Evening star., 1934-03-01
To the Editor OF The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
There is today an unprecedented
searching for the truth about our
condition and an equal urgency for
the adoption and application Of reme-
dies, If remedies there be. One of the
most sincere and candid studies Of
the agricultural condition of the
country is being made by Secretary
Wallace. His articles now being syn
dicated by the Foreign Policy Asso-
citation and World Peace Foundation
are calculated to provoke more serious
thought on the subject of our farm
problems than anything along that
line that I have seen, assuming, Of
course, that the remaining INSTALL
ments will be Of the same high type
and character that the initial ones
have been. Why? Because he has
dismissed all pretense and ballyhoo
and is giving the people the lowdown
on the subject in such form and man
ner as they can understand. This
kind of treatment of a matter of vital
interest Is to be commended as q
model.
I believe the people of this country
will respond to an intelligent, fair
and dispassionate treatment of any
governmental, economic or social
problem. The unsatisfactory result Of
the lack of such treatment Is seen
in our foreign debt problem. We now
have enacted q law forbidding the
purchase Of any securities of any Of
the governments that are in default
in the payment Of their obligations
to US. We got all worked up and
did this foolish thing, when the truth
Of the matter is that these foreign
countries did not get money from US,
but goods under a credit arrangement.
Had they been permitted to pay in
kind. this foreign-debt question would
have been largely behind US, and
certainly the feeling with respect
thereto, both here and abroad, would
be far less intense. Prior to the
World War most Of the major oper-
ations-developments-in this coun-
try were made with foreign capital,
and the loans were repaid, not in
money, but in goods.
There is not enough of the precious
metal money stuff in the world with
which to- pay what foreign govern
ments owe US. Yet we have misin-
formed the people about this matter
until they think 1t is nothing other
than pure cNssedness that these
obligations are not paid. OF course,
all these obligations should be paid,
but they will never be paid in money.
With that thoroughly understood, the
debt problem could be readily disposed
Of in some practicable and reasonably
satisfactory manner.
Another matter about which we are
not candid and frank, the misunder-
standing of which involves grave
danger, Is the establishment of .
bureaucratic form Of Government here
in Washington. OF the establishment
Of q strong central government here
there is not the slightest doubt. How
ever much we may dislike it, the fact
Is that the State, county and municipal
governments are daily becoming rela-
lively less significant in comparison
with the General Government. We may
decry the supplementing Of the police
power Of these local governmental
units with powers of the General Gov
ernment; but how are we to avoid It
under existing conditions? The present
means Of transportation make it pos
sible for the criminal to get beyond
the Jurisdiction Of the county and
municipal governments within minutes
and the larger State governments
within hours. So there Is no alterna-
tive but chaos, confusion and . gen.
eral breakdown in the administration
Of the law. I literally hate to think
that such . governmental function has
to Be ensrafted upon the General Gov
eminent, but can't haap 4 The