The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-01-30


(offciaI City. State and County Newspaper)
Are We Headed Toward War?
When Rear Admiral Charles P. Plunkett told
the National Republican club that war with
Great Britain or some other great power was
inevitable, he expressed sentiment Wnlch IS
INTERESTINGLY common with naval and military
men.
And there will be many others to fear that
Plunkett was dead right. For Plunkett lifted
the soft pedal q moment, tied Up our huge pro-
gram of naval expansion with the world trade
struggle which we now face and declared that
the only answer was war.
We may all well hope that Plunkett is punk
prophet, but no one can dispute that he knows
his history. In fighting the rest of the world
for cheap raw materials and foreign markets.
at the same time backing up this bid for un-
questioned commercial supremacy with plans
for navy enormous enough to protect it, we
are travelling the road which in the past al
ways has led to war.
The naval ornaments race is on despite all
denials. We're out to equal Great Britain'3
fleet and probably to surpass it. Whether
Britain is to blame, by reason of her attitude
at the Geneva conference, is beside the point.
The world struggle for markets has only be-
gun. Peace movement leaders believe it can
be prevented from leading to actual warfare
by series Of treaties binding the big powers
to behave. Governments seem quite uncon-
WINGED.
Last year our exports were $4,000, 600, 900,
an increase of nearly 20 per cent over 1926.
We invaded the foreign credit market with
81, GOO, 100000 in new loans-foreign nations
now owe us about $25, 900, O0O, 900. Outside the
borders Of the United States our interests are
worth at least $50, O00,000,O00. The belief of
this government and the industrial leaders of
the nation is that naval expenditure of $3,-
O0OOOO,0O0, as now planned, is not too much
to protect them.
We are embarked on a course of economic
Imperialism. We are not going to divide mar
can, for we are the greatest producing nation
On earth.
To meet all that, Europe recovering from
the war, is organizing to compete with US not
only in South America and Asia, but in Euro
pean markets as well. International trade
combinations are forming, with Britain gener-
ally in the lead to head off American domina-
ton Of the whole world. Oil, rubber and tin
are some of the raw materials involved; chem
icals, steel, rails, tubes and electric bulbs are
only few of the manufactured products. DR..
Julius Klein, the governments leading expert
on international trade predicts that such COM
bbinations will give us the stiffest competition
in history during 1928.
l Now comes Plunkett to say that we are
ser he's right or wrong, it is instructive to re-
call that, since Columbus came here in an at
tempt to find trade route to the Indies, every
sone Of our wars has had its roots in factors
lcommercial, industrial, economic.
y Britain, France, Holland and Spain fought
for the riches Of the new world. Then the
revolution was brought on by mercantile OPP
3pression. Britain interfered with our mer-
3chant marine and we had the war Of 1872.
n For purposes of expansion we drove out and
bought out Spain from Florida, Mexico from
3Texas, Arizona and California lin a war since,
3denounced by Lincoln, Grant and many others)
land Indians from wherever they happened
Ito be.
Two opposing economic systems, the plant
ling, slave holding south and the industrial
free labor north, clashed in the civil war.
In 1898 we drove Spain from the Caribbean
Ind the Pacific in a war growing out of what
Historians call our imperialistic policy. A
&etruggle for world empire preceded the world
8War for world supremacy and We entered after
3Cermany attacked our shipping. Today,
Hmarines are protecting our interests in China
Send the Caribbean.
Tomorrow we may be further along the road
Athat has heretofore led to war. There is some
aoentiment, not dominant now, for an Anglo
HAmerican alliance to divide markets and
2Gpheres Of influence. Here and there an eX-
4kreme idealist demands q United States of the
2Word in the hope that it will some day head
1off gigantic war between the white race and
the other races.
Tord's Flivver Plane
IT, ns,s ~ - 1o~%9