, 1935-09-02
Wv
Letter
BY CHARLES p. TEwART
Central Press Staff Writer

WASHINGTON. Sept. 2-Ameri-
cas- stop-gap neutrality law, eff
fective only until March /, 1886.
perhaps Is better than nothing. But,
in the opinion OF Senator Gerald
p. Nye, who is taxing q leading
part In the campaign 10 keep Uncle
Sam out OF the next overseas con-
flict. 1t leaves q great deal TO be
desired.
However, 1t was rushed through
congress In such "a hurry, just be-
fore adjournment, that the legisla-
tors hadn't time 10 draft 1t very
carefully.
Whit they we're afraid OF was that
a war viii start almost any day.
Consequently they did not dare 10
postnone neutrality action until
January, when they will reassemble.
Then It is plannd to get another
law passed. as q permanency.
Mandatory-Or NOt7
There viii be a big row about It.
too.
Senator Nye and his followers
want congress to tell the president
what he MUST do TO insure Yankee
neutrality In future wars between
other countries.
President Roosevelt wants con-
gress to tell him what he May do.
He has nc objection to being vested
with plenty Of authority, but he pre-
fers freedom to exercise II nc his
own discretion.
The present temporary law does
tell him what he MUST do but he
and his supporters viii try &c have
the new n drafted more to his
liking.
Why the u. s. Is ~Safe"
II generally is agreed that It
would be easy for the United States
to stay out Of war exclusively be-
tween Italy and Ethiopia.
The only way in which America
could become involved would be
through the sinking of q Yankee
ship, trying TO u contraband
through an Italian blockade, to the
Ethiopians@and that can't possibly
occur.
In the first place. the s~top-gap
neutrality law bans the sale OF war
supplies TO any overseas belligerent
country.
Second, ships cannot deliver any
thing TO Ethiopia anyway; 1t has no
water front. To get TO II n contra
band-Smuggler would have to cross
British. French or Italian soil. Nat
urally a smuggler would not be al
lowed 70 cross Italian territory. He
could o British or French terri
tory only with British or French
consent, and If any money Is to be
made out OF munitions selling to the
Philippians, the British and French
will want a monopoly Of the traffic.
Finally. Ethiopia hasn't the imam
cial resources 10 be a WORTH while
customer.
Neutrality Act Lacks
1t is only IN the event that other
and much bigger countries than
Ethiopia r drawn into the fracas,
either against or with Italy, that
American neutrality viii be en-
dangered.
AS to Italy and Ethiopia, then,
the neutrality act Is unnecessary.
IL hoStilitieS become more general,
1t Is insufficient.
IL prohibits contraband ship
ments. IL warns Americans that they
will enter war zones at their Cwn
peril. And IL makes various other
provisions. which are all right as far
as they 20. But the law does not
prohibit American loans CT extern
sions Of credit to belligerents.
Too Much Money Involved
Now. the basic Theory Of the Nye
senatorial investigators has been
that American bankers loans to the
allies had more than anything else
10 do with involving the United
States in the World War.
Briefly. American investors had so
much at stake on the allies side that
they did not propose to have the
Allies beaten.
True, in so far as government
loans r concerned, the debtor
countries CFinland honorably ex-
cepted), have repudiated their obli-
cations, but that was not anticipat-
ed at the time.
Best Guarantee?
As a matter Of fact, the circum-
stance that most OF the old world
powers are such notorious welshers
may be the best OF all guarantees
against more American loans to them
IL they yet into another-cat-and-
dog fight.
Still. the Nye munitions investi-
eating committee plans. as its next
step. the tackle the question OF war
causes from the banking angle.
Thus far the committee has con-
fined itself strictly to a quiz into
the activities of munitions manu-
facturers as international trouble
makers. but there would be no
nourishment in munitions sales
manship unless someone provided
the funds to pay fer the munitions.
irresponsible Americans can be
kept out OF war zones fairly effect
lively by refusing them passports.
And while the Nye committee Is
about H. II might profitably dig into
the subject OF foreign pro-war pro-
paganda in this country at the time
Of n major conflict-in which Uncle
Sam isn't vet a participant. but In
which his participation earnestly Il