The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-09-29

ships preference in tolls, w~hereupon
John Bull roared, and charged that we
had shown bad faith. This led Presi
dent Wilson, with the help Of the Amer
lean ambassador, Mr.. Page in London
to arrange with England that the cana
measure would be altered as to grant
to England all Of the rights which she
claimed. Under the stress Of the war
President Wilson secureG the passage
of a law that placed British shipments
on the same level with our American
shipments. Now, Senator Borah and
others are insisting on the repeal of
this legislation which favors Great
Britain. The DIRECTORS vociferously
declare that we must keep our prom
Uses to England, otherwise we cannot
be regarded as an honest nation. The
answer is that England wheedled us
into an absolutely unfair agreement a
half century ago, and even though they
knew that the Bulwer-Clayton treaty
jobbed us, and that the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty also trimmed us out of our n
tural rights, they have insisted that we
stick to our bargain, asserting that it
is d~ishOnorable not to do so. Technic-
ally they are quite correct. and the
American government has been letting
them go, Just as judges and juries have
always let the guilty escape on tech.
nicalities." Senator Borah and his
supporters insist that England should
let us out of the bad hole which they
have kept us in for fifty years, and
failing to do so, they are maintaining
an unfair advantage which we are JUS
tilted in r%epudiating. The essence Of
the position by the American senator
and his followers is that England has
no business to call our kettle black be.
cause their pot Is smudged with more
SCOT than our own. A vote upon the
Panama canal tolls repeal bill is set
for October 10. If Mr.. Borah and his
group should win the English lion will
roar nightly. II they lose our ma
tional honor and another scrap OF
paper will have been saved once
again.
Mr.. Hoover's committee Is rushing
relief to the starving Russians. The
Russian government, which has been
making faces at the civilized nations
Of the world, is believed to be respon.
sible for the propaganda which ap-
parently broke loose over night, re.
vealing the sufferings in Russia. OF
course starvation does not come to
millions Of people in a day or a week
unless there is some sudden calamity
like an earthquake, or fires or floods
to precipitate the catastrophe. Rus
STA has been getting ready for starva,
ton for a long time. and 1t is inter
esting to know something Of the facts
that have made it necessary for Mr.
Hoover to send food into a country
which was formerly so rich that II
exported more Of Its grain than any
other nation.
The soviet authorities Of Russis
forced their Bolshevik paper money
upon the country. and when the peas
ants found that they could buy moth
ing with it, they refused to accep
it. Then the red guards were sen
lout from the cities to seize the peas
ants stores. The peasants finding
themselves in constant danger Of thes,
forceful acquisitions and deprived o
any incentive to produce more thai
they needed themselves, cut down tn,
area cultivated to a minimum, an.
concealed their products. Thus. Their
were no reserves OF food to move. evel
If there were transportation to NOV
1t. Added to this fact, a great droutl
fell upon Russia, and the production
was even less than the peasants ha'
calculated on. In the volga valley
which Is n OF the most fertile region
OF Russia. the peasants were not onl
plundered Of their food but the yer
seed required for fall sowing was take
from them. Thus Russia starved hel
self out. and now q plying world |
rushing to the relief Of Q people VIII
have plundered each other almost cor
stantly during the past seven years.
President Harding has been In Of
Aro half . v~ar suA vnr.@ - ~ 49,