The Brunswick news., 1921-11-26
CANCELLATION OR PAYMENT.

the United States.
| When reading these reports one
can not help but go back to the days
Of the great wear and the billions
spent by the United States for the
sake sof Democracy.
! Hage We benefited by this war?
HaVesype receiyed payment for the
thousands Of lives sacrificed on the
altar of liberty? No, we have receiy.
ed nothing but burdens. We are still
suffering from the wars aftermath.
our pRpple are overtaxed, business
has gene Through an embarrassing de-
preston unequaled in history. and
still they expect US to cancel the huge
war debts. which run into billions Of
dollars.
+, Great Britain claims that cancel
lation will return the prosperity and
solvency of the nation and she, in re-
turn, is yelling to cancel whatever is
due her. But what of the benefits? I?
Great Britain has materially bene,
fitted. The German navy, constant
menace to the British, has heen de-
/ stroyed. The German merchant feet.
the greatest competitor of British
commerce, has been eliminated. Hell
Gciand, >once the mighty blockade for
| German protection, is no more. Ger
man South West Africa, of such vital
value, has been annexed by Great
Britain. The British Crcwn has been
extended in Asia, Palestine and Meso-
potamia. The German islands in the
Pacific have been given to Australia
sia, also a part Of the British Empire.
Japan has received control over the
German Islands in the North Pacific,
which perhaps some day will be used
as a naval base against the United
States And now after all of them
have received a slice of the bacon,
except the United States, they want
us TO eliminate the war debt, which
iAhShSy VIC lSt LiCli nave III SDOu
faith, because they say it is the only
way out.
Why Uncle Sam should be holding
the bag seems puzzling, especially
when we know that ultimately the
public is paying for it. There may be
no way out to make Great Britain
pay, in the thoughts of the celever
diplomats who are holding power in
Great Britain, but IL 1t is a matter CT
finding a way out, it should be sug
gested that we could purchase some
thing from Great Britain, and thus
HIVE her keep her money, If that
means proper balancing of the
world.
We paid $25,OOO,00O for the pur-
chase of the Virgin Islands from Den
mark. They consist of ST. Thomas,
st. John and st. Croix. The total
amount of land Is 13S square miles
That means '&s1S1, 1,15942 per square
mile, There Is something else we
could use. and that is the British ISL
ands in the Atlantic ocean, which
cover Bermuda, 20 square miles; ia.
maica, 4,207 square miles; Anguilla,
So square miles; Barbuda, 62 square
miles; st. kits, 6s square miles; Ne
Wis. so square miles; Antigua, los
square miles; Monserrat, 80 Ia
square miles: Dominica. 291 suqare
miles; St Lucia, 233 square miles: ST.
Vincent, 40 square miles; Barbados,
t66 square miles; Grenada and Gre
nadines, 1913 square miles; Tobago, |
IA 1.2 square miles; Trinidad, with
1854 square miles, and British Hon.
duras, with S,59s square miles, max.
ing in all 21,46s square miles.
Calculating ths territory at the |
same price we paid fer che Danish
West Indies per square mile. we
would arrive at a total OF $S.SS5, ,SSS,,
$4,000, We could purchase these isl
ands from Great Britain and pay her
with the Certificates of Indebtedness
which we now hold in the United |
states treasury and which were Civ.
en- ny Great Britain to US. Great Brit.
ain could have no objection because
all she is looking fer Is to find way
cut TO pay the war debt, and keep her
geld within her own treasury There
would be no gold transferred in this
transaction.
We can make good use OF these pos.
sessions. They have ne value 70 any
country except the United States.
They could only be made use OF as
against the United States in case og
war, andsot such there is not even a
slight possibility ~coming from Great
Britain. In turn. Great Britain coul1
not dispose OF them g another Euro.
pean nation. as that would simply be
IN violation OF and contrary TO the
gQnaos Anoetrine. which would no
permit any interference On the part
Of Europe in the Americas. These isl !
ands are valuable only To the United
4 Stafas ne .v4.. g~,y,s q unfftieaf and