OCR Text |
Show sounds enormous, but it comes far from covering the cost of the war to the countries which were in no wise responsible for the outbreak of the contest, but which -were forced to fight in 'order to retain their national existence. The fact that the payment is to be extended over a period of more than forty years, and that only 1500,000,000 is to be paid annually during the first two years, shows that the allies have taken into consideration the prevailing economic eco-nomic situation in the defeated country and have tempered the wind, as it were, to fit the occasion. History proves that the victorious German's in 1871 gave no such consideration tojdefeated France, for the invading army remaineTrin Paris until the French had collected, in actual gold, the billion dollars Germany demanded for having started the war that she won at that time, and bad turned overlo the invaders the ownership of Alsace and Lorraine. While the allies demand the payment of the reparation in "gold value," this does not mean that Germany must pay in gold metal, but the provision will prevent any attempt on the part of Germany to pay in "stage" money, as the depreciated depre-ciated paper marks have been alluded to. t It means that the indemnity can be paid in goods having a gold value, and this, In turn, means that the Germans must get down to work, andThe-TermtftrnlncTrenJTtfJhuous if-forts if-forts make financial amends for the destruction they inflicted, as the result of a war of their own making upon the allied nations. f German Indemnity . S WAS lo Lave been expected, remembering; the moans, groans and threats that have reen coming out of Germany since the signing! of the armistice, the Germans have at least pretended to go into convulsions over what they term the impossible indemnity terms agreed upon by the allied premiers.. Of course, $56,500,000,000 to be prJd in foIJ, the reparations total fixed by -the aJIies, |