Evening star., 1922-09-03


conscience could bear the knowledge
tnat whole families were languishins
In dark underground life, we know
that they would soon revolt unless
given relief
This is seen everywhere in the coal
ia .aDor dlsputes. Everywhere the effort
is pelng made to replace coal with
oil. The latter can be produced much
cheaper because less labor Is re-
quired. This fact, therefore, must
decide the relations between all of
the states having petroleum re-
sources. No permanent peace, there
fore. can be expected until there is an
understanding between the United
states. Great Britain, Russia, France,
Rumania, Galicia and the Orient.
Genoa was the beginning, but Eng
lands hopes of gaining the oil pre-
ponderancy by an agreement with
Russia was frustrated.
Makes Governments Pretend.
Old-fashioned cant makes govern
ments pretend to act for humanity's
sake. when in fact their aim is to
obtain the best possible economic
conditions for their people; but is not
he who liberates millions of under
ground workers for better and
healthier life a better idealist than
the one who enriches the world with
speeches? No new order can expect
success unless it reckons with the
technical revolution.
Europe has lost her economic su-
premacy. In New York state the
average weekly wage is s24: in Ger
many. for the skilled workman, mar
ried. with two children. it is about 81.
How can We explain that with wages
only twenty-fourth of what they
are in the United States Germany
cannot compete with America? Sim
easily conquer in the world markets
those who are undernourished
German workmen. weakened By
malnutrition and excited by political
agitation. accomplish much less than
in pre-war days. In the mining in
workers has increased 40 per cent
since 1913, but the output has de-
creased 20 per cent. Our state ad-
ministration is overstaffed and care
less, our technical apparatus is worn
out. as well as our renowned organl-
zatioh methods.
Truce OF All European States.
The same is true of practically all
European states, consequently any
attempt against American mechanical
supremacy is impossible. Whole in
dustries have been built up there
during the war and now German
goods made of that character are not
allowed to enter. Your chimneys
are smoking while ours are getting
cold. We never can regain our pre-
war supremacy, but we might regain
prosperity as the United States has
done, not, however, through a fight
for industrial Imperialism and not
by producing so-called necessities
like firearms, alcohol and sweets and
selling them at low prices, for that
inwardly corrupt splendor and pros
perity from which the war sprang
never will return. The solution must
to secure an opportunity for small
country with poor soil and few raw
materials to live in liberty.
The Importance of reparations in
his scheme is much smaller than
might be inferred from the daily row
about them. The victors on our con-
tinent have not yet realized that even
to have won the war is bad business,
and the vanquished have not yet un-
derstood they must for generations
live the lives of the poor. The vic
tors count on receiving tremendous
sums of money. forgetting that such
sums. could only be obtained by ex-
ports which would wreck their own
industries. Just as France would
not and could not entrust the rebuild
ing of the devastated regions to Ger
man industry, so would all arts and
trades oppose invasion OF foreign
competitors coming to pay their repa-
rations debt.
seventy Millions for LuxurIes.
But the vahquished have spent in
eighteen months $70,000,000 for i'm
ported luxuries. which makes the
yarn about Versailles running Ger
many as much a lie as the famous
dagger in the back which supposedly
felled the German army just before
victory. Reparations are unimpor-
tant When the wise man-whose
name we hope will be Hoover-arbi-
trates the reparations question. then
exchange will be stabilized and Eu-
rope will have to realize that she no
longer dominates the world.
Copyright. 1929