Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1903-07-10
A FALSE REASONING.
SENATOR LODGE IGNORANT OF
TRUE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES.
Recent Speech Of Massachusetts,
Statesman" Based on One Of the
Oldest of Trade Delusions-The
Truly Prosperous Nation.

Not long ago Senator Lodge deliver.
ed an address in Greenfield, Mass, in
which he spoke of the dangers from
without due to our great industrial
growth and power.
I'VE have" said he, "a higher en-
ergy of organization and production
than any other nation. For this rea-
son we are driving less highly organ.
lied and less energetic peoples to the
wall Whether the opposition thus
aroused can be stilled or whether it
will become desperate and manifest
itself in a political or military manner
no one can say. 1t behooves us, how
ever, to watch carefully and be always
on our guard both in our conduct and
our readiness"
In saying what he could to help on
the project of an immense navy with
its jobs and jobs Mr.. Lodge may not
have taken the trouble to think much
about the economic principles underly-
ing his plea for readiness" Be that
as it may, his words are calculated to
instill into the public mind the barbar-
GUS militant conception of economics
from which Buckle, the English his
torian Of civilization, fondly hoped the
great scientific work Of Adam Smith
had emancipated mankind.
The idea which Mr.. Lodge expresses
is that a nation which excels others in
economic energy and efficiency must
necessarily drive to the wall" the less
energetic and efficient nations. 1t is,
unhappily, an idea which is too preva-
lent and potent in European countries
as we'll as in America.
This notion that nations are not
merely surpassed but actually impover-
ished by the superior ability Of others
to supply human wants lies at the
bottom of all the systems Of protective
tariffs and bounties and subsidies, and
not only so but at the bottom Of nearly
all the huge naval and military estab-
lishments which are imposed as heavy
burdens upon the great powers"
gulf separating the extremes of pow
erty and wealth and which are con-
tinual menace to the peace of the
world.
This economic delusion is not much
more than a modification Of the old
balance of trade delusion which once
drenched the world in blood and which
still actively survives in the notion
that a nation to be prosperous must
export more than 1t imports and
which finds recognition In the forms
OF our commercial statistics and our
official documents relating to foreign
trade.
The truth of tn, matter is that the
nation which excels in economic ener-
by and efficiency demonstrates its ex-
cellence by increasing the abundance
of things which minister to human
wants, and in no other way. 1t profits
by its excellence In proportion as it
supplies those wants and in proportion
as other nations are able to buy the
things which minister to their wants.
To vary the statement, the nation
which excels prospers in proportion as
others prosper. 1t can never prosper
by impoverishing others. 1t is never
to it's interest that they should make
themselves poor by loading themselves
down with crushing military and naval
establishments. 1t Is as foolish in
them to reject the greater abundance
offered them as it would be in the
nation which excels to impoverish its
own markets.
The whole militant notion of the
economics of international trade Is
modified survival of the old notion
which was so productive of jealousy,
hatred and bloodshed-the notion that
whatever one people gains by trade
other peoples must necessarily lose.
The whole colonial system for the
defense and extension of which
nations calling themselves enlightened
are arming themselves to the teeth
and taxing themselves insanely is
based on this economic delusion,
which is not the less foolish and i'm
poverishing and exasperating and dan
gerous because of it's present modifica
ton.
Those who foster that delusion may
be patriots in spirit, but they are
not intelligent patriots.