| Show Free Competition in ire Foreign Trade Ends For U. U S. S if Britain Falls Says days Lippmann Released by Western Newspaper Union Unton that a free freeL DECLARING D L economy such as Amer Amer- Americans Americans Americans have known cannot sur sur- survive survive survive vive in a world that is else else- elsewhere elsewhere elsewhere where under a regime of mili mili- military military military tary socialism Walter Lipp Lipp- Lippmann Lippmann Lippmann mann writing in Life L e emphasizes emphasizes emphasizes sizes that there are four great industrial concentrations in inthe inthe inthe the world the American the European the Russian a ad td Ad the Japanese that if Britain is conquered the European the Russian and the Asiatic industrial systems will all be operated by military govern govern- governments governments governments ments as severely regiment regiment- regimented ed collectivist systems The following is a summary of the ideas presented by Walter Lippmann The American manufacturing area around such centers as ns Chicago Detroit Cleveland Pittsburgh Wilmington Wil Wil- Wilmington Wilmington New York Birmingham and so forth may forth may soon contain the only primary workshops on earth in which private property still persists under constitutional guaranties in which the managers the workers the shareholders are not under the direct command of an powerful all-powerful National Socialist or Communist government In this American in in- industrial industrial region alone private firms may still be bargaining collectively workers may still be free to quit their jobs and great industrialists like Henry Ford may still be free freeto freeto freeto to refuse to make the airplane mo mo- motors motors motors tors that government policy calls for tor banks insurance companies and private capitalists may still be befree befree befree free to invest or not to invest inthis in inthis Inthis this or that enterprise In the other industrial regions none of ot these liberties remain and if the British commonwealth is con con- conquered conquered conquered and subjugated and revolutionized revolutionized revolutionized none of ot these liberties which are normal in the American way of conducting industry will be re reestablished No Private Rights Even though nominally and in hi ap ap- appearance appearance ap- ap appearance some of ot the outward forms of ot capitalism may still survive in intact fact tact totalitarian industry is regi regi- regimented regimented and directed by a dictatorial government There is property But it has no rights as against the government There are contracts But there are Bre no contracts private priva e or public that the government may not mod mod- modify modify or break There is no competition among exporters and importers except that tha t which the state cartels and the gov gov- government government government which controls foreign ex ex- exchange exchange change will permit The export prices of ot goods are controlled by the government i 2 1 t. t rR 1 rr r 1 z A 1 r rI N M 1 I A G 4 Loading of ships with American products for sale abroad may become a rarity if the British empire falls before the onslaught o othe of f the Axis Am powers for the export markets marl ct of o f the world will then be dominated by the totalitarian industrial monopolies and America will face a menacing economic future This is the belief of Walter Lippmann noted writer and nd economist Imports are controlled by the government gov gov- government government imports are not bought by business men but by political agents of the government The wages of ot labor the hours of labor the movements of labor are set by the decrees of the government govern govern- government ment The conquered peoples work as prisoners of war Industry as a whole is directed for forthe forthe forthe the purposes of the state state to to produce pro pro- produce produce duce armaments to obtain supplies abroad to establish political power abroad Trade by Government Monopolies If this system established itself finally in Europe and Asia our own manufacturers our own farmers and miners and the farmers and miners of South America will no longer be trading and competing with private firms and private producers They will be competing and trading with these gigantic government monopolies monopolies monopolies lies managed by dictators and backed by enormous armed forces Under these conditions it is absurd to imagine that American manufacturers manufacturers manufacturers farmers miners working workingmen men and investors can return to nor nor- normalcy normalcy normalcy malcy and do business as usual If the rest of ot the worlds world's Industry accepts or sinks under totalitarian rule no doubt we shall have somehow some some- somehow somehow how to do some business with the rest of the world But for any public pub pub- public lic lie man to tell the people that they can do normal business by norma normal methods in such an absolutely ab ab- abnormal abnormal abnormal normal condition of ot affairs is to mis mis- mislead mislead mislead lead the people cruelly to blind them to the need for tor the extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary nary measures of protection that tha they will have to have to render them defenseless and then to take them down the road to ruin The plain fact of the matter is Isi i that if Britain falls then Europe Asia and Africa will be ruled from Berlin Moscow and Tokyo The American manufacturers will then I be allowed to supply the totalitarian totalitarian totalitarian hemisphere with those products prod prod- products products in which the totalitarian empires em em- empires empires pires are temporarily deficient deficient deficient-as as a matter of fact to supply them with those products which will be imme imme- immediately immediately immediately necessary in order to make totalitarian industry entirely Inde inde- Independent independent independent pendent of ot American Industry American farmers and miners will be allowed to supply the totalitarian totalitarian totalitarian empires with the food am and andraw andraw raw materials temporarily needed to tide them over until they can make themselves Independent ot of o Americ American if s supplies And these tern tem temporary supplies will be paid for ei either ei- ei either either ther in goods manufactured by the enslaved labor of Europe or In gold golc obtained by conquest gold that we shall then have to bury in Kentucky or on credit asked of ot us in Il the name of ot humanity and of ot reconstruct reconstruction tion credit that will never be and can never be repaid At the same time the totalitarian industrial monopolies will take possession pos pos- possession possession session of the export markets of the world Finally our domestic economy inthe in inthe Inthe the U. U S. S will face unprecedented difficulties The disposal of the surpluses sur sur- surpluses surpluses pluses of agriculture mining and industry will have to be done in competition com com- competition competition petition with the products of ot the enslaved subjugated or vassal regions re re- regions regions gions of Europe Asia Africa and South America The Important raw materials In which we are deficient will have tobe to tobe tobe be obtained from the totalitarian monopolists Inevitably we shall have to transform into armament in in- industries industries industries many Industries that now produce for export Inevitably we shall have to take hold of our food tood and raw material surpluses and use them as Instruments of economic warfare To do this we shall shan inevitably have to bring all foreign trade under gov gov- government government controL Inevitably we shall therefore have to bring domes domes- domestic tic Industry under a control that fixes I quotas allocates raw materials and I regulates prices Inevitably we shall have to reduce the American stand stand- standard standard I ard and of life The Price of Independence For these measures which are in In- inexorably Inexorably necessary If the nation is 15 isto isto to maintain its independence are the indubitable price we shall have to pay for deciding to let ourselves become isolated in a totalitarian world Americans attempting to do business under a free competitive unorganized and unmanaged indus industrial indus indus- industrial industrial trial system would be like naked soldiers trying to stop a n charge of tanks In this condition of acute econom econom- economic ic distress the country will be in in- invaded invaded by foreign agents seeking to tomake tomake tomake make deals with helpless frightened Ignorant and shortsighted private In- In in In- These deals will be at the expense of di f other private interests They will set one section of the country against another a other one Industry Indus indus- Industry industry try against other Industries industries Private industries that that do manage to sell to the totalitarian agents can be paid only by imports pro pro- produced produced by enslaved labor which will compete ruinously in the domestic market for other American Indus indus- tries Or these private Interests will be paid pa i in stolen gold that can can- cannot cannot cannot not be spent and will have to be burled juried And if U the oppressed indus indus- industries tries ries that are threatened by this competition object then the few in in- interests crests that might have done busi busl business business ness with the totalitarian agents will clamor and complain |
