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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 1914)
THE SEMLWEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRA8KA. CORRESPONDENT GIVES A GRAPHIC 0ES1PIN OF FULL IF AKTWERP h. AN the United States npare South America $500,000,000 during the next Hvc yours? Can It supply 5100,000,000 during tho next 12 months? South America wants these amounts 'W wiuiin mo periou stated, rue nceua W of sovoral of tho countries uro press TkC) lug. They must got money Bomowhere. When tno war cloud broito at least half a dozen countries woro negotiat ing In Europo for loans. Most of thorn svero In the midst of commercial and financial crises luo to economic causes which were at work tho world over. Part of tho loans wanted woro merely to take up old obligations by now Issues, but In every caso there was also a demand for additional capital, which would have Increased tho total Indebtedness. Tho war has dealt a death blow to these expecta tions. In tho famous Jdckoy club at Iluonos Aires, where- international finance Is discussed, it is now jierfoctly understood that with tho European coun tries staggering for tho next 50 years undor tho debts which tho war will crcato thoro will bo no moro loans for South America. Tho same under Htandlng exists on the coffeo oxchango in Rio do Janolro and on tho bourse In Santiago. Temporarily somo of tho South American countries "will suffer as much from tno war as tho nations which actually aro engaged in it. They will not only 1)0 unablo to obtain monoy abroad but also their whole foreign commorco will bo illslocated through the loss of markots. Somo of tho countries liavo met tho emergency by following tho oxamplo of tho European nations and docrooing moratoriums. Harassed South American financial institutions and big commercial firms which vero In difficulties may therefore bloss tho war as avoiding tho necessity of forced payments, but thoy will welcomo it only ns a moans of Immodlato relief to debtors who othorwlso would bo forced Into bank- uiucy. Brazil has mot tho situation, brought about .rough tho Inability to float now loans by provld- oStho ' aYunir0,0' Pa,'0r CUrrency la adSttoa cula tlo.? rZ t,V0,u"10 which already Is In cir lulatlon. lime may demonstrate tho wisdom or tho unwisdom of this action as an omorgoncy neasu.o, but it shows tho demoralization that So Puropoan war has caused. South Amorlcau public men and tho diplomatic represen atlves of the different governments in Washington who know how groat tho dependence lias beon on Europo and who understand fully tho fiscal status of their respective countries, in ovltably turn tholr oyes to tho United States, and It Is through them that tho query comes as to . -whether tho United States can supply a fow hun dred millions capital. Tho answor which may bo given to tho quostlou will detormlno whether tho Unltod States Is to obtain commercial supremacy and to domlnato South Amorlca financially. European financiers who until tho Now York Btock oxchango was closed woro getting gold by unloading American securities In tholr look ahead aro now doubtless revolving tho snino question an to what tho United Statos may do In tho way of financing South Amorlca. To them tho question takes tho form of a quory: Whether any of tho $2,000,000,000 Indebtedness of tho South American Kovornmonts can bo shifted to tho Unltod Stutcs, nnd if so how soon and undor what terms? Two billion dollars represents in round numbers what tho South American countries owe In tho form of public debts. What may bo callod tho na tional dohts do not foot up this sum, but tho mu nicipal and stato or provincial dobts, somo of which aro not guaranteed by the national govern ment, bring up tho total. All tho South American countries have had the borrowing habit. Somo of tho weakor and moro reckless ones havo given" tho whole continent a had name. Yet tho truth Is that In vlow of io HourccB and natural wealth and tho rapid develop ment that has boon going on $2,000,000,000 Is not an extravagant public debt total. It will bo found, moreover, that tho vory largo proportion of tho debts has boon created by tho countries which are solvent and which scrupulous ly moot their obligations. SInco tho International Imbroglio, In which tho United States took a hand, Vonczuola has