Evening star., 1921-08-06
RAPSGOVERNMENT
PART IN COMMERCE
Viscount Bryce Says Less
Executives Take Part Bet
ter for Peoples.
By the Associated Press.


WILL1AMSTOWN.M Mass. August g.
to do with business and international
finance the better for their peoples. Wis.,
count James Bryce said in his third pub
lie address before the Institute OF Poll
tics at Williams College last night. He
was discussing international trade. and
mental aid to commercial interests.
Speaking of the connection between
finance and war. Lord Bryce declared:
Money can exercise as much illegiti-
mate influence in democracies as else
where in some of them it can buy the
press, perhaps, also a section Of legisla-
tors Where the standard Of public vir-
tue is high. those who want to get some
thing from a government will seek not
to bribe, but will, to use a current ex-
preston, try to get at the press. while
also seeking to induce influential con-
stituents to put pressure on their MEM
beEs and members to put pressure on
ministers, the object in view being rep
resented as a public interest, whereas 1t
is really the interest Of a small group
When the standard is low the group
will approach the private secretaries Of
a minister or even minister himself.
Finaneiers Have Hand.
That wars are made by financiers
is not generally true, but they have
a great hand in negotiations and in
fixing the lines of policy. and they
sometimes turn it in directions not
favorable to true. national interests.
Government must, of course. consult
financiers, and may often not only
profit by their advice. but make use
of them. A consortium of banks such
as has been set up for China may
prevent-and, l think. does prevent.
evils which would arise IL each ma
tional group intrigued for its own
interest. There are upright men. val
.uable to a nation. in high finance as
in other professions. You know them
in America. and we know them In
England. They have their sphere of
action necessary to the world. But
ing governments arise the danger
signal for watchfulness should be
raised"
Slave Trade SafeEuarded.
In the course of his lecture. which
trade and it's influences. Lord Bryce
referred thus to the former slave
trade:
"One case deserves word Of men
ton, because it shows the power
which a small number Of sordidly self
ish persons engaged in one particular
line Of business could exert upon the
policy of great states, even when
every consideration of humanity was.
or ought to have-been. arrayed against
them. The Portuguese, the Dutch and
English shipowners during the sew
enteenth and eighteenth centuries car
ried hundreds of thousands of negroes
tinents. and the governments OF their
respective countries set so much store
by this traffic that its safeguarding
for them was repeatedly stipulated for
In treaties.
"The planter who bought the slaves
in Brazil or Carolina might. at least.
plead that he could not cultivate his
plantation without African labor and
could get that labor in NO other way,
but the wealthy men who in Europe
supplied the ships, for this abomin-
able traffic and the statesmen who re-
garded it as means OF enrtchfng
their respective countries, had no such
instance In history Of the lengths to
which selfish greed and want of
thought can make men obtuse to con-
sideration~ OF morality, justice and
compassion
OF the charge that munition makers
are sometimes interested in creating
Ill feeling between peoples. Viscount
oIyO0 Asou tA~ ~ e"J.
1T has been frequently said OF late
years that in several countries the
great firms which manufacture NUM-
tions of war endeavor to influence mil
itary and naval expenditure and re-
sorted to secret alarmist propa-
ganda, or even tried to stir up i'll
feeling between nations, in order to
induce governments to propose and
legislatures to vote large sums for
such expenditure. This may have
happened in countries which it is bet
ter not to name, but no evidence suf-
ficient to confirm 30 odious a charge
has, to my knowledge. been produced.
I do not believe that the thing ever
happened in England"