The Washington times., 1922-10-22

debt due It by the European
~ countries. amounting TO
something like eleven billion dol.
iarsY
-, That question is raised at nearly
every gathering. At the Bankers
!. Convention the suggestion was
!. made that the allies were fighting
/. Americas battles and we should
:. cancel the debt. That sentiment
Cor is II propagandaH has been
echoed and re-echoed ever since
the matter came up Tor discussion.
:, Some OF US are getting tired Of
hearing Il because It Is not the
truth. Kipling's interview voiced
the feeling of hostility to America
because we had gold and had not
- Cancelled the debts due us by Eu.
Sropean. countries. and the attempt
IN certain European quarters to
'snninimize Americas contribution
. 10 the war is born Of unjustifiable
criticism.
MADE AS A LOAN -
~. The money was loaned upon the
distinct understanding that 1t
would be repaid. 1t did not come
out of the Federal Treasury, but
out of the purchase of bonds by
hundreds and thousands Of people
who scraped together their savings
to buy Liberty bonds. III Is not
paid by those to whom It was loan
ed Il must be paid by taxing the
people of the United States. There
was once a saying that was hon.
ored with the observance: 1T is
better to be just than to be gen.
erous." ,
USED TO FEED CIVILIANS.
.nt The money borrowed was used
by the European nations to pro-
vide themselves with munitions
and supplies for carrying on the
war and to feed their civilian popu.
iation. The last could in no sense
be said to be q military use made
by them because they were flight.
Ing Americas battles" There was
never any suggestion at the time
of the loan that It was not to be
repaid. On the other hand, it was
asked as a business loan, supplied
by our government because at that
/ time our government was the
worlds banker and private bank
Ing institutions could not float the
loan. We were glad to make the
loan and the people gladly. sub
scribed to bonds to furnish the
money.
PAID FRANCE IN FULL.
The whole policy between this
country and the allied nations was
for each nation to pay for what
ever II obtained from the other,
whether In cash or in supplies or
In service. A wave Of unjustifled
criticism went up in America when
the French presented a bill for
= payment for the land damaged
Sby the digging OF trenches for
American soldiers fighting on
French territory. Our people said:
Our soldiers are there to fight
with and for the French. They
ought to be so glad for us to be
saving them that they would make
no charge for anything we use or
destroy" But the land did not be-
long to the French government.
It belonged to French farmers and
was sorely needed by them to make
crops for the support Of their fam
lies. The French government COM
pensated the owners Of this land
for the damages thus making the
loss fall equally upon all French
men rather than solely upon the
farmers. We paid and we ought
to have paid. Just as the Frepch
government compensated these
farmers.
PAID FOR GUNS.
Again: When General Joffre
was in Washington soon after we
sentered the war. he urged the
early sending of American troops
and volunteered to furnish French
guns for our soldiers. We OBJ
tained them and used them effec-
lively. But the French did not
give them to us. We paid for
them, and properly, and took ad-
vantage OF Joffre's offer because
the French then had an abund.
ance and It was better to buy
from them than to transport these
heavy guns across the sea.
THE sorest need of America
when we entered the war was
suitable ships in sufficient num-
bers to transport our troops as
rapidly as they were ready to go.
The allied nations needed all the
craft they possessed. We took
over and fitted up the German
ships interned In our waters. One
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