Evening star., 1934-12-11

Renewed discussion Of the merits
and dement's of an isolationist policy
has been stimulated by the report Of
the Commission on International Eco
nomic Relations. This group was ap-
pointed by the Social Science Re
search Council. 1t offers the results
of a years study and outlines a policy
which it recommends to the United
States Government. DR.. Robert
Hutchins, president Of the University
of Chicago, directed the work.
THE report is a valuable contribu-
ton to public thought, even if much
of it is bread upon the waters" in
the opinion of the San Francisco
Chronicle, which gives this summary
of the conclusions Of the commission:
Fully accepting the hypothesis that
world political readjustment must go
hand in hand with local economic re-
adjustment, the committee urges i'm
mediate settlement of the war debts,
continued participation in the Dis
armament Conference, cooperation
with the League of Nations. adherence
to the World Court, continuance OF
the South American good neighbor'
policy, withdrawal from the Philip
pines, placing Oriental immigration
on a quota basis, repeal Of the john
son act. and that we should do what
we can to remove from international
trade quotas. exchange controls.
blocked exchanges, import monopolies,
linked purchase regulations, milling
quotas and a host of other direct and
indirect, open and concealed OBJ
stacles.' This is large program,
much Of which represents sound eco
nomic thought"
LAS recovery grows at home ac-
cording to the Raleigh IN. c. News
and Observer, sit becomes more and
more apparent that American in
dustry and agriculture cannot regain
their true and proper prosperity
strictly within the borders Of the
Nation. Our mills are built to manu-
facture for the world. Our wheat
fields and our cotton fields are
plowed to feed and clothe other
people besides our own. Much as we
might prefer such neat and tight
doctrines as America for Americans
and Buy American the simple fact
is that an isolationist America must
be a retreating America. If we re-
main at home in our politics and in
our trade, then we must be prepared
to close permanently many OF our
factories"
Critical comments are made by the
Springfield (Mass) Republican, which
would approve the conclusions Of the
commission "on theoretical grounds, "
but points out that there are some
students Of these problems who al
ready accept economic isolation. not
only as inevitable, but even as desir-
able" although such isolation appears
to many as "a throwback toward the
dark ages" That paper concludes:
"It must be admitted that no such
radical program of readjustment could
be successful without the sincere CO.
operation of other nations, and their
attitude, due to their present preoccu-
patton with the problem of their ma
tional security, Is less than promising.
The United States, however, could
safely do several things, without re-
gard to international action. to place
the world as whole more at ease.
Reference has been made to the jap
anese exclusion act. In addition, we
could agree to naval parity as the
lesser Of two evils, repeal the john
son act, prohibiting loans to coun-
tries that have not fully met their war
debt obligations, offer to settle the
war debts on q lump-sum basis. ad-