Evening Star Newspaper, December 6, 1925, Page 59

DEMOCRATIC IDEALS DEEP-| - ROOTED IN SOIL OF JAPAN Ambassador Matsudaira Traces Events Leading to Birth of Constitu- tional Government. 'NEO MATSUDAIRA> Japanese Ambassador to the United States. HE United States and Japan are both fortunate at the present time in the fact that there is no issue in interna- tlonal relations which is likely to require from either of them a set- Gement beyond the ordinary scope st ability of diplomacy. For that reason vou will probably expect of me this evening no lengthy di on of what is popularly Situation on the Pacific. e is nothing new that I can add to what I have alres said on that subject. I huve therefore decided to take as my theme for this occasfon the democratic tendencies in Japan: and I hope that I shall be able to show vou how valuable this de velopment is, in spite, of course, of the pitfalls inherent in democracy. I wish particularly to present certain his torical facts which, I hope, will go to show that the ide s back of our con stitutional government are not entire. Iy of foreign origin and that demo- cratic princip) are to no sn 1 ex- tent indigenous to our own soil and are substantially rooted there. Essentials of Democracy. It is not my purpose to enter into | any philosophical discussion on democ- racy; I am using the term in the popu- larly -accepted sense. A democratic sovernment conducts domestic admin- istration and regulates foreign affairs in aeccordance with public sentiment and is not meant to cater to certain classes, cliques or interests De. mocracy presupposes the absence of nd the equality of rights and opportunities among all people. At least these aure essential features of democracy With this view, I am going to speak about the development of democracy in our country. There are some pe ple who are under the impression that democracy hardly exists in an empire, especially in one like Japan, but the mere fact that a country calls itself {UE i | each contribute toward the fuir and proper discussion of public affair; This epoch-making proclamation was soon followed by the still more memorable oath of five articles. This oath was taken by the Emperor Meiji in 1868, 21 years before the promul- gation of the present constitution, in o presence of a great assemblage of government officials and court nobles. In discussing and chronicling our recent progress and reforms, ail his- torians hark back to this solemn oath. The country had just been opened to foreign intercourse and was in a state of turmoil incident to the transition from seclusion to the open door and from feudalism to national unity. The men directing the affairs of state, who counseled with the emperor, had the vision and the courage to break with antiquated traditions and to launch the ship of state on the yet uncharted sea of modernism. Articles of the Oath. oath of five articles was in effect an expression of Japan's na- tional determination and aspiration. The articles rendered into English, are as follows: 1. Public councils shall be organized nd all governmental affairs shall be managed in accordance with public opinion 2. All classes themselves The shall with one heart devote to the advance- ment of the national well-being. 3. All people, regardless of class, shall be permitted to realize their aspirations. 4. 'All antiquated customs shall be abolished, and justice and equity, as they are universally recognized, shall be the guiding principles of govern- mental action. 5. Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world, thus placing the empire upon more solid founda- tions. The fact is undisputed that this his- toric oath had the effect of stimulat- |ing the people with new aspirations, not only for national unity but also | THE ENATOR WALSH is a quiet, dignified personage (of slight stature), quite unsuggestive of the wild and woolly West, where his political career was begun. A drooping mustache, shaggy eye- brews and a resolute chin, however, bespeak the vigor of a Western vironment. As I entered the room the arch- prober of Teapot Dome was en- sconced behind a formidable array of Montana papers which he was sorting over with care. Home papers are in- dices of unrest, barometers of the shifting winds of public opinion. The wise statesman keeps his hand daily on the pulse of what the home folks are thinking. I confess I stared a little curiously at the exposer of the now classical Teapot Dome scandul and the man who literally had to run from an ad- miring Democratic _convention to avoid being nominated for Vice Presi- dent, as I addressed him: ‘Senator Walsh,” I sald, “Matthew Woll of the American Federation of Labor says that the Sherman anti- trust law foolishly seeks to dam back natural industrial evolution and should be repealed. What do you think of that proposition?” Senator Walsh settled back in his chair and assumed an air of thought- ful meditation. It was this attitude of judictal thoughtfulness that most impressed me. Here 1 was touching on a subject that ordinarily would draw the hottest fire from liberals. But the Montana Senator, able lawyer that he is, refused to be stampeded into any flery declarations. In a dispassionate, "scholarly manner unloosed, instead, a powerful b side of pointed and carefully reasoned replies to those advocating the repeal of the Sherman law. And all during the interview thought was _constantly through my mind—so this is tana, where they have no Harva Yales; only cowboys. Indians, and miners. Well, I guess there can be Cabot Lodges of the plains as well as of the cloister. Here was the Senator's answer: Is There a Substitute? “Why should we keep the Sherman law on the statute books? Every one Mon- one | running | rds or | the 1te sarily There trusts and t standing fac Q. Is vernment. 