The Farmington times., 1919-02-14
French Premier Says War
Is Over, But Great Dangers
Yet Lurk in Powers of Foe

single one of the brilliant warriors
who came from the States to our aid.
1t is incredible. 1t is the tragedy of
the war that devastated France could
not give them the comforts that un-
broken Germany could.
ExtortiOn Stopped
81 believe there is some criticism
that there have been overcharges by
the French for food and other things.
For many years the Americans have
been coming to Europe and with
abundant means and great generosity
have been spelling our people. AS a
result they have taught our people
that they were very rich and very,
very generous. 1t was but human that
our people should expect much from
the Americans. 1t is only fair to say
! that in every case, where the atten-
ton of the French Government has
been brought to a case of extortion
an earnest and, / think, effective ef-
/ fort has been made to stop it.
Throughout the war our relations
with the American army have been
most cordial, and your treasury Off
cials will assure you, / am sure, that
there has always been a spirit of gen.
erosity or both sides. Any suggestion
that we have asked payment for
trenches or the burial places of your
brave soldiers is atrocious. For all
future ages the graves of American
soldiers will be in the tender and sa-
cred keeping of our grateful people.
Lull in Storm
81 have said that the war is won.
1t would perhaps be more accurate to
say there is lull in the storm. AT
least it is as well to face squarely all
of the possibilities.
"Recent disclosures have enabled us
to look deeper into the purposes OF
the enemy than we could heretofore
It was not purely dream of military
domination on the part of Prussia. l.
was a definite, calculated conspiracy
to exterminate France as well indus
trially and commercially as in a mill
tary sense.
"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 the ma.
chinery from our factories, why they
destroyed the coal mines of Lens
why there was all the wanton devas.
tation of French territory while they
were retreating. We thought it was
a part of their tactics of military
frightfulness. Instead, we can sec
how that it was part of their delib-
eratte commercial design.
"And, in this phrase of their war.
making effort, they have not been al.
together unsuccessful The industrial
life of France has been so wrecked
that its resuscitation is most difficult
while by reason of her military sur
render Germany has been able to save
her factories, intact and ready for i'm
mediate efficient operation, Industrial
ly and commercially as between
France and Prussia, for the present
the victory is with the Hun.
| The French fortune invested abroad
before the war was large. 50,00O,000,.
900 or 60,000,000,000 (francs) o1
French stock. The best that we car
Ehope for is that payments on about
two-thirds of it may be considered as
simply deferred; that the immense
sum accumulated by French thrift
and loaned abroad will be collectablt
eventually.
Investments in Russia
i France has something like 20,000,'
100000 francs invested in Russia anG
another billion in Balkan and Turkish
obligations. Then, just before the
war the disorders Of Mexico deprived
| us of any revenues from there, ano
we are having the same experience ir
South America.
4 We look forward, therefore, to ar
immediate future in which we mus
regularly meet great interest charges
in America and elsewhere abroad, tt
provide which we will have only the
resources at home.
''If our national debts were due on.
| ly to our own people the problem
would not be so difficult, because we
would not then have to consider the
sending out Of the country of great