Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-10-22

A0rmAnns ns0llOre mo e UUHonoTs. u
WEDNESDAY,, OCTOBER g. 1919.
7 SHALL THIS COUNTRY HELP TO
FINANCE GERMANYa
AT the recent meeting Of the Ameri-
can Bankers Association held in st.
Louis, George B. Roberts, at all times
a spokesman for scarce money and
low prices, delivered an address, from
which we extract the following:
1--WE have just received $15s,000 900
In gold from Germany in payment for
food. That must have been nearly one
half Of all she had, and am sorry
some other means OF settlement was
/ not found. For we don't need that
& gold !; we have too much now and
Germany does need 1t. She needs It
as the basis Of credit and her In
dustrial life. and while Germany and
the United States have been enemies
ii war, now that Germany has signed
the treaty OF peace I believe we are
Interested in the restoration Of stable
and normal conditions there. We
don't want gold, from anywhere: It will
merely initiate our credits and prices
\, still further, and we have imitation
enough. ("
In 1895 when the circulating me-
dunn Of this country was about one
third as large, per capita, as it is
j at the present time, Mr.. Roberts and
his scarce money cohorts were clam
oring for gold and trying to still fur
ther reduce the volume of money then
In circulation, by the destruction or
retirement OF our silver and paper mon
ey. AT that time those scarce money
men scontended, that there was no re-:
Iation between prices and the volume
Of money in circulation; and that con-
sfidence was all that was needed to re-
store the stricken business conditions
Of that period.
Now Mr. Roberts says, WE DON'T
WANT GOLD FROM ANYWHERE;
III WILL MERELY INITIATE OUR
CREDITS AND PRICES STILL FUR
THEIR, and we have imitation enough.
what 4 reversal in Mr.. Roberts
preachings?
This country is selling food to-
Germany for gold, and that is one
Of Mr.. Roberts sorrows Mr.. Rob-
Ferts knows that as yet there is no
responsible government in Germany;
that the Post Office Department will
not even permit the sale Of money
orders payable in Germany; that the
supporters Of the old autocratic gov
~ernmert are still menace to the
young STRUGGLING republic And he
should know that ifSthis country under
took to finance the rebuilding OF
Germany before 1t ratified the peace
treaty and before the establishment
Of q stable government in that country
It would help the adherents Of antocra-
cy. The autocrats and their military
caste could contend, il M. Roberts
suggestion was approved, that the
manner IN which they conducted the
war had not deprived Germany Of the
helpful friendship Of America; had
not disgraced either humanity or
Germany, and that they should again
be returned to power.
No matter whether we have all the
gold we want or not, this country is
not going to rush at this time with
its resources to help in the upbuild-
ing OF Germany, when such a policy
would tend to help the German party
that was responsible for the manner
In which the war was conducted. The
historian will be unable to find words
In any language sufficiently severe to
describe the diabolical conduct OF that
autocratic party In its prosecution OF
the war for world dominion. That
party in its conduct Of the war re-
sorted to systematic cruelty, coward
IL fendish, devilish cruelty 1t viola
ted all the laws Of civilized warfare.
It resorted to savagery beyond all
known sayages; treachery thet sur
passed all recorded treasons; contemp-
fuous disregard Of the most solemn
obligations toward age, sex and in
fancy. It wantonly DESTROYED historic
buildings, robbed inofensive peas
ants, and attempted to exterminate
whole peoples. The men Mr.. Roberts
represents may be willing to condone
all those offenses, il by 50 doing they
can keep German gold out Of this
country. They may even be willing
Il u g.