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Show THE ECONOMIC WAR As a matter of principle Americans look upon 4ho English blacklist as an injustice and as a petty act of power of which a great empire should be ashamed. In a business way it cannot greatly harm us unless it becomes a species of blackmail by which all American firms trading with German-controlled- firms are boycotted by the British and then-allies. then-allies. Already this species of blackmail black-mail is being employed in this country and in South American countries. British consuls in Chile have rather openly exposed the plan of blackmail, but at tho same time have made an argument which will appeal to certain firms. The consuls, in a document issued is-sued about a month ago in Chile, pointed out that those firms which refrained from dealing with German-controlled firms would benefit richly, for they would get the allied business which formerly, for-merly, went to the German-controlled firms. It will be seen that if the British Brit-ish merely transfer their orders to firms other than the German-controlled firms tho bulk of the business in a particular country is not lessened. But the American people, although they may npt suffer immediately from the blai-klist, strenuously oppose the blacklist because it is an injustice. It docs not help Great Britain to win the war any more than the execution of Captain Fryatt helps Germany to win. If the blo'dcadc is as effective as the British contend the German-controlled firms throughout (he world cannot be of any assistance to the central empires. If Germany is isolated to the extent the British assert and there is little doubt of the truth of the British claims it makes no economic or military difference in Germany whether German-controlled firms elsewhere x in the world are prosperous pros-perous or bankrupt. The disastrous effects ef-fects of the blacklist could not be experienced ex-perienced in G crmany until after the war. It is apparent that the British are not using the blacklist to aid in winning the present war, but as a means of crush in n- Germ any in the economic war of the future and of keeping her crushed. |