Evening star., 1922-08-27
Austria Is a Problem Beyond
The Mere Question of Justice


he is going to get his money back.
When finance had some sort OF
stability and exchange bore some
relation to the par value of money
the krone was worth 20 cents Of
American money. paid 10000
kronen for an umbrella. In old
times this would have been $4,000.
but what I paid was $3.50 of
American money. I borrowed the
money with which to pay for it at
the rate Of 10000 kronen for 81.
and next day, when l repaid, the
value of the krone had sunk to
$4,000 for 81. SO we had quite an
argument as to whether l should
pay 10000 kronen or $4,000. We
actually cost me $4,000 kronen, or.
in normal times, $500. 1t is such
an umbrella that any American
who finds himself in the wet can
purchase of me for the second
hand price of IS, but not a cent
less.
This is the condition of financial
dened with debts. When one con-
templates 1t. he cannot understand
why Charles should have left his
delightful villa upon the shore of
Lake Geneva to make his unsuc-
cessful attempt to remount the
Austrian throne. I have been
grateful to Providence for many
things unnumbered. unremembered.
uncounted. but chiefly for that at
titude of mind which has led me
to believe that he who assumes re-
sponsibility is a fool. Responsibility
must be assumed by some one, OF
course. but its assumption should
always be a grave attempt to dis
charge duty. Responsibility should
not be sought as source OF per-
sonal renown.
+ X + i
An American is apt to conclude
that life in Austria is childlike in
character. The rains fall. the sun
shines, harvests grow. All the
necessaries of life are SO amaz-
ingly cheap Judged by the Amerl-
can standard that one imagines
these people are living In para
disc But it is a FOOLS paradise.
What is amazingly cheap to the
American is unutterably dear to
the Austrian. The depreciation In
the purchasing power Of the krone
has not resulted in the appre-
citation of wages paid. What we
would look upon as almost a gift
the Austrian considers to be pro-
hibitive in its cost. Yes, II the
treaty of Versailles was intended
to make of these people help
less. hopeless and undone race. IT
is the most successful document
80
only happy thing / saw was dog.
which in some mysterious way had
found a bone.
How far modern civilization In
tends to let this go ! have no
means Of knowing. That it is
an eye for an eye and tooth FOR
a tooth there can be no doubt,
reading the plain record Of his
tory. That 1t is cold. calm. CAL
culating and deliberative justice
he would be foolish man to dis
pute. But here again in the af-
fairs of the world Justice runs
amuck of expediency. of the best
interest of the whole world. The
financial situation OF Austria is
hopeless. Under present condi-
tions. with the population dis
tributed as 1t is. 1t is without
remedy If it is to continue to be
ROSeTneu anu Sohtio oiASo "AS'i-'.
its narrow limits. with constant
war between monarchists. social
lists and republicans. 1t might as
we'll be understood first and last
that Austria Is the mendicant
state of Europe. 1t will be a
constant source of irritation to
the economic world. It will be
the poor relation in the family
of states. 1t deserves it all: IT
had neither justice nor Judgment
when it ruled.
These poor people are not to
blame for what their rulers did.
but. alas, that does not change
the Jaws of life nor the currents
OF human thought. They may be
individually just, but the law of
life is that the just must suffer
for the unjust. The Austrian
question is therefore not a ques-
tion Of justice. Let that volume
be closed, and let the men who
have to do with the rehabilita-
tion of Europe consider it in the
light of what effect the further
continuance of these conditions
will have upon the business GER
tainly of Europe. and possibly of
the world Mayhap in some for
tunate readjustment the world
will see that there was more In
the theory of peace without vic
tory than many cold-blooded dip
lomats thought.
Copyright, 1922, by rhomas R. Marshall.