El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-04-23
LIFTING OF BLOCKADE ESSENTIAL
AND THE SOONER DONE THE BETTER

THE dav approaches when Germany must begin to pay fo1
the misery and ruin the German rulers and the German
oD brought upon the world, insofar money pay
For time Germany may try to bluff the world with
refusal to pay she be made pay. 1t only
mains for allies and the United States to make
that Germany is not left with bound hands unable to pay
In 1871 Germany imposed indemnity of 5000O 900
francs, approximately s1ooo0O0000, on France 1t was
then considered that the French people had been gives
10 financial servtude for generation But France was
lett ludusrlay unbound able TO make money and as
posed It. Therefore, France surprised the world
with the facility with which the debt hquidated, al
though the paying Of It was as gall and |ormTood TO
Frances soul
The indemnity of 1oooOooooOOe marks which some
reports say Is to be imposed Germany is about p times
the indemnity Of France Yet IT includes merely actual not
punitive damages Moreover Germany IS larger IN popu-
laou and richer in resources than France and much
larger and much richer than France at the end Of the
RUSSIAN War moreover the Germans nave not
resisted invasion suffered ruin In hat respect the
situation of Germany Is wholly different from that OF
France either now or IN 1871.
The terms Of payment Just and reasonable and #
the Germans affect not to view them IN that light 1t VIII
be because they themse unreasonable that they
trying to bluff the allies to still favorable terms.
One payment Of 2oOo0OOoO0O francs IS to be made two
years from the beginning Of 1921 and commission de
terne when and how the remainder shall be paid It IS
expected that the first payment VIII be the most burden
some that it VIII exhaust the German gold reserves and
large part Of the marketable securities but It VIII hardly
be difficult for the Germans to meet this obligation
than 1t for the French TO meet their first payment
IS years ago.
incidentally the 2ooOoooooOo marks first payment
amount Of the Victory loan which the American people
are funding IN the course Of few weeks.
But IN order for the German government 10 pay, either
II full IN part evident that the blockade must be
lifted possible and the German people put TO
work The work, the less bolsheVism too. German
industries must have materials German manufac-
ters must have to foreign markets. It is staste
ful TO think Of trading with Germans but somebody must
trade With them they can't pay their debt They can't
raise the money frcm each other.
To rstard me economic rehabilitation Of Germany VIII
be TO deprive the Of thousands Of victims Of German
military destruction Of the compensation which they
entitled and without which they viii remain imPover-
ished for life This IS not matter Of justice the
except TO that they make all the restitution pos
b but the means to do that have TO be put within their
reach You can't put convict to breaking stone unless you
furnish him with d hammer.
Not oaiy does Germany need materials but the al
bed countries and the United States have materials
Of which they need 10 get nd Germany IS stripped Of
copper while the United States has so much that II is q
glut the world market That copper ought to be going
INTO Germany The Germans ought to be working It
up Tor commercial use, they pay for the damage
they have done The blockade keeps out Cotton is an
other commodity that ought to be going into Germany
There many others.
It may be argued that now is too earv that Germany
has not yet signed the peace treaty and that there are
chances for slip. None whatever now, with Germany be
Iet Of army and navy and stripped Of fighting equipment
Compared 10 now the Germans In splendid cond-
ton for opposition when they signed the arse yet they
fet compelled 20 sign More than ever now thew viii be
compelled TO sign In military sense Germany Is dis
organized and helpless
Reports from Pans some months ago were that Mr.
wilson and his colleagues of the American delegation were