Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-09-07

A good many persons seem to
be concerned over the possibility
OK the United States returning
the allen property in its custody with
out waiting for Germany to settle the
bill which the United States has
against her on account of the war.
Now that the house CT representatives
is once more in session the question
as TO how the alien property is to be
returned viii probably receive early
consideration.
Just before the house took recess
Representative Winslow of Massachu-
sets, chairman of the house commit
tee on interstate and foreign COM
MERGE, at the request of Thomas w.
Miller, alien property custodian, intro
duced a bill which provides for the
return to the former owners of every
trust not exceeding in value in any
case the sum of $4,000. Should this
bill pass all the smaller owners of
alien property would receive their
property back in full Immediately Of
| the $4,000 active trusts now admins
tered by the alien property custodian
about 90 per cent are of the value Of
$4,000 and under.
Much opposition to the administra-
TONS plan for dealing with the alien
| property in the custody of the govern
ment and with the claims which Ameri-
cans have against Germany has devel-
oped both in congress and out of Sle
| legislative body. The protests that
are coming in are based On the az.
sumption that this government may
return the property which it took from
Germans during the war before it OBJ
tains any assurance that the claims
of Americans against Germany viii be
settled.
More Than a Billion involved.
The total amount Of money involved
in the controversy which is looming
up is more than $1,000000,000. The
alien property custodian holds prop
erty which this government took from
German nationals not resident in the
United States aggregating little over
! $400.000,000 The total amount Of the
American claims against Germany is
slightly in excess of S415,000,000, and
then there is this governments bill
against Germany on account of the
troops that have been stationed on the
Rhine since the armistice was signed,
which now amounts to about $250,000,-
O0O..
The government has divorced the
| disposition of the enemy property held
by the alien property custodian and
the settlement of claims of American
citizens against Germany The issue
that has been raised is whether this
separation should have been made.
Relatives and friends of persons who
lost their lives when the Lusitania
was sunk are particularly active in
the campaign that has been started in
favor of this governments retaining
in its possession the property which it
took from German nationals until the
Lusitania claims are settled, at least.
The mixed commission on which the
United States. and the German govern
ment have Just agreed-a commission
composed of one American and one
German and with an American as UNI
pire-is not to have anything at all
to do with the disposition of the
enemy property held by this govern
ment. There - what may be called
side quarrel going on over the ques-
ton as to whether the executive de-
partment Haunted the senate by Great
ing tbs commission without asking
the consent of the congress, but it
seems likely that congress viii not
make a great to-do over the action of
the secretary of state in ignoring the
senate reservation. The thing that
congress is interested in, and the
phase of the situation that evidently
interests a large section of the public,
is whether the government will let
loose of the German money it holds
before the American claims are sat.
isfied
Think Germany Won't object.
The executive department has rea-
son to believe, so it is said authorita-
| lively, that the German governments