The Washington herald., 1918-07-11
FIST
MAY PREVENT
FUTURE WARS
H. S. Houston Tells Ad Men
of Power Of Economic
Union.

D
vention OF the Associated Advertis-
ing Clubs Of the World in session
here. was the constructive address
Business and the Mailed Fist" by
Herbert s. Houston. vice-president
of Doubleday. Page & Co.. this af-
ternoon. at the general session called
Business Behind the Trenches" Mr.
Houston. a former president of the
Associated Advertising Clubs, Is a
member of the executive committee
OF the League to Enforce Peace. and
Is the author of a recent book.
Blocking New Wars"
Mr.. Houston would use economic
pressure to prevent future wars. In
putting on the pressure. in 'smiting
the mailed fist." with the mighty
weapon OF economic power, the
speaker suggested among other pos
sible agencies to be employed by q
league of free nations an Interna-
tional Division OF Advertising, an
International Chamber OF Commerce
and an International Clearing House
as component parts of q complete
international aggressive and mill
tant as well as defensive organiza-
tion.
Business In War and Peace.
"Just as business now directs the
fullness OF its power to the winning OF
this righteous war. so, when the wal
for freedom Is won. business In the
free nations which will win the war
will face new duty and opportunity.
/ Then business must rebuild the waste
OF this war and block future wars, 7"
declared Mr.. Houston.
In part he further said:
Let US reach out at once for one
Of the fruits of victory. a league OF
nations. Such a league fights now
for victory, a victory which can De
maintained only through the united
economic and military power OF the
, league that wins IL. Fighting for free
dom, the free nations should join to
preserve that freedom.
After the war the work Of rebuild
ing industry will be Of unbelievable
magnitude. Germany has sought to
destroy the industry OF free nations,
with the commerce that industry pro-
duced.
Must smIte Mailed Fist.
Belgium must be repaid by Ger.
! many, and France must be recon-
pensed. There will come the day
when patriotic business in all the free
| nations must smite the mailed fist
German business can not be allowed
to rise and prosper on the ruined in
dustries of Belgium, France, Italy,
Russia-industries designedly ruined
/ by the mailed fist of Germany. That
would be permitting the robber to set
! up business in the establishment he
had robbed.
l. Il
/ lievable thing will come to pass. Ger
man business today seeks to gain a
strangle hold on the business Of the
| world. Not a German factory has
/ been injured by the war. Every one
Z of them Is ready to begin production
1 the minute the war ends and to push
/ production at top speed in order to
\ get a running start in the world
markets against the countries whose
factories designely have been de-
stroyed by German guns.
Justice Must BE safeguarded.
"As business men we must prepare
| to meet Germany's commercial fist
Business stands squarely behind the
war, but it must stand just as square
| ly and strongly for the industry and
\ commerce Of the allies against the
4 wal u
preparing to wage. There must b.
reconstruction as well as safeguard,
| ing. Business must be an information
| al commercial force. With victory
won. the fruits OF permanent peace
with Justice must be held. The only
\ way that can be done is through a
| league of nations that will hold them
"Of the worlds coal production, m
/ 1913. this league Of free nations pos
! sessed three-fourths; two-thirds of the
worlds pig iron production that yea
| were held by this league; Of steel and
/ copper more than two-thirds; of cot
| ton, four-fifths; of petroleum, four.
| fifths; of the essential food products
| a preponderance over the Central
Powers, much greater than the pre-
ponderance of population. Think ot
the economic power possessed by such
leaguei
'In 1913 the total imports and ex-
| ports of Great Britain, France, Italy
and the United States, the four great
est nations in the entente, were ap-
/ proximately $4,000, ,OO0.0 900 as against
about 5000 100000 for Germany and
Austria-H Hungary.
Overwhelming Economic Power.
This summary Is conclusive In
showing how overwhelming would be
| the economic power of the present
league Of free nations fighting for CIV
ilization. By collective control of that
economic power the league of free ma
tions could limit the military arma-
ment OF any nation by Withholding
the basic materials out of which wer
must be fashioned and with which it
must be waged.
Mr.. Houston pointed out that by
adding the raw material resources OF
neutral nations to the economic forces
| already controlled by the free fighting
| nations, an overwhelming preponder-
! ance for peace could be maintained
He said he would have economic pow
er used aggressively, applied through
all modern agencies-the cable, the
! wireless, the press, the postal union
| the stock exchanges, custom houses
with embargoes-witht the result that
no nation could stand the pressure
The speaker said a league Of free ma
tons would establish world courts to
! direct the nations Alright and the eco.
nomic and military power of the
league would enforce such DEGREES
/ fhrOfI hns1f the xxyorld