Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-12
THE LOAN

DY Z very close vote, l46 to l3o,
the lower house Of congress
passed q resolution authorizing the
government Of the United States
to take five million dollars of tax.
payers money and loan 1t to the
republic of Liberia on the west
coast of Africa. The democrats
voted solidly against the resolution
Forty republicans voted with them
and a good many more lodged the
roll call not voting at all. Six
merely voted present, and refused
to be counted on the affirmative
CT negative side. It Is evident that
the loan is not popular even with
a good many republicans who real
ize that the point has been reached
when the taxpayers of the United
States have had enough of lending
money to foreign governments who
are slow to pay it back, either prin-
cipal or interest. The narrow ma
jority in the lower house shows that
this particular expenditure Of tax
payers money would not have been
authorized had it not been for the
special effort of President Hard
ing to put the loan over. Perhaps
it may fail in the senate. but If 1t
does not, the administration will
throw five million more good dol
lars to the birds-the blackbirds In
this case. We have never seen any
good or convincing explanation OF
why this loan should be made at
this time. We note that President
Harding says it is a moral obliga-
ton against the taxpayers OF this
republic, but we don't understand
Just how the moral obligation was
incurred. We are in favor OF the
United States paying Its debts, both
moral and legal debts, but we would
like TO know more about this par
ticular debt. We are strongly OF
the opinion that if the moral obi
CATION to lend this money was clear
and undoubted, we would know
more about 1t. Such information as
given out about the facts is vague
and unconvincing. So far as we
are informed the case is about as
follows:
Liberia Is a colored republic
founded by e~x-slaves who came
the United States before the Civil
war, and we're colonized there with
the aid of anti-slavery societies.
Its government is patterned after
the United States government. 1t
has borrowed money from the
United States before and has not
paid back the loan. When the
United States declared war against
Germany the republic of Liberia
also declared war against Germany.
So far as it could do so, and that
was not very far, it c~o-operated
with the British and the Portuguese
in wrestling the German colonies
from Africa. Someone promised
them an American loan at this time
to help them in this fight against
German colonists in Africa. Who
this was has lever been plainly
stated. Was it Woodrow Wilson
or Mr.. Lansing his secretary OF
state, or some other administration
official? We do not know. 1t has
never been stated. 1t ought to be
plainly stated. At any rate the re-
public of Liberia never got the
loan. And now three years after
the fighting is over and peace is
made, Liberia wants the loan and
the president says that there is
a moral obligation or us to make
it. We need more proof of the
moral obligation than the mere
statement that it exists. Doubtless
debate in the senate will bring it
out, if it exists.
We are, as we said before, in
favor Of this republic honorably
discharging its debts, both legal and
moral, but where moral obligation
alone is pleaded as a reason for
raiding the treasury we want full
proof of its binding character. We
think it is a fact that the taxpayers
of the United States are pretty sick
of government loans to foreign ma
tons who show no inclination to
pay the money back after they get
it, and who often tell US after they