The Washington herald., 1922-09-10

hungry her people wfil turn from
hopes Of seeing any way Of escape.
even through blood and shre. A yet
Germany is not 30 hungry a. the
station porter, as nation. and
doubtless 1t Is only in her cities
where they have to stint and scrape
not see any outward sign.
Fear for Future.
Berlin these summer months Is a
city thronged with folk afraid of
the future when they think about
1t. but not thinking much of trou-
bles ahead. spending what money
they have In the present to amuse
themselves while 1t lasts.
explained last week that 1t Is
folly for them to save their money
in spirit Of thrift because 1000
marks In money may buy perhaps
only 500 marks worth Thursday,
and purchasing value dwindles like
snow in springtime. One sees there
fore In Berlin much spending, not
only by the new rich and the prof.
teering, of whom there are many,
but by the great mass of middle
class folk who formerly made thrift
the first law of family life. That
IL demoralizing to any nation. and
Germany is, losing one virtue that
was hers.
Laugh Despite Troubles.
As yet I think the bulk OF the
people haven't been pinched by the
odd turn of the screw. There is
more suffering in England than in
Germany. There is more laughter
In Germany than in England. Their
social way Of life is more compen-
sation at less cost. But II seemed
almost certain to them that all their
present state is on shifting sands.
that industry and the whole struc-
ture of civilization will have a
landslide IL 1t gets one more push
from fate or France.
There is a party in France deter
mined to give them that push IL
they can, but there is also, l am
certain. a very large number of in
telligent, moderate minded men in
France who realize the peril of such
a policy and won't support 1t.
Need U. 8 Intervention.
IL Is impossible to prophesy
whether this moderate influence
viii act as a restraining force, but
l am bound to add that / think the
worst will happen to Germany and
the rest OF Europe unless the
United States intervenes as a bal
ancing power. Germany is on the
edge of great climax. In six
months time she will fall over the
| edge unless there Is new tre-
mendous act of leadership in Eu-
rope and there will be such a
mighty fall as will shake the very
center of the world and the civ
| flized states.
Arrangement made by the repre-
sentatives on the commission in
| Paris was a sign of an awakening
realization by the allied powers,
but it is only a temporary post
ponement of the problem Mean
while German printing presses are
working overtime on new issues of
notes. Prices and wages are. how
ever. in deadly competition. so that
an even greater output of marks
will be necessary.
Imitation Must stop.
There can only be one result
which is an even greater collapse
of marks on foreign exchanges, un-
til German money becomes like
Austrian and Russian. Unless Ger
many can stop this imitation of pa
per money she is doomed as an eco
nomic power. and her exporters
proclaim themselves to be helpless
to do so.
They are on the horns of a mon
strous dilemma. If they stop print
ing paper money there will be i'm
mediate distress and unemployment,
in Germany. leading to riot and So
cial disorder. of which they are
terrified. If they continue usine
the printing press the call fol
marks will lead to failure in inter
national trade with the same result
in the long run. In either case
they do not see a way of escape
The vicious circle is a complete
tragedy.