Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-01-22
Dreaners
Dream Up
The Peace
Wallace. Laski Envision
Postwar Utopia
BY PAUL MALLON

went up into the chandelier with
an Atlantic Monthly article ire
printed IN the Congressional
Record saying If we can afford
tremendous sums of money 10
win the war, we can afford 10
invest whatever amount it takes
10 win the peace"
He wants 10 industrialize non
industrial nations, use wheat 10
feed and cotton 10 Clothe the
u n dc nouri : he'd and ill-clad
around the world and even eS-
tahhsh certain minimum stand
ards Of food, clothing and
shelter and arrange that no ma
ton shall fall below those stand
ards.
He also wants a world ever
normal granary" for the future,
world sterilization OF production
and prices, no tariff barriers,
equal access 10 raw materials
and a lot of other things which
many people agree the new
world should have.
pUT the detail and scope of
ID Mr.. Wallace's vision goes
far beyond common acceptance
into gold-gIittered labyrinths in
which the United States would
undertake to finance new
world order.
Now, the various official and
unofficial thinkers here do not
disagree on the point that this
country should feed the hungry
and clothe the naked. That's
charity. What Mr.. Wallace
wants seems To he something 10
times as great and entirely
different the establishment Of
world living standards commen-
surate with our own.
4 DEFECT of Mr.. Wallace's
"A dream is that he neglects
10 calculate how it is all going
10 be paid for. He is essentially
a farm thinker. He thinks in
terms of our farm SURPRISES be-
ing consumed in great quantities
by remote poor nations.
Mr.. Wallace neglectS the fact
that such a thing as A free"
lunch never existed. Until man
acquires the power of creation,
some one will always have TO
pay for free lunch. In the old
barroOms the consumer paid for
IT in the price of his beer. In
the schools today the taxpayers
OF this country are paying for
the free lunches.
'THE only thing he says about
paying taSide from the fact
that we should be able 10 afford
III is that nations having raw
could furnish us these
IN greatly increased quantities.
We could acquire stocks from
them with our gold. he says.
Also, he sees the chance Of
swapping our pork and lard and
flour for South American tropi-
cal fruits and cocoa. This, of
course, could hardly cover the
bill that Mr.. Wallace wants TO
run up.
The question therefore which
seems 10 be arising is how deep
we shall -ge-fnto these new
waters-whether We shall do
what is required 10 encourage
world liberalism realistically. or
whether we shall set I'D. saw a
free-Mnch counter for the world.
My guess is that some one will
shortly get Mr. Wallace down
out Of that chandelier.
ZONES now also one Harold
Y j LaSkl, the noted British
political scientist. with a post
war plan which he submits IN
that obscure pasture Of erIdition
the 'letterS-to-the- editor" sec
ton Of the New York Times.
Mr.. LaSki wants an Anglo-Amer-
lean world reformation for lib
eralism, as does every one. But
he also wants IL enforced with
economic sanctions and a few
other things and particularly he
saws.
The lend-lease principle IL
not less applicable In peace than
In war. II lmplle. an obligation
on the part Of the richer states
70 assist the poorer states In the
Development Of higher stand
ard Of life
Mr.. LaSki makes the richer
nations plural, but he did not
say how much Of the "ohlga-
ton might ne financed outside
the United States.
MR. WALLACE is chairman
Ai of the Presidents commit.
tee dclNlng into economic war
fare and peace and viii no doubt
assume some leadership on both.
At least dozen government
departments are studying post
war problems. mostly concerned
with domestic spending in hous.
Ing and public works. 10 offset
depressing effects Of the cessa-
ton Of war production.
Unless their thinking is 10 get
so far in advance that they will
run away with a ball no one else
hae cot Soov, ~ &c aprNarot,t u-idnv