The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-02-12


vide for his children as the Germans
as whole are doing according 20
| the solicitors of American funds.
would be arrested and forced to pro
vide for them. The Journal said on
another occasion that what Europe
needed is an army of American
bosses to make the people work. That
is especially applicable to Germany
Belgium was the first land trampled
by the cOntending armies. 1t was not
evacuated until the war was almost
ended The most diabolical methods
that could be devised were employed
in destroying her cities and laying
waste her Industries and farms. Ge.-
many held the whole nation save one
small corner But as the Germans
were driven out the Belgians followed
in Several thousand of them carried
guns and manipulated cannon and
urged the German forwarding move
ment by killing those who did not
keep we'll in front. But behind these
Belgian soldiers Streamed a great
army OF people returning to the places
that had been their homes. Before
the ground was cleared OF German
dead these returning people were ct
work building shelters, clearing little
patches OF ground aid preparing for
reconstruction. King Albert in an
address to the world stated that his
people might have to have help during
the winter following the armistce,
because they could raise no crops, but
that after that time they would feed
and cIothe themselves When spring
came every plat Of available ground
was planted Shelters had been built
during the winter The people were
at work They did not prattle abo1;
and politics and political
r ghls. They were engaged in pro
duciug a square meal The coal mines
were re-openod There was no wrang-
ling about hours Of labor or who
should be chairman OF the local soviet
They were concerned In producin-
coal The demand for fuel made prices
high Belgium sacrificed home com
forts and limited home consumption
in order that she might have larger
supply Of coal to sell abroad at prices
made possible by the near universal
loafng Of Europe. As a result Bel
gium has trade balance which en-
ables her to buy and pay for without
asking an American loan or begging
American charity and playing On
American sympathy, whatever foods
she has not been able to produce /
There is no complaint from Belgium (
about her children being undernour- /
ished and starving Belgian fathers
are working. Belgian mothers are
Neither is rushing into the
streets and joining the mob to hear
bolsheyism proclaimed as the solu
tion of living without work If Bel /
gium can recover as she has after the /
manner in which she was destroyed, /
if Belgium is able to feed herself as /
she is doing; if Belgium is quiet and /
az lt' ptOpiI II bciS lU-Al /
is able to see that work not talk is |
the salvation of the war wrecked peO- |
pie, any other nation or people of /
Europe can do likewise if they have |
the right spirit. If they starve it is |
their fault. Belgium has proven that. |
The sooner American credit is stopped |
in Europe and the sooner the people |
there are made to understand that
American charity is at an end, the /
sooner will the world loafing stop and |
the people turn to production as the (
solution OF eating. Here and there (
in the nations are found men who I
realize the results of financial idle
ness Charles De Lasteyrle, a newly /
elected member of the French cham /
ber OF deputies summed up the dan
ger to France in a few words when /,
he declared: 1--WE must produce or
perish 1t is life or DEATH Europe |
has been fed from American supplies
and the cost of like supplies to Ameri- |
can people has been kept on the in
fated level of idle Europe. 1t is time
to remedy the conditions at home by
declining to make further loans or
contributions directly to European
laziness by charitable donations under
tho o,,iSe Of nations