Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-28

ference tWlJnOuU THANKS from any OneI
a lower rank on the seas than had
been our lot for ages, when requested
to give up, in addition TO the rest. our
submarines, we demurred.
Instead of overlapping other ma
tons in the matter of submarines and
mourning on that score, as reported,
unjustif1able expenses, we presently
possess 81 (plus 81 building; total. 72).
while Great Britain has 20: Japan, 50;
the United States. 1876.
Certain of our British friends who
have apparently forgotten the name
of the nation which attacked us some
time ago have persistently alleged
that London and the British Isles
were the objective of our aviatOrs.
Perhaps we were wrong simply TO
laugh at the SuggeStion-we To whom
1t never occurred that the British
could have such great naval fOrceS
i'm the channel in order to bOmbarH
Cherbourg. We should have assured
our neighbOrs that no havoc done tor
London, Westminster. their harbors
or any other place I'm their country
could give us anything but pain.
However that may be. their govern
ment has recently announced that
their present aviation program would
give them more airplanes than we
possess. at which news we did not
even vince.
Taxpaying Issue.
Besides being militaristic. imperial
istic and having an unholy taste for
submarines the French. we hear.
revel i'm luxury. Some foreign visitors
go to Partisan places of amusement.
find many foreign visitors reveling
there and go home saying. Those
nj
French, it is said, rebel against taxa
ton and won't pay their debts.
Concerning the time-honored asper-
sion that we are undertaxed and, by
means fair or foul. escape even that
taxation: Acknowledging that. like
some other nations, we are not with
out our slackers, | shall quote no
French authority or French statistics.
but the most recent American book
dealing with the questiOn-that of
IT, G. MoultOn, published by the
American Institute of Economics II
is rather severe on us in several re-
spects. but as to taxation II reads:
There is no truth whatever in the
prevalent assumption abroad that the
French people do not and will not pay
taxes. The facts completely contra
dict this contention. which has been
repeated so often that it has come to
be almost universally believed" And
the author goes on to show that the
French, who in 1914 We're the most
highly taxed people. paid i'll 1924
that is. before the present Super-taX-
ation-'in national taxes alone nearly
10 per cent of the national income.
The British paid 1875 per cent; the
Americans. even including i'm the cal
culation national, state and local
taxation, only lis per cent. The load
is the heavier for us because. accord
ing to the same authority, the ma
tional income is. in the United States,
about $6O5 per capita. in Great Brit
ain 1895, in France only $l95.
Present Financial Position.
! Our present financial position is one
of great difficulty, caused chiefly by
the distinctions wrought by war
which we neither caused nor declared
nor started. 1t was a question of
| Justice and humanity for us to re-
store our ravaged 10 departments. and
to begin at once although labor. ma
| teria1 and capital were most scarce.
The enemy was to have paid for this.
but until quite recently, and after
events which Il is needless To recall.
| failed to do so. We had to work ana
spend alone. The total up 20 date
| (pensions to the victims excluded has
been 90 to 20 billion francs, borrowed
from our people; between 10 ana ~
billions are still to be spent In the
midst of these anXieties arises the
question vi the foreign debts.
| We contracted them and have. Of
course to pay them: though we are In
| a hard position. since while we were
borrowing we We're lending. During
| the war we lent to nations poorer than
| ourselves about the same amount that
we borrowed from America Sd 900.
! 600 600. None of the borrowers shows
any marked inclination to repay.
! Expenditures in America.
/ Our borrowings were made-no ON"
denies thunder such unusual ctrcum
stances that. according to many Amer
| lean authorities. an unusual mode OF
settlement would be in no way unfair.
| When an ordinary debt is contracted
! you give your note, take the money
! and do with 1t what you please. In
/ the present case II was understood
| that the money would be used To buy
| American shells in order to fight the
| enemies of America and of the allies.
. Putting together what we paid for
! with our own and borrowed money.
! we spent more I'm America than war
| lent us. We spent S4.196.2 900. hay =
! ing borrowed little less than $1,000
| 600 900 900. So that il We received
war supplies il was not without leat-
ing something behind.
When it was perceived how great
! grew the danger of the war being lost
| and how long Il would he before
! American military help of any mag
| nitude would he forthcoming. the
/ off Ef
funds were made to us and we ware
! told not to worry about the future,
! We were advised in such Il WAY
! that we could not dissent. not to en-
| courage the proposition. and We're
! assured that We should have no cause
; for regret Much more money, as
! much as we should ever need. would
! lie at our disposal: we need not trOu-
/ BILE about interest. and as for repay
I ments. they would be easily arranged
! in the future (April ,. 1910.
! Hope as to Repayment.
We did not take such friendly as
! Surances literally but, entirely en-
) crossed by a life-and-d death struggle.
| vaguely hoped that repayment might
! be made. If not exactly at our pleas :
| ure at least at such time as our
capacity would allow us to consider
! il. without having TO put an unbear-
able burden on the population that is
! the hardest working and hardest tried
! of all those that took part in the war.
Such was. in any case. American
sentiment when borrowing took place.
/ And France went her way with all
speed. to the advantage, IL seems. of
! everybody: for as Representative
| Mann observed i'm the course of the
same debates: I'VE are not prepared
! 10 place men in the field.
/ There is only one way in which TODAY
/ we can do more than make our war
I an academic discussion.( and the only
way left us is to help finance those
nations who are fighting orr enemy"
| This was not tn he and much