Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-10-13
THE GREAT DETOUR
BY MERRYLE STANLEY RUKEYSER


the great American aphorism that eternal vigilance
is the price of liberty.
Acceptance by the people for the duration of
abridgement of material welbeng and of complete free
dom of action should entail implied compact that the
the American system will be fully restored after the
has been won.
Victory over the Axis is necessary to assure the
future independence of the United States.
If, with victory, there is also understanding that
the American constitutional system will be perpetuated
then American ingenuity, enterprise and energy will
assure the future greatness of the nationno matter
how the economic exhaustion incidental to the
War measures and the diversion of American assets
to associated nations under easeend related the
abnormal wartime objective of producing dead Japanese
dead Nazis and dead Fascists.
D UT, this objective has been attained and we
- Americans again turn to normal goal Of employ
ing our productive system to raise the material we'll
being of 35,000,000 American families, many of the
abnormal measures will have to be abandoned and
reversed
Otherwise, the current restrictions, which will be
reflected in temporary wartime decline in the American
standard of living will stand athwart national progress
after the war.
The need for reversal of wartime restrictions should
be self evident but, unless public opinion is aroused
some precious liberties might be permanently lost
through default
n
Il convert temporary measures, which may be
sary and desirable measures into permanent post
war policies.
Thus, Undersecretary of State Sumner Weles an
Internationally fatuously argues that the ease-lend
formula by which American assets shared with needy
nations fighting enemy, offers a pattern for
postwar economic arrangements.
Referring to the ease-lend agreement with Soviet
Russia, Mr.. Welles argued:
g.. This agreement also looks forward to the peace.
The agreement reaffrms adherence to the Atlantic
charter and the two governments pledge themselves to
cooperate with each other and all other nations of like
mind in concerted and determined effort promote
the betterment of worldwide economic relations.
the best means of attaining these and other
0bjeches such as the elimination of all forms of dis
crnnaory treatment in international commerce and the
reduction of tariffs and other trade BARRIERS will he the
subject OF continuing conversations between the two
governments"
SEEMS premature at this time for Mr. Weles or any
one else to tie American hands in respect to post
war tariff policy
Likewise, Mr. Weles needlessly divides American
opinion by raising such controversial issue at this time
when national unity is devoutly to be desired.
But in order to keep the record clear it should be
kept in mind that we are living in an ABNORMAL war
PERIOD during which the midst of a great detour
For the duration it may well be prudent to put guns
in the hands of other nations who fighting the
enemy
This may help to attain the objective of producing
dead enemies, but it sets reliable precedent for the
postwar period when economic policy should again be
related to resumng the interrupted rise the living
standards of the American people.
Public opinion should oppose subtle attempts to
foreclose postwar decisions by glibly freezing the
abnormal wartime arrangements into permanent pattern
for the future.
(To be continued)
DEfRHIsssa FINES What War Bonds Buy