III.

If we are to escape economic depressions, city populations must be redistricted upon our vast land area; if we are to recover markets for our vast industrial products, we must lower trade barriers; and if farm life is ever again to be popular, farmers must have a freer access to world markets, and not be compelled to sell things in our cities at less than cost - milk for example. When we get better world markets our great corporations and monopoly business organizations must gradually reduce the hundred billions of watered stocks so that the savings of the common man may be a little more secure. These things must be done at home and the national debt must be reduced, not increased each year.

But the economic co-operation with the rest of the world has been made most difficult because we did so much for party reasons to defeat the League of Nations. Under present conditions the only possibility is economic co-operation of democratic countries; the United States and the British commonwealths and little nations like Holland, Sweden and Switzerland. That is, all the countries where propaganda against democracy is pressing harder with each year must work together. They could improve economic conditions and gradually reduce the millions of unemployed. They could then respond to dictator methods by showing how much happier their peoples were becoming.

As to the danger of a world war the only peaceful method I can imagine is the economic co-operation indicated above. In addition to that, governments which seize other peoples territories and populations must have a boycott applied to them. The most dangerous performance now before us is the violation of a solemn treaty by Japan and a resort to an undeclared war. If Japan is permitted to buy immense amounts of war supplies from our people, we are helping destroy China and hastening the day when the markets of the Far East will be closed against us and England. Anybody who has watched things closely the last twelve months can hardly avoid the conclusion that our business people have rendered great assistance to the killing of 500,000 Chinese men, women and children. There is immense propaganda now in our country against a boycott.

But if we applied a boycott oil, gas and other war stuffs that have been going to Japan, it would not be three months, in my judgment, before China would be safe; and that would improve world conditions immensely. Business people who would lose money for three months would then gain profits as long as low tariff barriers continued. China would be safe and the poor people of Japan would not be compelled to kill other people for two years or more, but the failure of Japanese conquests would almost certainly have a great influence in Europe. The British commonwealth system would almost certainly be saved.

Thus co-operation among democratic peoples, the application of boycotts by democratic nations and the assistance of big business men would almost certainly save the civilization now in grave danger. Can not English speaking peoples get together and then lend assistance to democracies everywhere? If our people recognized the immense influence of such a policy, I can't help thinking other peoples will lend a hand, even Latin American nations might render assistance. They were among the most earnest of League of Nations members and I can't help thinking they would help democracies save themselves and prevent another world war.

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