The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-18
EUROPE GETS
ATTENTION.
NOT TARIFF
Realize Paralysis of Foreign
Trade Is Our Primary Diff
ficulty - Tax Revision
Takes Back Seat.
MOVING COTTON CROP
BY MARK SULLIVAN


WASHINGTON, D. c., May 1S.-
Tariff and taxation continue to fail
TO get the center of stage away from
European affairs Newspaper writer's
reflect the psychology Of newspa pers,
observing that reparations of the su-
preme council or any other phase of
European affairs is always good for d
bigger headline than any new devel-
opment in the tariff bill or the tax
schedule
III Is Tor the same reason that pro-
gress in tariff making and tax making
is far from the program laid down by
the leaders when congress met and
that tariff speeches do not attract as
much interest in congress as they
used to in former tariff making ses-
sions
The reason for it all is the growing
consciousness that the paralysis of
foreign trade is our Urinary difficulty
ana that that must be rcmedied before
tarliI and taxes can be of any help.
Ilie recognition of this fact starting
With official Washington, has spread
through congress and recently has be.
gun to spread from congress back
through the country
Farmers Viewpoint
by western farmer who was asked
the other day why he was in Washing
ton when he ought, presumably to be
at home planting corn. He replied
that he had discussed the matter with
his neighbors, and they had agreed
that the best use of his time would
be to come to Washington and see
what he could do towards getting the
1920 crop marketed rather than stay
at home and plant the 1921 crop
The larger part of the government
has realized steadily that nothing sf-
fective could be done until the amount
OF the reparations is fixed. For this
reason most Of the great departments
which might ordinarily facilitate ex-
port trade have been marking time.
The largest definite help in actually
getting goods shipped abroad and sold
there has come from the war finances
corporation and its managing director,
Eugene Meyer, Jr This organization
has done all that energy could do un-
der trying circumstances.
Moving@ Cotton Crop
Most of their effort SO far has been
concerned with cotton. The corpora
ton has advanced several million dol
lars to southern banks to finance the
u,
Italy, Portugal, Japan and Germany
Not only has the corporation made ad
, vances to American banks and export,
. ers for the shipment of cotton abroad
on definite contracts, in addition, the
war finance corporation has taken an
other step which is small in proportion
but is sign both of the extreme need
of the case and of the willingness OF
the corporation to take minute pains
They have helped American banks
to send cotton abroad not on contract
but merely to be held in foreign ware
houses for such marketing as can be
done in small lots. The idea is tC
maintain adequate stocks of Ameri
can cotton in warehouses in Liver
pool. Havre, Trieste, Genoa, Venice
and Bremen. For sale to such consum
ers as may want to buy it over the
counter" SO to speak. even in such
small lots as fifty bales. The aggre
gate of such efforts is necessarily not
great. but it reflects the sort of thing
TO which Americas export trade is
being reduced.
In the field of business and econ
omics. in all its ramifications straight
back to the farm, the first need is tC
restore life to paralyzed information
al trade. So far as American business
is concerned, this is the first task fol
Imagination and action.
Copyright 1921 by the New YORK
Evening Post IncD