The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1936-01-16

for a Spark duke Ferdinand
was laid low by
an assassin's bullet in a remote
province Of Austria. At the time,
the assassination was front-page
news for most Of the newspapers
but its real import was not gener-
ally recognized. Nevertheless, from
that incident sprang the greatest
war the world has ever known.
Within few months of % years
after the assassination at Sarajevo
the world sees a situation in Europe
where another such incident would
have consequences just as violent.
At the present time, ammunition
dumps all over Europe are waiting
for a spark to set them off. 1t may
be an accidental spark or it may be
a spark deliberately cast into that
powder key. I do not mean to say
that it will happen but / do wish to
emphasize that at no time since the
archduke's assassination has there
been a field so fertile for the pro-
motion of gigantic war as the
present.
1t may seem, and it undoubtedly
does seem to many, that the dam
gers inherent in the European sit
uation at present are afar off. But,
it can be recalled that there were
those in this country who, as late
as 1916, said the European war was
5000 miles away. Before it ended,
however, 100000 American boys
and young men had been drafted to
be thrown into that European caul-
dron. 1t may happen again.
While there is no immediate pos
sibility of the United States getting
tangled up in the European political
problems which spring from hostil-
tiles between Ethiopia and Italy,
those who know history cannot fail
to agree with the statement that it
is never too early to plan for pre-
venting war. For that reason, then,
I believe almost every family in the
United States has a stake, either
directly or indirectly, in one of the
problems with which congress must
deal. This legislation is known by
the short and rather indescriptive
title of the neutrality policy. 1t is,
indeed, just that, but the point /
seek to make is that the title does
not convey by any manner or means
its full importance or its full effect
upon the lives of each of us. If a
policy can be worked out, a policy
that is effective, obviously our
chances for remaining out of any
hostilities in Europe-or in Asia for
that matter-are certainly much
better. do not know and I do not
believe anybody can say accurately
that it is possible to develop neu-
trality policy that will be fool-proof !;
or that will guarantee to us the
removal of possible entanglements.
A year ago about this time, con-
gress enacted bill which was de-
signed to prevent
Keep Us the shipment of
Out of War war materials to
any belligerent
nation or nations. 1t was manda-
tory. The President was directed
by congress to lay an embargo
against the shipment of arms, am
munition of war to any countries
engaged in hostilities regardless of
whether their claims were right or
wrong. We have had some expert
ence with the force of that legisla-
ton already and it has not been
without its embarrassing and diff
cult phases. Now, however, it is
proposed to revamp that legisla-
ton which was admittedly of a tenn
pOrary character and is due to eX-
pire by limitation of law on Febru-
airy 30. Congress has been told
rather definitely, think, that this
country wants to remain out of
! someone else's war. The President
has the same idea. So, instead of
allowing our citizens to run wild,
ship anything and everything,
make contracts with the countries
now engaged in war or those that
may be engaged later, it is pro-
posed that we have permanent
policy embodying whatever princi-
pies may be found wisest to protect
us from ourselves and prevent us
! from throwing ourselves again into
such a volcano of molten lava as
any present-day war would be-.
The problem is not as simple as
1t appears on the surface. When
i congress enacted the present neu-
/ trality legislation, it provided that
the embargoes, when and if laid,
must apply to all. 1t gave the
President no discretionary power to
determine whether we wanted to
use these embargoes as a weapon
i against one nation while aiding an
other. Mr.. Roosevelt, in accepting
! the original legislation, shall pub
Iicly that he believed that he should
have such discretionary power.
This was in line with the conclu-
sions of the Department of State
which necessarily must be the Pres
ldent's adviser on matters of this
| kind. w. .. b.
Congress was criticized in many
quarters when it made the embar-
goes applicable to all belligerents.