Show PREPAREDNESS FOR COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL- PROSPERITY By EDWARD A. A FILENE Vice President International Congress Chambers of oh Commerce The most pressing problem that the war has forced upon upon us as a nation is the of problem adequate national defense com corn with a policy that will look towards the mobilizing of the economic and military forces of our own and of oth f nations for G the support of law taw rather than the the breaking breaking of law taw I If at the end of the war n m thod but war is left for the settlement of the inevitable disputes i that will arise between nations Europe will be I driven to institute this race for markets in order II to prepare herself for the next war and the probable I n able effect of such a race for markets upon our American problems will wiIl be as follows The foreign foreign foreign for for- eign markets will wiIl be closed dosed to us by prohibitive tariffs We will wiIl meet from Europe the most keen E-A. E competition if this forces us t to put up a tive tariff to protect ourselves we will face problems lems of direct taxation which have wrecked more than one nation The American America stan standard of wages may be seriously threatened I conceive it therefore to be the duty and high privilege of this nation to inaugurate a campaign of adequate preparedness which shall shaH be dedicated to national defense and the maintenance of more permanent peace among nations To such a program I believe the rank and file fite of Americans Americans- will wilt give gi ve enthusiastic sup sup sup- v port I U H. H |