Milford chronicle., 1956-10-12
WE NEED NOT FAIL

WE NEED NOT FAIL
The pessimists are saying that the United
Nations will fail to bring the Suez Canal
crisis to any successful conclusion. That
need not be so. Whether or not it will be so
depends more than a little upon the attitude
of Britain, France and the United States
within the u. N framework
The primary objective of bringing the
matter to the u. N. is to achieve widespread
support and goodwill from nations which have
not as yet committed themselves to the wes-
tern position. Thus far, the Big Three, espe-
cially Britain and France, have behaved in
such way as to ALLEVIATE opinion. This sit
uation must be changed if anything worth
while is to be salvaged from the crisis.
If the western proposals are advanced in
the u. N. as kind of ultimatum. with take
it-or-leave-it attitude, there Is little posi-
bility Of good coming out of it, and much
chance of harm. But if Britain, France and
the United States show a willingness to ne
gotiate, rather than a stubborn adherence to
their own plan alone, they may come out with
more friends than they had when they went
in.
Such friends, especially the Asian powers
that are bound to have great weight in any
further Middle East troubles, must be won.
Much can be done along this line by showing
a disposal toward agreement on any feasible
Suez control plan even if it doesn't happen to
be one we originated.
1t would be foolish to harbor any notion
that 'Nassers seizure of the Suez is an iso-
lated incident There are indications, on the
contrary that further action of similar ma
ture NAV be expected in the troubled Middle
East. Whatever happens, the West will be
the better off for having strong support a.
mong non-European nations.
~&S%@&s
NEW IDEA FOR BRITAIN
Free trade is something which numerous
economists believe in, but which they have
not been able to sell to many statesmen in
high Office. Now free traders have found
spokesman in a national leader.
Harold Masmillan, British chancellor of
the exchequer, whose position is comparable
to that of our secretary of the treasury and
who often is spoken of as probable success
sor to Prime Minister Anthony Eden, made
an important speech at the international
Bank and Monetary Fund meeting He pro-
poses that not only the British Common
wealth of Nations but western Europe settle
on a policy of free trade within a short time
Macmillans idea is that present tariffs
should be gradually reduced until they are
totally abolished within 10 years. This is
an extension of ain idea, often proposed but
never adopted that the Commonwealth ma
tions practice free trade when dealing with
one another and retain their tariffs only
against goods from outside.
The prime example of the good that free
trade can accomplish when adopted by a
wide area of varied types of industry and
agriculture is the United States. We would
be far poorer if every state levied customs
duties against the products of its neighbors.
MacmilIan's project is not likely to go
through completely in 10 years, but 1t pre-
sents an ideal for whose fulfillment states
men may legitimately strive.
&&@&Z
THIRD PARTY FORMS
It is not widely known that a third party
now in the field hopes to form balance OF
power between Republicans and Democrats.
It's most daring hope is to get enough cleo
toral votes to throw the presidential election
into the House of Representatives, where, by
bargaining, it might gain important con-
cessions.
The new group announced its program
at a National States Rights Conference at
Memphis, Tenn The attending delegates were
all conservatives. Some were Southerners who
favor segregation. The majority, however,
seemed to favor the states rights doctrine
as a means of repeating the income tax and
much recent social legislation.
For president they are supporting I,
Coleman Andrews of Richmond, Va, the for
mer commissioner of internal revenue who
has advocated repeating the income tax. His
running mate is Thomas H. Werdel former
Republican representative from California. I,
The hackers of the new movement are
likely to find the cards stacked against them