Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-03-18
STRENGTHENING THE
NEUTRALITY LAWS.

There is feeling in local military
circles that the order preventing ship
ment of arms from this country to the
! revolutionists in Mexico will mean the
commencement of smuggling, which in
turn will necessitate the establishment
of strong border patrol from the At
lantic to the Pacific seaboards as pre-
ventive measure. Arms were shipped
in to Madero when he was the rebel
leader. Were they not, he would not
have overthrown the Diaz government.
Now Mr.. Madero asks that the United
States frown upon the very deeds
which assured him of his personal Sue
cess. There are verying opinions con-
corning the recent action of President
Taft and congress. The New York
Evening Post expresses the general
sentiment of the east as follows:
No news more gratifying has come
from Washington in many day than
the prompt response of the Senate to
the President request for more power
in dealing with the vexed situation on
the Mexican border. The House is con-
idently expected to show itself today
equally ready to strengthen Mr.. Taft's
hands. What he asked for was prac-
tically an amendment of the neutrality
laws, enabling him to prevent the ship
ment of arms and ammunition into
Mexico. This is no war measure. It
is distinctly a means of preserving
peace. Yet Congress is showing itself
both swift and hearty in acting upon
this suggestion by the President. This
gives the lie-t two contentious which
have been commonly made; one being
that Congress, and especially the SEN
ate, cannot be got to act rapidly; and
the other that the only occasion on
which House and Senate will unitely
"stand behind the President is when
he asks for fifty or hundred millions
to make ready to go to war.
The case for such ASTON as the Pres
ident has appealed for and congress is
willing to take is wholly clear. Our ex-
listing neutrality laws are inadequate to
meet the conditions on the Mexican
frontier. The sections of the Revised
Statutes of the United States covering
the obligations of neutrality have been
left behind by modern developments. It
is made by law a high misdemeanor"
to fit out or arm vessels for service I'M
der a foreign government or against it,
as it is also to set on foot or equip a
military expedition or enterprise"
against the rulers or the people of an
other country; and the president is Civ
en- power to use our land or naval
forces to prevent these violations Of
neutrality. The statutes, however, do
not cover the sale and shipping of
weapons and ammunition to foreign
belligerents. In case of actual war,
they would, of course, be sold and for
warded subject to seizure as contraband
of war. Even as the matter stands in
Mexico today, such arms are sold and
sent on at the owners or purchasers
risk, since the agents of the Mexican
government would undoubtedly seize
them if they could lay hands on them.
But the border is long and cannot be
thoroughly guarded. The facility with
which guns and cartridges can be
shipped across is notorious. In effect
this often amounts to much the same
thing as equipping military expedi-
ton. The rifles are got over the river
at one point, the, men at another; on
the other side the men get the guns and
the mischief is done: 1t needs no argu-
ing that, if the law at present does. not
enable our authorities to head off this
sort Of thing, it ought to be strength
ened so as to do so. g,sss5.tt -
What President Taft now asks and
what Congress is granting is power to
prohibit the export or arms and NUM-.
tons Of war, whenever he shall find
that conditions of domestic violence
exist in any American country" and
also is convinced that such disorder ii
infiamed and prolonged by ability to
obtain military supplies in the United
States. There can be no question that
such authority would be used discreetly
by the President Nor can there be
any question that warrant in law to
prevent 'gun-running' over the border
is what our government needs in order.
to cope with the state of affairs along
the Mexican line The duty Of the
president in the premises is twofold.
He shoilld seek tn restrain American