The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-02-02

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with him, either metal or paper money,
in excess of a thousand francs, and
on that day you could buy almost nine
francs for an american dollar. Can
France pay? The figures prove France
insOlvent. Her officials and her men
of prominence say she cannot pay.
Her war debt is enormous.
Poverty on Every Side.
Italy is as bankrupt as France. A
forced loan temporarily held the Ira
from losing all of its value. Her war
debt threatens the throne.
In the new Balkan countries we find
no gold reserve, little but poverty. In
Czecho-Slovakia the government closed
the borders for ten days, commanded
the people to bring their money to the
banks where stamps were put on the
bills. When they brought their money
they were given 90 per cent of it
back and receipts for the balance. In
this way the government cut down
the volume of paper money 30 per
cent. Even after this was done in the
city of Prague l bought kronens for
less than two cents piece.
In Poland every kind and species of
paper money is in circulation. Her
frontiers have not been fixed by the
peace table, and the profiteers in
money smuggling have dumped the
worthless paper of Europe into Po-
! land. In October was in Warsaw
and my recollection is that the mark
was worth about two cents in Amer
lean money. Poland has no metal
money. She hasn't a gold reserve.
Her struggle to get credit to keep her
| people from dying by the millions
i from hunger and cold is pitiful.
| Austria is pepniless, proverty-strick-
en-. Vienna is a city of ghosts, list
/ less, pepless, human beings. They
drag their feet after them. Their
heads are bent between their Shout
ders. The kronen was worth cent
when l was there in September, and
even at that price there was prac-
tically nothing to buy. Austria in her
utt INOptC ctal NlhSs pStA
toned the peace table for the priv
ilege of selling her art treasures and
heirlooms. The plea was TO exchange
them for bread and coal. Necessity
prompted the plea. The peace table
refused the permission, holding that
these things of value might be the
only collateral out of which the al
lies could collect the indemnity.
Europes debt is her crown of
thorns, as her dead is her cross. IN
rest is her Calvary. A new Order is
her hope-her resurrection.
Facing Gigantic Task.
Europe is not dying; she IS ex-
hausted, tortured, confused. She is
trying TO find herself. SheNis putting
all of her remaining strength into the
effort. The task before her is stupen-
dous. She must rebuild her house.
She must nurse her wounded, care for
her cripples. She has counted her
losses, inventoried her possessions.
The past must bury its dead. To-
morrow is for the living. Today she
Is IDt TIC Abhf0AltN' AAS
must repair her house, put it in or,
der. To understand her work, to
know her plans. to feel her problem
lit is necessary to know her thoughts
r. Unrest is frightening her. Fear is
keeping her from work. 1t is causing
her 70 worry. With all her soul she
is pleading to the rich and powerful
to become as little children again
her children. She is telling them that
the fate of the family is at stake, that
they must make concessions to their
more unfortunate brothers. She is
+ trying to make them understand that
they are brothers. Many of then
have forgotten the relationship. WheT
she urges them to stop wrangling ant
quarreling she is pleading for theil
common good, the family welfare. She
is warning against the danger of jus
tice too long denied, of unrest too Ions
pent ND. She is translating the nut
terings and mumblings of the discon
tented. She knows the complaint il
their hearts, she sympathizes, she I'm
derstands.
This was Europe as I saw her il
her black rags arising from the war
Copyright. 1920. Western Newspaper Union
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