Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-10
GERMANY CAN PAY
S2,7O0,0OO,OOOA YEAR
STATST|C|AN SAYS
Amount of Indemnity May be
Increased TO So. 500, 600, 900
Without Breaking Her
Down.
STRIP THE HUNS, HE URGES

iorc the conference that Will fiN the terms
az indemnity because the amount which
s,hc owes /, ~ large Is io hc practically un-
limited
The mere property damage j. one ct the
small items for as a matter oi equity shc
should reimburse the world, not uniN ior
, thc propcrtv DESTROYED. tut also Tor the
suspension ~ industry the loss q lite thc
sutleIinV~ At tho survivors and the war
costs Probably these items would add up
not less than IlOOn.OnO 600 which +
5n nor cent m excess oi the entire wealth
oi the German reoplV personal and real,
tangible and intangible As ~ : impossible
for her. " ,thn arN reasonable :lme - lnN
what she owes The demands OF our Allies
viii doubtless ~ lmucd merely by hcr
physical abilIty 10 pav
What, then. Is the breaking point Of the
German industrial or productive ma
chine, Engineers ~ building any great
bridge. tunnel or huldng, carefully
ralculatr :hc breaking points 81 the
stcel beams and cables used, and the
crushing points Of the stone, brick or
cnncretc work - now We have night y
deal with the Gcrmsn nation. convicted
81 the most wrongful war IN thc hlSo'rv
81 the world, m The s9nc cold way that
an engineer considers his materials and
what Wc wish 20 learn Is the breaking
point q her hnancc~.
MUST TAX MIR 10 LIMIT
To impose upon her any lcss than the
last dollar she can pay !, an inIusurc y
thc peaceful civilized peoples whom she
has DESTROYED as lar ~ She could. and on
The other hand % rcqurc oi hor too largr
an annual payment would defeat our own
r,lrpo>e> IN :hat II would hrcak down hrr
Industries and render her bankrupt
nation from whom we could not collect
This question Of the breaking point, there
fore, Is exceedingly practical When q
nation Is too heavily taxed, tho incentive
~ work disappears ami taxable earnings
diminish Their have hccn many illus
trations Of tins prlucplc p the HISTORY oi
taNstion.
Prior 10 the French Revolution for
example, tho French people were ~
heavily taxed IN ther fculal LORDS that
bv 100 one-third III fhc t,.lahlc land laN
,ncultivqtcd. laApRl~c the t1Ncs on
manufactures were ~ heavy that q pali
hotter IL hcg than 4, work. Naer- % The
weaving shup- irll - u sous /. .iaN. 80 lt>
francs per vc..r some 81 the certain r,-
s,IltS oi too largc an anuu4 nde nul'N PAY
rncnt would bc decreases In the outputs
and earnings If German udu>irics,
heavy emigration 81 the working people
and inability OF the German Government
itself to meet IT, payments lhcr1t'r
great care must hc exercised nof hlN to
put the payment, NJ almost q TIE nrct>-
Ing po.nt, but also not T. put '.cm above
II.
MUST TAY ~ MERCHANDISE
Another important Point i tat ~ thc
nature 81 'hiuC~, wc cannot have both
rcpaTatl0n and punishment y 10y the
latter Is meant any form 81 boycott. We
must choose the one and forego he other
This j. for tho reason that any su6st1ntIal
indemnity must cycntaMl'y hc paid III
nfr .aaudsc lhc-, i nothing else b
vhich ii cir ir paid G,rIharN entire I
stock ol gold u anl, about S>9atspp', (
and some .. this Is ~ private hands Wlicrc !.
the government could not &C. 7. ] speak 2
al Germany railways taetar'cs and
fa-Ins g. Il thor tots! v-iIc were avalahlc
for paving The Indemnity, j. merCiE al-
surd, because the-e can neither ~ passed
over T. other NATIONS u pavmeit oI IT, .
sold u them. From such producing p-opcr 1
ties, uofl .nc mo., rau 3" cNnee'ed thaH
that p.rt al ;hoir earning p.Rtr hc dc 4
voted /, the pawn - 4 tho Indemnity.
