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Show THE CITIZEN potent protective influence, but there is a sinister suggestion in the testimony before the senate committee that the commercial information passing over the wires is to be tapped in the interest of British business and that the news of the world is to be censored, colored or limited as the result of British control. It will be recalled that the United States and British government were conducting a spirited controversy at one time during the European war because o a charge that terms of contracts communicated by Cable to a Scandanavian country were turned over by the British censors to English firms, which thus were enabled to obtain the business. When we entered the war the controversy ended. A monopoly of communication is a peril to all nations that do not share in the monopoly . Even though the government holding the monopoly is rigidly conscientious in its efforts to treat every nation with fairness it cannot eliminate the personal element in the control of the communications. Not all the employes or even the officials can be trusted to be unfailingly honorable and just. Trade secrets will inevitably percolate from the cables to private interests in the country whose government has the monopoly. The United States had an independent means of communicating with continental Europe when the German cables were open from Long Island to Emden, but now the British hold these cables and to England and to Halifax. In a word it is master of have cut-offs every message sent over these cables. Not content with a monopoly of the European lines it now seeks to establish a monopoly in South America and to control communications between this country and South America by way of the cables in the Atlantic. The struggle for. world trade has many phases. If it were friendly competition there would be no need for anxiety, but it seems that commercial rivalry always causes an ever intensifying hostility that culminates in war fevers. Perhaps ways may be found to change the old order and to cleanse trade rivalry of its sinister elements. One of the first moves to attain this desired result would be a fair distribution of cable control. The control of news distribution is as much to be feared as control of trade information. In fact, the two are inextricable linked Publicity almost always has an advertising value. If, for example, the people of South America are constantly interested in American affairs by means of newspaper publicity they will turn to the United States for the goods they need. Prior to the war the people of Europe did not care much for American news but now they are demanding it. Nevertheless it is being denied them and witnesses before the senate committee intimate that British control of cables is responsible. HELPING EUROPE; HANDICAPPING U. about rapping the knuckles of those capacious hands across the sea. Of course, if our friends across the sea should pay us what they owe us, we would be able not simply to defer tax payments but even to lower the rate of taxation. But who among us would be so rude as to nudge a needy European neighbor and remind him in a whisper of that little matter of a loan of $10,000,000,000 with unpaid interesting amounting to a triflemore than $400,000,000? And there are persons among us so charitable that they would have us forjgive the entire debt and cheerfully shoulder new burdens of taxation for the benefit of the foreigner. What American could be so impolite as to prefer his own people to the foreigner? In the campaign we heard much about America First? Was that mere campaign flapdoodle or are we really to hail the day, not far off, when mere Americans can hope to be given as much consideration by our government as that government now accords royal mendicants of Europe? The axe will fly right and left when I get back to Germany , says the kaiser. If it flies right there will be one less kaiser. . The fellow who refused the million dollars will be sorry he didnt take it and wait until he could buy something with it. Health statistics in New York show that the murder rate not yet quite equal the death rate from all other causes. All England smells of burnt Cork. liimiiiiiiiiiiiimii Illlllllllllllllllllll T remendous Reductions Mens Suits and Overcoats Reduced S. In the hope that there might be some relief from the tax burden optimistic persons suggested that the final payment of the 1920 income and excess profits taxes be deferred. It was a sort of despairing cry for help, because to postpone payment was simply to postpone the evil day. Our statesmen in Washington were quick to say that the proposal was preposterous ; that the government could not get on without the money. To impress upon the taxpayers the imperative needs of the government in the next two years there was much talk of the billions that must be collected if this nation were to pay its way and meet the obligations of its debt. It is only about a year ago that Great Britain asked that the interest payments on the billions we had loaned that country should he deferred. With that ready sympathy we have been displaying for all foreign folks in distress we did not stop to argue ; we hastened to comply with the request. We did not talk about the needs of our government for the next-feyears; we did not say we could not pay our running expenses and meet our obligations if Great Britain and our other associates in the war failed to pay us the hundreds of millions due in interest charges. We could not be so cruel to the distressed foreigner. We can be brutally frank to our own people; we understand one another, but we are very sensitive does One-thir- d Boys Suits and Overcoats Reduced One-thir- d Many Splendid Buy: for Men 2S.OO BoT,yaf pl!nd!iBuys K rIccT! One for -- $7.77 to $13.50 Fourth Knee Pants, up to $1 Oj AO VmuO values, special lllllllllllllimilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll111! |