The St. Joseph observer., 1921-11-05
WHERE THEY AROSE
The Monstrous War Fortunes That
We're Made During the World
War by the Profitcers.

ulators made what they call "clean-
ups Now, after the war is over
and there is no immediate prospect
Of another war, It is good business
for the great mass OF the people who
did not make "clean-ups" to consider
where the money came from that
these fortunes are composed of.
War does not create wealth. It
of materials fer normal purposes,
takes away workers from legitimate
employment and disrupts everything
that makes for progress in the regu-
| lar affairs of life. So IL some few
people in the course of such con-
fusion grab off lot of money they
get It out OF the pockets Of other peo-
pie who have earned 1t In normal
times.
Where did all the money come
from that flowed so freely during the
war? 1t came from riotous spending
| by the various governments of money
they got from the people by taxing
and borrowing. Among sane men in
sane times the fellow is not well
thought of who borrows all he can
and spends IT as fast as he can. But
war puts governments in on just that
false basis
And the falseness soon trickles
down and stains all the business rela-
tions of individuals. Manufacturers.
wholesalers, merchants, and all deal
ers throughout the world begin TO
Workers begin to charge too much
for their services. Everybody is out
to grab some OF the money that gov
ernments are wasting. Few realize
that it is their own money that is be-
ing wasted, and those who understand
this must join in the general scramble
to get theirs.
In the general melee Of wasteful-
ness the strong, the organized, the
crafty, pile up fortunes. In fact, they
have all the others virtually mort
gagged to them for generations to
come. They can't see that war is
such a bad thing. 1t shakes business
up, they say, and makes times good.
| But good times for them mean bad
times for millions for years.
JpCt from, IN,,rona a.. N oon,
mittee Of the Chamber of Commerce
Of the United States. 1t reports that
in Europe there are 100000, 900 peo-
pie who are reduced in their con-
sumption of food and other necessi-
| ties OF life 10 80 per cent Of the nor
NAL. In every country visited"
expressed that neither western nor
central Europe can be restored to
conditions which promise hope and
progress for the future without our
| assistance"
The meaning of that is that the
| United States must carry, in addition
to its own debts and war losses,
! large part of the burdens of Europe.
We must not only spend wealth to aid
the people OF Europe charitably, but
we must lose the vast amount Of
| trade which they would carry on
with us if they We're in position to
consume normally. And because Eur
| ope is reduced TO 80 per cent Of its
normal consumption, our foreign
commerce is at a minimum, business
| is depressed in this country and we
| are holding conference TO find out
how to take care of our unemployed,
| Just as the same problem is being
considered in Europe, Asia, Australia,
and the islands Of the sea.
All these losses heaped upon each
other in these multitudinous ways,
show where the swollen war fortunes
come from. Millions OF people were
and are on short rations to pay the
losses Of war and a part OF the losses,
"A relatively small part, went into the
so-Called profits of the interests that
now perpetuate the rumors frequently
heard that war is inevitable" and we
must be prepared for "the next war"