1 innumerable like habits o by governm | trusts and t amenable to lation can ¢ | of living fact Q. Do you | cost of living, of cou Has Law Been Enforced? in the an un- trust situation es responsible for high cost of living? | is no doubt of it. The he tariff are the two out tors in boosting the high They any me: influenc not the onl There are raising the Some of them, uncontrolluble But the articularly Proper legis- | two high cost | | are ns of life nental action. he tariff are legislation. urb thes tors, re 1 think, Senator, that the | impossible. SENATOR WALSH REPLIES TO WOLL Matthew Woll, vice president of the American Federation of Labor, declared in an interview published last Sunday in The Star that the anti-trust laws were antiquated and should be repealed; that they did not pre- vent combinations of capital, but merely forced business to use round-about and awkward meth- ods; that the day of competi- tion in business was over and the era of larger and larger units definitely set in; that large units were not bad in them- selves, but capable of being made useful to the public, and that they should be permitted subject to proper regulation. This extraordinary position for a labor leader has drawn the fire of Senator Thomas Walsh of Montana, who in the accom- panying interview defends the Sherman anti-trust law and in- sists it should be rigorously en- forced. Q. Do vou think that a vigorous enforcement of the Sherman ¢ would_bring down the cost of living? A. I do. High prices come from monopoly. Monopoly is a source of high prices. Break up monopoly, re- | cost of living: the one due o the ac- | store competition and prices will come nd the other to the inactipn of | down. All economics agree that mo- nopoly prices are much higher than competitive ones, frequently being 100 per cent higher. Is Competition Possible? Q. But, Senator, admitting that mo- nopoly is wrong and that competition is stimulative of invention and a guar- antee of fair prices, Matthew Woll says that competition is inherently Start units of equal size _SONDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 6, 1925—PART 2. Insists Anti-Trust Law Is Necessary To Protect the Public From Extortion|,, ., consideration should be observed in Industry. Gigantic business concern: may easily become ineflicient and wasteful because of their largenes I dare say that the Ford business, which is not a combination of con- cerns once competing, is managed as economically as the business of the General Motors. I do not think it can be asserted as a general rule that the business of the gigantic concern is conducted more economically than that of the smaller concern developing along natural competitive lines. Big business, too big, can be just wast f‘ul as the most destructive competi- tion. People Against Monopoly. Q. Do you think that consolidation is inevitable. A. I have no’ doubt that business will be carried on in larger and larger units, but I think that we are a long way from the time when the American people will approve monopoly, regu lated or unregulated. Q. What evils do vou see in the movement to permit business to con solidate? A. T think there is a great social and political as well as an_economic menace in the formation of gigantic trusts. A trust being attacked in variably asserts that it was organ- ized in’ order to reduce overhead, elimi- nate waste and lower the cost of pro- duction. Yet every student of the problem knows that the moving con sideration in every instance is to get rid_of competition. Competition being destroyed, there no limit to prices that can be asked, and the powerful combination is gov erned by an enlightened selfishness |in the exactions it makes on the con- | sumer's pocketbook. And not infrequently the admixture of enlightenment and selfishness is negligible. The obvious result is a serious and unnecessary loss to the great body of consumers. | The access of influence socially and | politically of those directing the af- | fairs of the great industrial combina- {tlons mneed mnot be enlarged - upon, | Democracy and financial autocracy are {incompatible. The latter is certain to | swallow up the former or make of it in the person of government its ser- | vile puppet. Thinks Publicity Impracticable. | MR. AVERAGE AMERICAN HAS JOB MEETING NAME Usually Pictured as Sitting on Top of World, But Is Really a Much Abused Man. BY WALTER R. McCALLUM. :. AVERAGE AMERICAN, a much quoted znd abused in- } dividual, the focus and end | of columns of statistics and | the mysterious person so | often used as a m ure of compari- | son on the manifold problems affect- ing his living, is quite a different person from the gentleman his propa gandists picture. He has been much distorted, twisted around until only | a semblance remains of the happy zo-lucky individual he actually is. He has been made the possessor of a fair-sized bank account, the owner of a home, an automobile, radio set and the other little luxuries the ordi- nary American citizen is supposed to own As a matter of fact he has none of these things. Furthermore, he is a “dumb-bell,” to use the popular phrase describing one who has not had the supposed requisite amount academic training. For your aver- uze American has had but six years of school work, even though he may provide a comfortable living for his He can his_schooling it alone. \The ureau of tion says he leaves it pretty alone beyond the sixth grade. 