The Washington times., 1921-12-14

ssto be complete. Z
can press, that, the wicked old En-
ropaan . COUNTRIES, and particularly
BS1tain. that arch deceiyar. are try
Ing very meanly. and cunningly to
eyads the payment OF q righteous
obligation. .
, Every effort 70 present the finan-
cial and economic disorder Of the
world az a world task in which ths
prosperous and fortunate American
people may reasonably play q lead
Ing. intelligent and helpful part, Ia
nisrepresented in this fash. on. There
IL q vague clamor for repayment
aimed At Britain. Dealers in the old
irish hata business and the German
hate business, now q little out Of
their original stock of grievances,
join with shrill but syndicatod
Hindus, In warning tho simple Amer
lean citizen against counsels of finan.
ciai sanity a. though they were in.
sidiops propaganda. !Until at last an
Epgiishman Il soreiy tempted to an
exasperated "Well, take your debtv'
which does no justice to the
patience and intelligence Of either
england or America.
3. Let US be clear upon one point. 30
Tar as the British debt goes, the
Americans can, have II. II they pre-
Ter to take that line. The British
here in Warrington and the British
writer's here ara here because the
Americaus invited them to come to
discuss tho world situation and the
possihtlities Of world peace. They
are not here to beg. The time II rot
likely to; arrive when ono English
spsaking' community will beg from
another. 1t certainly has not arrived
now. y.
Believes In Common Sense,
However,, / am an obstinate believ-
er In tho common sense and rood
win of the, American people and I
do not believe that q press Campaign,
designed to make great people be-
have after the fashion OF some hys-
terical back-street Oriental -usurer
who has struck q bad debt. is likely
to do anything but recoil severely on
going. And I am not % a N believer . in y
Chat sort Of tact" which would
avoid reminding the American pub
lie OF the circumstances under which
these war debts were incurred.
The Russian debt to France was
spent largely upon war and war prep
arations while Russia was the ally
and helper Of France; the war debts
Of the European allies to Britain ana
America and the British debt to
America were spent upon war, ma
terial. AL these debts are for ef-
Each country spent according to its
resources, as good allies should. Rus
sta gave life and blood-and blood.
She gave four million men: she
smashed up her own social fabric.
France and Britain gave the lives
OF men beyond the million mark. Also
they gave much material. an enorm-
Gus Industrial. effort. So also did
Italy, according to her power.
The British. developed a vast pro-
duction of munitions AZ the war went
from America, for which they paid
were made, In America. At last
America Joined the war. with her
enormous reserves and strength, and
gave not only great, stores Of material
but the lives Of Between fifty and
seyenty-five thousaod men. And 20,
altogether. America and the allied
powers, giving OF their lives and sub
stance AZ they could, saved civilixa-
ton from imperialism. The, British
do not grudge the contribution they
have made and all that they have still
W .COukIIUuto lOI u cu BtldI0 III tuAt
colossal victory. but somc Of us Eng
tated at being dunned a. defaulters
when We are not going to default and
at having our attempts to work In
cooperation With the Americans for
the rehabilitation of strained and col
lapsing civilization explained a. the
interested approaches OF q oadging
poor relation. 1.,-
I Wish that Americans would think
Of the Europeans raore frequently AZ
peoples like themselves. The boys
who came to Europe saw the European
armies in ranks like their own, good
stuff and kindred stuff. They were
and died beside them. They saw coun!
tries and q common life very like the
American country life; they discovered
that the French and British and Ital-
ians were also ''just folk But these
American papers of the hostile sort
write OF France or Britain a. IL they
were wicked old spiders. They write
Of Britain AZ q NOR ster with q crown
and an eyeglass. and such like con.
cornitants. loathsorie to all sound
democratic instincts.
They write Of the designs" Of
France and Italy. and Britain as II
these horrid monsters were all play
Ing a fearsome game with each other
for the soul and body Of America
It Is easy enough then to clamor for
repayments Of war debts. 1t ID easy
then to excite people by a clamor for
p war bonus for the veterans Of the
great war to be saddlsd upon the
Europe4n debtor. But--let me re-
mind the American soldier that the
real European debtor. tho fellow on
whom It viii fall. the fellow, who will
have to ton and pay and want, II you
can realize that dream Of pitiless
exacticn, II no legendary monster
Francs or Britain: II" II that other
fellow over there you fought beside.
II is the wounded man in blue and
khaki you passed by as you went
into action. 1t is the man who smiled
hth COURAGE at Won aa volI hlIi nderad