The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-01-18
SEND DOLLARS
TO FRONT, WAS
WAR LOAN PLEA
Repayment Hope Secondary
When Congress Sent
Millions Abroad.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS,
scripps- Howard Foreign Editor

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18.-Behind
the increasing clamor in Great Brit
ain, France and Italy for war debt
cancellation, in addition to economic
reasons, stand official records which
can not be brushed aside lightly.
There is nothing whatsoever in
the $4,000, 100000 Liberty loan acts
themselves to justify the claim that
the money was a Joint contribu-
ton to a common cause" But there
is evidence indicating that official
Washington, at the time, did re-
gard the money as going to help Win
Americas war"
President Wilson himself regarded
the conflict as a crusade for human
ity and urged upon congress the
organization and mobilization of all
the material resources of the coun-
try to supply the materials" with
which to help win it.
Congress Was Generous
Chairman Kitchen of the house
ways and means committee and au-
thor of the first bill authorizing a
loan to the allies, said:
You will understand that with
our money they will be fighting our
battles too"
Chairman Fitzgerald of the APP
preparations committee, declared.
I have little sympathy with the
suggestion that possibly we will not
get the money back. I should glad
~ vote to give $6,000,000,00O to the
nations arrayed with us if we could
win this war without sacrificing
American blood and American
lives"
said Congressman Rainey: I'VE
are not making this loan as an in
vestment. We are making this loan
IN order to further our interests
primarily in this World war. Every
blow struck at Germany by any of
her enemies is struck also in our
interest"
Dollars fOa Soldiers
Congressman Madden: "Ameri-
cans not able to fight, but who have
had the good fortune to make
money, ought to help pay the bill.
Every one knows that we will not
have an army in the field for a year
or more and our duty is to do every
thing we can to win"
Senator Smoot, now chairman of
the finance committee, said he be-
lieved the loans would be repaid.
hut IF not one penny of it is re-
turned, it will be expended for de-
tense of the principles in which we
believe and which we entered the
war to uphold"
Two things seem pretty clear
from all this. First, that from
purely legal aspect, the money adj
vanced TO the allies were oans,
pure and simple. Second, that the
whole tone of congress, at the time
the loans were made, was that
American dollars we're being mo-
bilized to 60 into the trenches and
help hold back the Germans until
the American doughboys arrived.
SLOW 10 SEND troops
Great Britain and France, at
least, advance this view. They re-
mind us that long after we declared
war against the kaiser, we sent no
troops to fight him. That while
our men still we're in training camp
on this side of the Atlantic, their
soldiers were being killed in swarms
to carry on a war which had become
ours as we'll as theirs.
They point out that while France
lost 1,428,O00 killed; Britain. 100000;
italy, $4,000; Belgium, 267,O00; Ser
bia, 100000; Rumania, $4,000, and
Russia, 2,762,000-a total of more
than 6,500,000 men-America lost
only 100000.
In addition, they recall, they also
contributed their wealth. France
spent approximately $25, 1000, 900 900:
Britain. $4,000, 100000, and Russia.
$23,000,0 o0,000-a total for these
three nations alone of more than
80 billion dollars-as against %
billions for the United States.
Such in substance, is the case for
reduction or cancellation