The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-12-01
GERMAN PEOPLE o o
TO o HELP

UERMAN FEOPLE LOOh
TO AMERICA FOR HELP
German people, crushed by the big
business men of the country, are anx-
iously looking to America for aid in
solving their reconstruction problems,
says Lawrence Adler, professor of pi-
ano at the State university, who
toured Germany before his return to
the United States a month ago.
Selfish industrialists, who place their
own interests before those of their
country, are responsible for the drop
in the price of marks; they have open
ly refused to pay taxes and are taking
advantage of present conditions to
make themselves enormously wealthy
at the expense of the poorer classes,
declares the young professor, who
spent a year in Germany before the
war and whose recent visit was made
during studies abroad.
Germany today might be described
as 'helmless'," he said in interview
recently. "While the present govern
ment is making an honest effort to
improve conditions, the German mind,
accustomed to the rigid rule of royal
ty, with traditions centuries old be-
hind it, seems to be at a loss. The.
rich, now in control, profit by the mis-
cry of the poor and will do nothing to
aid the majority; the government can
do nthing, though it is seeking a rem
edy; so it is to benevolent America
that German eyes are turned"
Germany, however, has suffered lit
tie from the effects of the war as COM
pared to France, he said. The country
on the whole, he declared, was in a
fairly good condition, and the poor
classes in the cities, unable to secure
food except at exorbitant prices, were
the chief sufferers.
"Still," he said, "there are many
who do not realize that their country
has made a huge mistake; that it has
devastated a beautiful land; that it
has committed crimes and outrages
horrifying to civilized humanity.
Americans are treated in Germany
with a sort of indifference; they have
little love for the English; and for
the French they bear a hatred that
probably will manifest itself in an
other war.
But there are many, too, who real
ize what Germany has done, and l
think they are in a majority. This
class is trying to place Germany on
hnr fnrronr c+opIin~ oaa1J.,
Then there are the millions of peas
ants, the most ignorant in all Europe,
who were herded into the army at
the opening of the war and are now
trying to find out what it was all
about"
The greedy "big business" men of
Germany are responsible for most of
the country's troubles, he charged. He
declared they had caused a drop in the
marks price that they might profit by
the low prices when international ex-
change was made in gold; that they
had muddled the finances of the gov
eminent in order to furnish an argu-
ment against the quick payment of
PREPARATIONS and refused to pay taxes
for the support of the administration.
"They profess inability to pay the
reparations," he said. "They have up
to this time, however, paid but a very
small amount of the total assessed
against them. But Germany, for a
country that claims poverty today,
seems highly prosperous to the visi-
tor. They have placed their highways
in excellent shape; railways are being
built everywhere and huge amounts
are being spent on harbors. large
warehouses and other public improve
ments.
wages fluctuate so rapidly that
each week the factories find it neces-
sary to change their salary schedules.
Wages are low in comparison with
prices, though Americans will find it
easy to live in good style for S1.75 or
$500 a day. Clothes are cheap; an
%overcoat costing $50 in America can
be bought there for IS; in fact a COM
plete outfit Of clothing can be pur-
chased for Approximately $50, though
foreigners find it necessary to tip Of
~ficials in order to take their purchases
from the country.
Germany" said Professor Adler,
twill come back only through the aid
eff its financiers or through a huge
foreign loan. The mark will be sta
bilized if the industrialists will forget
their interests and show true pa
triotism. The country's big problem
is that of finances and they have the
power to cure their own ills if they
care to apply the remedies"