Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-10
says WORLD FATE
DEPENDS On j. 6.
BY MAxINTILLTAN HARDEN
Eer1l1anv's Foremost Publicist

men, would not be loud enough today
to carry:
Got for love of Germany, but for
the sake of European peace let all
weIl-meaning men prevent this new
step of the allies-the establishment
of military and economic rule over
the industrial districts Of the lower
Rhine and Kdhr!'
We are confronted by the most
fateful decision since Versailles.
Once the armies of France march
in and a new rule is imposed upon
ton is incalculable. AS the proposed
payments are spread over thirty
years, and the creditor is deemed I'M
trustworthy, there will be always
the chance to say the pledge" is I'M
relinquiShable.
most of the valuable possessions of
another, especially when there is
great hatred between them, exposes
the former to most dangerous
temptation. The keeping of the
whole west German industrial dis
chemicals, the textiles and the dye
stuffs under French control would be
too enticing to expect speeding end
to the arrangement.
Nor could there be any hope from
an ultimatum presented to Germany
d
would be like surgeon bargaining
about his fee after making the IN
cision. 1t would be easy to imagine
what conditions we would have to
meet before the politico-military
occupations would cease.
1t would be coWardly, even stupid,
to deny that the German government
and parliament have made terrible
plumbers in dealing with the repara-
lions question. Even the last pro-
posals made to President Harding
were not acceptable, first, because
Cling (fifty billion marks at four per
cent would not equal two hundred
billions in fifty, or even sixty an
nuities), and second, because they
were linked with conditions demand
ing at a most unfavorable moment
that the allies abandon their most
important advantages under the
Treaty of Versailles.
But everybody must admit that the
reparatiOnS problem is the most diff
ficult a nation ever faced. A nation?
No, the most difficult continent ever
faced. Or perhaps the entire civil
lied world! Take single phase Of
the problem:
If we offer the manual labor Of
thousands of German workmen to re-
build northern France, Paris an
sWers:
mat WOuld De cOlOnlZaLlOn. ana
the inhabitants of the devastated
hordes of former invaders living
comfortably in their country"
If we offer machines and other
technical equipment and implements,
they say:
impossible! In that case we
renewing and repairing the machin-
cry from Germany, whose industry
would thus become too powerful in
control of our northern depart
ments.''
The surrender of German ships has
where, and the more ships our yards
build for the allies the more difficult
will be the situation in the British
industry. Germany's rep
arattOn coal is offered in France
at below the price of English coal.
thereby destroying the English mar
ket on the continent, and an unlim-
tied dictatorship by France over all
cur coal would bring the British in
dustrial economy to a standstill
Most of the countries affected by
the reparations issue are opposing
of German dyestuffs and manufac-
tured goods because they do not want
to imperil their own industries.
Even the United States, which alone
could take large amounts of these
goods, thus helping Germany's paying
capacity, is planning higher protec-
tive tariffs.
Thus, it is seen, that what we
can give is not wanted, and what is
wanted we cannot give; namely gold,
the only international money. The
solution is not so simple as many
seem to think. No mechanical means
can be conjured up to make it so.
PM FOREIGN r11la in Garn19nU would
be the most false and the most fatal
sOlpt on. What was feasible, or
seemed TO he, on the Nile, under prin-
tive economic conditions, is impossi-
BILE on the Rhine or in the Ruhr, in
a land of 100 mines and other in
duStrieS.
Instead of exacting shelter for
hundreds Of thousands of Foch's
troops, Europe should be co-operat-
ing in building Workmens dwellings
Sc that production in the Rhineland
and WestThalia could increase. In
stead of sowing fresh seeds of hatred
engendering the danger of q new con-
hict and inducing our best tech
nicianS to emigrate, the peace and
safety OF our mines and laboratories
should be made secure. German tech
nical skill which produces tar, dyes,
has only a secondary value, is also
useful to Germany'S creditors.
Only through increased and i'm
proved production is reparation pos
sible and European economic recov-
cry is possible only when the CONT
nent again is able to produce and
consume. Apart from foodstuffs,
Germany's consumption has de-
creased until it is now only one-fifth
what it was prior to the war.
Is this, therefore, the time to en-
terrain plans whose execution would
lame the brain and the heart of Ger
man industry? Every politician must
have foreseen that America would re-
fuse to arbitrate. But she has the
moral and the economic power to
force rational conditions on both
camps, and this would give the
French stronger guarantees against
German military aggression than oc-
cupation of the Ruhr could possibly
give. The United States, by refusing
to help anyone, simply would force
Europe into reasonably secure eco
nomic situation.
Washington's grandchildren could
not render a greater service to the
old continent. And L think the serv-
ice they would be doing themselves
would not be much less.
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