El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-04-03


risen. preaching and faith are in
vain. It is just as possible to breath
OF miIliens OF fanatieal and discon-
! tented subjects. held together and
kept in peace only by British bay
/ onets and British civil administra-
EnsIand. too. feels that France
in important respects. @iEn't
playing the Eume.7
French finance is the subject OF
mosfA criticism in London No Ian
I Euage can be too strong to express
[ the amazement and disgust prevalent
both in financial and political circles
at the failure OF Millerand's new gov
eminent 70 impose adequate taxation
and make some effort to improve the
I outlook for France and France s
creditors
France and Her Taxes
IN France, as elsewhere, great war
fortunes have been made, but IN
! France these are untaxed, or taxed
merely on a preWar basis Even the
very mild income tax IS not always
collected, and the French government
/ has just announced, through n. Mar
sal. finance minister. that IL does not
propose imposing any war profits tax
or in any way seeking to tan the
great wealth created in a privileged
class by a war which has impoTer-
ished so many.
When French financial missions
come here and request further assist
snce from England. there Is a grow
ing disposition TO say to them: we
viii grant you no further credits until
your income tax IS On a level with
ours. or at least until impartial third
parties are able TO say that YOUR tax
alton as whole IS as high as ours"
There can be no doubt British
critics are right IN much OF this in
dictment, as have seen for myself
in Paris.
French Farmers Get Rich
American bankers who have in
vestigated financial conditions in
France agree, on the whole, with the
conclusions OF the British. France
IS not making an adequate financial
effort; the reason appears to be po-
liticai
When the French tell the British
that further taxes cannot be imposed
because the people will not stand
them. they admit in effect that great
financial interests which have profit
ca oy the war have an influence over
the government that would not be
tolerated IN Washington or London.
Moreover, the farming class at the
moment dominates French political
life TO a greater extent tNan IN auv
other allied country. No measure
which offends the French farmer can
get through the chamber OF deputies,
ways command a majority.
It is the farmers in France who ara
the real nrofiteers- Much Of the recir-
less eItravagauce IN Paris IS charge
able 20 large landowners who have
mads great fortunes. but almost every
peasant throughout the country
thinks he is much better off than ne
was Derore the war His land nro-
quces food as always. and the labor
oar vent into the army has now
come back-what there IS left OF Il.
or MS produce the farmer gets three
times the 1914 prices. or more. and
ms own wants are simple. So he
continues the historic practice Of mt
tlls most OF his earnings in little
hordes that he buries in his Garden
or hides Il in his mattress.
DebuuchinE the Currency
Lenin IS credited with saving. saT-l,e
pest way to destroy a capitalistio
slaLe IS to oebauch. It's currency" The
profound truth OF this remark -
recognized in London. where the issue
y paper hss been curtailed and ire
nenaous efforts are being unaae fo
ger BACK 70 good basis It fs Eng
lands main grievance azafnst Fac.
tnat she makes no effort. bv drz-ff-
ta1ation- TO improve matters INF
tuIhs Iirst TO Germany. and when her
- .. ~ .i.le IS, mark makes It impossible
% ger help there. demands as A rfrh4
mat ma, England and America assist ber
While. in the English view. sbs -,
fuses to help herself.
turning from finance. England -.
SlIns wiz interest the charges made
y the French that British aVenfs
rave stirred M sutfFrencb faeii-s- =.
syria ana elsewhere througborf 4be
est II IS said here BY soldiers ar5
.-.-.li. - lrators returning from the
--s,lll Iranean that French agents
MAKE lie iutolera bic. urovot-e ,55-
orders and ENCOURAGE nafio,o a.
5lrls1es aga Inst the British. asneofsI ~
n t.onStantinople. Asia ariror -
ne Iurlner doubtful frontier farrftr,--
= olnd Damascus, whose nossessio,
N - lsp1ted between France and IRE
Ia amer Feisul, Drotege OF Eng
Both Partly Right
- q hours / have listened 70 thara
eTnarges both in Paris arai1et a.
T T--.lEllsh' and In London AGAINST The
n-sss T. ana "a nave no opinion to ex-
- - on me merits Of the ff-nr,f.,
No doubt dlSeredifnhie Tbt1o-
1se Deen done by agents Of bo9L
es' nut he important fhf-,r- -
= Hhe highly charged At
h5 mere which causes all this
81 niood and hysferieaI denu7-
., Now. OF course. frontiers A.. ~.
- ne whole east IS in a furn1o;I
- a 1nEland. France and TfaI--
f-sIe NOT thoroughly tired ~ fi-Ls
-lss, me chance that the seftre-5ss.-,--t
- y. eAlsLlnE disputes in the east 1vo1I,5
peaeeIul would indeed be remote
; =. - present vryhody knows fbat -
10y vents to fight. and tberefo,rrs
800 SOLDIERS IN Damascus oar gI-c.-s
800. IRE = rencn poilus and confused an
SS9unlers take place an over 81
...ll-95' any one Of which sir vea rs -
s5Ouid have thrown the ro-I5 80
, -plo4r ana produced ultimatu-1s ana
nov5s-1 .l9n on the part OF great
Oee en-. lT,rrenarablv outraged.