The Washington herald., 1919-05-18
By WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.

serving on the committee on repara-
tions for the allies. will be sitting on
the lid of the world.
This committee will have more power
over the destinies of civilized man
than any group OF kings or prime min
isters or any other potentates in the
world.
1t will be their Job to bring inter
national Justice out of the vast injus-
tices which rose out Of the great war.
For sadly enough the powers which
won the military victory. on the face
of the returns after the issues were
cleared and the shouting over. really
seem to have lost the economic VIC
tory. the thing for which the war
was fought.
German autocracy sought TO create
a miodle Europe and a chaos in the
| Near East all ready for Germany's
use and benefit. lacking only a few
diplomatic moves and a little economic
! adjustment to put Middle Europe and
the Near East in the palm OF Ger
many's hand.
To prevent those diplomatic moves,
and to make impossible the small eco
nomic adjustment required TO give
Germany leadership in Europe will be
the duty of this committee on repara-
tions appointed by the Western allies.
Most Powerful Committee.
The committee will have the
power of life and death over the
destinies of what we are pleased to
call western civilization. A mistake
/. from that committee might lose to
the world all that we value in the
thing we know as modern civili-
zation.
For Germany is defeated as a
military power: but the German
people still are a strong people.
who still aspire TO rule the world.
who dream in terms of commerce.
and their ideals of democracy are
just what they dreamed five years
ago in terms of military domina-
tion under their autocracy.
And this committee on repara-
tions must so guide the economic
growth of Germany that the rest
of the world-broken France, re-
constructed England. crushed Bel
gium, the new Italy and the little
republics in their swadling clothes
JuSo-Slavia. Czecho-Slovakia- the
new nations in the Near East-may
not fall under German power. and
seek German alliances and protec-
tion and with Germany rise TO
| dominate humanity again.
II Germany is crushed she cannot
pay her debt to France: but il she
is allowed to grow strong enough
to pay a smashing indemnity. she
will be strong enough after that
/, burden is shifted. to conquer the
economic giants holding supremacy
/ over her.
Just how to hold the balance of
| the scales between expediency and
! juctice so that. when Germany is
| freed from the burden Of her mill
tary defeat she may not become
| the economic victor. is a profound
| ly hard task.
| Yet that is the task which this
committee of the allies has before
4 il.
Moreover, il has almost no in
| strUctions. 1t has a sort of carte
blanche on the fate of the world
| for-ten years?-twenty possibly.
| and il is conceivable that its work
will not be done in a generation.
No time limit is imposed upon il.
Nor is any sum specified which it
| shall collect: nor is any manner in
| dicated in which the collection shall
be made. Broadly it is instructed
by the peace congress. first 10
| find out how Germany can pay
these claims-in what form: cash.
| or kind. or credits or penalties-and
third to secure the payments, not
| all at once. but from time to time
| in such amounts and in such a way
as Germany should pay those sums.
Must Organize.
To do this work first OF all the
committee on reparations must or
ganize itself into a court. The court
must carefully go over tho deva-
stated areas of Belgium. Serbia, Ru-
mania, France and Italy. must then
go to England and find what dam
age has been done from the air and
sea. and must visit all the nations
of the world, hostile and neutral
as well, and carefully hear testi-
mony and assess such dana -es as
are just against the culprit nations.
1t will take years even TO render
a statement of the account. But
while the account is being posted
on the books a payment on account
of SIS, 900. 100000 is to be collected
during the next two years.
OF course this cannot come in
leash. Some of il must come in kind
i'm coal. in phosphates. in railroad
Trolling stock. in industrial ma
chinery stolen from Belgium
Servia. Rumania. Italy and North
ern France, in surrendered territory
| And this first S25.000. 100000 must
be divided fairly between the allies
1.-The court then begins to function
not as a court but as an accountant
and later as an administrator.
| admins tho rn0nYr1 Z.
tee will have a big job. 1t musi
run a number of German concerns
taken as security and in payment
for the German debt.
For instance IL the German over
seas Public Utility Company, beiuG
largely German state property 8:
turned over to the allies, the com
mittee must operate the company
until buyer can be found who vii
pay all the company is worth.
If the German state railroads arC
to be put in the pot as part pay
ment for the German debt the Ie'
parations committee must run tho
railroads. If certain German port:
are to be turned over to the allies
1.-THE reparations committee must ad'
minister the ports.
| 1t may be that most of the public
utilities of Germany may have rela'
Itions of some sort or other with thi,
lcommittee and il will be the great
est administering organization or
learth. making any American corpor
alton, like the Standard Oil OF tht
Steel Trust. look like q country
lgrocery store.
Committee Plans Justice.
And here comes its legislative func-