2 B Educ much Cold Insu ures Prove Otherwise. sticlans would have us he ve he carries considerable in- surance on his life; re estate pro moters would spread the gi he owns broadcast the news he owns a coast- to-coast set, and banke make plain he is 4 thrifty individual, who has a tidy nest egg laid aside for a rainy day. All this makes a very handsome picture, holding up the gentleman in que ion as a rather prosperous individual. It is really too d to puncture the rosy picture, but cold figures prove him otherw Actually he is not thrifty. He has little available cash and he is lucky to own a change of clothes. He liv hand to ance stat from mouth, and, jas ad tidings | his own home; radio dealers | Tong 10 ree- care Even with this relatively expectation of life, he r add years and approach the biblical t score and ten by taking exceller of himself and following medical dic- tates. Fol Dr. Louis Dublin of New York, “there is reason to hope for adding 10 ye: to life at birth through the campaigns to reduce infant mortali and the worst diseases of adults.” When his life span is run, die of any disease or group of dise although heart 1se is listed | Public He Service as th single factor in the Ame rate, causing 14 per cent in the United States in 19 disease, according to physicians « health service, is usually caus some heart trouble or lesio in early life, and not taken care age approaches. Pneumonia, concomitant weather, takes a toll of 6 of his death rate, with other ranging downward in pe He Likes the Cities. rs f being 1 city or thick than if he ves nd, by the way, He has more chance ried if he lives in a populated community in a rural district Mr. Average American does live i so-called urban area. Fo | time the census figures trend toward congested centers has swung t to the side of the cities and u from the rural ties. So 51.4 of the popu Mr. Avarage Americ called urban ares |or mear a ci | lives in or town sexes are nume ally equ be more apt to be married lives in a locality where ¢ numbers t other. These are the vi the more human side side, our much qu not a lar; mo |age family incc lers (and first tion ver or th would agree, I think, that to permit | consolidation of competing concerns without limit into gigantic, monopo- listlc organizations and without xome stem for protecting the people | {out on a competitive basis and very | soon a few gain the upper hand and |crush out the rest and the inevitable | result is consolidation and a trust. | Do you think that competition is pos- virtually Mr. an empire or a monarchy does not | mean that its ruler or its government | is arbitrary, autocratic, or even aristo- | atic. In our modern times, with the | constitution guaranteeing the rights | for a more democratic political sys- tem. The oath advised the people to seek knowledge throughout the world, and it urged that “all governmental affairs shall be managed in accord- Sherman law has ever heen’enforced. I am thinking of what the late Sen: ator La Follette said in the campaign of 1924: “Private monopoly could although the Treasury says he should | wage earner) have $42.19 of Uncle Sam's popular |earns $1,349. currency, experts doubt if he has even | earns the that much. Of course, he is worried | manuf: Q. You said, Senator, I remarked, as a final parting query, that it was up to those advocating the repeal of the Sherman law to propose some- uring of the people und restricting the power of the government, an empire is often as liberal as a republic. With us the growth of demo tdeals and institu ati itions has been grad ual and peaceful. Nome of our hi torians believe that such ideals long prevailed in Japan, that our sov ereigns from the earliest times have been imbued with u desire to promote the welfare of the people, and that the relations hetween the court and the people, even before the advent of the modern constitutional regime, were characterized harmony and cordi- ality. Such historians point to an ar ticle in the constitution of Prince Shotoku as an evidence of the dem cratic ideals which obtained in our country as eur as the beginning of the seventh century. An Enlightened Prince. Prince Shotoku was regent to who ruled from 628 A. D. He was scho of the Chinese clussics and a convert to Buddhism, the new religion which had just begun to impress itself upon Japan' national life. Not only was he a cultured scholar, but he was an ardent student of the political theories and institutions then prevailing in China. In 602 this enlightened prince pro mulgated a constitution of 17 articles Although some of our historians call it Japan’'s first written constitution, the document was, as a4 matter of fact embodiment of Confucian politico. ethical principles somewhat affected | by the humanitarian ideals of Buddh- | tsm. The seventh tution runs “The duties of men in the ment must be assigned according their ilities. When wise men serve the state the people are happy, but when the unwise are in office the peo- ple must suffer. If wise officers ure chosen, public affairs are well man- aged, the community free from anxiety and prosperity will prevail. The important affairs of state should be determined not by arbitrary will p of the few but in consultation with the ma ) It may be too far-fetched to call this the origin of Japan's democr but it shows at least that the sovereigns of Japan, even in ancient times, at- tached great importance to the will of the people in the administration of the country. Birth of Feudalism. With the progress of time, however, various changes took place in the form of government and sogial structure Japan. The powers of the state | passed into the hands of various powerful families or clique: ind | nepotism was practiced more or less by each of them. These civilian fam- ilies were in turn replaced by military clans, under whose growing influence Japan’'s feudalism came definitely into | existence. During this period. which | extended over nearly 700 year we | see the Lmperor reigning over the country in full enjoyment of the re spect and confidence of all c es of people, while the all powerful mili tary chief or chiefs ruled the country under authority delegated by the Em peror. The title of such chief was shogun. which meant commander-in chief of the armies The shogun dynasties rose and fell, each succeed- ing shogunate exercising sway over the realm ‘The last period of the shozuna was that of the Tokugawa famil which lasted fe 268 vears. The gov- ernment of the Tokugawa shogun had | its seat in Yedo, now called Tokio, and conducted the administration « the whole country. The city of Yedo, with its surrounding distri s well as many other important provinces, was directly under this government, and the rest of the country was div ed into fiefs ruled by feudal lord who were either vassals or relatives of the shogun. ch flef resembled a small kingdom, governed by its lord, who v ubject to the overlordship of