New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
Bv Andre Cheradame


damages they have done to the
victims of their aggression These
.,msges are, in fact, almost beyond the
ssch of the imagination, not only be-
suse of the destruction that always
allows war, but chiefly because the
German General Staff made war i'll a
nanner scientifically studied for many
ears with the purpose of destroying
ior long period the economic wealth
snd sources of production of the Allies
The problem of PREPARATION must be
examined and solved before any Other
for the following reasons:
BY reason of her long and Grim
L. inal premeditation and the thefts
de committed on every hand during the
var, the war expenses of Germany were
sss in proportion to the population than
I hose of any of the principal Allied
1 Countries, and notably in France, which
vas the base of the coalition among the
Continental countries. 1t follows that
il reality, despite the conditions of the
nmistice she had to accept, the general
economic situation Of Germany for the
future is much less difficult than that of
france, where the devastation of her
nchest provinces has profoundly in
ured her power of economic produc-
ion.
1t follows from the foregoing
- economic situation that there
i nll be no real victory for France, and
sncc for the Allies, since practically
ieir victory depends on a durable vic
4 my for France, until the German peo-
Js have effectively restored the proper
whey have stolen and Preparations by
them have destroyed the economic su-
I penorty, which, if the situation is
analyzcd, exists in favor of Germany by
comparison with France. This condition
! Of affairs is the result of Germany's
crimes, but it exists, none the less, and
I its economic consequences are incontro-
I vsrtible
. Elementary justice demands rep
os aration in the shortest possible
! space of time. A state Of affairs that
caves German houses full of objects of
all kinds stolen from Belgium and
France, while the Belgian and French
/ INVADED regions have only paper VIC
lory cannot be called peace of JUS
! tee. The only things the French and
Begians have to lay their hands on are
] the ruins of their homes, Systematically
destroyed by the invading Bochcs.
A The economic life of France can
IL only begin again to have hope
iafuture when the devastated regions,
which we're the richest and most active
AduStrially of the country, have been
restored to their former producing pro-
PORTIONS
|. The theft of an enormous amount
" of property by the Germans in
he invaded regions has had large
part in increasing the cost of living all
over France. For example, the theft of
nndreds of thousands of mattresses by
4 he Germans in the invaded regions has
sent UP the price of mattresses all over
4 france Now that the invaded regions
\ nave been liberated and the problem
& arises of their reconstruction, the price
mattresses is very important, cspe-
/ 'aly as there arc very few of them on
4 ne market. This is an effect of the law
supply and demand which will be
duplicated in the case of every dcscrlp
%n Of movable object stolen by the
GERMANS. Consequently, the restitution
the objects stolen by Germany will
"htrlbute to diminish the cost Of living
all over France and ought to receive
immediate attention.
Z Finally, to make the Germans
20 repair the damages they have
'sused would be to transform into real
SAu durable victory what is at present
WY paper victory.
~ understand exactly what the prob
%