Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-09

OF copper exported had value only OF
$5.l32, 600. while the exported raw cop
per had value Of $s0,411.o00.
This country" Mr.. Ryan went on to
all countries in the world it produces
most in the way Of such resources. 1t sells
more products in the manufactured
state than any country. 1t has supplied
raw materials In days of peace for great
manufacturing nations like England and
France, and particularly Germany, in
which to put labor and on which to
make profit for capital by supplying the
markets Of the woorld with manufac-
tured articles"
On one occasion Mr.. Ryan appeared
before committee of Congress COM
posed of twenty-one lawyers Of diff
ferent diameters. The lawyers were
getting ready to regulate business. They
meant to prohibit American producers
from combing among themselves. trade
by trade in the expectation Of their
products. 1t wasn't ethical for trusts
to operate either here or abroad The
spirit Of the alleged brotherhood of the
human race brooded over the assem-
blage.
1t took Mr. Ryan about thirty minutes
to blast his way into the intellectuais Of
the twenty-one lawyers. II say" he
told them, that you should not only
permit, but you ought to encourage COM
binations, agreements. understandings
or anything else that relates exclusively
to export business-to trade with out.
siders.
But" he added, eff domestic manu<
facturers combine with foreign manu-.
facturers to fix up trade so that there
can be no reduction in prices to Amer.
lean consumers would put them in Jail.
Il believe" he went on. sin prohibits
ing agreements. combinations and un.
derstandings that are in restraint Of
trade in this country. Such prohibition
Is in the interest Of all. the large and
small manufacturer, the miners. the
producers and the people, but I cannot
conceive OF any reason why the hands
of our business men should be tied
In any way with respect to their trade
with foreign countries"
In simple words, easily understood by
his audience, Mr.. Ryan disposed Of all
the rubbish that cluttered up the minds
of the lawmakers. Europe, often through
one buyer, came here and bought what
it wanted in the way of raw materials
and then converted the raw materials
into manufactured products. Such was
his blunt text He turned it over and
over, always briefly, and Congress In
the end. with his assistance, saw the
light, and now Americans can combine
when they engage in commercial tranSa
actions with foreigners.
y -.
The statute which permits such com.
binations is really one of the war meas
ures of the United States. in that it
will permit the business men of this
country to gain trade during the fierce,
worldwide competition that will follow
the making Of peace among the nations.
Wall street. which is another name
for American business. has great respect
r h 10 fcJo
agination. 1t has elected him director
OF several large banks. The electrifca-
ton of the Chicago, Milwaukee and ST.
Paul railroad over it's mountain dfvi-
sions, of which company he is also a
director, is. in part credited to him by
the ffnanciers of New York. He saw
the wasted waters of the Rockies and
turned them to use in his own business.
Afterward, backed by his recommended
ton. they were put to work hauling long
trains of passengers and freight.
And now while he is speeding up
the manufacture of fighting planes and
bombing planes he is thinking of the
DAYS to come. Billions of dollars and
millions of men," he says, ARE now
employed in the making of machines
for war, of all kinds of clothing and of
everything that is necessary to fight
with. But when the war ends that
demands ends''
The Army will come back to the
United States. A million soldiers,
possibly three million or five million
soldiers, will return to the ways of
paece. Millions of other men will
cease making arms and ammunition.
Employment must be found for all
of them, Mr.. Ryan declares. II en-
ployment is not found for them 1--WE
may witness" he warns. 1.-The greatest
cataclysm the world has ever seen,
the greatest disaster to labor and the
greatest disaster to country the
world has ever known"
How" he asks, ARE we to employ
the labor that is now engaged in pro7(
ducing munitions of war? / can see
only one chance to do so.
Domestic consumption will not
employ it, We shall make more and
grow more than we need. So we shall
have to find market outside of our
own country for the things that peo-
pie eat and wear and use when they
are not at war"
The year before the war. 1913, half
of the exports of this country, in
value. were manufactured products
and half were raw materials But
some of the exports, even then, cop
per among them, were intended for
purposes of war. Germany was get
ting ready to fight. France. Italy
and Great Britain were maintaining
armies and battleships.
says, land putting them where they
belong, on the list of raw materials.
we find that 80 per cent of our total
exports in 1913 were manufactured
and IS per cent were unmanufac-
tured"