Evening star., 1936-01-07

leans totaling perhaps five billion
dollars. But those same profits
were, after all, what took us to war,
with a consequent cost of thousands
of American lives. broken homes and
bodies, debt of twenty billion dollars
plus depression that we haven't yet
conquered. Who will contend that
the profit from that war offsets the
cost of it that was and is ours?
I'm the spirit OF wanting to avoid
repetition of that experience 20 years
ago. many have felt that there
was need to provide the strictest
neutrality for America in that hour
when other parts of the world
break loose from moorings of sanity
and demonstrate that there are
leaders still obsessed with the
dream that war can be profitable
to them. when history so thoroughly
records that war cannot possibly De
other than loss, a burden and a
headache to all its participants. To-
night, I want to discuss the pro-
posed neutrality policy which mas
been developed as result Of this
thought and consideration.
Better understanding of that pro-
gram is to be had if we will first briefly
face experience of other days, ex-
perience which must be the guide in
present neutrality consideration.
I'VE saw the last European war until
1917 as one in no degree our business.
Though We probably all had favorites
in that conflict we were at once VOW
ing that we would have none of their
war. that we would entertain nothing
but the stricteSt kind of neutrality.
We rejoiced at the moment that lead
ership of our Government was show
ing greatest determination to keep
America out of that war, a leader
ship affording a policy that was
presumed to be a guarantee Of out
neutrality. That neutrality policy is
now known as permissive or a
discretionary policy. with its ad-
ministration in no degree mandatory
upon the President. That the policy
failed, and that miserably, is record.
Ultimate Cost Unseen.
The outbreak of war in Europe
brought an immediate business pick
up in America. Increasingly large
orders for supplies of all kinds were
being placed with us by participants
which gave us new prosperity.
Little did we dream what continual
ton of that prosperity was going to
cost US in the end.
THE Wilson permissive neutrality
policy held that it was not an un-
neutral act for America to sell NUM-
tions to nations at war so long as i:
was our policy to sell to both sides
alike, and free trade in munitions was
the result. Suddenly we became en-
ragged, discovering that this permis-
sive policy of neutrality was based
upon international law defining our
rights as neutral upon the seas,
that Great Britain was not recog-
nizing or abiding by that law. Britain,
by her blockade, was interfering with
our American commerce with Ger
many, writing new contraband defini-
tions, searching and seizing the
cargoes of American ships destined
for Germany or even neutral ports
which Great Britain suspicioned
might be for ultimate German use.
BY reason of these practices we were
losing even our normal trade with the
Central Powers. We didn't like this
interference with our trade and
profits. President Wilson wrote notes
Of protest to Britain-notes which,
when now compared with those of
protest later dispatched to Germany,
sound like an apology. We were