Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-04
NOW MY IDEA IS THIS
Daily Talks Wuh Thinking Phadephias Subjects They
KnO,U Best

there was Il disposition on the part of other
nations to diStrust Germany. The present
attitude of the Entente has caused a con-
siderable EnCtiOn in Germany from belief
IN tn" effectiveness of right as opposed to
might in international affairs. Viewed by
tn" economic results ii cannot be main
tnlncd that the war was an unqualified
success but the nations are going ahead
apparently upon the assumption that it WAS.
''Ehe casual visitor TO Germany does moi
at first realize the desperate condition of
IN" financial SiluHtiOm there. Everything
looks to be normal and thr visitor can get
pretty much what he wants. This is due.
however, to III" rat" Of exchange. for the
American dollar will today buy many marks.
In spite Of this Germany is rapidly pre-
pairing to tax" high plnc" in the industrial
world and she is anxious to do il in iai'
way. This. Of least is th" nttitud" Of tn"
general worker there. who feels bitterly tn"
aversion in which his country WAS 50 long
held by other nations
''Of course, there are still some iunk"r~
and mIitariSl>. but they are largely dis
credited, and il seems impos>ih!" that they
would b" abb" to start Il formidabIH n"v"-
mcnt.
Absorbing TIE Army
"Thc absorption of the army into COM
mcrcial channels was II curious and inter-
"Sting experiment. Before the war Germany
probably led all other large nations in tn"
Slllul uUlllb'I 'l Nu'IlplbN'u IlItIl bllt IIW
disbnndng of the huge army threw u vas:
number of men unframed, except in mill.
tary ways, into tn" trad" market. 1t Nigh!
be said in passing that the laws relating
to employment, which worked satisfactorily
under the old empire. were retained and
modified as needed after the revolution.
"Dn tn" decentralization of III" army. II
very large number Of these men were taken
into the railroad and postal services. Matt
urally, there are far too many employees.
but the Government app, alCd TO take the
attitude that it might just ns well have Il
deficit in th"%r branches ~ to use the >NluV
money in payment Of unemployment dolrS.
There is still good deal Of acknowledgement.
but there is probably not 50 great AN amount
of total unemployment nS in this country
or in England; but there is great deaf
OF part time work.
''Somc places and some industries are
busy, but Germany has lost its foreign
market and its hom" market IS nowhere near
SO good as it was before the war. lmdrr-
nourishmcnt and lack of food are noD 50 bad
in Germany as in Poland, as II matter Of
fact, but relatively the situation i worse.
Poland has had two years Of fin" crops and
the outlook is that II can feed itself thi,
| winter, whereas Germany docs not nov, nor
never, for II generation or two, has raised
enough to feed herself.
"InilatiOn Is probably the chief of Ger
| many's financial troubles. Thrr" are now
| eighty mIliards of paper money there to
meet which there is only abou, one million
! marks in gold in TN" ltrirn>bauk Before
| the war the gold and III" paper money wrr"
about even in amount, with perhaps a little
! baan"" in favor of the gold.
| ''On IT," ~Uiac" conditions appear TO be-
! fair, bW der the surface it is seen than
| tn" r"lu| struggling with trrmrm,lru>
burden. , ,lnt her tnnnciaI conditions mr..
| litl" ~Iu,n Of imuo>%ib!", She may deserve
| this. but il is hard ON the rr,t Of i've world
| because "t tn" mtcrd"p"ndrnc" Of natiuY4