Evening star., 1935-04-10

Newspaper discussions Of current
proposals to take the profit out of war
indicate Nationwide sentiment in IA
vor of effective legislation to draft
wealth as well as manpower in the
event of conflict. Some observers cau-
tion against such restrictions as might
prove crippling in time of war, but
many contend that elimination Of
profit will aid in keeping the country
at peace.
The Flynn PLAN" the Columbus
(Ohio) Citizen explains, would Ak
prices, close commodity exchanges,
abolish speculation, take over indus
tries essential to the conduct of the
war, draft officers of these corpora
tions into service at Army officers
pay, take by taxes half of all corpora
ton profits up to per cent and all
profits above that level, tax individual
incomes from $1,000 or less up to
Sufficient to pay for the war. confis-
eating incomes above $4,000
The Port Arthur (Tex) News says:
THE whole business is drastic enough
to take your breath away. But that
ii would do what it sets out to do
remove the profits from war-there is
not a shadow of a doubt. Passing
such bill might prove an excellent
means of keeping the Nation at
peace"
The Louisville Courier Journal dis
cusses Mr.. Baruch's plan for the
peace time manufacture of war i'm
| plements by the United States Gov
ernment, as logical prerequisite to
his proposal that the shipment of
arms to belligerents. with this Ma
| ton neutral. be prohibited" and de-
cides that such action would be one
| great step toward peace, especially if
other nations should follow suit"
1T is both sound and just" declares
| the Milwaukee Journal, that when
war suspends the natural peace-time
conditions no group should be left
in q position to profit more than any
other group. In the last war, both in
dustry and labor profited at the ex-
pense of the men in the trenches. We
want no more of that. 1t not only
was unfair to the men in camps and
overseas, but it created an economic
problem which has not been solved
to this day"
The st. Joseph (Mo) News-Press
suggests that "a1l wars, perhaps, are
profitless in the long run. but often
they seem highly profitable at the
time" and the Bay City CMich) Daily
times says that ''one of the chief
dangers nowadays is that war does. at
least, provide a great, If temporary,
squirt of prosperity" In that connec-
ton the Charlotte IN c. News advo-
Gates the "pay-as-you- plan, con-
| tending that IF our inventors should
contrive a meter attachment into
which the money must be dropped as
the cannon boom, or a counter across
which the cash must be passed in
plain sight of the populace. there are
enough in this country to stop any
such foolish war as that. The posi-
bility might exist, even, that We could
do without the war in the first place,
if the men who made the money out
of it had to pay for it."
That war profits will be controlled
in some way Is certain believes the
Tulsa (Okla.) World. and the BOISE
Idaho) Capital News agrees that ANY
scheme for ending the munitions
racket should get our favorable atten-
ton, but no scheme that might cripple
our defense forces should be consid-
cred"
In the opinion of the Hastings
(Nebr.) Daily Tribune, either the
refusal to sell munitions to belligerents
or to take the profits out of war would
be so revolutionary that it would about
be impossible to carry on war;"
The Wall Street journal, condemn
ing inordinate profits, contends, how
ever, that "if profits are necessary to
produce an adequate supply of NUM-
tions it will be better to obtain them
than to risk disaster in the field" On
the other hand. the Grand Forks
IN. Dak.) Herald argues that "if the
Government can require its men to
undergo the rigors Of military dis