The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-01-11
THE TIME IS COMING

The munitions makers have again. With
the help of President Hoover, they have blocked
the state departments effort to strengthen the
peace treaties with an effective power of armament
boycott.
Three weeks ago reported that Mr.. Hoover
considering a special message to congress, ask
ing power to embargo war shipments when neces-
sary to preserve peace. We expressed the hope that
the President would go forward with this very i'm
portant peace policy, prepared by Secretary of
State Henry L. Stimson.
But the munitions makers got busy. Unable to
influence the state department. they brought pres
sure on the department and the White House.
Now the President has thrown down the Stimson
policy.
The Presidents message to congress on this sub
Ject is weak gesture which may fool some of the
people, but which does not disturb the war manu-
tacturers and does not in any way solve the problem
The President asks the senate to do one of two
things: Either ratify the Geneva traffic con-
vention of 1925, give him power to ban arms
shipments in agreement with other nations But Mr.
Hoover virtually admits that his first request is only
a gesture, when he says in his message that rati-
hcation of the 1925 treaty seems" impossible
AS a matter of fact, the 1925 treaty, which never
yet has received the fourteen unconditional rati-
fcatons necessary to put it into force is so tmid
AS an alternative, the President requests embargo
power only in conjunction with all other prncipal
arms manufacturing nations The President prob
ably has that power already But it does not mean
much in the case of arms enlbargoes because usually
one or more foreign governments can be depended
upon to prevent Joint international action-at least
until they have shipped to Japan or to Paraguay
and Bolivia, the belligerent of the moment, all
munitions required
It was precisely because experience showed that
an arms embargo to be effective sometimes had to be
undertaken by the United States quickly and alone
that congress in 1885, 1912 and 1922 granted the
President specific power to embargo war shipments
to Latin American countries threatened by civil war
What Secretary Stimson wants. and what Presi-
dent Hoover should propose to congress, is an ex-
tension of this traditional American doctrine to
clude not only civil war, but fighting between ma
tons
This is a natural corollary of the Kellogg pact
outlawing war and without which this anti-war
treaty never can be eective-as it is not effective
in the areas of the far east and Latin-Anerica
today.
For the United States government to go on
heading commission insisting that Paraguay and
Bolivia stop fighting. while discarded army uni
forms and American-made munitions are being
It would be splendid if we could get all other
nations to act with in emergency. But that
is not always possible, so long members of the
British parliament shares the large profits of Wick
ers and the British arms trust which supplies more
than 80 per cent of the international traffic; so long
as the Skoda works of the great Czech-French
combine pays an annual dividend Of 28la per cent
on this trafc-which compares with the so per cent
profit on World war contracts made by the United
States Steel Corporation.
No less an authority than conservative league
of nations investigation commission since has long
reported that armament firms have been active in
fomenting war scares and in persuading their own
countries to adopt warlike policies have at
tempted to bride government officials i. have
disseminated false reports concerning thu military