Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-03-11
Ole SPIRIT
OfAM!ERI CA

u a Il I
EDITORIAL
DIGES +
Prepared Exclusively fer The Tribune.
TodaYs Su6ied:
SCRAPS or PAPER"
/ The majority of American newspa-
pers are not in favor Of allowing Bel
/ GUM to pay her debts to the United
| States with German bonds. This
opinion is not ENTHUSIASTICALLY ex-
pressed-some writer's even think we
are under such obligation to Belgium
TOR her conduct in the war that we
should deal with her on her own terms
But Tor the most part it is felt that
acceptance Of German paper from any
debtor country might create prece-
dent which might eventually place the
responsibility Of enforcing German pay
ments from Allies shoulders to Uncle
| Sau's.
1T is a l., most satisfactory scheme"
| .SMs't No tne DOil 0M Wv. VI ouA
(Ind.), and then ironically adds, ''for
Europe. The Sun explains it's posi-
ton by stating that though "the Bel
| gian debt is small in comparison with
the vast amounts owed the United
States still, were America to "accept
German bonds for the Belgian debt, she
| would be pressed to do the same for
the French, the British and the Italian
debt" This would mean, in substance,
that the allies would simply shift this
great debt to the United States" 70
Germany. An even more emphatic ex-
preston comes from the Sioux City
| (Ia.) Journal (Rep) which declares:
1T is not the business of the United
States to collect any part Of the Ger
man indemnity. The United States
has nothing coming from Germany in
the way of indemnity. Let the Euro
| pcan nations do their own collecting.
| While they are exacting their last
pound of flesh from Germany it would
! be becoming of them if they were to an
nounce that their obligations to The
United States would be paid. interest
and principal. to the last penny, at the
earliest possible moment"
OF course everybody wants to help
Belgium, says the Manchester Union
| lind. Rep reflecting an attitude that
even the critics Of the plan seem to
| take for granted, and it continues,
we would not want to minimize the
! sufferings of the heroic little country,
but it is only true to say that there
has been great deal of exaggeration
with respect to the actual damage done
| the other hand Belgium has capitalized
| her sufferings' But the question is
| deeper than this: 1t goes straignt
down to the basic purpose of France"
| to put all the financial burdens on the
Germans. continues the Union, which
| confesses itself ''gun-shy" of all pro-
| posals looking to the maneuvering of
our country into the office Of debt col
| Iector in Germany. We have seen too
much in the last two years to want
that job"
The Seattle Times Ind feels that
| the proposition has very little that
| will commend itself to the financiers
or statesmen of the country" The
Times regards the suggestion as "the
| thin edge of the wedge that some allied
| financiers long have been striving to
| drive between the United States treas
! ury and the obligations they owe IT"
Since congress, so far, has been able
to maintain an attitude of complete
neutrality in all the post -be1lum dis
agreements of Europe" it would be
short sighted action "to involve the
country. now. though acceptance of
German bonds ''in all Europes future
acrimonious debates
The Fort Worth Star Telegram
tlnd. Dem.) finds no great ohjccrion
to the plan itself but would withhold
approval until the German reparations
question is settled upon such a basis
as to insure that Germany will paw"
for
eff the amount assessed against
Germany should be beyond Germany's
ability to pay. if the economic impossi-
bilities proposed at the recent allied
conference should be insisted upon,
then even the bonds provided for in
this agreement in connection with the
Belgian debt would be Of very ques-
tionable value. Unless some special
provision were made for their redemp-
ton. amounting practically to joint
guarantee and Endorsement by the al
lied governments, they will be on the
same level with every other dollar of
the amount of the reparations, and if
such special provision were made and
such guarantees given. the basing Of
the bonds on German PREPARATIONS
would be more or less of mere mat
ter of form"
The case of Belgium alone might not
be difficult to handle, the Pittsburgh
Gazette Times (Rep.1 believes. but
in all probability it would mean the
initial movement In transferring 70
Uncle Sam the greater part of the for
eign Indebtedness" Thus, though
Americans will go far to help Bel
GUM. for whom their sympathy is pro-
found" the Gazette concludes, ''they
are also reasonably concerned for their
own welfare" The Cleveland Plain
Dealer (Ind, DEM looks upon the
| question much more sympathetically.
calling attention as well to the practical
advantage Of scheme which would
enable this nation to collect promptly
an obligation which, otherwise, Bel
GUM is likely to find extremely diff
cult to meet within a reasonable time"
The Plain Dealer points out, however,
that the United States should make
clear that its acceptance of German
bonds is not to be construed as pre-
cedent justifying the acceptance later
of like bonds from the other European
debtors This reservation, the Spring
field Union (Rep.) apparently consd-
ers hardly necessary, for it remarks
that ut would establish no precedent
that could affect the obligations of
other allied governments to us. because
this provision was a special one on