Evening star., 1935-10-14
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE

Confidence prevails in Washington
that American business, in a high
minded sense Of patriotism, is going to
respond whole-heartedly to Secretary
HullS appeal to refrain from dealings
with Italy and Ethiopia. There may
be chiseling transactions by venture
some traders craving to make hay while
the sun shines. mindless of the perils
which the Government is bent upon
averting, but it is expected that such
activities will be both isolated and incon-
sequential. Recent statements by the
Italian commercial attache in New York,
pointing out 'the more secure foothold
in the Italian market" which awaits
American trade because of Mussolini's
inability to buy from League countries,
suggest that II Duce thinks our export
ers are ready to grab orders and sue
cumb to the lure Of high profits at
whatever risk to national interests.
Washington authorities are convinced
that this seductive appeal will fall fiat
as far as the really important American
business and financial world is con-
cerned. Would-be traders are at any
rate on notice that while they are at
liberty to sell goods. they may at the
same time buy trouble, because of Uncle
Sans refusal to give protection to their
transactions. Public opinion would
frown on such busineSs-an additional
reason why it is not likely to be
attempted on any appreciable scale.
X
Probably the administration rejoices
that Congress is not in session. II
House and Senate were on the job it's
dollars to doughnuts that from some
quarter. either isolationist or interna-
tionaliSt, the RooSevelt-Hull program for
keeping us out of war would come under
fire. Alleged abandonment of freedom
of the seas" is the issue which would
most probably call forth brickbats.
Spokesman of the cotton growing South,
the grain-growing, cattle-raising West
and the oil and copper regions might
be tempted to raise their voices against
a policy which discourages, though it
does not actually forbid, dealings in
American commodities likely before long
to command peak prices. It must be
the Presidents fervent hope, apart from
other reasons, that grim -visaged war will
have smoothed his wrinkled front long
before Congress returns in January, with
the undesirable possibility of discussion
of a program which so far has met with
practically unqualified popular approval.
AS the neutrality act expires at the end
of February, it will come up for recon-
sideration in the regular order before
the session is very old.
Il
Current events indicate that the Re-
publicans are veering away from the
constitutional issue and featuring the
New Deal spending orgy as their best
bet for 1895. Mr.. Hoovers sledge-ham.
ner attack on the Roosevelt fiscal poll
cies has been followed by similar on
slaughts from the Republican National
Committee and the Republican Congress
sional Committee. G. o. p. strategists
seem to have reached the conclusion
that American voters respond most ef-
fectively to appeals to the pocket nerve.
Many an election in the past has been
fought and won on that issue. It begins
to look as If the elephant were going
to paraphrase an old-time campaign
slogan and go to the country with the
battle cry of Turn the Spendthrifts
outl"
Statistical agencies in Washington are
flooded with requests for commodity
price data in the period following the
outbreak of the World War. The rec
ord shows that after the initial furry.
which depressed nearly all prices. COM
modlties rose rapidly until our entry into
the fray in 1917. So many price controls
then were put into eject that the curve