Evening journal., 1915-05-22
Wilmington, Del, May 10. 1911
THE UNITED STATES
AND WAR SUPPLIES
To the Editor Of THE EVENING
JOURNAL:

To the Editor OF THE EVENING
JOURNAL.
sir-In your editorial "Our Arms
and Ammunition Exports" you dis
cuss a very important question and
from your point OF view, you state the
case in favor OF continued shipments
perhaps as strongly as IL is possible
TO put It. And yet there are many
who do not agree with your conclu-
sions.
For sake OF argument, assume that
our neutrality ought not TO impose
upon our manufacturers the duty OF
closing down their plants. in which
shells, powder, cartridges and the like
are made; is there any good moral
reason why we should pursue a
course that enables this class of our
citizens TO make two. five or ten times
the profits they earn in normally
prosperous times? We certainly can
not afford-even for large dividends
TO insist that we have the right to
90 on coming money out of the blood
OF men We claim to be our friends
Englishmen, Germans. Frenchmen.
Russians and Austrians
As evidence OF the unusual boom
that has taken place i'm this kind of
trade you doubtless have read i'm the
papers Of this week that the Baldwins
are 10 build a plant which is To cover
some 50 or so acres, to be devoted
TO making arms: that the Disston Co
expects to make three million bayon-
cts Tor one OF the belligerents turn
ing their tool shops into plants for
making war impleme ents): that the
horse supply OF the United States
Is menaced by war: 1S5.O23 animals
sent abroad" that the Orduna sailed
yesterday with a cargo OF arms. am
munition and war supplies"
said TO be 'the largest cargo OF this
class ever sent" from New York; that
the Cymric was described as a float
ing arsenal" Eight thousand cannons
ordered at Bethlehem Plant. Sends
$l6,l50,O0O check" These are simply
samples Of the daily headlines: and
one might easily collect in a week
enough of similar items TO fiji a
waste basket. Can we honestly call
such actions neutral?
We Americans have in recent years
said and written much about our
desire for peace; disarmament and
arbitration have been advocated by
our private citizens and public Off.
cials. In truth. we have almost claim.
ed that the Dove of Peace made hel
nest In the United States. But now
instead of praising the virtues of thai
peaceable bird. we are devoting al
Of our energies to making all con.
ceivable sorts of death-dealing imple
ments, so that our friends in on,
army can kill our friends in another
army. Could there be inconsistenc,
more fragrant? To defend our privii
ege TO sell what would be equal Z,
an average annual output OF mater
ials of this kind is one thing: to in
sist upon our right 10 convert ou
industrial plants into factories for tn
? manufacture of arms and ammunition
5 in order that some of our citizens cai
make millions upon millions" /
: quite different proposition. Ever
cargo of war eupplies sent from thi
. country means that just so man
e more homes somewhere in Europ
y are to be deprived of a husband
> son, a brother, or father. Ca
y we afford TO hold the almighty dolla
IL so close TO our eye that we cannc
see the path of righteousness?.
Another objection to the method
We are pursuing lies in the fact tina
I'd when We have drained our countr
Id of all war supplies. and have ser
II over to Europe everything we hav
in that line from a fifteen inch gu
I'd down to paper-cap pistol. we sha
to- be the less prepared 10 defend oui
selves IN case we are attacked by