OCR Text |
Show PAYING OFF THE WAR DEBT There is talk of confiscatl.m of property to go with conscrlotlon In England. A writer oxplalns this now feature of war's demand on English resources by stating that thn nblo-bodied nblo-bodied mnn who has no ovcuso for remaining nt home must plvj his life. Why not require tho man, who is nblo financially to give his property for tho state? If his surplus Incline fan bo taken, why not his principal? Conscription Con-scription of property might bo on easy way out of repudiation so for as home creditors nro concerned. Thero has been n lot of talk that repudiation would bo compulsory. In tho Teutonic countries It Is accepted thnt If a way through victory Is not found to recoup tho war losses tho nation and tho people must go down to financial disaster together. Tho Hermans will avoid confiscation If they can but they will resort to It If need be Great Hrltnln, by tho end of this year, will havo n w'ar debt of twon-ty-ono billion dollars on which tho an-nual an-nual Interest will be one billion dollars. dol-lars. That Is more than Great Hrlt-aln Hrlt-aln can meet, In addition to tho ordinary or-dinary expenditures of government. If part of tho debt Is not paid off by confiscation, then the debt In pnrt must be repudiated or tho Interest rate arbitrarily reduced to 2 per cent or less. Confiscation of property is ns Justifiable Jus-tifiable as conscription which forces n mnn to gho his llfo In defense of his country. Ogden Stnndnrd. |