New-York tribune., 1920-02-01

incompatible with the best possibili-
ties of the present order"
"Can we hope to maintain our in
stltutions as they are and check un-
rest II Europe or any large part of
1t should go over to communism"
If Communism Comes
"Conceivably yes, but practically
no. If Europe should undertake to
experiment with communism the ef-
feet here would be profound. l am
sure that any trial Of communism
will be followed by ultimate failure,
but during the period Of trial over
there our own national thought
would be affected profoundly and the
elements of discord greatly stimu-
lated. Hence, in putting our own
house in order we must take thought
of Europe and assist it to understand
and practice the doctrine of work as
the only means Of salvation for an
lndustrially despairing world. Eu-
ropes house has burned down and it
needs shelter; carpenters are more
necessary than architects, but the
people are spending their time on
dream-book plans instead Of on the
job. Even if everybody over there
would go to work, if he could, prog
ress would be slow at the best.
"For Europe, as a whole, the fu-
ture is very gloomy-and the only
way out may lead through general
public and private bankruptcy, but
without uninterrupted hard work
and saving there is no way out.
Belgium and England are getting to
work, the former tremendously, con-
sidering its handicaps. France and
Italy are not doing so well. Central
Europe is making little progress.
Germany Is weighted with the in
definite indemnity, which, in it's min
imum, is all it could bear for gen.
erations. She is filed with the virus
of socialism. The combination of
socialistic dreams and present eco
nomic despair might easily lead her
into revolution and the adoption Of
some modified form Of Bolshevism
that would establish bond with
Russia-and political cooperation.
Then she might say to the Allies that
she would no longer recognize the
terms Of the treaty, that Germany
and Russia stand for new economic
order, and inquire of them what thew
purposed to do about it. The answer
would be difficult"
"Is it possible for US to have pros
perity on this side Of the Atlantic
with Europe deficient in production?
l mean by that, that an impover-
ished Europe will not be able to buy
our products and that the result of
great renewal Of productive work in
this country will be that we shall
have overproduction and our eco
nomic machine will be swamped in
its own goods"
Nov you are touching on COM
mon economic fallacy. Generally
speaking, there is no such thing as
overproduction. I suppose the best
we have ever done is to produce
enough wealth in any one year to
have 10 per cent left over. Have
you enough goods? Has anybody, ex-
cept an infinitesimally small proper
ton of the population? The world
as a whole has never been on Easy
Street. Why do we export goods
l mean, in the long run? Simply to
trade some Of our wealth for an
other kind that the other fellow has.
Commerce is only barter. If we
can't trade we can get along with
our own kind Of goods. So it is
that we could be pros
porous and wealthy if the country
were hermetically sealed up at the
frontiers"
Leaving Europe out of the prob
lem, do you see any optimistic ele-
ments in the present position that
tend to make for work and produc-
tion?"
Praise for Prohibition
Decidedly yet-and at the head
~ Aho 7