The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-04-07
ECONOMIC H1GHL1GHTs

Entered as second CLASS mattef
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
To quote a leading business mag.
azine, the threat Of world war "wil
affect almost everything that !!
done in Washington from now on
Naval construction, merchant ma
rine, army expansion, taxes. Secre.
tary Hulls reciprocal trade pro-
gram, perhaps even government re-
organization" War-past. present
and future-is an ominous and ex-
ceedingly active element in Ameri-
: can affairs today.
Most obvious example of our pre-
occupation with prospect of war Is
the naval building program, the
largest In our peace-time history
It's proponents and there are
many-argue that our best guaran-
tee Of peace Is a mailed fist second
to none. On the other hand, there
are men of distinction and author
ity who argue with force that this
program is leading us straight into
war. Reason: Navy specifications
today call for fighting ships of ire
mendous cruising ranges, and fol-
supply vessels able to make runs of
thousands of miles, provide the fleet
with oil, food, munitions, and re-
turn to bases on the continental
United States. How, say the oppon-
ents of the building program, can
ships of this type be justified as
essential tools of the national de-
fence? Why do we no build, instead,
small fast ships with a relatively
short cruising range, sufficient in
number and power to defend our
coasts-but not to. fight in foreign
waters? Is it possible, they conclude,
that the unspoken purpose behind
the current program is the creation
Of a U. s. fleet primarily designed
for and capable of fighting in the
China seas or the Mediterranean?
There Is no definite answer to
these questions now-but they are
Indicative of the confusion that ex-
lists in the minds Of the people.
Even more important, perhaps, is
the, attitude Of the State Depart
ment towards European troubles -
an attitude that has received a
great deal less Interpretation than q
subject of such moment deserves.
Apparently the day is over when
representatives Of great govern
ments could sit down, argue diff
ferences, arrive at agreements and
go home, with all concerned know
ing that the agreements would be
kept, at least until some crisis ar
rived which made one of the parti-
cipants feel that 1t was necessary
to sacrifice principle to expediency.
The q. 8. State Department at the
present time doesn't say in so many
words but it obviously feels that
the words. treaties and promises Of
the belligerent powers Germany,
Japan and Italy-cannot be trust
ed. There are two concrete examples
Of this which are not widely known.
A few months ago the japanese
government intimated that it was
again ready to discuss treaty for
the limitation of capital fighting
ships the U. 8. government Of
fered no encouragement. And for
two years. Hitler has periodically
proposed an agreement among the
great powers to ameliorate some of
the evils Of war, such as the unre-
stricted use Of submarines and the
ruthless bombing Of civilian CEN
tiers land again. this government
has turned a deaf ear to the sug-
gestion.
It is. Of course, almost unthink-
able to blame the u. 8. government
for this attitude. The dictators who
agreed to non-intervention in the
Spanish revolution have all but
made q Franco victory certain by
sending him apparently unlimited
quantities Of men, planes, cannons,
and other essentials of war-and
Japan, which now, burdened under
q staggering debt, might wish to
slow down the world naval building
race. was the first to violate the
previous naval building treaty. The
State Departments attitude is sim
ply an indication of the difficulties
Of carrying on diplomacy in world
where the old values have been so
largely destroyed. .
One by-product Of this is Sec
Rotary Hulls policy of caution. Of
ficially, we have not yet recognized
Italy's conquest of Abyssinia, nor
Germany's sudden seizure of Aus
tria. We have made protests
against these acts-but mostly in
yelled and indirect terms. Our fear
Of foreign entanglements has made
1t impossible for us to take the lead
or even prominent part in seek
ing to curb the ravages and injust-
ices Of the dictators. Yet no one
thinks that the feeling of this coun-
try Is neutral one-American sent