the Tokugawa shogun. Such a regime was a negation of democracy and the voice of the people was seldom heeded during this period. the article of the consti- govern- to is | U. S. Influence Seen. However, with the opening of Japan to foreign intercourse at the instance of the United States, some 70 vears ago, the people felt the need of being | placed under a political regime in which the popular will should be taken into consideration in the govern- ment of the count. and they Nied gound the imperial banners with con- Sdence in the wisdom and consider- @ion of successive sovereigns. Yoshinobu Tokugawa, the Ila st of e showuns (father of Prince Toku-| 'wa, who came to this country four €oars ago as one of our delegates to the Washington Conference) volun- teered to retire from office in defer- ence to the growing sentiment for na tional unity. In accepting Tokugawa's resignation, the Emperor Meiji. father of the reigning Emperor, proclaimed to the country that it was “his will to establish a new government, and to ance with public opinion.” It ushered in a new age, and opened the gate to a flood of new political ideas and theories. Berth of Radical Ideas. The effervescence of radical or lib- al ideas which resulted was not, per- haps, entirely anticipated by the older | men who were largely responsible for the inauguration of the new regime. Those men in their day may have been | regarded as radicals, but, beifg very {tive in | #rant | modern | etvil, zovernme: of | EOVernment | strument | the | share his fortune with all the people, . < delivered by Ambussador Mat- aancs at Philadelphia before the A Science. of Political and Soclal '— human, they became more conserva- their view they ussumed power and responsibility. The new radicals who followed them somewhat frightened them. .It was, therefore, but natural that there should be a conflict of opinion between the old and the new reformers. In consequence of this reformation, feudalism was_entirely abolished in : and the Emperor, perceiving the earnest desire of the people to see the establishment of a_constitutional gov- ernment, promised them in 1880 to their wish after a period of nine years. When, in 1889, that period expired. the emperor. true to his prom- ise, proclaimed the constitution which nas since been the basis of our gov- ernment. the constitution, democracy in the sense was developed In our mid. id a substantial equality of legal rights and obligations and of so- cial and industrial opportunity was + 81 | established The Constitution of Japan provides | among other things that Japanese sub- jects may be equally appointed to military other public I enjoy freedom that they shall, law, enjoy liberty office: of religious belief: within the limits of of speech, writing, publication, public meetings E ations; that the rights of the people in regard to their persons and property shall be respect- ed, subject to such provisions of law as' may be enacted for public benefit. 'he constitution further provides for the legislative, executive and judictal functions. The Imperial Diet. The legislative power of Japan is vested in the Imperial Diet, which consists of the House of Peers and the House of Representatives. The fran- chise was limited t first to male citizens above 5 vears of age who paid a direct of not less than 10 ven (about $3). Under this system there were only a little over 28 voters out of every 1,000 of the male popu- lation. In adopting this policy the again followed the na- e of evolution. Tt recog- tural cou | nized that the country as a whole was not vet sufficiently prepared or edu- ted to employ the new political in- wisely and efliciently. To tatesmen in power it seemed the of wisdom to educate and train people in the modern principles self-government before enfranchi ing them without restriction. Follow- the : par | ing this principle the election law was | revised in 1920, the revi: | the amount of tax to three yen (about 1$1.50) and increasing the number of n reducing voters to about male population. nce the Gre stronger world has 102 to 1,000 of the t War a continually tendency throughout the been manifested toward | the increase of popular control of both national and international affairs. The peoples of different countries have come 1o influence more and more the policies of their governments. This development of liberalism and democ- racy over the world has not been ab- sent from Japan. The voices of the people have been raised for a further extension of the franchise and the manhood_suffrage bill was passed by | our Diet last Spring. Franchise Extended. Under the new law, the franchise is given to all male citizens above 26 years of age who are not dependent upon public or private aid for livelihood, and the law is estimated to enfranchise 8,000,000 men, thus in- | creasing the number of voters from 4,000,000 to 12,000,000. This law is to be put into force at the next election and will not fail to mark another great step forward in the development of democracy. There is, of course, the movement for woman suffrage in Japan. Our women have long been proud of the role that has been assigned to them in the making of happy homes and the rearing and training of childre wholesome morally and physically They have been taught that their fore- most virtue lies in their ability to subordinate their own cémforts and pleasures to the interest of the home. Cheerfully and without complaint they have practiced self-effacement, sub- merging themselves in the life of their husbands and children. And it can surely be said that without the homes they have made and maintained our nation would not be what It is today. There are indications that our wom- 1en are going to break with past tradi- tions and go forth into the world to vie with men in the game of politics. Such a change is not likely to come in a few short vears, but eventually it is bound to come. The suffrage_movement in “(Continued on Nineteenth Page.) With the promulgation of | | | galnst their tolerable. Those advocating a repeal of the Sherman law