The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1939-09-14
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~ JAMES PREsToM

JAMES PRESTON
The stunning sense of diSbe-
liet that mVauea the mind or
the average American When the
headlines screamed WAR was
probably in the long run, the
best possible reaction. Inc
European war OF nerves had
been gong ON for SO long that
many people in this country
were beginning to conclude tnaI
it was going TO be perpetual.
Then, Wuen the shocking blow
of finally came, all americans
found themselves Suouenly up
against the painful necessity 81
adjusting themselves to a Wnole
new world OF values. And, from
the point of View OF the wei
fare of the United States, which
ought to be the first CONSIDER
alton of all real Americans, 1t
is a good idea to suspend Judg-
mentS and decisions I'LL a very
careful and very general lnVen-
tory is taken. :,
Observers and the general
public are agreed on one tnlng,
at least: it we have the we'll
being of the American system
at heart, we ought to make
haste slowly" in deciding where
we stand ana what pfoolemS
we are going to tace IN the
course OF the next year or so.
AS far as the European war
is concerned, no one but a cryS-
tai gazer would try TO hazard
amy predictions at the present
moment. The Tree press OF THIS
country and its DrOadcaStlng
facilities, one OF the finest eX-
amples Of tine benefits arising
from the system or private II
~terprlses, can naturally be de-
pended upon to give us the
most truthful possible account OF
the news, as Tar as the truth
can be SIIted from the Welter
of distortion and downright Iy-
ing that is usually characters
TIC or foreign gOvernmenL-con-
trolled sources OF "lntOrmatlon.'
Beyond that, the best advice
for Americans at the present
juncture is not to believe too
much, not to emOtlOnalIze too
much, and not to lose sight OF
domestic problems IN the ex-
element OF what is happening
abroad.
That this last suggestion will
set the tempo of our national
thinking for a long time TO
come is a hopeful Sign seen by
observers here in the event that
sane cOunSelS prevail. And one
does not have to search far
to find reasons why the United
States should give very close
attention at this time to do
mestic matters.
The most convincing reasons,
without much doubt, are those
advanced by industry. Business
men, who nave zen the atmoS-
phere gradually clearing to-
wards a point where plans Tor
industrial expansion and the
large-scaIe production OF new
Jobs and more payrollS can be
projected, don't want to see
the nations plans for a con-
structive future go up in smoke
and flame. AS a result, indus
try will be found in the fore
front of the battle to tend to
our domestic knitting and keep
foreign wars foreign.
Of course wars or even ru-
morS of wars are cues for those
who react automatically to
shout that businessmen would
be glad to have a war and the
wartime prosperity that IS
supposed to accompany the ap-
pearance of Mars on the scene.
This reaction, though, now
draws a hearty hOrSe-laugh
from those who have thought
matters through to their logical
conclusion.
The reasons businessmen do
not want another war are hard
headed, realistic ones. The most
convincing reason they are OPP
posed to it lies in the simple
fact that this country, and
manufacturing with it, is still
paying for the last war. We
are paying for it in heavier
taxes and in higher degree of
regulation; we paid for it in
the economic dislocation that
followed the Armistice, the eff
fects of which are still being
felt today. Industry found that
whatever profits seemed to &C
crue from the last war were al
most entirely fictitious in char