The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-11-30


enemy from Belgium, France Italy Russia, Roumania
and Serbia The Germans and their allies could not
turn in full all that they have TAKEN and there is no
for assuming that they will return any part of it
that not wrenched from them One of the first duties
of the allied powers to get control and possession of
the material which the enemy robbed from invaded terri
tories If this material is not returned speedily to the
owners the regions despoiled by the enemy win suffer
keeny and unnecessarily, while the enemy will profit
by his crimes.
Evidently it is the purpose of the Germans to make it
impossible for the allied powers to this movable
property Under the pretext of separat the
enemy is trying to confuse the allies and prevent them
from fixing upon any Germans the responsibility for
restoration Germany is to be split into republics"
and each of these to put up poor mouth and point
to its neghbor the possessor of the stolen goods In
the meantime there is great activity among the Germans
in the way of concealng loot cashng all assets and pre-
pairing for the anarchy that seems to be imminent
The great allies permit this subterfuge to sue
ceed The German nation whole is the worlds assa
1t must be held to account as a whole The allies must
without delay compel the return of stolen property wher-
located and without regard any counterfeit titles
invented to defraud the victims There are certain kinds
of property which cannot be changed in character such
as machinery much of which can be reclaimed 1t is
indispensable to the Money cannot replace this
equipment Immediately or at all. The machinery and
nt ho Ao
able them to operations and thus relieve the bur
den that weighs down each of the victim nations
If the separatist movement and bolshevism become
rampant in Germany there will be no alternative for the
allied powers. They will be compelled to forces
into the region constituting the former German empire
and there take possession of the property that the sole
remaining asset of the German people. This property
account Much of it is French and Belgian property that
is merely in possession of thieves But such of it as
purely German must be subject seizure security for
the payment of Germany's debt.
One two of the allies must have raw materials with
out delay France is rather fortunate in having recov
cred deposits of materials in Lorraine Bel
GUM, Serbia and Roumania are also about to recover
not fare WE'LL since the territory claimed and recon
quered by her destitute of such materials COAL iron
oil The materials of Germany ought to be placed
at the disposal of the allied nations on an adequate
basis which would neither deprive the Germans of their
livelihood subject the allies to undue hardship The
from these German materials should be credited
part payment of Germanys debt In this way the
allied Of
chat urgently needed supply their factories and
farms, They could then employ their people and ex
pedite the process of reconstruction.
This rehabilitation is at best prodigious task which
will tax the strength and resources of the entire world
The allied nations should deal with the problem the
brCadest possible basis 1t is just necessary for
ample to extend credit to the allies for reconstruction
as for purposes; and it is just as necessary in
certain for the American factories strain every
nerve to turn out reconstruction materials
produce equipment. The condition of the world
from the hour of its upset in 1914 to the day of its
nal unconng several years hence should be regarded
single problem to be solved by the combined efforts
of the nations that be depended upon to maintain
civilization and liberty Diplomacy could not prevent
the war; united force won it; and now a combination
Of better diplomacy and vgant force must repair the
damage
Germans will raise cry when the property they have
stolen is taken from them Their cries. however, can
never drown the cries of their myriad victims in many
lands those cries that will until Gods agents
this earth have done their best to substantial
iustice-Washington Post