Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-03-15

Senator Arthur R. Robinson of Indiana believes that
the American people have been more than patient in their
efforts to secure from Europe a sum equahng a part of
what the allied nations owe Uncle Sam on the war debt.
In an interesting article, under the caption "Our Foreign
Debt Problems, - in the current issue of the National Re-
public, Senator Robinson says in part:
"The American people have given an exhibition of pa
thence during the past three years that | think IS I'M
rivalled among the nations of the world. They have been
sorely tried, they have been heavily burdened. They nat
urally have been very unhappy and very much discon-
tented. There has been slow starvation, malnutrition.
They have got to the point now where their lot is almost
unbearable. Throughout the world other countries have
revolted against organized government during these
three years. If my memory serves me correctly, seven
teen nations of the earth-no fewer than that-have
changed their forms of government, more or less violently.
This has occurred during the last three years of world de-
preston. But the American people have gone on patient
ly, standing for law and order, and I think nothing quite
so fine and patriotic as that has ever been seen in history.
"But | am wondering how much further we ought to
tax the patience of the people. [ am wondering if we dare
forfeit the confidence of the American people in those
chosen to operate their government. | am wondering how
far we dare go in Haunting the American people. Prom
ises are made by public men and then apparently pledges
are entirely forgotten. They go u~nfulfilled. Aye, to the
other extreme we often go and do the opposite to that
which was pledged would be done.
81 am thinking now of the foreign debts. I am think
ing also of economy. I know the people of the country
WdnB economy pTacIlceQ III Cne government, LnaC is True.
[ also know that it is not in the interest of American econ
omy to transfer eleven billion dollars of debts due the
people Of this country back onto their already overburd-
ened shoulders.
Everybody in public life has gone up and down the
country ~pledging the American people that there would
be no revision, to say nothing of cancellation of the for
eign debt.
"In December, 1881 a joint resolution was passed
unanimously by both houses of Congress to the effect that
there would be no revision or no cancellation of the war
debts. That resolution stands today as the considered
judgment of the Congress Of the United States. So far as
| know, no one has attempted to change that considered
judgment.
Last December, France, together with some smaller
countries, largely under her influence, gave an exhibition
of ingratitude that has shocked the world. France, Bel
GUM, Poland, Hungary, Esthonia and Greece r~epudiated
in a most fragrant manner their solemn obligations. The
covenants to pay were treated as scraps of paper. This
reputation was all the more striking coming from some
of the debtors whom we had helped as allies in the World
War. America fought their battles, helped preserve their
national existence and then furnished money for economic
rehabilitation.
GA man who refuses to pay his honest debts is without
standing, esteem or respect in the community. The de-
f%aulting nations have placed themselves in this category
in world opinion