The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1923-01-04
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

save her. At first she though she
could do it herself, and as the hordes
of German and Austrian armies clashed
with the forces of Belgium, France,
England, Russia and Italy, the neutral
nations that were o~nlookers predicted
that it would be over in a few months,
or in a year. or possibly a little longer.
That was the begging of a story thai
has had as many phases as there are
sides and characteristics to human
life. The present trouble we are tod
is traceable to a tremendous "repara-
tons battle" now being staged in Euro
pean capitals by nations, all OF which
admit that their treasures have been
stone-broke for many, many years. And
they say that about the only way they
can pull themselves out of their dill
ema is for defeated Germany to pay
up the "reparations.' If Germany can
arrange to pay, the rest OF the coun-
tries will divide up the swag. That S
pretty nearly the whole story in a nut
shell. OF course all of Europe knows
that Germany has little real money
other than marks with which to pay
its debts-and anyone may be counted
an easy mark that will accept the Ger
man autographs. C~lemenceau came to
America to drive home Frances de-
mand that Germany must pay And
while Clemenceau was still on the high
seas Germany began coyly inquiring OF
, --..-1 c.-.-. rA,, nnI I
Pierpont Morgan and other bankers,
how much does America think Ger
many's capacity to pay may be estl-
mated att" At about the same time
the new British Prime Minister told
it t the world" that England couldn't
pay its war debts unless Europe paid
to the British. OF couse everyone
knew that Europe couldn't pay its heaG
bankers in London unless Germany
produced the money for the delapitat-
ed public treasures OF the Continent.
Germany promptly and graciously re-
sponded that is would keep credits a
whirling providing the United States
would hold the bag, and put up the
money. Thus in the ~present-day say
ing Europe process our old compan-
ions in arms are not only to be saved,
but the United States must add to its
string of dependents the firmer enc
mics of mankind who forced us into
the war-that we won for Europe.
Senator Borah passively observes
that "if Europe wants help that Will
help the people of Europe, the suffer
ing masses, and not feed her imperial
istic and militaristic, exploiting poll
cies, then a program along that line
should accompany the appeal" The
Arms Conference held in Washington
last winter aimed in this identical dir
ection, and it's critics who said that il
was merely a leaf out of h League OF
Nations document, agreed then that
Europe could come close to saving
herself if she would change her i'm
perialistic, militaristic, exploiting pol
icieS." But evidently that was a pre-
mature hope since the press dis
patches of recent date tell us that
Great Britain and Turkey have reach
ed an agreement outside the Peace
Conference regarding Mosul, whereby
Turkey is to have sovereignty over
the region and England the oil con
cessions.' 1t has been the same story
over and over again, ever since the
war. Apparently American gold IS
the only relief that Europe anticipates.
And the disheartening part of it all is
2 A.. =. ,o,J;.r - - tl,,, thn. nrn do
not save them at all. Instead we
save" their policy and political ma
chinery, and help the secret arts of
diplomacy to put over new ideals on
the world like that just contaminated
by the British and the Turks.
Samuel Gompers is as vigorous in
his championship of the progressive
bloc" in Congress as Ben w. Hooper
is in d~enouncing it. Gompers is the
head of the organized labor movement
in the United States, while Hooper is
chairman of the United States Rail
road Labor Board. Hooper argues that
the statesmen who drafted our o
~stitutiOn fully realized the danger of
self-destruction inherent in popular
government, and they made the jul
dicial department a seawall against de-
structive tidal waves of popular senti-
ment." Gompers doesn't give a snap
Of his finger for inherent claims Of
the judicial department Of popular gov
eminent, and he would sooner hold a
referendum to recall a judicial decis-
ion than TO say it was right II he
though otherwise. In the divergent
views of these two men Ii finds IN
splendid working order the W forms
of human psychology that are called
conservative" and progressive at
the National Capital. The one would
strengthen the "seawall against de
structive tidal waves Of popular senti
ment," while the other would welcome
storms that would beat it down. \
great battle is raging right now in the
Senate of the United States between
statesmen who would sustain the old
order Of vents and other statesmen
who are trying to upset the political
organizations of parties that have hith-