Evening star., 1935-04-04
REAL WAR CAUSES
DECLARED IGNORED
Proposed Laws Are Based
on Prevention by Ban
ming Profits.
ny DAVID LAWRENCE.


between the United States and some
Imaginary power, and, at the same
time, prevention of such war by taking
the profits out of it is the basic reason
for the amount Of time being given
by the Senate and House these days
to proposed legislation as to how pri-
vate industry and profits shall be reg
ulated in war time.
The underlying theory OF the pro-
ponents of the legislation is that wars
come because munition makers and
shipbuilders and others make a profit
and that, therefore, they may in a
sense have q ghoulish desire to bring
about war so that they can make
money.
The possibility that America, for
example, entered the European war in
defense of American rights of travel
on the high seas or because of public
resentment against the murder Of
American citizens by submarines does
not seem to have been taken into
consideration as likely to happen
again, though, to be sure, some OF the
pending legislation would give the
President the right to prohibit Amer
ican travel on the high seas.
Air Attack Conceivable.
II is assumed that il American citi-
Gems do not travel abroad there will be
no other provocation for entry into
a war in which European belligerents,
for example, are engaged. Just what
Is to be done about an embargo on
American exports during war time
has not yet been developed. Thus,
resentment on the part of a Euro
pean country, whose enemy is being
supplied with foodstuffs or raw mate
rials from America with which to make
munitions, might conceivably lead to
an air attack on the United States.
This means that the only sure way
to preserve neutrality would be to
abolish all foreign trade which di-
rectly or indirectly might aid either
side. The committees of Congress
have not gone comprehensively into
the subject of possible war profits
or losses, for that matter-because.
while profits and salaries of industry
are to be limited, there is nothing to
insure a holding down of the prices
Of foods, which will be in great de-
mand and hence increase in retail
value. bringing large profits to some
and causing hardShipS to others.
Valuable Points Included.
Both the House and Senate bills
would place unlimited power to fix
prices in the hands of the President
in war time, and, while some very
valuable suggestions have been writ
ten into the pending measures, the
Army and Navy. who know more
about the scientific side of war prep
aration, are not likely to look with
favor on any proposals that seek to
embarrass the war machine in the
event of a sudden outbreak of hostili-
ties.
So far as present-day conditions
are concerned, vast sums are being
spent for war preparation by the
United States. Large portions of the
public works money, which was to aid
IN the relief of unemployment, were
used to build up the Navy or to
strengthen the Army. 1t is apparent
that the Civilian Conservation Corps,
for which nearly $500, 100000 is to be
allocated out Of the $4,000, 900 900
work-relief bill, will be an auxiliary
arm of the military establishment if
war comes in the next two or three
years. Army officers supervise these
c. c. c. camps, and, while there is
no militarization of the camps, still
America is doing what European coun-
tries are doing with the same type of
camps-maintaining them in such
ways and giving the youth such phys
tcal training as to make possible a
simple conversion to military needs.
Laws Can Be Repealed.
!. If war does come the Army and
Navy will tell the country what is
Immediately necessary, and, If the
legislation then existing is a barrier
or appears to make the war ma
chinery cumbersome and slow in
starting, instant repeal can be OBJ
tanned coincident with the passage
by Congress of o war resolution.
What then is the value of the leg
islation, especially as it is being
pressed at this time when there are
so many other matters of far more
immediate importance pressing for
attention? 1t is that the very ex-
istence of drastic legislation will put
a curb on all influences that seek to
embroil America, so that, if there Is
anything in the theory that munition
makers think of nothing eles besides
how to get various countries into war
so they will make money, it will be
disproved once and for all.
Curiously enough, nobody in Wash
ington, nobody in either House of
Congress. for instance, is giving any
time or attention to an investigation
Of the causes of war. especially those
seeds of economic friction, such as
arc present in the Far East, which
hive always led directly or indirectly
to nearly every war in history.