The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-02-28
KEEP FREE TRADE OUT
OF PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
TO PRESIDENT WILSON
TO ELIMINATE HIS POLiT-
ICAL FADS.
(AmeDican Economist.l

The American people have ungrudg :
ingly supported the president In any
thing that can be done to win the war.
They have given him absolute power,
unequaled by any reigning monarch in
the world; more money than he can
spend This extraordinary power was
not put in the hands of Prof. Wilson to
exploit personal fads 1t was given to
the president of the United States to
marshal the brains, the man power,
and the material resources of the re-
public to help win the war and give
the death blow to military autocracy,
That freedom may not perish from
the earth" Let Mr.. Wilson not forget
that it is for this alone that he Is re-
ceiving the united patriotic support
of the American people. In order to
keep this solid support of the nation,
he must resolutely ignore politics, dis
card sectional favors, and realize that
now he represents not a party nor an
economic theory, but only patriotic
nation bent solely on winning the war
and maintaining our national prosper
lity.
On the other hand, if Mr.. Wilson en-
courages the few wilful men, in
congress to play politics and stir up
partisan strife, and allows incompet-
ent politicians to muddle matters in
executive departments, and he himself
starts crusade for universal free
trade, the worst may happen. Yet
from present appearances, this seems
all too probable.
Free Trade and World Peace.
This disrupting work has already
begun. In congress scandalously
violent partisan TRADE, surcharged
with grossly offensive personalities
obviously false insinuations, has al
ready been delivered in the senate by
the administration leader. Twenty
days earlier the president took advan-
tage of his exalted position officially
to propose universal free trade or it's
equivalent, as one of the conditions of
world peace.
Both these episodes, which were de-
liberately planned, were loaded with
disrupting explosives. The violent,
polntless outbreak of the gumshoe
politician in the senate, could have no
other effect or purpose, than to start
a fierce partisan fight in congress. A
Clear case of playing politics at the
expense of patriotism.
Hardly anything more controversial
could have been introduced into the
peace terms discussion than President
Wilson'S free trade proposal There
is not country among the allies, nor
among the central powers that
wants free trade, except for other
people, The only country that has
ever tried it is England, and she is
tired of 1t. OF course, Germany
takes rather kindly to the idea, be-
cause her main hope of economic re-
cuperation is in getting free or very
easy access to the American market.
She well knows that her chances of
overrunning the French, Italian and
English markets will be very slim.
These countries have already held an
economic conference in Paris to con-
slider the question of protecting theil
markets against the influx of German.
Austrian and Turkish products after
the war;
AS for this country, the idea of |
adopting free trade or its equivalent |
a, the close of the war would not be |
tolerated for moment.
Disaster to American Industry.
If the president or his ENJOYS should
be able to get such clause into the
peace compact which is not conceiv-
able, the treaty could not be confirm
I'd in the United States senate. Every
body knows that to put our industries
IN an equality with the products of all
oreign nations, as the president pro-
'oses, would mean swift disaster to
American manufactures and violent
social disruption throughout the coun-
ry
The adoption of such a proposition
would cost the United States more in
money and be more dangerous to the
stability of our Institutions than the
INVASION of the country by German
rmy. The havoc of Hindenbure
night inspire patriotic resistance,
whereas this would stimulate only
ocial revolution 1t would herald
he day of an American Bolsheviki I
If the president insists on this I'M
american proposition, it will create G
nXious embarrassment among the r
lilies, who don't want it, and political
pheaval and want of confidence in b
ne administration in this country.
Nothing but misfortune can come C
any dabbling with the universal
zee trade idea. Nobody but import g
20 e.,