OCR Text |
Show I "After The War, What?" r Prudent Men Should Make Adequate Preparation For the Future Speaking tit n noonday meeting In I'nterson, N. J., May 11, Hon. James McCleary, former congressman from .Minnesota, said In part: After tho war, what? Tho United States Is now enjoying In many lines exceptional prosperity, but evcryono understands that tho conditions nro nbnormal. Prudent nnd far-Blghtcd business men nnd statesmen nre endeavoring en-deavoring to forecast tho tuturo nnd mnko ndoquato preparation for It. Tho balanco of trade In our fayor has reached unprecedented propor-tlons. propor-tlons. Wo havo changed from a debtor de-btor nation to n creditor nation. Whllo tho total trado of South America Amer-ica has been reduced, our portion of that trado linn Increased. It would seem that tho tlmo Is propitious to on enlargement of our foreign trado, especially In South America, tlio Orient and Russia. But It would be unbusinesslike to oxpend n great deal of .effort on bucIi trndo If that effort is to bo half-hearted nnd temporary. Unless wo mnko up our minds to enter tho foreign field with full knowlcdgo of tho difficulties dif-ficulties Involved, wo nro not likely to dovlso a policy promising to bu permanently profitable. When tho war ceases, It Is probable prob-able that Englnnd will agnln rcsunio the plnco that rlio has occupied for centuries na the commercial nnd bank lug contro of tlio world, and tltnt she will continue to bo the great marl-tlmo marl-tlmo nation. To enter tlio foreign Meld wo must ndopt n wisely conceived conceiv-ed policy for tlio building up of our merchant mnrlno, for tlio ext"nsion 1 of our banking facilities into foreign laiulB, and for meeting generally tho conditions Hint proall In foiolgn 1 trade American business men hno I the ability 'to enter tills field and 1 maintain themselves in It If they nro cucouiagcd and not discouraged by our own Nntlonal Government. Our Government Is an exponent 'of the Judgement of tho American people To havo wise action by tho Government, Govern-ment, we must havo good judgment on tho part of tho people. Tlmt Implies Im-plies cducitlon, and meetings llk-i HiIb nro designed to promote Hint education. Must Not Endanrjcr Home Market. Whether wo enter tho foreign Held planning n hard campaign for International Inter-national c-mmorco or not, one thing wo should determine, namely, to make suro that tho greatest market, Is not taken from us in wliolo or In part. The domestic trndo of the United Un-ited States Is many tlme8 ns great aB the total International commerce of tho world, Including our own. The United States owns almost ono third of nil tho wealth of tho world. It makes almost one-third of all tlio good things manufactured on tlio earth, and wo consume nt homo prno tlcally our ontlro production, our ImportB In normal times almost balancing bal-ancing our exports. In other words, with ono twentieth of tlio earth's population our market takes ono third of tho wotld's manufactures. That is, ono American consumer on tho nvcrago Is equal to six foreign consumers, Bcforo .endangering our borno market, therefore, common pru denco requires that wo feel very nuro of securing at least seven forolgn 1 SHB consumers for each ono thnt wo glvo ' vU up in tho United States. Lot uh' not t i mnko tho mlstako of endeavoring to U , enrich crenm by adding skim milk to VH aaaal Fop tho common defense of what. ' ' ' we havo and to Justify any hopo of 1 ' H nchlovlng anything In foreign mar- 1 H ket8 our people must stnnd together. j In union thoro Is strength. Wo must H all Icnm to think In terms of tho nation. We must learn to look upon H liim as a public enemy who for his H own selfish purposes stirs up nntng- M onlsm bctweon sections or between classes H |