must first pro- pose some system by which the public is to be protected and safeguarded from consolidation and offer some plan by which the improvements in industr by competition shall go on. Q. Do we have a very serious trust problem today A. Yes. It is not a new problem. It is the for the last two generations. In my opinion it is more acute today than at any time since President so0 spectacularly wrestled with years ago. Q. But Mr. Woll says that only a few industries are monopolized today? A. Frankly 1 am satistied, on the contrary. that there has been no re- cession” in the movement toward monopolization. If it be true that in- it 20 | dustry still remains in the main com- | petitive, it is to my mind equally true | I cannot believe that that it grows less and less so. Mo- nopaly is not a bugaboo that does not exist. It is a pressing problem. HENRY W. BUNN. following is a brief sum- ry of the most important news of the world for the seven days ended December 5 The British Empire—Rud- vard Kipling is down with bronchial pneumonia in his home at Burwash, Sussex. He is being attended by Lord Dowson, the King's physician. Many will recall how, in 1899, Kip ling, then at the height of his early fame, lay ill of pneumonia in New York, and how the whole world hung on the wires for news of him. He is still young, only 60. Many great writ- ers have done their best work after that AR Let us hope that an Indfan Sum- mer of mellow glory is destined for the creator of “‘Soldiers Three."” Here is the best of news. As the result of long conversations in London between representatives of the govern- ments of Great Britain, the Irish Free State and Ulster (President Cosgrave of the Free State and Sir James Cralg, premier of Ulster, participating) an agreement was signed by these gentle- men on Thursday whereof the main features are: (1) Abrogation of Article XII of the London treaty; the Free State-Ulster boundary to remain as it is. (2) Abrogation of Article V of the London treaty. The British government forgives the Free State its obligations in re- I spect of its proper share of the debt of the United Kingdom and of war pensions. To become effective the agreement must be ratified by the Parliaments of Great Britain, the Free State and Ulster. Ratification by the Westminster and Ulster Par- liaments is taken for granted. The Free State signers of the agreement recognized the certainty that, should the financial commis- sion complete its labors, it would find the Free State obligated in a sum payment of which would be a terrible burden on their country. The relief so handsomely proposed by the Brit- ish government seemed to them to compensate, with a generous margin, sacrifice of the Free State’s boundary claims. Presumably the Dail, too, will see it that way; concelvably it won't. * k% % Japan | commended for ratification. France—On Wednesday, just re- turned from London and the signing of the Locarno instruments, Premier Briand presented himself and his col- leagues of the new cabinet to the Chamber, and submitted the minis- terial declaration, the main. items whereof may be summarized as fol- ws: 1o%) Parliament is asked to pass at once a bill to be presented by the finance minister, aimed to satis emergency necessities of the finance situation. 2) Within a few days legislation will be submitted contemplating a sinking fund to be fed from all forms of wealth and to be used for retire- ment of maturing state obligations. (3) Negotiations looking to satis- factory arrangements concerning the external debts will be vigorously re- sumed. (4) The government will soon offer an electoral bill providing for aboli- tion of the present proportional sy tem and return to the old local sys- tem. (At the last general elections the proportional system enabled the parties of the Left to win, by clever technique, a_majority of seats in the Chamber, whereas the total of votes for Right candidates was a consider- able majority.) (5) The Locarno instruments are In of Locarno, (6) “the spirit exactions would be in- | arising from and stimulated | ame one that we have had | ¢ Roosevelt | not have at tion if the faithfully en A. Enfo law is @ re the enforcer would be nothing ha: enactment o perfectly {dl been successi with I hav stence of heck mo industrial a tlons some v | spect for ti from taking would be vic Q. But | should be | than it has | Yes, I a more vigc e | of $400,000,000 | sistently wit liberalism, tlements wil Morocco. (D It is of Locarno! tary categories. Louis Louc followed Bri: presented hi for: (A) Increa note circulat by 7,500,000,0 (B) Increa vances from the treasury T 000 francs.) taxation for 1, 1926. Owi ing of the estimated tof M. Louche lection of t with the should be abi 000 franc: March, 19 as anything you (On November 23 P se of the latter limit by 1,500,000,- of taxes outstanding. The ‘subject of the huge advance to tined i Sherm: forced. ement lative ment ts present propor- n law had been | the shorm;.n[ matter. It is like of prohibition. It | erroneous to say that | been mplished by the € the law as It would be e to assert that it had fully enforced or enforced like approximate e no doubt that the very f the law has operated There are in our commercial organiza- » have a_wholesome re- | aw and are deterred tion which they think slative of it. believe that the law nforced more vigorously been up to date? am strongly in favor of orous enforcement of it. combination sur nopoly nd 8 can possibly exist con- | h the law. and just set- 1 be sought in Syria and | [ hoped that the same “spirit | PUrpo: will operate to justify, in the near future, reduction of the term | @ o of service with the colors to one year | Circulation of the Bank of France the and a considerable reduction of mili- | bank will use 1,500,000,000 (left after expenditure under this and other | @ccommodating the treasury) for the cheur, minister of finance. ind upon the tribune, and s bill, providing in chief | legal limit of | nk of France | se of the ion of the I 000 (paper) s of the legal limit of ad- | the