The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-02-19


apparent of lies. The allies have err
red in adding the total of the yearly
payments to be made by Germany and
publishing the result as the amount
Germany is to be called on to pay.
Payments are always reckOned at
their present worth. a capital sum
OF $2l 200, 100000, with interest,
would represent the actual repara-
tion demanded. Is that vast sum
1t is ridiculous amount i'm cOmpar-
son with what France is called on to
pay 1t is less than the United States
is paying. 1t represents mercy to the
nth degree, not extOrtion.
Let it be not forgotten that Ger
many demanded of France so years
ago an indemnity of $1.00O.000.O 900 for
Il war of a few months, in which Ger
many was not invaded, her factories
not destroyed and no material harm
Of any sort done her She seized
Alsace and Lorraine in addition, and
she kept her soldiers in France until
The last gold franc was paid. Not
content with that. and marvelins at
her own moderation she proposed
three years later a second attack on
France, with the object of demand
ing $5,0O0,00O,OO0 as an indemnity,
and so she would have acted had
not England plainly intimated that
she would intervene.
Twenty-one billions of dollars in no
adequate way represents the damage
Germany did in France alone. She
deliberately set ont to wreck all hope
Of French and Belgian economic indie
nnn1anca for &c IN ho
now her entire great economic ma
chinery intact. She possesses the eco
nomic superiority she Indignantly set
out to obtain. If she is allowed to
hold it. She, not the allies, has won
the war. Can the world be tricked
to accept such a situation?
But the issue is more than that
Omit, II statesmen will, the moral ne
cesslty OF Furnishing "A supreme male
factor. Assume, as some do, that
there must be no punishment lest we
ourselves lose few dOl]ars-blOOd-
dirty dollars. Be willing to invite, as
some would, another group of con-
spirators to attack civilization by ad-
mitting now that such lawlessness car
rles with it immunity from punish
ment. Admit everything of this sort,
and there still remains the transcend
ent duty, from purely business
viewpoint of demanding that every
economic advantage the war has CIV
en- Germany be taken from her That
is the only self-defense.
The treaty provides that the rep
aration payments shall be first
charge on all German revenue. She
must pay the indemnities before she
pays interest or principal of her in
ternal loans. Let her economic as
pect be considered. therefore, quite
apart from her domest debts. They
represent nothing but a business in
veStment that failed. Those who
invested must take their losses. Not
one dollar of the money sub
scribed to assist in the Hun as
sault to burglarize the world should
ever he repaid. Otherwise, a prem
ium would be put on theft. If men
subscribed TO fund TO finance un-
dermining of the vaults Of the bank of
England and abstraction Of the gold
therein contained, it would be against
public policy to permit them to re-
ceive back any part of the funds left
after the unsuccessful attempt. Equal
iy is it against world public policy to
permit repayment Of any of the
FUNDS subscribed for the subjugation
OF the earth. And with her war bonds
repudiated. not even Germans could
question the ability of the nation TO
pay in full the largest reparation
amounts yet suggested.
On the first point, therefore, the
plan TO capitalize American senti-
mentality and employ it to prevent
collection by the allies of the just
sums due them, we expect the Ger
man plan to fail. 1t must fail; for
France and Belgium, if necessity
compels, will collect, as they ought
to collect, by force of arms.
The second method whereby the
Germans expect TO use America con-
templates employment OF the pecu-
liar discretionary power of even
few men in the senate to prevent the
immediate enactment of defensive
legislation, the effect Of which will
be TO leave this nation powerless
against the already active and about
to-becomc acute invasion Of American
markets. Their part of the program
mas already been almost wholly sue
ccSsful.
1T is the chemical industry which
is the Key to the whole German plan
Of operation. Through employment
or the war powers Of the president,
who has all along been we'll aware
OF the German plans, the war trade
board has been admitting German
dyes only under license. TO some
extent, however, the efficacy of this
method has been impaired by con-
cealment OF origin OF shipments. Ger
man dyes appearing as having been
shipped from Switzerland Italy and
elsewhere are entering this country
Also there has been extensive snug
Cling. This has been combined with
Il base campaign of Calumny along the
lines that American dyHs are inferior
"A al 10 10