The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-10-23
Final Humiliation of the War

The "all-round settlement of the war debts and
reparaons problems long ago foreseen by this news
paper is now in full swing in the capitals OF Europe
And though Uncle Sam has not made his entry on
the scene, he is expected to do so as soon as the
stage is set That likely will be soon.
The following steps are proposed:
/. Creation of new international committee Of
experts-another Dawes commission without Dawes.
g. Fixaton of the total reparatons which Ger
many will have to pay the allies, along with their
present cash value" of such payments
3. Arrangement of a practicable scheme to market
the more than $4,000 100000 worth of German railway
and industrial bonds, thus acquiring the wherewitha
to swing the "all-round settlement"
T. Determination of the present cash value" Of
the allied debts to the United States, and then
s. A general and final liquidation of the war"
as European statemen call it.
These steps may not be taken in the order named,
of course but dispatches from the old world clearly
indicate that each is being discussed
In Europe as well as in this country the big
question is what will be the attitude of the United
States? With some $1200O000,0O0 at stake, how will
Uncle Same act to protect his interests? VIII ne
sterny intimate that he regards his funding agree
ments with the allied nations as having closed the
question and therefore what Germany and the allies
may do now does not interest him?
Or will he assume less hard-boiled position and
say that any arrangement Which Will be helptul TO
the allies and Germany, and which, at the same time,
will be fair to him, will have his benediction?
The latter is the only business-like, just course
to pursue When the modern business man forecloses
on debtor he carefully investigates the whole lay of
the land then proceeds in way calculated to net
him. in the long run the most on the dollar and the
maximum of good will.
This is the course Uncle Sam is expected to pursue
though not until the elections over And so he
should 1t is true that he has negotiated paper
settlements with the allies at from Is to rs cents
on the dollar, but the payments for eighty-two
years. and few if any, competent observers believe the
nations will continue to pay any such tremen-
dous period of time.
Certainly it would not be difficult to figure out
other terms as good as better than these. Secre
tary Mellon and other financial experts, agree that
the actual cash value of the allied debts to us
amounts to only few billion dollars.
If, therefore, satisfactory way can be found for
Germany to settle with the allies on a cash basis,
and similarly the allies with we would be standing
in our own light not to give it our okey
At present all We hold the allied nations
promises to pay for sxty-two years. with the big
payments due toward the end, rather than at the
beginning # that period And lot can happen in
sxty-two years. war two, for instance.
We ourselves have averaged one major war every
twenty-five years since we became a republic. And
wars have a nasty way of wiping out debts like
the above
There is no question of cancellation. Nor of per-
hitting the allies to shift the burden of the war on
to our shoulders England says she will agree to any,
thslg which will make it easier for the Others pro-
vided it does not make it harder for her.
Let US say the same thing. If Germany and the