The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-01-09
Who Want Economic Pressure
Brought to Bear to Pre-
vent Wars.
osrreIAL 10 ras IsLessAnl

vent wars.
OPTICAL TO TIE TELEGRAM
\ WASHINGTON, Jan. S.-voting on
the report of special committee Of
the national chamber dealing with
economic results Of the, war and
American business, the principal COM
mercial organizations Of the country
dlssented but slightly to the PROPOSE
ton which received the endorsement
Of forty-four principal nations Of the
world at The Hague, In favor Of the
establishment OF an international
court. 1t was the eleventh referen-
DUN which has been conducted by the
chamber Of commerce Of the United
States with the purpose of ascertain
ing, for the benefit Of Congress and
the president, the business opinion
prevailing throughout the country on
questions OF immediate importance.
Two hundred and eighty-two CONNER
cial organizations, chambers of com
merce and boards Of trade located in
forty states, the District OF Columbia
and Hawaii filed ballots. The Amer
lean chambers OF commerce in Ber-
lin and Milan were among those which
voted. Each organization voting was
entitled TO from one to ten votes ac-
cording to the size of its membership.
There was also large majority
in favor Of the special committees
recommendation that, for considera-
ton OF questions which arise between
nations and which do not depend upon
established rules or upon facts which
can be determined by an international
court, the United States should take
the initiative in joining with other ma
lions in establishing a council OF con-
! citation.
Economic Pressure for Enforcing
Peace.
The dissenting votes OF sufficient
number to attach significance to them
were found only on the two PROPOSE
tons as to the methods recommended
for enforcing peace. The first meth
cd, that of bringing economic pressure
/ to bear upon any nations which re-
sort TO military measures without sub
hitting their differences to an inter-
national court, was carried however
by considerably more, than two-thirds
vote necessary to bind the national
chamber. According to the prelim-
mary count, attested 10 by Elliot Fl.
Goodwin, secretary Of the chamber,
$50 votes were cast in favor Of this
method and 157 opposed.
On the use of military force in the
event that concerted economic pres
sure should not be sufficient, the dis
senting vote was large enough to pre-
vent the chamber from being COM
mitted in favor of this proposition,
although the balance necessary was
slight and may be obliterated in the
official recount. The by laws require
two-thirds Of the votes cast to be in
favor in order to commit the chamber.
Seven hundred and one votes were
cast on this recommendation, Of
which 452 were in favor while the
two-thirds vote required 46S.
Arguments for Economic Pressure.
Referring to the first method, the
report of the committee, of which Err
ward A. Filene of Boston is chair
man, says. in part:
"In considering such a use Of eco
nomic pressure, it should be borne in
mind that it already comes to pass
automatically within a more limited
area when nations go to war. War
ring nations promptly boycott each
other. This is important to keep in
mind because confusion on this point
sometimes prompts the argument that
non-intercourse would be more ex
pensive weapon than war;, as though
the fact OF going to war in some way
avoided non-intercourse. What your
committee really means by its recon-
mendation is that, in the future, ar
rangements for international enforce
ment OF the economic boycott should
be organized on world wide scale,
and that in these world wide arrange
ments nations better fitted to cooper
ate with economic than with military
power could also have part in the
of the pressure needed to-
preserve the worlds prosperity and
progress.
1.-THE boycott could be of progress
sive severity. In the first, and what
would probably usually be the effec-
tive stage the signatory nations would
refuse 10 buy from or sell to the Of
Tending nation. If the offenses, how
ever, were aggravated and persistent,
all intercourse could be suspended,
and if that proved insufficient, then,
as the last step, recourse could bel
taken to military force.
at is the deterrent effect OF or
ganized non-intercourse which would
make war less likely, since 1t would
be a terrible penalty to incur, and one
more difficult, in sense to fight
against than military measures. Fur
Their, its systematic organization
would tend to make any subsequent
military action by the cooperating
nations more effective"
Besides Mr.. Filene, the members Of
the special committees were II. P.
Gadsden, lawyer, president Of public
utility companies in Charleston, S. c.;
Edward Hidden, president of the St.
Louis Business Mems League; Her.
bert S. Houston, of New York, pres
ident Of the Associated Advertising
Clubs of the World; H. A. Meldrum,
president Of the Buffalo Chamber OF
Commerce; George Il. Roberts. assist
ant to the president OF the National
City Bank of New York. formerly di-
rector of the mint; and Paul H. Saun-
ders. president Of the Mortgage Secur-
tiles Company Of New Orleans.
After the referendum had been or
dered the following committee was