The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1922-12-15
SENATOR FRANCE PLEADS
FOR BANKRUPT EUROPE
Maryland Solon Says That Economic Conference Must Be
Called d-That Russia Must Be Recognized and Helped
Ihat German Indemnity Must Be Reduced and American
Farmers Helped.


Chicago, ILL.,, Saturday, $50 p. m,
December 8, 1922.-Distress among
the farmers, workers and business
men of America is the reflection of
Europe's agony. We suffer from
surplus grains, cotton, clothing, shoes,
goods. Europeans are in despair be-
cause of desperate need for all our
surplus. Europe,s debt to us prevents
her purchasing. Our exports decline,
prices fall, business stagnates, fur
naces are cold and unemployed men
beg on our streets. Europe's debts
are increasing and her nations stag
ger on toward bankruptcy
FAMINE THREATENS EUROPE
When winter comes Europe will be
a charnel house unless statesmen can
be made to understand and boldly act
Haggard, waxy specters, in rags,
wasted to bone and ligament, will
stalk her streets. Repulsive pesti-
lence and pallid death will ravage and
destroy. Gaunt famine will clutch
millions in her bony claws and leave
their stark corpses for winter SHOWS
to bury or desperate cannibals to de-
YOUR If we had lost our recent total
crop of 800,000,00O bushels of wheat
we would face conditions comparable
to thosesin Europe, for by about 800,-
100000 bushels of grain Europe is
short Of her pre-war supplies. She
is short an amount of grain sufficient
to feed 100 millions of her people,
More than seven and one-half millic-sG
of men lost their lives in battles Of
the war, More than twice that nul :
Der of beings will this winter fac
starvation because of the stupid blun-
ders of. the statesmen of the world.
An unusually abundant European pc
tato crop will be of aid in averting
what otherwise would be most ter
rible catastrophe.
The threatened famine in Europe is
due in part to the failure to restore
Russia which normally produces one
fifth of the worlds food, her normal
exports alone being enough to supply
SO millions of people Of the industrial
countries with grains. The wheat and
rye crops of the rest of Europe were
275, 100000 bushels less than last year
when shortages Of food were very
acute with famine and death over wide
areas. If we had sent commission
to Russia to arrange for her to pur-
chase from us seed, plows, horses, inn
plements, tools, shoe and clothing for
the restoration of her industry, this
tragedy could have been forestalled.
| Not only food, but clothes, tools and
shelter are lacking in all parts of
Europe.
WORLD STAGGERS TOWARD
BANKRUPTCY
In 1918 the aggregate debts of the
world were 43 billions of dollars. To-
day they reach 400 billions of dollars,
carrying interest charges of over Is
billions of dollars per annum. Besides
this huge increase in the fixed charges
other governmental expenditures have
enormously swollen. With expenses
VASTLY increased, the income has been
decreased by crop failures, the disor-
ganization of industry and the loss Of
the productive power of more than 10
millions killed or disabled by war-a
loss of more than twelve billion dol
lars year. Thus it will appear that
on account of the increased interest
charges on the national debts and the
decreased man-power, the nations
face a loss of nearly 40 billions of
dollars year, not including the in
creased expenditures to care for the
disabled and to meet other items in
huge national budgets. Our nation
al debt would be $50 billions of dol
lars # rroportionately as large as The
Gebt cf France
REMEDIES
Taking the world as a whole, as
made up of the great civilized nations.
we may say that it is short of food
and goods, disordered in it's productive
power and practically insoivcnt. The
remedies are: The immediate calling
of general economic conference: a
world wide plan for food and seed
conservation and for increased acre
ages next year; financial machinery
SO that our farmers can export at pro-
fitable prices to meet EuroLe's. famine
need; the restoration of Rassia's ag-
ricultural productive. power; increase
of total world prod- ,tivity Ly devel-
opment of her human and natural re-
sources; reduction of German indem-
nifty; liquidation of the international
debts, especially those owed to us by
Europe; establishment of cooperation
or a concert betweens the nations in
plans for reconstruction, Yecon.ilia-
ton, the spread of civilization, the
application Of equity and justice i'm in
ternational affairs and permanent
| peace.
Delivered by Sen. France of Maryland
At the banquet of the Cook County
Real Estate Board, Congress Hotel,
Chicago, $50, December ninth.