Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-03
Real Workers in the National Capital

to follow. 1t is worth recalling, how
ever, that Austria Hungary never did
have a trading With-the enemy act,
under the terms of which the Euro
pean powers took possession of pri-
vately owned property.
There were $4,000 individual par
GELS of German property orig
inally taken by the government
These have now been reduced to d
total Of $4,000 items. The claims pre-
claims commission originally reached
a total of $1,700.000,000 on behalf of
10000 individuals. These are being
reduced, however. so that the bill may
approximate $250,000.000. This re-
duction will depend in large part on
the spirit shown by the Germans. Not
long ago an effort was made to settle
claims for forty million dollars in
gold on deposit in German banks at
the face value Of the worthless Ger
man mark. 1t is not good business.
1t was worse politics.
BY a recent act Custodian Miller
was authorized to pay off the $4,000
items of formerly Gcrman-owned
property which total less than $4,000
each. This was good business. In
1854. and trust company would
charge their owners for managing
them. The remainder of the ex-Ger-
man trusts represents every form of
forms from copper mines to steam
ships. There is real estate in every
state of the Union except four. There
is $1S0,00O,000 in cash lying to the
custodian's credit in the United Stat es
Treasury. and a fund Of s2S.000,G00
representing interest on eX-German
funds.
Col. Miller has suggested that Con-
gress authorize that helpful use be
made Of this money. There is no
practicable way Of distributing the
twenty-eight million dollars interest
among the fifty thousand-o odd poten-
tial claimants. it would cost the face
of the fund to figure it out. But these
millions, which have in fact been with
drawn from the channels of legiti-
mate trade, might well be returned to
their original courses. This sum
might be used to feed the suffering
In the starvation areas of Germany
or to encourage German trade.
Has Plan to Aid Commerce.
Likewise the larger fund of cash
on hand might. he thinks, properly
be made use of. If the German gov
eminent makes good for the Ameri-
can claims. this money will be, re-
turned to its original owners. Mean
while he thinks that some plan might
be devised by which they might max e
use of it in legitimate commerce
through one of the great banks,
which could demand that the usual
precautions be taken to protect the
government. So such money in COM
merce would go far toward restoring
Germany to economic health, and as
long as Germany is below par so
must the rest of the world be.
Meanwhile there are bankers who
think that the entire sum should be
returned to its former owners. They
fear that tn day may come when
this may prove an unfortunate prece-
dent for us. They would have our
government wipe the slate clean. pay
the Am r'can claims and forget the
whole thins
But there is no Indication whatever
that any one in authority thinks at
all that way. There are, in fact,
many who believe that banking in
fiuence may be more powerfully eN-
erted against war if the principle is
established that private property Will
be seized by warning nations.
1t is always nice to get a really up
lifting thought from d public man.
Tom Miller has had a rather varie-
gated -. career successful miner
ranchman, rolling mill man. polite
ian. soldier. AS clerk in Washing
ton he studied and became a lawyer.
He graduated from YALE
But the best part of my education
was the three months L spent in bust
ness college," said he.
There's your uplifting thought.