Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-11-28
nucxsrERs MAKING TROUBLE

that mas DeSu 8OiH8 oHs 10 INV
that matter, to convince the Ameri-
can people that they are morally
oblisated to cancel the debts owed to
n. BY our allies for money borrowed
during and after the war. for these
debts include some four billions
loaned by our government after the
Armistice was signed.
This Of itself is scarcely to the
credit of the debtors but. really is
small part Of their offending. They
ere trying to put the United states
IN had odor with the world in gen.
cal, holding it up as a ShylocK
pmong nations. =. Not neighborly at
ti,ude to say the least. and aggravat-
ing a natural jealousy which was to
bc expected OF the peculiarly ad-
vantazeous position the United
states was placed in commercially at
ahc beginning Of the war. for which,
by the way, we were nowise re-
sronsible.
Those who would understand the
extent Of this offending on the part
q. those who were our war allies VIII
do we'll TO read a very comprehensive
article by Garct Carr EFT in the last
Saturday Evening Post One may so
rrrive at a pretty clear understand
ting of the real iniquity OF the
ropasanda. He will learn that while
the American people were buying
Liberty bonds, from which loans
might be made to the allies. we were
buying goods of the allies, In some
,rstances at exorbitant prices ana
paying for them in good American
dollars the while we we're accepting
the 10 Us from them, which now
they wish to avoid cashing. That,
Furthermore. We have no assurance
rcspecting the part OF the loans which
actually went for war purposes ana
hat was used TO expand trade. in
sume instances at the expense of the
very country that was loaning them
tho money.
After reading the recital Of what
actually transpired the shrewdest
Yankee horse trader would be entire
" excusabe il he decided that IL
wouldn't be safe, however astute he
might regard himself. to venture to
swan horses with those men who are
now endeavoring to picture Uncle
Sam as possessed Of no kindlier feel
ings than a Shylock. And when it Is
said that these countries are unable
a. pay he is reminded that the
rmount loaned to them was
surplus saved. largely by the
American peoples thrift and self
denial. in period Of nineteen,
months. Realizing this he will prop
srly doubt any assertion OF inability
CT the debtors to pay. He will have
no doubt that had Germany won the
var she would have found a way to
make them pay vastly more. He
would like to see Germany taxed as
we are taxed In this country. for in
stance. and he would like TO see on
the part Of the English and the
French a spirit something like II only
distantly resembling that displayed
by the American people when they
s,ved and drudged 10 buy Liberty
bonds.
Put we must not he forgetful Of
the strain to which those peoples
were subjected for four years and
We might probably conjecture what
would have happened to US had We
been compelled TO keep up our en-
Geavor for four years. But whatever
We DO. We owe 1t to ourselves that it
shail not be done in 4 mean spirited
way. II was not 30 we went to war;
q was not 30 we raised the money:
u was not 10 that We spent 1t and
loaned 1t. No. We should not lie COM
placently contemptuous under the ac-
cLsation Of being Shylock. That,
we were not and never have been,
and the charge comes from those who
have been and are trying to put 1t
over us" and have been caught at It.
They are Of those Tennyson had in
mind when he exclaimed: "These
huclssters put down war;" And
DjHraeli had such in mind when he
spoke OF "huckstering rule" OF
sech. a recent writer in the North
American. l.. p. Jacks. may have
been thinking when he concluded
that "the war was the product of
world wide lying" mot the
vcnial lying which speaks word
untrue to another word. but the
mortal. deadly lying where all the
words, while beautifully harmonizing
With one another. are collectively I'M
t.ue to reality or fact"
The lying now being sedulously
conducted respecting this matter Of
loans, rcparations and the like, IL,
when all the features of the situation
ME considered, the most contempti-
Lle sort Of higgling while an earth
quake rumbles unde-foot. Here are
"financicrs" and Statesmen" bleat-
ing around that when the allies