Europe—whither bound? (Quo vadis Europa?) : $b being letters of travel from the capitals of Europe in the year 1921Graham, Stephen
History
Europe—whither bound? (Quo vadis Europa?) : $b being letters of travel from the capitals of Europe in the year 1921
Graham, Stephen
Europe -- Description and travel
Mr. Lloyd George has said that the German is not being taxed by his
Government in the proportion that the British are taxed by theirs--far
from it. Figures have been given in the Press. And they have not been
refuted by Germans. The Germans hold that they are being taxed so
heavily that a maximum has been reached. W----, who was well-off
before the war, has lost his income now, has taken a staff-post at the
Ministry of Trade and gets 20,000 marks a year. He ought to pay a
heavy income-tax on that. Yes, but it is only eighty pounds a year in
English money, and he has a wife and two children to keep on it. There
are tens of thousands of professional men in the same plight. Some of
the very rich arrange matters to avoid some of the heavy dues. And as
regards the working-class, it is notoriously hard to raise money from
them by direct taxation.
"Then it is said that you are running your railway and postal services
at a loss. And that is obviously true. England has raised her rates
and made her public pay. She thinks Germany should also."
To this it is replied that Germany does not believe in obstructing the
ready movement of people and of intelligence in her country. She
thinks it bad policy to charge highly for railway fares and letter
postage. What is gained by extra charges is more than lost through
business being hampered.
"These are points which you educated Germans should elucidate through
the British Press," said I. "The idea that Germany escapes taxation is
a very unfavourable one in England. It is much more important than the
rights or wrongs of the old war."
W----, who receives the "Nation" regularly, nevertheless did not think
any English paper would print what he might write on the theme.
I visited, among others, Herr Baumfelder, the editor of the "European
Press," once dropped from aeroplanes among our lines under the title of
the "European Times," but now under entirely new management, though
still a propagandist sheet. It is nothing like so strong a
propagandist for Germany as the "Continental Daily Mail" is for France.
But it has the potentiality of a counterblast. It makes one blush to
see English newspapers on German book-stalls with "HUNS' LATEST WHINE"
in large letters staring at the Germans as they pass. Strangely
enough, the Germans don't seem to mind these headlines; they don't tear
the papers off the stalls and burn them in indignation. They've been
drilled not to do such things. One would think, however, there would
be considerable scope for a good German daily, printed in the English
language, expounding European events from another point of view. The
European Press has that possibility.
Here, however, you find little that is helpful yet. I am all for
truth. It is the best type of propaganda--the only type that is not
loathsome. And surely there is enough in the domain of the simple
truth about Europe and Germany to touch men's hearts, whilst
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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