beon (paying off Its dobt until now tho total amount outstanding la less than $.15,000,000. Colombia has what Is known as a consolidated dobt, which doos not oxcood $24,000,000. Tho country has managed to moot tho Interost In u m&nnor to satisfy oven tho critical Ilrltlsh foreign bondholders committee. Colombia, whether It BetB tho $25,000,000 Panama gratuity frpm tho Vnlted States or not, wants a goneral loau of something Hko $50,000,000 to build rallw.iys aud rehabilitate tho country generally. Ecuador haa " nubile debt not exceodlug $20,- dST -5C&E?J?f 'CtoRaCa& TZ&lZZUZ&ir -SEESEES$v " i-tzi-Ksrvtir n '7ij?iny-7irtst . r. Ill r s-n j.jucurxi. tnu 'UUJtU&LS r ccr jjm 000,000, most of which grows out of tho bonds issued for tho Guayaquil and Quito railway. Those aro held In England, Franco and tho United States. Tho provision made for tho sanitation of Guaya quil carried with it a prospective loan of $10,000, 000. A proposition which was brought to Now York bankers a year ago was for a blanket loan of $15,000,000 to $50,000,000 to take up outstanding obligations, provldo for tho sanitation of Guaya quil and to leave a balanco for national purposes. A Now York hnnklng house a fow'cara ago tided Ecuador over a stringency by means of a tem porary loan and realized a vory hnndsomo profit. Peru, aftor tho war with Chllo in 1SSI, was loft with a dobt bo monumental that it nevor could havo recovered If the, burden had remained. Tho country worked out of the situation by turning over tho stato railways under a long leaso to tho Peruvian corporation, which was also given tho remaining guano deposits and various land con cessions. The Poiuvlan corporation and the government have had moro or less friction undor tho arrange ment; but so far as Its status as a borrowing na tion was concorned Peru was ablo to face tho world without a big dobt. During tho last quaitor of a century tho total Indebtedness Incurred has not been largo. It now amounts approximately to $35,000,000. Peru was In tho market for a loan when tho European war broko out. Uollvlu, tho mldcontlnont country of South Amorlca, loft by tho war with Chllo without a seaport, also was ablo to start tho peaco ora with out a big national dobt. Tho amount of tho dif ferent forms of what may bo called tho Rollvlan debt Is now between $19,000,000 and $20,000,000. Paraguay, on account of Its numorous revolu tions nnd possibly for other reasons, never Iuib had much success In securing monoy from Eu ropo. Its prosont public debt Is between $12,000, 000 nnd $U1,000,000. Tho opening of railway com munications with Ruonos Alros and other chap tors of peaceful development havo Inclined Euro pean llnanclors to look moro favorably on Para guay, and a loan for tho country was In prospect until a month ago. Now, If Paraguay borrows, It will havo to bo In New York Instead of In London. Taking tho group of countries which aro not largo borrowers out of ,ken, It will bo found that tho bulk of tho public dobts of South American countries aro those of tho Argentine republic, Hrazll, Chllo and Uruguay. This group of coun tries owes Europo that Ib, tho governments owo Europo moro than $1,700,000,000. Thoy aro ablo to meot tholr obligations, though somo of tho loans may require refunding on now basis. Tho borrowing nations uro really tho A.-B.-C, or mediating South Amorlcan countries which helped President Wilson sottlo tho Moxlcan Im broglio, and Uruguay. The total of tho Argentine obligations la yx. bio, itccoidlng to tho amount of cedillas, or na tional mortgngo bonds, which aro In circulation. Two years ago tho Argentine debt was approximately $G57,000.000. A year later it had risen nominally to $732,000,000. Something moro than a year ago Argentina sought to float a new loan In France, but tho conditions woro unfavorable. A new loan on tho samo basis would doubtless still bo desirable, but the Argon tine government would look to Now York rather than to Paris or London for funds. Brazil's various dobt issues now approximate $6G0,000.0d0. There havo been loans for public Im provements nnd other objects. Brazil, as a vast country, greater In size than the United States, with undeveloped resources tho extent of which is not yet known, has been a free borrower. Within tho last year there havo boon various propositions for now loans to take