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Show EDITORIAL: The Road To Weakness THE Harriman Committee has reported on foreign aid and the United States Government must now decide whether a .stable economy at home is more important impor-tant than a hoped for improved economy abroad. The Committee warns that foreign relief under the Marshal plan means damaging damag-ing inflation to the United States. This country has never stood unconcernedly by while the peoples peo-ples of other nations starved, neither has it hesitated to carry the greater load in times of international in-ternational economic distress. But the internal well-being of the United States is at stake as the Harriman Committee points out. Our position forms a component com-ponent part in the pattern of world conditions, a pattern not of a pleasanf design. It behooves us, therefore, to examine cautiously cau-tiously our traditional role of "International God-Father." I 7 IF we can doctor Europe's malady mal-ady without subjecting ourselves to the contagion of inflation then our duty would seem to be clearly clear-ly defined. But the Harriman Committee says, unreservedly, that we cannot. Here then is the premise upon which the Government Gov-ernment of the United States must base a sudden decision. Already in the throes of inflation, in-flation, the U. S. can little afford af-ford to stretch its economy to the breaking point. And the Harriman Har-riman Committee warns that unqualified un-qualified European relief, the kind which considers America's welfare as secondary, will stretch our economic thread tighter than a fiddle string. Aside from supplying the essentials es-sentials of life to a suffering humanity, hu-manity, the U. S. through its relief re-lief program, hopes to check the unhealthy growth of Communism Commun-ism in the fertile European field. Since this unsavory degenerate 1 form of government has its greatest great-est appeal to an empty stomach the humane method adopted by the United States to halt its progress pro-gress cannot be considered lightly. light-ly. On the other hand we are the world's first line of defense against the cagey planning of the Kremlin, and as such it is imperative imper-ative that we. remain strong. Inflation could very easily be the means of weakening the United States both economically and socially. It could fertilize the ground for the sowing of the seeds of Communism, and well prepared ground seldom produces pro-duces a crop failure. Conditions as they exist today foreshadow an unprecedented seriousness unless un-less an inventory is taken, and our limitations recognized. r ALONG with our sense of responsibility re-sponsibility to the human race we must also understand that the thing we seek to curb Communism Com-munism does not yield to kindness. kind-ness. Its teachings are far removed re-moved from benevolence; thus in caring for the world we cannot can-not overlook the need for caution, cau-tion, nor the requirements of our own people, who after all have a priority on the consideration consider-ation of their government.. . If the inevitable result of European Eu-ropean relief is inflation, as the Harriman report warns, then a revamping of our entire foreign aid program becomes mandatory. Under no circumstances must we permit our government, regard: less of its good intentions, to weaken the position of the United Unit-ed States. We are the first line of defense against world Communism, Com-munism, not because we furnish relief to the needy, but because of our material power. And even though it may require a hardening harden-ing of the normally soft American Ameri-can heart, we must continue to be strong. |
