The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-01-18

the milk COW as an emblem of sub
sistence, the commission must no,
consent to have the COW killed In
order to supply beef to. the worker
and thereby bring them to starava
ton when the beef was eaten up
when they might by caring for the
cow, keep the milk supply flowing
and thereby keep up the strength Of
the workers.
The commission, guided by this
principle, could modify the amounts
and dates of payments. but the de.
wasted portions of France and Bel.
GUM must be rebuilt, and Germany
must pay for it, and these were to
be prior claims. In these four years
France has received nothing on that
account and is facing what seems to
be financial collapse, partly from
her war debts and partly from her
large expenditures for rebuilding
the devastated regions and getting
no refund on 1t from Germany.
| Another feature of the progress
or lack of progress of settlement of
PREPARATIONS was that the commits
sion undertook to create a revenue
to apply on PREPARATIONS by levying
| customs duties on goods crossing
the German frontier or boundary,
but the added burden of the duty
made it harder to maintain factories
and trade. AS fast as factories were
forced to close down, owing to the
high duties, and other obstacles to
of employment, took away their
purchasing power, and in turn pre-
vented them from buying other
goods produced by neighbors, and
it gradually narrowed down the
volume of business until the COM
mission became convinced that the
levying of the customs for repara-
lions was an act of killing the cow
for beef" mentioned above, and the
plan was a failure.
AT the present time, France is in
charge of the mines in what Is called
the Rurh district, one of the most
productive and get-at-able parts of
western Germany, and the mine
owners assure the French that they
are willing to sell them their coal,
and they are willing to have the
German miners do the mining, but
of course, somebody will have to pay
for it. They cannot keep the mines
running and pay the costs person
ally, so France accepts the situation
knowing they cannot get it done
with French labor any cheaper, and
that calls for money to be sent in
from France. Before the seizure, |
Germans were furnishing the money
to operate the mines and France |
was getting the coal, or most of 1t. !
1t Is rather expected, now, that in
f1uences arising out of Germany will |
stir up q strike and keep the min
ers from working at all, and in that
event, even the poor wages hereto
fore being paid will cease and
greater distress will come to the
miners, to France and to the people
who have been selling their pro-
ducts to the miners. There Is also
the probability that the German
people may get into the fighting
humor and offer resistance and thus
another war. To add to
The unrest, America has ordered the
of our troops from the
Rhine, and England is considering
oAAdAAoi AuONC, tAuo 6lfiu6 tu6 I0T-
mans chance to say that America
Ind England have turned against
france because of this move to col
ect by force.
Germany is setting up the claim ,
hat since the treaty of Versailles
provides that they must not be re-
Iuired to pay when they cannot pay,
nd that the continuing commission
must modify matters according to
he necessities of the times, it is a |
iolation of the treaty for France
o send in her armies to force col
ection when they are paying Gin {
oaD as fast as they can. Insofar '
s it can be made to appear that the |
realty has been violated and does I
OF exist, Germany will be able to I
lake it appear that she does not '
we France anything anyway, that Z
here is no agreement existing, and
she will refuse to make q
UGH treaty. France, remember q
lg how she was made to pay to T.
ermany in 1871, may be frantic =
nd desperate in her actions and u
rec1pitate war of determination
AS we review the whole situation, p
'ur years of war, leading down to 81
lie second battle of the Marine,
,ur years of financial wavering u
aiding down to the present invasion
Germany, it looks like a crisis in o
urope, test of theories and per- +
aps a test of the strength of the W
ltiOns to see if they can survive a II
,riod that has for so long been g
beled safe for Democracy" a.
L