up tho old ones. It is not likely that any Brazilian loan can now bo floated In Europo and none Is therefore likely to be sought by tho government. Later, when tho inevitable readjustment takes place, Brnzll most likely will seek to place her loans In tho United States. Chllo now has outstanding obligations In the naturo of public debts to tho amount of $210,000, 000. The country has borrowed largely on tho underlying security of the nltrnto beds and tho rcvenuo to be obtained from them. The European war Interferes with tho demand for theso fertil izers and a temporary result may be that tho workmen In many of tho nitrate fields will bo out of employment. However, tho permanent sourco of wealth which Chile possesses In the nitrate beds remains. Uruguay, for an agricultural country, may be assumed to havo a pretty largo debt, since tho total now nmounts to $138,000,000. Yet tho re public, which Is on tho gold standard and which has n dollar worth moro than tho dollar of tho United Statos holds high rank In European finan cial clrclos because of tho certainty with which Its financial obligations havo been met. A few months ago when an emergency loan of $10,000,000 was wanted Uruguay made vain efforts to placo It In tho United States. Ultimately It bad to be placed In London, Paris and Antwerp, at 8G&. By far tho larger part of the public debts of tho South American countries Is hold in England. While some of tho loans which havo been placed through London havo beon apportioned to other monetary centers In Europo and have beon ab sorbed on the continent probably between seventy and seventy-five por cent of tho obligations re main In England. These goneral facts about tho dobts of the South American countries nnd their dlstilbutlon In Europe aro essential to know In judging of tho probability of American capital at somo pe riod In tho nenr future relieving Europo of a part of its South American financial burden. Hereto fore there has been no market in tho United States. ' Tho main question recurs, and on it depend in largo dogreo the future trade relations of the United States with South America: Can tho United States spare South Amorlca $500,000,000 during tho next fivo years? Can it supply $100, 000,000 during tho next 12 months, COMPARATIVELY LITTLE. "Awful, isn't it?" "Drondful! But I did not know you know about It." "Why, every paper is full of It!" "Every papor full of tho fact that my wife's relatives havo como to spend tho balanco of the Bummor with us? You must bo crazy!" "You must bo crazy! I was referring to tho Europoan war situation." "Huh! I wouldn't bo bothered by a llttlo thing like that." QUESTION OF QUALITY. Llttlo Red Rldlnghood, however, was still con siderably at a loss. "Just why," sho asked, knitting her pretty brows perplexedly, "do you wish to eat mo?" Tho Wolf throw one leg carelessly over tho other and laughed. "I'vo heard so much about this hotter babies movetnont," quoth ho, nnd Hocked tho ashe3 from his cigarette, "that 1 wish to seo If there's any thing In It." Puck. HAD BEEN THERE BEFORE. "Right In tho inldBt of tho ndvlco you wore giving him you broko off and hurried away." "That's what I did!" "But ho was listening daforentlally to all you had to Bay." "Yon bet ho was. I novor had a man llEton to mo that deferentially that ho didn't try to touch mo for fivo dollars b?fro I got away." International News Service. London. A correspondent writing from Bergcn-op-Zoom, Holland, gives a vivid description of tho entry of tho German army into Antwerp. Tho bulk of the kaiser's force did not enter tho city until Saturday after noon, when 00,000 men passed In re view beforo Genernl von Schultz, mili tary governor of Antwerp, nnd Admi ral von Schrocder, who, surrounded by a glittering Blaff, sat their horses in front of the royal palaco In the Placo do Melr. "For five hours tho mighty host poured through tho streets of tho de serted city, while tho houses shook to tho thunder of their tread," he writes. "Company after company, reg iment aftor regiment, brigade after brigade, swept past until the eyo grew weary of watching the ranks of gray under slanting lines of steel. "Ab they marched they sang, the canyon formed by the high buildings along tho Place de Melr echoing to their voices roaring out 'Die Wacht am Rhein' and 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.' Like