Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-10
Tiger POrtrdys
Peril to France
Continued from Page One

laration OF independence. And the fu.
ture is before us. What has 1t in
store?
'I am told that some of these gal.
liant American soldiers. who lived in
trenches, slept in dugouts and bur.
rowed in the mud in devastated and
war.torn France, when they crossed
the Rhine and In an undevastated land
found clean beds and baths, rather
regret that they fought on the side OF
freedom and would rather have fought
on the side of the numbering Germans.
| do not believe il. 1 am sure there
is no American soldier who does not
recognize that France. the battlefield
of the war. could not give them the
comforts that Germany, undevastated.
was able to. do not and Will not be-
lieye so meanly of a single one of the
brilliant warriors who came from the
states to our aid in the great struggle
for civilization against savasery II is
incredible. 1t is the tragedy OF the
war that devastated France could not
give them the comforts that uhprokeh
Germany could.
.J believe there Is some criticism
that there have been overcharges by
the French for food and other things.
We'll. there are things to be said about
that, First. for many years the Amer.
icans have been coming TO Europe and
Nth abundant means and great gen.
erosity have been spoiling our people.
They have paid for everything with
bounteous hand. As result, they
have taught our people, who were viii
- n,1niIs tbat they were very rich
and very, very generous. 1t was only
human that our people should eXpec'
much fropl the Americans.
Relations Most Cordial
at is only fair to say that in every
case where the attention OF the trehch
Government has been brought TO n case
of extortion an earnest ana, 'hi"h'
ofsectiye effort has been made to stop 1t.
Con1naTed with the United States,
France is small country and limited
IN nor resources. Necessarily she is
nrovideut. perhaps unpleasantly care
fuI would say she is not r1iserly nor
certainly Intentionally extortionate, But
olso Won must know that all the time
our own French people have paid the
same prices for what they bought thai
our American friends have
rThrouRhout the war our relations
with the American army nave been most
cordial, and your treasury ofneiais VIII
assure you, l am sure. that there mas
always been a spirit of generosity on
.
osl,ed nayment for trenches or the
burial places of your brave soldiers is
atrocious. For all future ages the
graves of American sold 'ers Will be In
the tender and sacred keeping OF our
grateful people.
Recent disclosures have enabled us
TO look deeper into the purposes or the
enemy than we could heretofore. 1t was
not purely a dream Of military domina-
tion on the part of Prussia. 1t was a
! definite. calculated conspiracy 70 eNter.
inmate France, as well industrially ana
| commercially as in military sense. In
this effort the German bankers and
/ manufacturers Joined their general stan
| The exposures of Doctor Muehlon, OF
the Krupp works. and of Kurt Eisner
| at the Berne Socialist conference make
| this clear.
! Destruction by Huns Explained
And this fact explains many Of the
activities Of the German army which
we were not able TO understand. We
can now see why they stole machinery
from our factories, why they destroyed
the coal mines OF Lens, why there was
all the wanton devastat on OF French
territory, even when they were In re-
treat. 1t was thought to be part. o.
| their tactics of military frightfulness
| Instead, we can see now that 1t was
part of their deliberate commercial de
| sign.
"And in this phase Of their war
making effort they have not been alto
gether unsuccessful. The industrial f
OF France has been 80 wrecked that III
! sresuscitation Is most difficult, while b!
reason OF her military surrender Ger
many has been cole to save her FAC
tories intact and ready for immediate
efficient operation. lndustrially an
commercially, as between France am
Prussia. for the present the victory j
with the Hun.
"And financially, by reason OF tn
blockade. the value OF which as n mill
tary factor no one will question, tn
German war debt is almost wholly
debt TO her own people. easily repudi
dted. while the debt OF France is on
which must be paid. Here again the wa
has proved something like pyrrhic vic
tory for France.
Even as to the military triumphs owe