The Washington times., 1921-06-08
Today


Oil Drops-Casoline Not.
"A Zone for Preachers.
by ARTHUR BRISBANE
Copyright 1saL)
A. d. Lasker, well-known on the
Chicago lake front and the shores
of the Pacific and Mediterranean as
Q human dynamo, is chosen head OF
the shipping board.
All the anti-cruelty societies
should interest themselves at once
in the other members Of the board,
and the President should start
making lists to fill vacancies. The
board will find Lasker a fierce
pacemaker.
The world is wondering whether
Germany can pay the indemnity.
: And at Washington statesmen pre-
dict an annual budget, beginning
next year, Of seven thousand mil
lion dollars.
That is more than four times the
annual German indemnity pay
ment. 1t is fourteen times what
this Government used to spend in
days called horribly extravaRant.
Foreign exchange is going to
pieces, and the world seems to be
learning something about finance
in a rather painful way. Just
what money is, and how to man
age it on an international basis,
no one seems to know exactly.
England and France are collecting
billions in gold from Germany,
and English and French money
drops.
Gold is shipped to the United
States by the wagon load. The
value OF the dollar goes sky high.
And we have hard times because no
nation can afford to buy our ~oods
and pay with such expensive dol
lars. You see France and England
proceed to collect from Germany
several times as much gold as
there is in the whole world, while
French and English currency drops
in value. 1t is puzzling to those
who thought finance was an exact
science.
Crude oil drops to SLIPS q bar
rel, lowest in many years. Case
Gne does not drop. You were
told gasoline went up because
crude oil was expensive. What
viii they tell. you now? Something
convincing, doubtless. The real re
ply would be: "A few Of us con-
troll the supply and the distribu-
ton. We want your money and
We are going to get it."
1t would be possible to cut the
price Of gasoline IN two, thus re-
,viving the automobile industry and
employment of labor. But that
won't be done Experience proves
that when monopoly or combina-
ton prevents competition there is
no protection from profiteering un-
der our system of '.popular gov
ernment IA y 49, =.
Pittsburgh clergymen write a
letter of defiance to the Employ
ers' Association. Some clergy
men have been talking Christian
ity seriously, almost literally, and
have aroused employers who do
not wish discomfort among the
workers. The Employers Associa-
tion, it seems, has suggested a
mental, neutral zone" to which
clergymen should confne them
selves in preaching.
You can understand New York
detectives warning criminals that
they must not be caught in the
financial zone south of Canal
street. But to prescribe preach
ing and talking zones for clergy
men, who represent the power that
drove out the money changers,
seems very modern, the next step
would be to write out sermons for
the preachers, to be learned by
heart and recited, as the Prime
Minister writes the Kings speeches
from the throne.
Colonel House says Germany is
on a good business basis. Wirth,
as minister of finance, piled up
money and securities with which
Germany can now meet her debts.
Suf1ousiy tiiouSh, NCtuoLiy .
financial soundness is due largely
to the British fleet. That fleet en-
forced a blockade, making it inn
possible for Germany to spend her
money or run into debt with out
side nations. Thus, while the al
lies owe US ten thousand million
dollars and owe billions to each
other, Germany, apart from the
indemnity, is in debt to no one
except her own citizens. She is
not allowed to- keep an army or
navy. What she saves on army
and navy will pay her indemnity.
A million of her young men, who
would be drafted into the army
and navy ordinarily, will build up
her industries, prosperity and
population in their homes.
And I'M the meanwhile France
keeps a standing army of a million
men. Poland an army of seven
4 n a. \