Evening star., 1933-06-18

COUNTER ATTACK Battle Plan to Defeat
the Depression. BY N1iIlard E. Tydings.
United States Senator from Maryland In
dianspolis: The Bobbs-M Merrill Co.
N 1918 a war-weary world was almost
unanimous in longing for peace and thou
lands who did not understand the d1fn-
culties in the way of stopping such
gigantic struggle involving many nations.
with such opposing interests, wondered
why some leaders, political and military. did
not find a way. Today world feeling is almost
the same about the economic and hnanclal
depression. Is there way out? The way
cannot be a single track. So many elements
are part of the complicated situation and. again
as in the World War so many confiic ing in
terests block the path. Senator TydIngs is
not a blind optimist He understands all the
causes which have brought the world, to what
seems the brink Of destruction He also real
ICES the many and serious obstacles to re-
covery program, but he believes that courage
and reasonableness together will furnish "a
battle plan" which will defeat the depres-
sion" In his preface he states his funda-
mental hypothesis while it must be con-
ceded that much can and should be done for
the alienation of the economic chaos and the
suffering and plight of our people through
purely national program, it has appeare1 TO
me that the real causes of the depression were
international rather than local, and, hence,
where the causes are the cures must be also.
In his first chapter, War -Armistice War,
whose title speaks for itself Senator Tydings
places blame on the -Four Horemen Of the De-
pression'-"Captain Tariff and Embargo
"Captain Deprecated Currency" Captain War
Debt" and Captain Armament These riders
of devastation wear the camoudaged trappings
Of friendship" Their tunics vary in different
countries as do their helmet Inscriptions.
Sometimes the materials are Buy American"
sometimes Ely British; sometimes the slogans
~Dyof af tiyf1.oc
tect British Labor" The Dep-essons Com
muniques' are all dated, in business-hke or
military fashion, and include pronouncements
on technocracy wheat, railroads the Soviet
government. farm relief cotton surplus labor,
interest rates, dictatorship, taxes, currency.
foreign policy bank failures and numerous
other subjects having bearing on the depres-
sion problem. A chapter is given to each of
the -Four Horsenlen' and in these chapters
Senator Tydings performs a double task; he
traces the history of the dark rider and he
shows how he may be conquered. In the fight
which is on, We ard tie rest of the world have
four objectives: Revival of world trade, final
settlement of war debts stabilization Ct national
currenc1es disarmament to a peace-time basis
Definite proposals for accomplishing these OBJ
jeetfVes are made, proposals sensible that
one hopes they will be among those adopted by
the London Economic Conference. Every pro-
posel involves international cooperation, and
perhaps the nations of the world are so well
alarmed that they will be ready for cooperation
in salvation Perhaps they Will realize that
the of the depression demands a united
battle plan such adopted by the United
States and the European allies during the
World War. The last sentence in Senator
TydingS' preface is "Of course we shall win
out-eVentualy." The dramatic method of pres
entation, in which the military smile is sus-
tanned throughout makes the book especially
readable, and the hcidity and vigor of the
style add literary quality to what is an un-
usually practical economic discussion