Evening star., 1916-07-30
AFTER SOLDIERS, THE MERCHANTS

It was at the time of the foundation
Of the first German colonies in 1887
that Bismarck.
Bismarck's Policy never in favor Of
Is Reversed. s,on .xo,,;maa =.
After the merchant the soldier" Ac-
for Germans as well as the allies are
engaged in preparing for peace on the
principle that after the soldier che
merchant.
A member OF the French chamber of
deputies. NJ. Victor Boret. writing on
the subject, Commercial Offensive in
the Economical Battle of Tomorrow"
exclaims: How. indeed, will 1t profit
US to have triumphed by arms If We
permitted the merchant to be van
Quished? For the combatant tomorrow
will be the merchant: If we would see
him conquer 1t will be necessary from
now on to prepare him for the battle.
arm him and protect him. What good
may customs tariffs serve and the re-
form of our banking system, If we
cannot furnish the merchant with in
formation and assure him in foreign
lands Of the aid and effective co-opera-
ton Of a consular corps composed not
of diplomats of second order, but of
men having commercial experience?
Besides adds the writer, "the task
CT the countries of the allies will be
singularly difficult after the war, for
they will be confronted in the battle
for commerce not only by Germany. but
also by rivals of the neutral states en-
riched by the gold of the belligerents.
More than ever it will be necessary
that the military alliance shall be per-
petuated and completed by an economi-
cal alliance.
The economical congress, in which
eight nations were represented. recently
assembled in Paris under the presi-
dency of NJ. Clementel, minister of COM
merce, from the 14th to 18th of June.
This congress. it should be recalled. as
sembled to complete the mandate of
the Conferences of Paris and London"
OF March 2S, 1916, and of which we
traced the grand lines in The Star un-
der the rubric Of '.Readjustment After
the War" And also in that connection
the work of the Franco-British inter-
parliamentary committee, likewise the
committee of Franco British studies,''
which held initial cooperative meet
ings in Paris and London.
L :. VI
G. Leygues. Pichon and others pre-
sided at the meetings
preparations and marked in precise
e.n language the great i'm
AoA e"eo' portance and urgent ne
cessity of preparation for peace. With
that object these gentlemen declared
that it was not all to repair the raw
ages of war: it was necessary to pre-
pare the ways of peace. to equip COM
mercial travellers for the voyages to
be made along new avenues of trade
Austro-German rivals. To this end old
commercial methods must be changed.
The congress composed of the eight
allies made the following declaration:
The empires of central Europe after
imposing upon Europe the present con-
f1ict prepare today in concert with
their allies on the economics basis a
conflict that not only will survive the re-
establishment of peace. but will assume
in that hour all it's fullness and inten-
sity."
cite the text of the preamble of the
declaration the better to confirm the
serious nature of the questions involved
volved:
The congress does not conceal the
fact that their enemies are preparing
to establish their control over the pro-
ductions and the markets of the entire
world and to impose upon other coun-
tries an unacceptable hegemony
In the face of so grave a peril the
representatives of the allied powers
consider it to be to the interest of the
latter and legitimate defense to take
from this hour all proper measures in
order to secure for them entire inde-
pendence in the markets of neutral
countries and facilitate the organiza-
nf % n
economical alliance"
The representatives of the allied gov
ernments then submitted for their ap-
probation a long list of resolutions
emy and prohibiting the entry on allied
territory Of all merchandise originating
in the enemy's country.
The war having put an end to all
treaties of commerce, no consideration
would be given after the cessation of
hostilities to any claim by the enemy
for treatment under the most favored
nation clause" Measures of co-opera-
tion and defense would be adopted.
The resolutions of the congress were
approved by the allied representatives
and were published in full in the official
journal June %.
NJ Clementel. in communicating the
resolutions of the congress, made the
declarations which are here resumed.
The measures adopted by the allies
have higher signification than simple
desire for economical expansion. with
the products of the allied Iherchants and
industrals there would be Nspread in the
world the ideas and principles of free
peoples.
The enemy places in the van of his
products coloring dyes (Badische Anitin),
factories representing a capital of a
billion francs The avowed object of this
industry, which had attained 81 per cent
of the worlds consumption before the
war, is to maintain control after the war.
dumping" is Germany's favorite arm
for the conquest of commercial suprem-
acy. Dumping" means
pro oo+;,a of the first exports, di-
rect or indirect; sales
Dumping" in the interior at high
er prices than over the border, with the
manifest object of upsetting and ruin
ing rival foreign industries. Dump
ing" is provocative of ruin and discord,
and this apparent work of peace con-
ceaIs a work of war. Germany has, al
ready inaugurated the work of control
ling certain raw materials and metals.
If the entente powers have been taken
by surprise by the war, the conference
at Paris should prepare them against
surprise in peace.