Bank of to by 6.000,000,000 frane: rliament voted in- (C) Certain retroactive increases of | 1925 to be paid by March ng chiefly to the late vot- 1925 budget, there is an tal of 4.000,000,000 francs ur figures that upon col- hese outstanding taxe: increases, the treasury le to turn back 6,000,000, to the Bank of France in |the gravest cons sibl A. The experience of the world is against such an argument. The tendency toward consolidation is only a modern development and, therefore, not necessarily inherent in industr Competition has been a prevailing principle of the world since the dawn of history. Consolidation can be as easily curbed as we can throttle com- petition by encouraging consolidation. Q. Do you think competition is de- structively wasteful? All of the pro- ponents of consolidation always dwell at length upon the wastefulness of competition and how much could be aved by consolidation and co-opera- tion, A. 1 think the conclusion that com- petition is destructively wasteful arrived at from a onesided view of the problem. The Roman emplire fell because it grew so large that it was found impossible to administer wisel its glgantic affairs, particularly in' the remote provinces from the capital, akeries with a capitalization of | The British empire today is threatened with dissolution for the same reason. I have no doubt but that the same | which is the historic spirit of French|the Treasury is chiefly to enable the pacification latter to care for maturing state bondg pending development of the pro- posed sinking fund adequate to that , partly, to cover current ex- penses ‘of the 'government. Of the 7.500,000,000 francs added to the note current needs of business. Inflation, but intended to be only temporary. and represented as the only alternative to repudiation; “‘guar- anteed inflation,” some call it. It was about 4 p.m. Wednesday when Briand mounted the tribune. When M. Loucheur had finished pre- enting his bill one of the most ter- rific logomachies ever known to the Chamber began, and it continued till noon on Thursday. Briand outdid himself in eloquynt advocacy of the bill. Some amen\nems he would ad- mit, but only of ihe slightest. Five times the question of confidence was put. The final vote fone of confidence) on the bill as a whola was 257 for and 229 against. Briand's victory was one of the most splendid in parliamentary annals; his performande one of the | most gallant, for he is §esperately il of arterio sclerosis. “Vote me down,” said Briand, “and quences to the coun- try may follow Time and agaln it turned on a straw; but he won. The rapid both internal among the consciousnes evident even tions of the tribes of No: and in: as shown resources ar far 3 are are ing are multipl tation of mi Africa is ex Africa. E the mineral sive areas down to the Rival economic, glous. P other with i plexity. Ch African mas: Abyssinia maining a African: ways. advantages = Equally pery of a snmll colonial most _defeat and develop in West and The Archbishop of Canterbury has BY THOMAS JE the present time. tent even to the point of war, in Moroceo. awaiting development, being extended, highways are be- built, telegraphs and telephones that is most impre: Kongo and the great colonies of East en more important than cially in the great highlands extend- ing from Abyssinia in the northeast pe of Good Hope. forces entering Africa are Asiatics and Europeans, espe- clally in Fast Africa, are facing each danism are seeking to win the pagan to the exclusion of each other. At Parting of Ways. While they are eager for the forward movements bec; the domination gal, whose problems at home are so overwhelming as to threaten and al- JONES. development of Africa, 1y and internationally, is most significant fact: The increasing s of the native people is in the most interior sec- continent. The Moslem rthern Africa are restles The physical e being developed and the s of crude material Railroads ving—all with a rapidity ve. The exploi- neral resources in South tending into the Belgian resources are the exten- of cultivable land, espe- southern extremity of the olitical, racial and reli- ncreasing doubt and per- ristianity and Mohamme- ses or intrench themselves and Liberia, tHe only re- s under the control of the e at the parting of the of modern civilization, hetically hesitant as to use they fear of European forces. plexing are the problems power like Portu-{ their efforts to control their remarkable powers | East Afrl recently described the great danger of a EDUCATOR THROWS NEW LIGHT ON DARK CONTINENT PROGRESS vast economic developments to the fragile organizations of the native people. The insistent demands for labor necessary to the industrial and agricultural activities are dangerously acute on account of the sparse popu- lation and the devastation resulting from death-dealing diseases. Fortu- nately, the great colonial powers are becoming aware of the critical condi- tions in which the colonfes and their people are involved. This is aspectally true of Great Britain, the Union of South Africa, the French and the Bel- glans. The League of Natlons has accepted its mandate responsibilities with a serlous interest that is reas- suring. Great Britaln has appointed an advisory committee on native edu- cation which includes men who have an international reputation for their genuine interest in native develop- ment. There is, of course, constant need for care, lest selfish economic in- terests shall exclude the potentialties of the Africans. Gratifying to Americans. It is especially pleasing to Ameri- cans to note the desire of colonial offi- cials for American experience. both in rural and in Negro education. Co- lonial governments and missions, to whom education has been largely in- trusted, are accordingly sending their representatives to America to observe and to study rural activities and schools for Negro people. American educational foundations are respond- ing to these appeals for help and di- rection with instant sympathy. Owing to the losses and disruptions of the Great War the