| OCR Text |
Show Hons Trcre snt for supplies and. large sums used iu propaganda work. Another An-other thiug to be taken into consideration considera-tion is the fact that the gold remaining remain-ing in Germany must have gravitated into the hands of the munitions manufacturers manu-facturers aud the heavy financial interests. in-terests. The kaiser is a stockholder in the Krupp works and in many other concerns. 9o it may be taken for granted that these business enterprises will be in possession of real money upon the return of peace, while the government govern-ment will be bankrupt. It is possible that the farmers have hoarded gold and silver in small amounts to a considerable extent and they will continue to hoard it after the close of the war until they see how things are going to turn out in the fatherland. In addition to the enormous enor-mous national debt accumulated during dur-ing the last four years the peace terms will without doubt impose a burden of billions of dollars upon Germany, Ger-many, for reparation must be made for the havoc worked by the kaiser 'a soldiers. sol-diers. The result will be that the Germans Ger-mans will be taxed to the limit to pay the interest on the government debt. Paper marks or paper money of any denomination will not pass current in any foreign country. Thus Germany will inevitably be drained of coin and bars and it may be years before gold will circulate among the people. It was thirteen years after the close of the civil war before the United States was able to resume specie payments and our national debt in 1S65 was but a trifle when compared with the load Germany will earn for the next generation. As it now seems probable that imperialism im-perialism is doomed and that Germany will have some form of democratic government, gov-ernment, we are strongly of the opinion that the millions of dollars the Uohen-zollems Uohen-zollems and the rulers of the various 'small kingdoms have wrung from the people should be returned to the public treasury. The imperialists are responsible respon-sible for the world war and they should not be allowed to make a financial profit out of it. But that is a question for the Germans to decide while they are arranging to take a new start in life, with their trade and colonies gone and their country impoverished. But they will be fools if they altow the kaiser to retire a multimillionaire while the rank and file of the people are penniless. I GERMANY BANKRUPT. . The finances of Germany are in eriti-:ral eriti-:ral shnjie anil it is said that the country 31 on the verge of a financial collapse. rTons of paper money have been issued, ilrrit its value has greatly depreciated, 'nnd iron coins of small denominations are in general use, Gobi and silver have diaappeared nod tho practice of hoard ing i-i uclvorsal. liven the depredated (taper marks are being tueked away and then there is no inward flow to the refchsbaok. Attention was recently tiled to the fuel, that Germany had large gold re. 1 rve when Ihe war broke Obi. and it is lu i ru-i l thai this money b; Mill in it"' coouir -. . 11 in 11 -t t.e remem brre I, however, that Uiis Is the fifth 1 Vjar of the war I lhal the German! hi,' e b on pro'lignl iu their of gold ill foreign ' on 11 1 llnndMiJi ol mil |