an Election Parade. "Each regiment was headed by Its field music and colors, and when dark ness fell and street lamps were light ed tho shrill music of fifes, tho rattle of drums and tho tramp of marching feot reminded mo of a torchlight elec tion parade. "Hard on tho heels of tho infantry rumbled artillery, battery after bat tery. "Behind tho field batteries rumbled tho quick flrers tho same pompoms whoso acquaintance I had made at Weorde and elsewhere. And then, heralded by a blare of trumpets and a crash of kettledrums, came the cav alry, cuirassiers In helmets and breastplates of burnished steel, hus sars in befrogged jackets and fur bus bies, and finally tho uhlans, riding amid forests of lances under a cloud 3f fluttering pennons. "But this was not all, nor nearly all, for after tho uhlans came tho blue Jackets of tho naval division, broad ihouldercd, bewhlskered fellows, with laps worn raklshly and a roll of the sea in their gait. "Then the Bavarian infantry in dark blue, the Saxon infantry in light blue, and Austrians m uniforms of beautiful stiver gray, and last of all a squadron of gendarmes in silver and bottle gieen. "As that fighting machine swung past I could not but marvel at how tho gallant, chivalrous and coura geous but ill-prepared little army of Belgium had held it back as lone as It had. Few See Entry. "The most remarkablo feature of this wondorful spectacle was that there wore comparatively few persons to seo it. So far as onlookers were concorned tho Germans might as well have marched through the streets of Pompeii. Another American and I, standing on tho balcony of tho Ameri can consulate, were the only specta tors, so far as I know, in the whole length of tho Place do Melr, which is tho Stato street of Antwerp. It re minded mo of a circus that had come to town a day before It was expected." A feature of the procession was a victoria drawn by a fat white horse and with two soldiers on tho box, which accompanied a regiment of Ba varians. Both horso and carriage were decorated with flowers. It was evidently a species of triumphal char iot, for it was filled with hampers of champagne. Pay fop What They Take. The correspondent cays tho German soldiers treat tho townspeople with consideration, paying in German sil ver for what they take from the shops. Describing tho fear of tho Antwerp citizens when the kaiser's soldiers en tered, the correspondent says: "When tho main body of troops be gan entering tho city on Saturday morning tho townspeople thoso who had not escaped from tho city rushed out with beer, cheeoe, biead and flow ers, ovldently with the idea of placat ing them by means of their pitiful llttlo offerings. It was not a pleas ant Bight, but these people havo been so terrified by tales of German bar barities that ono can hardly blame them." Tho correspondent estimates that less than ono hundred clvlllnns woro killed during tho bombardment. Havoc Wrought by Shells. Telling of tho rain of shells which swept the city, ho sajs: "A 42-oentlmetor shell tore com pletely through a handsome stone house next door to United States vCou sul Gonoral Dledorlch's resldonco, crossod tho street nnd exploded In the upper atory of a school. Thoro Is not a block In the Boulevard Leopold that does not contain sovoral shattered houses. No buildings were damaged In Place de Melr, though threo sholls struck tho pavement, tenrlng holes as largo as a grand piano. "A shell entered the roof of tho Ho tel St. Antolno, passed through two bathrooms and exploded in tho room occupied 48 hours beforo by tho Rus sian minister, destroying everything in it. Cathedral Struck. "Tho cathedral was struck only by ono shell, which entered through tho wall over tho western entrance and ex ploded over tho eldo chapel. The American Express company's offices on the Qual van Dyck were slightly damaged. A shell struck the houso occupied by un American named Hunt and the Dutch consul and blow tho entire second floor Into smithereonB. "A Zeppelin hovered over tho city during Thursday morning's bombnrd inont, dropping occasional bombs. "Though tho Gorman shrapnel cre ated enough havoc, It was child's play compared to tho damago done by tho siege guns. When a 42-centImotor shell struck a houso it not merely blew a hole In It, it simply demol ished it, the whole