The Washington times., 1920-07-09

Robbing Misery.
Afghanistan Finance.
How to Start a Panic.
Russla's Sincerity.
a. ARTUITR RRISBANE
lCopxrIIht. lslo.l

uOooto 0UfSVihys |
by ARTHUR BRISBANE
Copyright isssI
Could anything be more humih-
ating to this nation, republic,
than that the utterly broken, hu-
inflated and half-starved people Of
Germany must pay in the current
year five hundred million dollars
In gold for the cost Of keeping an
American army on German soil?
What does this country fear
from Germany? What good 10
done by our men kept there, at the
expense of bankrupt nation, when
they might be doing useful work
here in America?
1t would have been mean enough
had we held out our hands and de-
manded five hundred millions from
Germany to put IN our pockets.
But deliberately to waste that vast
sum and make the Germans pay
while our soldiers write about half
fed women and children, is cold
blooded cruelty.
Talking neurotic nonsense about
. league for perpetual peace, and
robbing helpless, starving nation
by forcing an army upon 1t, to pa
rade, spend money and do nothing,
constitute very nice 400 per cent
Americanism."
"Polish women joining army to
help repel Bolsheviki. Poland in
peril Of invader" That is the news
heading.
Russians are pushing ahead, Of
course. Everything has been done
by the allies and by this country
to consolidate the millions of Rus
sia and make them fight together.
American officials that ought to
be impeached have furnished
weapons and money to be used
against Russia, a nation with
which we have no quarrel-except
that the revolution refused to pay
the money American spectators
lent to the Czar on note-shaving
basis.
After our civil war the North
did not pay the money that Eng
land lent to the South, buying
Southern bonds. What would the
North have said if England had
supplied money and arms to our
enemies to fight US?
Mrs. Oliver P. Belmont, able
woman and good fighter, wants .
woman's party. She would be a
good leader for that party, for
she knows something about the
high cost Of living. When she was
Mrs. w. K. Vanderbilt, residing at
Newport, she used to say, II am
sure / don't know how the poor
people live when they have to PAY
for everything. ! send my wash
ing to New York to be done. 1t
goes and comes by express, and
/ don't have to pay any express
charges. I have D pass for all
such things" Mrs. Belmont
could unfold an interesting tale Of
American life. She should run for
office.
The Federal Reserve Bank has
approved usury and set aside the
laws of New York and other
States against usury by raising
the discount rate. That bank
should study the financiers Of
Afghanistan.
In that land Of happy fnanciers,
according to the magazine Asia,
when the native wants to cele-
brats his marriage and feed the
pigeons" which means entertain
ing guests, he must borrow money.
The rate of interest is one anna
per month for every rupee lent
There are sixteen annas to ru-
pee, so the Afghanistan interest
rate Is rs per cent a year. That Is
ten times better than the Federal
Reserve Bank rate. So the bank
still has some distance to go in the
game Of choking American bust
ness enterprise by shutting OF
credits.
Switzerland, absolutely respon-
sible, but q victim of war condi-
tions, borrows twenty-five millions
in this country, payable in dollars,
and offers per cent interest.
The Government will have to
stop this peddling of usurious for
eign loans in the United States, or
all the money in this country will
be sent abroad to work in Europe.
American business men will be
unable to borrow, to employ labor
or to extend business. The Fed
eral Bank, that was supposed to
make panics impossible, and these
usurious foreign loans combined,
may actually give us the panic
that would be impossible under or
dinary conditions.
The United States has lifted the
han and nermita Amaricana 70