Evening star., 1937-10-07
Fallacy of a Foreign
Policy Based on Trade


Gertrude Atherton said this country
entered the World War to save its soul.
Other Americans said we entered to save
the world Tor democracy. What folly all
that seems today!
This powerful propaganda of that day
was suthcient to force this country to
abandon the Wis policy Of 100 years,
and not only to enL 'ngle itself but to 20
to war on behalf OF -oreign nations. It
is hard to believe that any American
wishes to repeat that unfortunate ex-
pertinent. Certainly the living who en-
gagged in it and witnessed it's futility and
disillusionment. and recall the shabby
treatment of requital Of those countries
for which they fought and whose people
they succored, want no more of it. Yet
we hear voices rising insistentIy again
that there is no escape for this country
but to link up and perforce engage in
another foreign war. We hear the same
cry that the country is in danger of
foreign despotisms, or that we shall lose
our foreign trade. Despotisms have
reigned and wars have been fought con-
tinuously somewhere during the whole
history of this country, and with one
exception we have kept out of them and
managed to carry on a fair volume of
foreign trade, and it is reasonable to
assume that these conditions will con-
tinue in the future.
Miss Dorothy Thompson characterizes
the present course of this country, its
course, with one exception. since it was
founded, as "A craven foreign policy"
Miss Thompson would have us abandon
the counsel of Washington, which time
has only served to reinforce by reason of
our increased power and isolation and
greater self-sufflciency There is no
greater fallacy than the contention that
the prosperity of a country as nearly
self-sufficient as the United States is
dependent on extensive foreign trade
1t always will be convenient to import
the relatively few raw materials which
we lack in exchange for raw produce of
which we have surplus. In strict
economic sense that is the limit OF our
need for foreign trade and it is ex-
tremely improbable that any condition
will arise in the world when that trade
will be cut off or be seriously curtailed.
The development of science has in
creased productivity and mace available
fabulous quantity of new raw ma
terials, and the extension of the use Of
machinery in manufacture has tended
to make all nations more self f-sustaining.
One or two nations no longer hold a
world monopoly of manufacturing.
America has sold the nations machinery
and showed them how to use it. This
trend will be accelerated in the future
and fewer manufactured goods will be
exchanged over foreign frontiers.
There can be no economic gain what
ever to capital or labor in a country like
ours, possessed of practically all neces-
sary raw materials and the manufactur-
ing facilities 10 convert them into useful
and consumable goods for the people.
in swapping part Of these goods over
foreign frontiers for a like amount of
foreign goods
Miss Thompson says "They ,the
Americsns) seem to completely lose
track Of the fact that a free economic
system plesumes. and depends upon a
large society" The United States is in
fact the largest free trade society that
ever existed in the world. Its popula-
ton closely approximates that OF the
whole of Europe in the time of Adam
Smith, and answers to his ideal Of a
great empire of free trade
The diversity in economic methods and
eAA> SN"@NAesAN ~ Va A'Ai6 Va lidIAOllo 10 dii
impossible barrier to international free
trade. unless we are prepared to sacri-
fee our standards and sink to that Of
other countries in order to achieve it.
The standard OF living of a nation is
measured by its total production, less
exports. plus imports. AS we have always
exported more than We imported, it
would be quite simple to show that the
North American continent is capable,
with relatively small adjustment, of
supporting its present population in a
high standard Of living without contact
with the outside world
In the world anarchy of today the only
wise and realistic course for us is to
utilize our abundance of natural re-
sources. capital and labor to produce and
supply the needs of our people and main
tain an adequate defense against foreign
invasion and spoliation
w. F. WILMOTH.