THE DEBT TO AMERICA -
[To the Editor of the Segee_vron.1
SIR,—The following is part of a speech made by the. lion.
James Beck, .ex-Assistant Attorney-General of the. United States, in April, 1918 :— .
" When this war ends, as it will, in a victory for the Allies," the speaker said, ",and Great Britain and France will say to our Government the time has come for us to settle the matter of our great indebtedness to you in a more formal way,' I. believe our Government will reply by writing across the paper on which the money was lent,' Roccipted in full.' And when they ask,' Receipted• in full-- how ' our Government will answer,' By the blood of your sons.' " Cheers taking on the proportions of a mighty roar greeted: the speaker's last exclamation. Many of the listeners were moved to the point of tears ; strangers in the audience shook hands with each other ; cries of " Right ! Right ! 7 were heard. The applause lasted a minute.
" I would be ashamed of my country if America would take penny of the sums now advanced or to be advanced (Mr. Beck continued). " And, as I have said, my profound belief in the innate chivalry of the American character is such that I knov.., this debt never will be mentioned in the way of repayment. And, if it be a chivalrous thing for us to expunge that debt, the victory, when it is won, will bring us greater benefit, and I must say in candor a less deserved benefit, than to any of the other Allies.'
Perhaps this will interest Some of yOur arn, Sir, &c.i " ONLY EIGHT YEARS AGO."
No one appreciPtes Mr. Beck's 'noble words more than we do, but we should greatly deprecate the making use here of such individual expressions of ()Onion to bring a moral pressure to 'bear on the United States Government. If cancellation comes it must come spontaneously from the Anierican people. Our business is to pay a debt to which we set our name so long as we are asked to pay it.—En. Spectator.] MR. T. C. POWELL (President. of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railway Company). writes : "The United States has taken over .no..territory, nor has it assumed any mandates, nor claimed any indemnity. What material gain from • the War has been acquired by Great Britain, Australia,,, New Zealand, South African Common wealth, -France, Italy, &e. ? Leaving out everything else, it is clear that Australia and New Zealand_ haye acquired addi-
tional territory - wider their -respective mandates, and that Great Britain and France have taken over vast empires in Africa and have -been relieved of the fear of friction, -trouble and expense from a heretofore aggressive neighbour. But besides this, England can now see her way clear to build her own railroad from Cairo to the Cape through mandated ter- ritory which was formerly German East Africa. In Lord Grey's recently published memoirs will be found an account of a previous effort to secure a similar right of way (way leave) through Belgian territory, only to be brought up short by a protest from the German Government. It is perfectly clear from this account that the English Government was forever barred from connecting the two parts of the proposed Trans- continental System, either until Germany consented (an improbable thing) or until German East Africa fell to Great Britain as one of the fortunes of war. This has now happened, and if Great Britain and the South African Commonwealth had secured no other material benefit than has accrued to them in the Continent of Africa, this removal of the German barrier would be ample compensation for all the expenses incurred in the Dark Continent. There are only two areas in all of Africa not occupied or controlled by one or more of the European nations, namely Liberia, which during the War was a refuge For all but those fighting on the side of Germany ; and Abyssinia (or Ethiopia) which has no sea coast, but is hemmed in by Italy, France, Portugal, &c., while access to the Mediter- ranean Sea must be only through British or French territory or that held by those nations under a mandate. The United States has acquired no new territory, while the individual citizen is paying higher living expenses than before the War, in addition to high taxes, part of which go to pay the interest on United States bonds, sold to the public to raise ^ash, subsequently loaned to England, France, Greece and other countries."
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