European governments have been unable to cope with the in- creasing demands for education and the health needs. However much Americans may differ as to their par- ticipation in the League of Natlons, there can be no doubt as to the oppor- tunity and the resopnsibility of Amer- ica for participation in the develop- ment of Africa. The presence of 10,- 000,000 Negroes in the United States, with all that they have contributed to | the economic development of our country, is a real.basis for America’ interest in Africa. thing to take its place. Mr. Woll is In favor of allowing business to con | solidate and then empowering the | Federal Trade Commission to force big business to render an annual ac counting of its profits, its cost of pro. duction, etc. By throwing open its books to the public, coupled with in- vestigations by the trade commission, public opinion would be directed against business concerns that were gouging the public, thinks M Woll What do you think of such & scheme? A. Considering the furor that has been generated by the provisions of the law giving publicity to tax return 1 feel that we are quite distant from the time when the publication of the details of business organizations will be tolerated. "inally, we have to | think of competition as the spur of progress. If competition is to be al- lowed to perish, what stimulation of progress as effective as competition has proven itself is to take its place? We will, on the contrary, be faced with a vast and delicate regulatory system which will collapse of its own welght and intricac On Friday the Senate ed the bill, 205 to 26, and it is now law. It is obvious that Briand's support from the Chamber Right was none too £enerous. and for this he has to thank the Radical Socialists, who, by threat- ening to withdraw their support, pre- vented his broadening the cabinet as he wished. The new cabinet is fur. ther to the Right than its predecessor, only by the inclusion of the veteran Georges Leygues as minister of ma- rine and Paul Jourdain as minister of pensions. Painleve is minister of war and rejoices in the opportunity to put through his scheme for reorzanization of the army. Reports cause a doubt whether the French made progress during the past week toward getting insurgency in Syria under control. or the opposite is true. Another flare-up in Damascus seems to be feared. The new French high commissioner for Syria, Henri de Jouvenel, has reached his post. * K ok % Spain.—On December 3 a royal de- cree abolished the military directorate which had governed Spain sinc tember, 1923, and restored civilian government. ' The head of the new government is Gen. Primo de Rivera, who was president of the military directorate, and all the members are drawn from the Patriotic Union. This new political party is said to have a membership of over a million and quarter, all ardent supporters of Gen Primo de Rivera. It was organized by Primo de Rivera to carry forward under “a restored regime of constitu tlonal normality” the program of the military directorate. What is that program? It may be sald to include the following: (a) An end to separatism, but pro- motion, within due limits, of com. munal and municipal autonomy and “reglonalism.” () An end to communism, syndi- callsm, anarchism and such like “isms.” (¢), Rehabilitation of the fisc, finance, industry, trade and agriculture. | (@ Satisfactory settlement of the | Moroccan question. (e) Deracination of Caciquismo and | a drastic purgation of the body politic e Sep- ward realization of that program— more, I _think, than the modest Harques has himself claimed. But it was only the other day that he rightly declared: “The road of purification stretches far ahead.” We await fur- ther developments with extreme curi- osity. * ¥ kX Germany.—The Locarno instrumens were signed on December 1 in the superb great hall of the foreign office | in London. On the previous day the logical consequence of Locarno” be. gan to be visible as allied evacuation of the Cologne area commenced. On December 1 the civil administration of the Coblenz and Mainz areas was turned over (practically in toto) Germany, and @ beginning < toward rendering the allied milit. occupation of those areas as msarly invisible as possible, this involving a very great reduction of the strength of the occupying forces. One hears that 800 British Tommies are taking German wives home with them from Cologne—a logical conse- quence of the occupation. * %X X ¥ Greece and Bulgaria.—The League | of Nations commission appointed to investigate and report on the recent row between Greece and Bulgaria | finds Greece guilty and recommends | that she be required to pay to Bul- ) gariasthe following sum: The equivalent of $73,000 as indem- nity for killing or wounding of Bul- Notable progress has been made to- | ‘of the ¥ | ed Peking, scattering pamphlets and ro- | about the coal strike and praying for tlement, but the figure: that far vet. le is the genes f the much-referred-to public senti- ment, which in the matter of thi ‘wise recalcitrant miners and oy togethe comrades in a contin lustrial peace What is the make-up of this gentle- man—Mr. Average American? He been described many times, but indefinite analyses made do not reveal him as he is. Of course, his condition has been much improved in the last three dec- ades—tinar and even physically— for figures show that Americans are growing taller and generally larger. Our average American is somewhat below his commonly accepted height, for he is just 5 feet § inches tall, and he weighs 146 pounds, several pounds under the weights given in volumi- nous tables which health experts have us believe we should weigh. Mrs Average American is 5 feet 4 inches in height and tips the scales at 124 pounds. He is a dark eyed, mediur inned ing and a flair for quiet dressing. So much for his physical characteristics He is the father of a family of three children (4.9 are the exact figures for the size of the average American fam- ily) and he is just past the age of 25 vea If he is a native born