Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-30

discovered which did not present itself
as having q worthy economic or social
purpose. Rackets do not declare them
selves as such. Bootlegging, for in
stance, Is exactly bootlegging, admitted
ly criminal. Whisky and beer runners
admit the illegality of their profession
and ask no odds of society. But rack
eteering is a mental condition, a phi
losophy Of economics translated into a
by business men and labor leaders as a
quick solution of the problems Of COM
petitive conditions and labor organiZa-
ton control"
Would Modify Hoover Plan.
A proposal that President Hoover's
international debt moratorium plan be
modified so that the offer would be
contingent upon the purchase by the
debtor nations, to the amount Of their
deferred payments, of the surplus prod
ucts of the creditor nations was made
yesterday afternoon by Carl Vroonan,
former Assistant Secretary Of Agricul-
ture.
THE debtor nations of Europe are
In desperate need of credit" he said.
and the proposed moratorium undoubt-
eddy would give them year in which
to catch their financial breath.
America is in equally desperate need
of markets for its surplus products.
Millions of American unemployed
workers and farmers are facing ruin.
Fortunately, it is possible by one mas
ter stroke to give Europe the credit it
needs and America the exports market
1t needs.
This would mean that England,
Germany, France, Austria, Italy and
other debtor nations this coming year
would buy from America, instead of
from Russia, the Argentine and else
where, $240, 10000 worth of foods,
textiles, copper and other market sur
pluses Of our farms and factories
This would tend to checkmate Russias
sinister economic offensive in dumping
on the markets of the world her wheat,
etc, at less than the cost of produc-
ton"
The investments of the United States
and Great Britain in Latin America now
are approximately equal, each amount.
ing to approximately $4,000 ,000, 900. DR..
w. w. Cumberland, New York econom.
;st told the round table on Latin
American affairs. These two coun-
tries, DR.. Cumberland said. have fur
nished three-fourths of the foreign
capital in the Latin countries.
Mexico and Cuba, he said, each ac-
count for more than one-fourth of total
American commitments, and these are
the countries where the greatest losses
have occurred. Approximately $3.500,-
900 of the American investment. he
said, has been employed in agriculture,
mining and commerce while about 81
500 ,000. 900 has been loaned directly to
national and local governments.
Betray Interest Of Purchases
Only a minority of recent Latin
American loans, he said have been
made in accordance with sound bust
ness principles American underwrit-
ing houses. he insisted distributed
Latin American bonds with little or no
consideration except of the quantity
that could be sold, thus betraying the
interest of their customers as we'll as
helping to create those problems which
recently have resulted in political up
heavals in numerous Latin American
republics"
While woman suffrage has not
changed the balance of parties it has
raised the level of political discussion,
said DR.. William B. Monro of the Cali
fornia Institute of Technology in an
address before the institute last night.
Corruption in American politics, DR..
Monro said. was to have been expected
means so bad as so to 80 years ago.
Citizens. he believes, are taking more
interest in the affairs of their govern
ments. AT the close of the nineteenth
century" he said, Theodore Roosevelt
could refer to reformers and reform or
CARNATIONS as the lunatic fringe OF So
ciety. Today there would be no basis
for such Characterization. The citizen
organization of the older type was
mainly concerned with turning the ras-
Gals out Sometimes it succeeded in
turning them out. but they did not stay
out very long. A reform administra-
ton rarely succeeded in succeeding
itself. In the main they had no con-
structive program which they pursued
through the year. Nowadays the coun-
try is literally full of associations. which
pursue their work of education without
a moments let-up. A good deal of the
change is due to the coming of woman
suffrage. which brought into the arena
of political discussion millions of voters
with both interest and leisure for this
type of activity.
IF any one feels discouraged at our
progress, he may well ask what has
been accomplished in other countries