Evening star., 1946-08-06
Letters to The Star
States His Personal Objections
To Loans to Other Nations

To Loans to Other Nations
To the Editor Of The Star:
The several articles appearing recent
ly in the press concerning the loan to
England have done little more than
restate the contention that this country
should extend such a loan but they
have not presented any arguments in
favor Of such an action. The following
arguments in opposition to the loan are
presented in such brief form because
OF limitations imposed on the writer.
First: The Congress does not have
the constitutional authority to appro-
pirate the taxpayers money for the
purpose of extending loans to other gov
ernments. We believe in government
of limited and clearly defined authority
and we should not allow the Congress
to exercise an extra unconstitutional au-
thority, for, in so doing we the citizens,
are endangering constitutional govern
ment. We would not think of allowing
the banks to usurp the constitutional
authority of the Congress to coin money
and by the same token we should not
allow the Congress to usurp the func-
ton of the banks which is to lend
money and to collect the loars. The
Congress should not be allowed to en-
gage in those operations which 1t is
supposed to govern.
Second: The combination of economic
and governmental power in the hands
of the same people is dangerous thing.
1t is a step toward totalitarian form
OF government with the resultant danger
of tyranny. The present administration
OF the government in England is follow
ing just such policy by it's process of
what it calls the NATURALIZATION" of
certain natural resources and capital
assets. If such a policy continues We
may be forced to refuse to recognize
such an administration as a valid or
legal government. In such a case how
would we ever collect the amount of
the loan9 We have just fought a war
to destroy totalitarian form of gov
ernment. Certainly, we should not en-
courage the formation of that type of
government in England.
Third: This country is so impov-
erished that it cannot afford to lend any
such quantity of its manufactured goods
or raw materials as is represented by
the amount of money to be lent. And
If the money lent is not to be used to
purchase the products of American in
dustry and of American labor, for what
will the money be used? With people
SO poor that they live in slums in large
areas OF all Of our cities, we certainly
have no surplus to lend or to give
away. Exception is made in the case
of foodstuffs for this year, but we can
not feed the rest of the world indefi-
nitely. Our soil is being exhausted at
an excessive rate now.
In addition to opposing the loan to
England, the following elements of an
alternative course of action are pro-
posed:
In order to compensate the people
OF this country for the enormous
wastage of our raw materials which
were expended in the effort to settle
the civil war in Europe, let England
grant to the United States, by reverse
lease-lend a large portion of those CO.
lonial lands which are still under the
control of England. The only problem
from the standpoint of the United
States would be the selection of colonial
lands which would warrant the risk of
investment capital However, we do
need resources of tin and rubber. Our
methods of pioneering and of colonial
development would certainly be very
different from those of England and
they might be more successful
Let American, English, Dutch, French,
Italian, Russian and all other business
men buy the goods that they can afford
to buy and let them sell the goods for
which they can find buyers on the open
market and under an international code
of law for international trade. If there
is no such international code, then let
the governments perform their func-
tion by formulating such code and
let 1t be enforced by the American Navy,
If that is necessary.
If America is to lead the other ma
tions to an orderly peace it must not
be in slavish imitation of the power
politics of the European politicians. If
our leadership is to be instrumental in
forming an improved international or
der we must remain faithful to the es-
tablished tradition of our constitutional
form of government, to the tradition Of
a government of limited and clearly de-
fined authority, government which is
not devouring monster but which is
merely a specialized part of complex
but orderly and integrated society.
CHARLES r. M. TUTTLE,
A Lobbyist for America.