Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-01-27

Al1Ad|lIOA@0 I1L1O INldSC,s JNne
27.-Since the arrival OF the British
Debt Commission Il the United
States, Roger w. Babson has been
making a study of the situation from
a statistical point of view. His de-
tailed conclusions r dry and unin-
teresting. The summary which he
makes, however, is most enlighten-
ing.
First, let US realize says Mr..
Babson, that the coming to this
country of Stanley Baldwin, British
chancellor of the exchequer, Mon
tague G. Norman, governor of bank
OF England, and their associates
from greatest empire in the world
with hats in hand and begging for
mercy, is n OF the greatest events
in our financial history. For cen.
turtles Great Britain has been the
worlds greatest creditor and all ma
tions, including our own, have owed
the British Empire billions Of dol
lars.
1.-THE war turned the financial
world upside down. Certain great
nations like Germany emerged bank
rupt; France, the worlds greatest
investment nation emerged a debtor:
while England, to whom everyone
came for advice, now comes to
Washington for help. Truly this is
the most dramatic economic and I'm
ancial event in the history of ou-
nation. It also emphasizes the fact
that we have a great financial re-
sponsibility as well as a great up
portunity. Therefore, it is with this
thought in mind that we must make
our decisions.
ssrbf. -L1Ia u..o,k1n a-n.a
tion,'' continued Mr.. Babson, sis
bound UP with sympathies, politics.
and NATIONAL feeling. Owing to the
latter, without doubt, a great many
people in III country sympathize
with Germany, and many others.
through their owe for Ireland. hate
England. Frank study Of the stu
alton, however. should convince any
disinterested party that Germany Is
in the position of a burglar who at
tempted a colossal steal but was
caught and defeated in his plans.
Irrespective of the question of pun
ishment this burglar, all must admit
that he should make amends for the
goods which he partly got away with
and destroyed. France, therefore,
should not be criticized for insisting
that Germany restore, az far as pos
sible, the property which was de-
stroyed and damaged in her attempt
to burglarize. Every disinterested
party must admit that this is ason
able. France is asking of Germany
only what any one OF us would ask
of a neighbor who attempted the
same thing in our community.
1.-THE reason that France has re-
Gently lost sympathy in her negotia-
tions with Germany Is due to the
fact that she is going at her problem
In the wrong way. Frances diff
Guilty is that she is inconsistent. She
wants a certain economic law apply
to her but wants to suspend it in the
case Of Germany. Perhaps this is
more or less true Of all the allies, es-
pecially when they say that they can
not afford to pay their Indebtedness
to the United States. Yet when
one looks at the statistics he finds
that England, France, italy and all
the allies combined owe the United
States only about ten billion dollars,
while they are demanding of Ger
many alone reparatfons of over thir-
ty billion dollars! OF course, if Ger
many al pay any such amounts as
France demands, there is absolutely
no doubt but that England, France,
and the rest Of them, a very easily
pay a smaller amount to the United
States. President Harding and his
cabinet, and all others who have
into the matter evidently ap-
preciate this situation.
up to the present time, England
is the only m of the allies who has
made an honest attempt to return
any money to us. England is paying
on it's indebtedness while the
other countries have sent us prac-
nothing. 1t is true that Eng
land has a commission here today
pleading mercy: but we should be