The Washington herald., 1919-04-09
COST OF WILD SPREE WHEN
HUMANITY RUNS AMUCk

rent interest payments. Recently FL
nance Minister Klotz, in the cabinet.
proposed to tax the wealth of France.
as other countries have taxed their
wealth, and the middle and upper
classes rose in an angry and unani-
nous protest. Curiously enough
France is property minded from the
peasant to the prince Every farmer
has his little plot OF ground; millions
Of workers live in their own homes.
The social system of the country is
based upon property. A girl without
a dot may not marry in her station.
Hundreds OF thousands OF little busi-
nesses flourish all over France. There
is a distinct feeling of distrust be-
tween the property owning peasant.
who by the way forms a large portion
of the French army, and the thriftless
workers in the towns who foment So
cial unrest and talk revolution. Yet
the French peasant bought the French
liberty loans, believing that Germany
would pay the loans.
Germany to BE CoddIcd.
Now when it is fairly obvious that
Germany must be fed IL she even
functions as a nation and does not
become a running sore OF BoIshevism
in Western Europe, the French peas
ant is aghast! The world is crumb-
ling under his feet He gave himself
freely in war; he fought gallantly
and with indomitable grit But for
what? To see the savings of his old
age slip through his hands? To see
Germany coddled with rations to
keep her good and virtuous? To see
the land that suffered most In blood
tnGSna IN No nrlI III
most grieyously in economic losses
debt whose interest must be paid BY
taxing savings? Truly the French
farmer and merchant and hometown
ing working man sees the pillars of
society cracking all around HIM
Now, on top of this crumbling uni
verse comes another danger: The
financial aspect of the Bolshevik
threat. The first thing Bolshevism
did in Russia was to repudiate its
public debt: there is serious talk
among the Bolshevists of reinstating
the foreign debt OF Russia as the
price of recognition among the pow
ers Of the earth. But the home debt,
the debt to holders of Russian Sc
curities, public and private securities
alike, has been badly repudiated
Germany Is lurching toward Bolshe-
vism. Reputation and the strong
current running in Spain toward Boil
shevism manifests itself always in a
toward reputation. At
first, during the early winter. certain
allied European statesmen began to
advise Germany to repudiate her debt
to German bondholders, in order to
be able to pay the war debt which It
was expected the allies would impose.
But the advice was accepted so glad
ly by the Bolshevist elements of all
European countries that the advice
was quickly withdrawn. Reputation
spreads like a financial plague. and
the fear that Germany may follow
Russia. and Spain follow Germany,
and Italy follow Spain. and then
the deluge-is too palpable a fear for
gay persiflage! So the reputation of
her home debt in Germany may be
regarded as a permanently closed
door in European financial policy.
War n Failure for Allies.
So as a commercial expedition,
war in general has been proved by
this particular war to be a colossal
failure. The powers of destruction
in the modern world are so great
that finance cannot keep up with
the guns. War does not pay. 1t has
passed over from those enterprises
which are disagreeable but profit
able. War has gone the way of
slavery. The gains of the war, if
any gains may be counted, are not
for the victors, but are common to
the race-gains in invention. as for
instance the conquest of the air:
gains in democratic organization.
gains in fellowship and acquaintance
among men and understanding and
respect among nations. And Ger
mays loss, though smaller than it
should be in money and men, has
been overwhelming in prestige. She
went in a first rate power, every
where feared and generally respect
ed. She comes out a fourth rate
power reproached and scorned. And
she will be held in political and in
dustrial bondage half madman and
half serf among the stronger ma
tions of the earth for a generation,
War has brought her nothing-real-
ly has brought the world nothing,
The whole crazy adventure with its
four years of slaughter, with it's
four years of releasing the hellish
passions of men. with its four years
of destruction, with it's four years
of unbridling the lusts of men, has
given birth to just one big awful
reaction, and that is
Bolshevismi The Bolshevist is the
man of Uniformed mind; who sees
rewards go to those who are blood
lest, cruelest, greediest, and who be-
ing weak-minded is unable to
escape the worldwide suggestion.
So he runs amuck in savagery.
cruelty and greed! The psychology
of Bolshevism is the psychology of
wari And we must reckon Bolshev-
ism in as a part of the fiddler's bill.
1t is the price-and only a part of
the price-of appealing to the court
of arms.
People away from Paris all over
the world have wondered why the
Peace Commission has spent so
many weary months trying to write
the terms of peace. But here where
one may examine the iddIer's bill
item by item, where one may see the
cost of humanity's wild spree the
wonder is that the commission has
worked so swiftly. and the great
fear is that they have hurried too
much. For there is danger that
when the commission has gone, the
fiddler may bring in another item;
than thars will be the devil to pay!