Evening star., 1932-07-03
Small Nations Are Now
Reversing Their Roles
BY G. A. ARCHAMBAULT.

GENEVA. July Europe today is
living fairy-tale times The great pow
ers for the last 13 years have been
taking their parts as giants very Sc
riously. They have been telling the
smaller powers, cast in the roles OF Jack
and the Beanstalk and other fairyhood
boys, that they must toe the line, knock
at the door politely when they want
anything and. in any case, not to expect
much more than the crumbs from the
big table
Giantlike, the great ones passed their
time eyeing each other ferociously
across the tablet was the conference
table in this case-doing nothing be-
cause they were always suspicious Of
each other. So they passed all their
time talking.
Coming to the conclusion that the
giants we're great of bulk but sluggish
of thought, the little fellows decided
they might do something by themselves
after all. And when they began to do
something they found that the giants
were prepared TO follow.
Albert, the soldier King of the Bel
gians, set the ball rolling with letter
to his prime minister. He said publicly
what every man in the street had been
thinking privately-what the world
wants is action, not speeches. Within
four and twenty hours Belgium had an
nounced an accord with Holland and
Luxembourg to reduce customs tariffs as
first step to eliminating them.
Norway, Sweden and Denmark are
sympathetic and are considering the
consolidation of the Oslo convention of
1880. Switzerland is deeply interested.
The nthaF
Nor is the initiative of the minor ma
tions confined to the economic field. In
Geneva this week they led the move
ment to commit the members of the
League OF Nations TO non-recognition
OF the new Manchurian government
known as Manchoukuo, on the ground
inst recognition would conflict with the
principle enunciated by President Hoo
yer and Secretary of State Stimson.
For the moment the small nations
idea Is called freedom of trade" rather
than free trade. but the eventual out-
come possibly may be the same The
indications received in this center of
exchange of the worlds ideas tend to
snow that the period of trade barriers
is passing. 41iS
Mostly, it is alleged, under the in
nuence of the second (Ansterdam1 IN
Cernatlonal. Europe in recent years has
imagined That the state not only could
40 no wrong, but could do all things
1t interfered with commerce and WITH
industry; 1t set up in trade, and took
SO much upon it's shoulders that n
ever wanted more and more money, Sn
IL capped taxes upon everything and
everybody until there was little money
le1t, and that little was boarded aWav
Inc noarded money was detriment
10 trade, the heavy taxation also. Com
merce ana industry began to decline
ret the state went on spending and
taxing. Soon every budget in the world
showed a deficit. Countries on the
verge of bankruptcy appealed for aid:
tney were given loans provided bv the
already impoverished taxpayers of the
lendlng nations. But loans are onlv
Stopgaps when trade and industry are
stagnant. And still the great powers
pinned their faith to state action and
state intervention. General bankruptcy
for Europe seemed looming.
Now King Albert insists that the
staCe can exist only thanks to the i'm
posts IL leVleS on exchanges and that II
there are no exchanges the state must
go to ruin. Everybody with common
sense knew that, but everybody acted
otherwise.
Regional customs unions, of course
are not free trade, but they are gen.
orally considered as the first action in
the demolition of trade barriers.
EUROPE seems to be turning as avidlv
to free trade es it turned to protection
IN recent years. But the great problem
remains: What Will America do?
All eyes are turned on the United
States at present, whether as regards
war debts, disarmament or other world.
problems. King Albert's initiative af-
fects the United States directly, for it
involves a departure from the most
favored nation principle, and the ma
lority of the plans for European recon-
struction now being discussed at
Lausanne entail asking American ac-
ceptance of the abandonment of this
principle.
(Copyright, 1922