San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-12
Upon Them Will Fall Re-
sponsibility of Settling
World Affairs.
DRY" LAW A CLOUD
Gardiner Says England
Must Stop Whiskey Run
ming to Keep Friendship.
BY A. G. GARDINER.

Copyright by The san Antonio Light.
London, Aug. 1.-THE discussion
provoked this week by the death of
Mr.. Harding indicates accurately the
intelligent and sympathetic interest
felt here in American affairs. By a
gradual process of the social and eco
nomic degeneration Of Europe has
turned the eyes of all Englishmen
in the direction of the one great gov
ernment in the world with sane and
stable outlook. This constitutes a no.
table postwar development.
There was time after the war
when English politicians joined with
continentals in pathetic appeals 10
America TO come over and help us
The futility and stupidity of that att
tude of mind at last Is recognized. 1t
is perfectly realized now that the true
road TO salvation is through the APP
plicaton of the doctrine of self-help,
and that palsied appeals by incom-
petent or greedy nations have merely
! the effect of irritating the rulers ana
peoples Of the United States.
Nevertheless there is strong feel
ing among English politicians of ev-
cry shade of opinion that final re-
sponsibility for the re-settlement of
the worlds affairs will lie mainly
with America and Great Britain.
Consequently attempts TO keep in
touch with the American point Of
view and TO understand American mo-
tivcs are genuine and sincere. 1t is
not TOO much to say that the funding
Of Great Britain's debt to America
now gives almost rs great satisfaction
TO the debtor as TO the creditor. Hay
ing taken that formidable hurdle.
Britain can talk to America on friend
ly and equal terms.
Would Stop Whiskey Running.
The chief cloud now shadowing the
horizon of British-American friend
shin is our attitude on prohibition.
Visitors TO the United States tell the
writer of growing fear there Of Great
Britain becoming the main obstacle 10
proper administration of the prohl-
bition laws. There is not the slight
est doubt that unless the British gov
crnment takes prompt and practical
measures to deal with the scandalous
wholesale whiSbey running from Brit
| ish ports, vigorous protests Will be
raised in the house Of commons when
Parliament reassembles.
Another question that Parliament
cannot evade in the autumn session
is unemployment. This week English
men have celebrated in glorious
weather the great summer holiday of
the year and superficial observers
might suppose all was well. Never
| in our history has there been such an
exodus from the big towns TO the
seaside and countryside. Holiday
traffic returns broke all records and
money flowed like water. But the
people merely were obeying n natural
human instinct to forget their dis
tresses and anxieties to snatch the
momentary' delights of the holiday
mood.
The bald facts are that more than
one million persons are unemployed
and prospects are full of gloom for
the coming winter. From the indus
trial north the writer has received
uniformly bad reports of contracted
trade and the stream Of orders trick
ling to nothing The expansion Of
export trade. which is the nations
| life blood. is checked indefinitely by
the disordcred state of Europe.
Relief Plan Inadequate.
The government acknowledges the
gravity of the problem and has begun
mans TO absorb 100000 of those out
of work. But the scheme is unscicn-
tific and utterly inadequate. In view
of the fact that present conditions
are likely TO grow worse and remain
worse. there is an urgent need for q
wide revision Of the whole question OF
providing relief.
The attention OF earnest thinkers
on this subject now is focused on TIE
necessity of setting UP competent
commission to review the past and
present proposals and to explore the
possibilities of solving the unempl"y-
mcnt problem on a permanent basis.
by developing national resources 70
stimulate manufacturing enterprises
of every kind.
I believe a bold imaginative policy
would prove our people capable o,
sustaining without serious internal
disturbance the bitter load at indus
trial adversely until period OF ra-
tural nrosnerity returns.
Meanwhile the patience. couragc.
and unbroken spirit of the mass ot
workers who are approaching their
fourth winter Of unemployment. are
one of the wonders Of civilization. But
no nrudpnt government would hear
forever to gamble on the fortitude Oh