The french indemnify "a l>1-, though .
], appeared largC - III" tune, actually
was ~ small tha; tvn- idsraSie iaT. oi L
could be pald ~ gold and yct ons uu,
NTH was pald Ia goll and silver While inc
othcr iour-tith, Hcr. pald through buying
bills al cXci!sngo III London, Hanburc
Antwerp. ANS rllan. Ac., and paving
fnr the bills 10 Trench bank note a:er
the deb. was taken up through eNf.ort, II
rnerchandlse iron Irtlce. The purchase
az bills on London amc Int"d III pound
st.rlinc - 81 7SO gnn ui ther. qlet
followed \ grrat ipcrcLs iu thr u"Xt
porte al mcrthanQ,~, ir,m rtnce y
Great Britain. S uefhod iik. tins T. II
only one b1 Winch ilIC' mdsuplt. -.
possibly IT, paid and therefor. = d no.
ol collecting III, Cau,ago- froI trcrmar,
our allies viii .nd j nooe--ars - 81.
admit Der 10 the world comm rec
WARS % HoT CRIPPLE EAENlsl roRtl
II estiiuatlnc II, annutl eua4nt whlc.
CrCrmany can p3v thercfnrt W u.aY
rrnp.rlv calclls'r lTo- 7 rJai II Ger
man foreign tTadc tna riaN l..rls, .s
irnprscf c-lble 'uv Nrtrly refner' 3,
-irh ss l.. D. -Ccssl's'. ao-'rlc'4 ',a-
ton u German indu III Ptrfet tic
rrst question = Il frrlar atif
~ t,av ,ha' IL E.f fap,t It,
- nersl lmvrC $40, tt .a''ls i1-ss
isvt - reduced h.f nag-'ral fore, t1
greatly cgr'eli thrf -. tirnne pparr
However, ft' tAft IEUEt ol NHltou- ba~ &
neen thai even the u ~ disastrous War-
10 not cIlpplr eri4ng power Iu!o- hcN
result la t4N, oI tfadn rrStrct loh- ~Y
drastic as 1. choke the v.herl> ~ ludti-tr,
la tins pres, n' estss There 3 nothing ID
ie8r on this eoorc II e fpisi los-cs IN
killed disabled mI-sin" nd prisoner fur
me vhoi. war tre now estimated ~ about
,tsbn aH tlt ut eolr- thc returned
prsau.i ~ War tnd l4fgr plrrntag, ~
disabled Will 90 back INTO industrial
occupations Beng disabled for military
,er,lc, doc uot n,aH inability - cara Z +
rvlna ~ nor, tAan sbnui halt II I'd, ra-,-
Henoe in ,,'ima.ug the .duetrai lp~-
from thi- war lps. 81 n4tu. W. NAV deduct .
about 5000 for returned prisoner and I
about lo1,OpO lot sonuded men VITO are +
nevertheless, ablc - o..rn q llNIpg This +
.-ayor net ndusrai los, q. ault ap1't .
=. l9i 80 The cAaet hgurc. NI,l 81 ,YIr-c 4
not IL asailable 70 -ono ,,tr
YolTht EtLr uoHkGt- rA>t- 4fIr
But tins does uet mcsn thut Germany 1
has = 22p0,Up0 los working uaaal, th4u
she had when Le war hcgan iIcr outh I
has kept right Ju b, coming ul ap, aAd cN I
Ierieuce dos 10 Indicate that War !
seriously reduces blrth rato- The numb.
oi youths becoming ~ agt annually ~
crease her industrial forces by about !
43J. .bgO worker, and tbs amounts IA iour
lcars to 7i2 76o lIrnca thc not lu~- ot
industrial mAn ppuer instead - being
over tWu million j. loss thln 4 h.f nal /