Evening star., 1935-10-04
WAR MAY REVIVE
j. S. 1874 TENSION
italian Population Seen as
Political Force-Free.
dom of Sea Menaced.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
President Roosevelt spoke the hope
of a peace-loving Nation when he said
America would keep unentangled and
free from the Ethiopian Italian strife
overseas. But none the less there Is
profound disappointment here that the
world has witnessed stinging defeat
for the advocates of moral force and
the pacific settlement of international
disputes.
The implications of what is happen
ing In Europe are bound to affect us
for many years to come. For If the
voice Of reason and the conscience of
nations is Intellectual in composing
differences. then physical force, big
armies and navies, become the IN
evitable protectors of peace-loving
peoples and the scale of armament
building takes on once more the char
acteristics Of rivalry and competition
which dragged the whole world into
war from 1914 to 1918.
Today the sentiments expressed by
Mr.. Roosevelt are popular Nobody
wants war, least of all another war
overseas for American troops. But, 1t
will be asked. is the course being pur-
sued by the United States likely to
keep America out of future wars in
which she has no primary concern
and In which she is not originally
involved?
Brazil Gets Big War Order.
Generally overlooked in the dis
patches telling in the last "A hours
Of war movements In Africa were the
| press cables telling of huge orders
| placed in Brazil and elsewhere for
supplies for the Italian armies. The
American Government has not yet is
sued a proclamation of neutrality be-
cause, technically. there has been no
state of war But such q proclama-
ton will probably be confined to I'm
plements" Of war, which means fin
ished munitions and not the materials
that go to make them
| Should Great Britain and the
League Of Nations decide to apply
economic sanctions In order to secure
respect for the covenant Of the
League. which Italy has broken, it
may become necessary to stop all trade
into Italy. Will America then re-
main unentangled anC free? Or will
America insist on her right to sell
food and articles of merchandise to
the Italian people? And If the Brit
ish fleet stops American goods from
reaching Italian forces or Italy itself,
will the American people become out
ragged and insist on the freedom Of
the seas" which has been a historic
American doctrine since the War of
1872?
If the administration here decides
to make perfunctory protests about
American rights to carry on trade and
American businesses lose opportunities
to sell their goods, or If millions of
persons of Italian birth residing in
America should protest. would the
President heed their cries in behalf
Of their former countrymen?
Germans Anxious In 1914.
A parallel experience occurred in
1914, when Germans resident in
America felt that 1t was wrong for the
United States to export supplies and
munitions to the Allies. But the Ger
man vote was, nevertheless, not cast
against President Wilson in 1915 be-
cause, even though resenting the aid
given the Allies by American business
and finance, the fact that the United
States kept out of war with GERMANY
that year prompted many millions of
Germans to express their gratitude to
Mr.. Wilson in voting for his re-elec-
ton
Coincident with 1886 election. the
war. If 1t is going on by then or If
mistakes are made now that are re-
membered in the next political cam
paign, win become a kind of political
issue.
The opportunities to remain free
and unentangled will not be increased
as the situation develops overseas.
For the principles written in the COW
enant Of the League of Nations are
at stake. If Italy can violate the cov-
enant with impunity, SO can every
other nation, and thus the League
and the Kellogg BRAND treaties would
seem to be resting only on the futile
hope that world opinion really
amounts to something. when it ap-
parently does not.
Because of the presence of so many
millions Of Italians whose relatives
and friends are going to be involved,
it will be necessary for the Govern
ment here to advise strict neutrality
in word and deed, lest the roper
cussions of the war be felt here and
present unhappy complications. But
the real involvement and danger lies
in the fact that trade is usually main
tanned during war and that the
naval power Of bellgerent countries
may be used to restrain such trade
on the part of neutrals.
Cost of War Prohibitive.
Europe cannot afford another war
at this time. The League can hardly
proclaim the use of military force
against Italy for her aggression in
Ethiopia. Economic sanctions prob
ably viii be resented by Italy, but
evidently Premier Mussolini has reck-
oned on short, intensive campaign
and an enforced surrender by the
Ethiopians. Much as they may be
disappointed by what has happened
and what it may mean to the future
peace of Europe when economic con-
ditions improve to the point that wars
can be financed again, European pow
ers viii no doubt strive to keep the
Italian Ethiopian War a local affair.
This is the hope and probably the
purpose at the moment, but peace
cannot be guaranteed when fleets are