Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1922-11-17
STILL WE STAND ALOOF

. Still, we stand aloof, though we
hold the purse strings of the earth,
while nations pauperized by war are
struggling in their poverty to main
tain their existences.
Here the people constitute the gov
ernment and we owe twenty odd bill
lions of dollars to ourselves and this
tremendous family debt was incurred
IN successful effort made by us to
Keep Germany from imposing her old
Hun policy of might is right" on
the other nations of Europe.
Billions of dollars are owed to us
by former allies of ours in the (never
to be forgotten) world war and these
allies with the exception of England
are unable to present to make satis-
factory arrangements for even the
future payments of those debts. We
do not even collect interest on the
eleven or twelve billions due us from
the European nations, hence we tax
ourselves higher than perhaps any
nation on earth to keep the govern
ment running and our financial
conscience clear. We grumble at
this burden of taxation, vet since it
very cheerfully) and let it pass.
We, as a people, have many surplus
products for sale and exchange and
of course we must have customers
We had such customers before the
world war and some very valuable
customers during the war for certain
classes of our citizens who manufac-
tured war materials for our allies and
for ourselves--In fact all classes of
citizenship earned and handled more
dollars during the period of that mar
tial madness than they now or did
before that time and though the pur-
chasing power of these war dollars
deprecated very much, yet most of
our people imagined they were then
prospering.
1t is different now; the cotton pro-
ducer, the wheat and corn farmer,
the cattle and hog raisers, the sheep
and goat men and unskilled laborers,
get their dollars more slowly, Their
stuff is as low and often lower than
pre-war prices and they are not rem
dered happier when they exchange
these hard earned dollars for mer-
chandise which is still kept up to
war or near war prices.
England, France, Italy, Germany,
Russia, Austria, Hungary, Turkey
and many other nations, were good
customers of ours before the world
war and they would all like to trade
with US If they could. Some of them
are trading with US to the extent of
their ability and would doubtless
buy all of our surplus products if
they had the wherewith-Since the
United States is the Big Banker
among the nations of the world to-
day. Because, also she is absolute
ly solvent and not any where near
the rocks of bankruptcy, it looks as
though she should occupy a seat at
the table where financiers of the
nation are trying to restore CONNER
ial intercourse with former allies and
former foes-We have billions at
stake already due us and we have
many more billions of trade in the
future to consider.
The American people never fail ia
respond big heartedly when the cry
of distress goes out from any corner
of the earth and why is it that we
do not stretch forth friendly hand
now to our debtors over the seas to
help them get on their feet once
more. There is no use in saying we
cannot devise some way to help them
for we can and it would be to theil
benefit and ours that such assistance
were extended. We had the latch
string hanging outside the door dur
ing the Big War, and we made loans
to every one who sought credit, why
should we lock out everybody now
Any little banker in Oklahoma car
tell how it could be done. For two
or three years here in succession
these Oklahoma bankers held W
clients who could not pay their debts
not even the interest, let alone the
principal and they are doing it still
If Mr.. Harding would displace his
present secretary Of the treasury ant
put in that place any one of these
bankers in the cotton regions except
of course the boy banker Of Oklaho
ma who is now in trouble in Arizona
we would soon have Lire, Franks
Marks and even Rubles rolling across
the ocean and some profitable basi: