The Broadus independent., 1919-04-10
Has New Ideals Undreamed of in 94-Futme of the Country
Turned From Agriculture to |ndustrials,-
Distant Future Is Bright, Problems to Be
Solved Are Mighty.

keep the exchange rate from mount
ing higher against France.
Mere tluctuation of exchange was
not the primary reason for barring out
the American automobiles.
AS it happened, u wel-known
French concern operated by Andre
Citroen, whose name is as well known
in France as the name of the leading
manufactures of cheap automobiles is
known in America, had turned his fac
tory over to munition production dur
ing the war. While the peace con-
converting his works into II plant for
manufacturing II small and fairly
cheap car which would take its place
as the cheapest car in France as soon
rs production could be gotten under
way.
In the meantime Citrocn was pro-
tectcd. The lot of American cars was
not to be thrown on to a market that
the French considered to be legitimate
ly Citroen's.
Close to Industrial Paralysis.
Americans in Paris did not appreci-
ate the French situation as revealed
in cold figures Of the StatiSticians,
namely, that France was on the very
verge of absolute industrial paralysis
that the country, with only one or
two false moves, might easily go into
that vicious circle of industrial mis-
E., ~ l,;& ,@,...
where the whole economic fabric had
degcnerated to a point that brought
rank ruin to the greater portion of the
population.
While France was cnacting laws that
prohibited the importation of Amcri
can manufactured articles and thereby
hoped to protect her own disrupted
factories while they got back from Il
war basis To Il peace footing Amer
ica, as she had every right to do, shut
out one of the principal commodities
the French have to sell abroad: wines,
brandies and liquors. Our national
prohibition amendment cut off ut one
stroke one of the leading products
the French had hoped to sell in the
United States. There was of course
no spirit of retaliation on the part of
America in this--it was simply the
working out of Il strictly national prob
lem
American officials here in Paris who
were watching the strained relations
between the Americans and certain
cliqueS of the French used to point
out that America must make due al
loWanceS for the critical problems of
reconstruction days in France and re-
member that any unjust commercial
discrimination ordered by the French
government would right Itself quickly
enough because of the Inequalities
such rulings made in France itself
In other words. it was regarded as
only matter of time before pressure
brought to bear by the French busi-
ness houses who We're unfavorahly af
feeted by the embargo against Ameri-
can factory stuff would cause the gov
ernment to let down the bars in many
instances and permit the flow of trade
to resume.
French Industries Ruined.
To Illustrate: The country around
Lille in the north of France was Il
great spinning center before the war
1t was also the center of some of the
worst fighting. And the spinning mills
were destroyed hy shell fire and by
willful robbery by the Germans. OF
the 10000 hobbins spinning linen
thread before the war 2SOO0O were
destroyed and 10000 stolen. In the
wool spinning business in this section
100000 b0bbins out of 900 900 were
destroyed or stolen, according to the
French minister Of reconstruction.
Something like five hundred cotton
bObbinS were put out of business. To
complete the job OF paralyzing the