine
tools, steam and electric hammers, steel roll
ing mills, looms, models and industrial plants
of all kinds have been carried of to Ger
many" 1t seems that in northern France
alone one hundred and ten million dollars
worth of wool was stolen. Incomparably
Greater than this was the value of the agri-
cultural products of which the prosecuted peo-
pies were robbed; and there is no appraising
the enforced labor performed for Prussianism
by hundreds of thousands of terrorized civil
ians, many of whom were deported to Ger
many. All this treasure contributed largely
to the Huns enrichment, conserved the vast
hoardings of their war chest and thus marked
" reduced the cost of the war to them as COM
pared with its cost to the Allied peoples.
The renowned French critic, Andre Chera-
dame, has pointed out in this connection that
in three years of the conflict Germany spent
three hundred and twenty-five dollars and a
half per capita, or one hundred and twenty
two dollars and half less than France.
France spent four hundred and forty-four
dollars, thirty-eight per cent more than Ger
many. Great Britain spent five hundred and
fifty-nine dollars and seventy-fve cents, or
two hundred and thirty-seven dollars and a
quarter more than Germany. Thus while
Germany bears a burden OF a hundred, a
Frenchman has to bear burden of one hun
bred and thirty-eight, and British citizen
has to bear a burden of one hundred and
seventy-four." Add to this the fact that Ger
many's productive resources have been undis-
turbed by invasion and it becomes clear that
as accounts now stand the war was profitble
to her as compared with the Allies Her ex-
port trade, it is true, was virtually eliminated,
but so was that of France, and that of Britain
was immeasurably handicapped. Her war
debt is bonded for the most part to her own
people, who as a matter of simple justice
should pay their debt to outraged civilization
before reimbursing themselves. 1t is not to
be imagined that German crimes can be atoned
mere indemnities only a contrite nation
bringing forth TO- years to come fruits meet
for repentance can win absolution. But as
far as material reparation can be made, it
ought to be made; and Germany's capacity
for doing so is evidently much greater than
would have us believe.