The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1919-11-06
AMERICA MUST
CHECK THE REDS
#. Halt Advance Of Radicalism, Raw
Material From This Country Should
Re Rushed to Europe So That the
Idle Workers May Have Chance.


Boston, Oct 30.-lf the United
states should stop exports Europe
,vould be thrown into chaos, declares
Edward A. Filene, president of the
limited States Chamber of Commerce,
who has just returned from six
months study of industrial conditions
abroad.
A broader policy of industrial be-
nevolence must be adopted by Ameri-
ca if Europe is to be saved, said Mr..
Fflene.
While he found the situation rather
gloomy in many countries he believes
there is ray Of light in the willing
ness of the people to get back to work
and again become producers.
ssThe war is only half won," he con-
timed. Europe is in the position of
a citizen assaulted by a highwayman
and seriously wounded The United
states must bind the wounds if the
nations over there are to recover and
become factors in the worlds prosper
ity."
European countries are handicapped
IN restoring their industries By the
Lack Of. raw materials, says Mr.. FL
lene These they must buy from the
limited States. In addition to the al
ready high prices they must pay
ocean freight and the difference in the
rate Of exchange. The latter ranges
from twenty-five to six hundred per-
cent above normal value.
Here lies the solution of Europe's
troubles by the United States as the
Boston man sees It.
He proposes that system of long
term loans be arranged for those ma
lions in this country Such credits
would be used to buy raw materials
in America without paying the exorbi-
tant rate of exchange. With raw ma
terials foreign industries could be re-
sumed, the nations would become pro-
ducers and when the time came to re-
paw the loans in five or ten years, he
believes. the exchange would have re-
turned to normal. A fair rate of in
serest would, of course, be included in
the loans.
If the people are kept idle and with
out food and comforts. Mr.. Filene pre-
dicted, they will become the prey Of
Irresponsible revolutionary propagan-
ia, which will in time infect the rest
Of the nations.
ut is easy to see what would be
the result to the United States COM
mercially." he as;d. "All Europe
would be like Russia and no American
firm attempts to do business with
Russia now"
"The purpose Of the Chamber Of
Commerce of the United States in
bringing to America the distinguished
men who compose the Belgian, French,
British and Italian missions" Mr.. FL
lene said, lis to give Americans ev-
erywhere chance to meet them face
to face, to ask them questions, to con-
fer with them, and thereupon to make
up thei rminds as to conditions in
Europe and what they want to do
about it.
My own Impressions of the last
six months can be briefly given in a
few words. Five years of unprece-
dented production. No theories of
new division Of what wealth is left
viii put the world back TO what it was
before the war. Nothing but inten-
sive production can do that.
IF half the world produces inten-
sively and the other half that pro-
duced intensively before the war is
idle it will take az least ten years to
restore the world balance of necessi-
ties and comforts, and in the mean
time, the idle people, lacking food and
comforts, will be the prey of irrespon-
sible revolutionary propaganda.
"The people Of the United States
have the good will and the common
sense not to allow this to happen to
Europe and the world
IN time Europe will pay US back
with her production, but if, until they
can get production properly going
again, they cannot obtain proper cred
its, then they must not only buy from
us what they need at double pre-wal
prices, hnt also must buy our dollars
to pay for these purchases at almost
an unbearable increase over the pre-.
war value Of the dollar"