white man he is 22.4 yvears of age, and it old. The higher average for foreign born is said by the Census Bureau to be due o the generally higher age average of immigrants coming to the Uinted States. Mrs. Average American is just a little vounger than the head of the family. She is 24 vears of age. cattered through the square miles of the continenta States there live some 10 average Americans according to the 1920 census, although this figure is now somewhat larger as the popula tion of the Nation increases ever: vear. Fancy could picture the aver age American of these physical char. acteristics reduced to an absolute standard until reason steps in and points out how much better it is that there are individual standards as to height, weight, facial characteristics and general appearance. He lives in a country which occupies approximatel 6.7 per cent of the world’s land are and his total number embraces about 6.9 per cent of world population. Healthiest Man Alive. Mr. Average American is healthiest person in the world. though he had. befors the Even | manhood. the usual children they may have been measles or whooping vived their attacks to manhood has 3 vears, longer than the nationals of most other nations. He thinks it is a pretty good country to live in and fight f some 4,000,000 of his number during the late chicken-pox cough—he sur. and having grown life expectancy of howed vidual, with a large head foreign born white he is just 40 vears | the | earn so much, i 0, with the | which the v | have in the way $1,000 exemption he chold, he does {tax. March 1 it does the more who fill out the blank check a small salar: corner grocer, maker are p much left over ings ace bank | he cannot be b! with such a far | he does have a uries of life, age of about $74 ed as luxuries 8o i tobacco, him buy me quite a few nickels ture shows. Doesn't Even Own F He does not own hi does he ow | though a_we s done his ! car: grow overnment stati 145.6 per cent | United_States o while 53.4 per ce lord. Of these | more than on-fou mortgage. The Treasur | sess 84 culation, the bank, to bank fig with him. perhaps municipal tax on L fouse. of the n the L such to own but he the same. times as mt did in street Mr. Averag a gentleman | vear to year on relatively large f. | cial prospect f | cold, bare fig | economic condi s in the prove as they have in the past | ticularly in the past six years, he a brighter outlook. For economic scale was ov in 1920 with prices higher than now tipped tk in the year 19 are higher t 150 per cent in proportion to purchas ing power than they vears ago. to kick about and ra | though he can't at §5.50 a crack rasher a care-free much financial care {happy in the mid | group of 4.9 members and does 1 the 1 existe or (Continued from First Page.) to find ways to save the farmers of the State of Towa from financial disa ter now facing them. If a committee of bankers should call on the Secretary of the Treasury with_information that this was facing a $400,000,000 loss through pme ingenious act of a foreign gov- ernment. a howl would go up in Washington that would shake the roof of the Capitol. Yet here is an actual loss of $400,000,000 to a loyal losses and damage suffered by Bul- garian citizens. The commission recommends a num- ber of measures aimed to forestall similar affairs.in the future, including establishment of zuards on either side the frontier under the general com- mand of a neutral officer and prompt completion of exchange of Bul on Greek soil and Greeks on Bulgarian soil. ey China.—The latest dispatches sug- gest that perhaps the plight of Chang T super tuchun of Manchuria and only the other day the most pow- by no means so desperate s earlier dis- patches gave out. On November 8 a Peking mob, es- timated to number 1,500, armed with sticks and no doubt under the direc- tion of agitators of the extremist wing uo hiing Tang party, parad- shouting for overthrow of the visional government, dissolution of the tarifft conference and death to all “traitors to the popular revolution. They ended up a perfect day by wrecking the homes of seven govern- ment officials. The next day there was a similar demonstration, the riot ers destroying the plant of a garian military, and the equivalent of | $146,000 as indemnity for material ¢ Y paper unfriendly to the “popular rev- clution.” Nation | news. | Farmers Should Join Forces to Get Full Share of Dollar, Says Yoakum class of citizens on one crop of farm commodity and 1 of supinely by and content ourselves with & luck For this same am sorry for the farmer's bad s reason, farm e gage foreclosures were never as nu- | merou today. Of the six and one- | half million farms, reliable show that about one-half arve operated | by tenan In some States, are cultivating 65 per cer the {farm lands. Tenancy is alien to the | spirit of America. Socially it is de- grading. Economically ft means im- poverishment ef the soil and finally the breaking down of the institutions that stand for Americanisu Right to Organi Can any one doubt, there the pressing question now to store prosperity to agriculture? This |can be accomplished only through | permissive legislation by Congress | granting the farmers of the Nation the right to organize and ope o !under a Federal charter in the distri bution of their products, thereby per- mitting them to increase their share |of the dollar paid by the ultimate consumer, just as those engaged in other industries handle their busi- n tenants that fore. Ths theught of the Federal Govern- ment being maae 35<T < the job o Mineweting .s repeilent to every amer- ican principle of democrcy. a wa are assuming that ours is still a Demo- cratfc Government in spite of the rapid growth of paternalism and cen- | tralization at Washington. | To make effective a plan whereby | the farmers could control and manage | their own business, the Curtis-Asw bill was introduced at the sion of the xty-eighth Congress. This Dill, after being fully considered by the Senate committee on asricul- ture, was reported out faverably and unanimously.