houso collapsing into ruin as If shaken to pieces by an earthquake." Almost as much damago was caused by fires resulting from tho bombard ment as from tho shells themselves. Tho entire west side of tho Marcheux Soullers from tho head of tho Placo do Melr to the Placo Vorte, including tho Hotel de Europe, the Cafo Royalo and a line of fashionable Bhops oppo site tho Hotel St. Antolno, waB de stroyed. A quarter of a mile of build ings in tho Ruo van Bree, Including the handsomest apartments in tho city, aro nothing hut charred walls. The handsome block In tho Rue do la Justice is completely burned. In ad dition several hundred dwellings scat tered through the city havo been burned to the ground. Dynamite Saves Cathedral. As tho city is without water, ex cept such as can bo pumped from tho river, tho fiiemen were powerless to check the flames. That every building on tho Place Verto and very probably tho cathedral Itself, was not burned Is duo to an American resident, CharleB Whlthoff, who, realizing tho extreme gravity of the situation, suggested to tho German military authorities that thoy dynamite tho surrounding build ings. At ten o'clock at night word was sent to Brussels and at four o'clock in the morning six automobiles with dy namite arrived and the walls were blown up, tho German soldiers stand ing on the roofs of neighboring build ings and throwing dynamito bombs. "It was a lively night for every ono concorned," says the writer. "I was just sitting down to my first meal In 30 hours when the police burst in with the news the city was burn ing," ho goes on. "I found an entire block opposite the hotel in flames, and as there was no wafdr the flremon wero powerless to check them. When I discovered the block immediately behind tho hotel was also ablaze, It struck mo It was time to change my quarters. "After wandering through pitch black streets for threo hours, slipping on broken glass and stumbling over fallen masonry, and occasionally chal lenged by German sentiles, I saw a light In a building in tho Boulevard Leopold. I rang tho bell and was taken In by a poor llttlo consumptive bookkeeper. Takes Over Consulate. "Upon calling at tho consulate in the morning I found that Consul Gen oral Diederich and Vice-Consul Sher man had left two days before for parta unknown. As there was a largo num ber of frightened peoplo clamoring for reassurance and protection, and as there was no one else to look aftor them, I opened tho consulate and as sumed charge. "Tho proceeding was wholly irregu lar and unauthorized, of course, and will probably scandalize department of stato officials in Washington, but it was no time for red tape. "I Immediately wrote a letter to tho Gorman commander. Informing him that in tho absence of tho consul gen eral I had assumed charge of tho American and British interests in Antwerp and expected the fullest pro tection. I received a courteous reply Immediately, saying that tfvery pro tection would bo afforded foreigners." USE WALKING WOOD IN ATTACKJJP0N GERMANS London A correspondent describes a walking wood at Crecy. Tho French and British cut down trees and armed themselves with the brandies. Lino after lino of infantry, each man bear ing a branch, then moved forward un observed townrd the enemy. Behind thorn, amid the lopped tree trunks, tho artillerymen fixed them selves and placed 13-pouudcrs to cover tho moving wood. Tho attack, which followed, won the success it merited. It almost went wrong, however, for tho French cav alry, which was following, made a do tour to pass tho wood aud dashed into view near tho ammunition reserves ot the allies. German shells began fulling thero nbouts, but British soldiers went up tho hills and pulled the boxes of am munition out of the way of tho Gor man shells. Ammunition and men came through unscathed. By evening tho onemy had been cleared from tlw Mnrno district. Cathedral Lost to Art. Paris. Tho artistic beauty of the cathedral at Reims, jiilch suffered In tho German bombardment of that town, novor can bo roatored, 1n the opinion of Whitney Warren, tho Now York architect, who has Just returned from RelniB, where ho mado a thor ough inspection of tho famous struc ture. Mr. Warren, who Is a corre spondlug mombor of tho Institute de Vranco, was given tho prlvllego ol visiting the cathedral. ,4C v vwrtiufUMiflsel HSm