Evening star., 1936-06-13
Rp Marp.Carfer Roberts.

N boOh ohOfC4
Clark takes up the question OF col
or1ies as assets to national wealth
i and well-being, and explodes with
calm definiteneSs the idea that extra
territorial possessions can be regarded
as sound investments. They do not
provide an outlet for surplus popula-
ton, he asserts, and they do not pay.
Moreover, their use as sources Of raw
materials is questionable, depending
on maintenance of access, which is
always threatened in time of emer-
gency. In other words, Mr.. Clark
holds that the clamor of certain gov
ernnents for a place in the sun" Is
without economic Justification.
He takes up the cases Of the colo
fizing nations-Great Britain, France,
Belgium, Germany, Japan and Italy.
Under the heads of population, trade
and raw materials he examines the
record OF each.
He concludes that colonies have
never provided an outlet for over
crowding, and produces figures to up
hold his statement. He remarks,
"There are only two possible means
of solving the problem of too many
people. They supplement each other
"One is to prevent too many people
from being born. This has been used
BY the economically better off and
more intelligent people of the world
for generations. Its use is spreading.
The other is to increase the means
Of getting a living, through develop
ing industry, through making more
easy the exchange of goods in interna-
tional trade, and through utilizing
the increased services which more
active and more varied production and
exchange require"
OF the trade fallacy'' he says, after
bringing forward impressive figures
to show that colonies are not trade
producing, Since the end of the time
when conquest conferred on the con-
uuerors the right to unlimited looting
and the exaction of all tribute that
could be Wrung from people, no ma
ton has been able to make control
over an unwilling people pay. Spain
and Portugal could not do it, nor
could Germany nor Britain. Japan
cannot do it. No more can Italy"
These, plainly, are peace arguments,
rs well as anti-tariff. The colonial
angle, however, gives the idea fresh
interest, and in this time particu-
larly close application.
MEN WHO RUN AMERICA. BY Ar
thur D. Howden Smith. Indian
8 apolis: Bobbs- Merrill Co.
THIS book belongs among the milder
of that considerable number which
have been compiled recently for the
purpose of examining our great capt.
talists. II lists 80 men-or dynasties-
which the author considers typical of
national capitalism-"The q. touch
stone employed was that each should
represent the element of power, in a
national sense, rather than mere
wealth-that is, very rich man whose
interests were concentrated locally was
regarded as less important than man
of comparatively modest means whose
operations were unaffected by geo.
graphical considerations"
Except for two comparatively brief
chapters-one giving historical pic
ture of the beginnings Of capitalism in
America and the other an attempt at
analyzing future trends-the book is
limited to biographies of the men or
companies listed. These men and
companies, says the author, include
the bad, good and Indifferent types of
capitalism-the feudalism of the Du
Points, the political mechanisms of a
Hearst, the paternalism of Ford, the
collectivism of the great companies
such as American Telephone & Tele-
graph Co. and the Standard Oil.
AS histories the chapters are neg
Bgible, for they are too brief. AS a
series of impressionistic pictures they
are valuable enough. Actually the au-
thor has not produced much from his
researches that clever college stu
dent might not be expected to include
in term paper, but he has done that
In lively, readable way.
Some interest, however, attaches to
his analysis of capitalistic trends. He
finds capitalism the most vital force
in American life" and asserts that it
will continue to be the handspring
of American civilization for as long as
any one can intelligently see into the
future" 1t is, he says, the "creed of
individualism," and individualism is
the American heritage. When
Americans cease to be individualists,"
he prophesies, lin all probability they
will turn to some other system of Or
gani1ed society. But that day is not
visible to our eyes. Capitalism,
properly administered, is the servant,
not the master, of any people worthy
OF freedom"
ON THE RIM OF THE ABYSS. BY
James T. Shotwell. New York:
The Macmillan Co.
TN MARCH, 1919, Prof. Shotwell
presented to his fellow members
of the Paris Peace Conference
proposal to change the Covenant of
the League of Nations so as to pro-
vide associate membership for those
nations which did not care to accept
the responsibility of full membership.
The proposal was rejected.
Today, Is years afterward, the
problem of international peace re-
mains unSolved, and Prof. Shotwell
again advances the contention that the
League would be made to serve that
cause better if provisions were made
for the qualified admission of nations.
He points to the congressional reso-
luton proposed by Senator Pope in
1885 as embodying terms and pro-
visions under which the United States
could join in qualified membership,
and he makes clear that he thinks
some central international organiza-
: ton must exist If peace is to be
preserved with anything like relia-
bility.
+ THE provisions under which the
: United States could enter the
League" he writes, "are the
acceptance of the Pact of Paris as
the one universal obligation under