Montana labor news., 1936-09-24
Foreign Matters
Will Influence
Fall Elections
By N ION
Press

the question OF foreign reldtlOnS
has, so far, only gotten one foot in
the side door of the present political
campaign. There are indications
here, however, that before the Gus
toners trot to the polls in Novem-
Der that issue will loom large.
Surveyors of the situation, drift
ing back to Washington, report that
the talk among some business men
is, Were gonna have a war within
a couple of years and that fellow
from Kansas wouldn't know any
thing about it. We hate this guy
Roosevelt but we'll have to vote
for him on account of the compli-
Gated international situation"
No body says it but many think,
Wouldn't it be funny if we re-
elected Roosevelt, like we did
Woodrow Wilson, IN the slogan He
Kept Us Out of WARP"
Recently Undersecretary of State
William Phillips, now Ambassador
to Rome, made public a letter to a
munitions manufactures. The I'M
named manufacturer wrote to in
quire as to the governments policy
regarding the shipment of war ma
terials to Spain. It seemed the
manufactures, who made airplanes,
had found a market there and saw
an opportunity to increase his bank
account with the blood and bodies
of the defenders of Spanish de-
mocracy.
Phillips letter stated that neu-
trality laws of the country do not
apply to the civil war in Spain. If
the manufacturer desired to ship
munitions the government could do
nothing legally to stop him.
The letter then piously declared
that the government will scrupu-
lousy avoid taking sides in the mat
ter in accordance with its well es-
tablished policy of non-interven-
ton"
In view of the above" the ltet-
ter concluded, sit seems reasonable
to assume that the sale of airplanes
regarding which you inquire would
not follow the spirit of the govern
ment's policy"
It was thereupon announced that
the administration was going to ex-
ert every moral influence possible
to prevent the sale of American mu-
nitions to either side in the Spanish
war. Instructions were issued to
steamship lines owing the govern
ment money to the effect that ships
travelling to Spain must take out
war risk insurance and would be
obliged to carry out the state de-
partment's non-intervention edict.
1t is not yet known whether the
manufacturer sold his airplanes in
Spain. Neither is it known whether
U. S. munitions makers r putting
paltry material gains behind them
and responding to the moral per-
suasion Of the state department.
Down in black and white, however,
are the words of Major X. K. v.
Casey, Du Pont big shot.
Testifying on December IL, 1884,
before the Nye Senate committee in
vestigating the munitions business
Casey said, within the last six
months l was told this right in the
state department by a man I knew
pretty well. He said, Casey, I
wish you fellows would not come to
us when you have a proposition to
sell to a foreign government and
ask us if we can give you permits
sion. We have no right to either
approve or disapprove of any such
action unless there is an embargo,
when it is then our job. When you
come to use and ask us for permits
sion we have to 60 to work and
simply say we cannot give you per-
mission, o a we disapprove of
the shipment, but it only embar-
raises us to have those questions
asked"
In the words of Diplomatic Phil
lips, "it is reasonable to assume"
that munitions makers are not in
the habit of following the govern
ment's moral suggestions with the
same regularity with which they
brush their teeth, for instance.
1t was to give force to these
moral suggestions of the govern
ment and meaning to the govern
ment's non-intervention policy that
the Nye committee finanlly recon-
mended naturalization of the mu-
nitions plants. The War Depart
ment, agency Of the government
specializing in mass murder, vigor-
ously opposes such naturalization.
An article by Major-G General VIM.
H. Tschappat, the army's chief of
ordnance, writing in the current is
sue of the journal Of the Army Ord
nance Association asserts, There
fore the War Department has
encouraged the production of mu-
nitions for export where such
export is not contrary to the poll
cies of the State Department"
The question is, "Will the Presi-
dents admirals and generals keep
us out of war;" The records say