Evening star., 1936-01-07

Morgans' financial agency for the
British and French governments. Per.
haps our going to war is the only way
In which our present pre-eminent
trade position can be maintained and
q panic averted.'
"Oaly War to Avoid Panic"
Follow Mr.. Pages reasoning. Eu-
ropes war had given us more than
normal commerce and prosperity
which we enjoyed! To lose or aban-
don this commerce would have brought
us the panic that would ensue by go
ing back to the normal state that ex-
listed before war came to Europe. So,
declares Mr.. Page, going to war against
Germany Is the only way to avoid
q panic! No consideration does he
afford to what manner Of panic and
what degree of cost would be that
involved in our going to war!
Thirty days after this pronounce
ment by Page we were in the war, not
for the cause which he had stated. not
to maintain our trade position, mind
you, but to make the world safe for
democracy and to end war.
When writer's tell us there was no
commercial incentive drawing us into
war and that it was submarine warfare
by Germany that caused our ultimate
holy participation, one can be sure
that writer would do better at fiction
or that he, though by chance Har-
ward professor, Is wholly ignorant Of
established evidence.
After we had started stretching
our permissive American neutrality
policy to accommodate our commercial
interests the allied powers were never
| in doubt as to what America would
ultimately do. They saw what we
didn't seem to realize. namely, that
where our pocketbook was there would
we and our hearts ultimately be.
ANDRE Tardeau. leading French
statesman, was seeing very clearly
where our policy was leading us.
and following the granting Of loans
to the Allies, he said From that time
on, whether desired or not, the VIC
tory Of the Allies became essential
to the United States Clearly. any
successful neutrality policy must be
OF the mandatory. not the permissive
sort. Gratifying it Is indeed to note
the general acceptance of this theory
today This acceptance is in itself
large guarantee that, public demand
continuing. this Congress will write
thorough and genuine neutrality
| kok naapite fha fiftn nf l.
trality.
"Insistence now upon establishment
Of a mandatory policy of neutrality Is
no reflection upon any one man. 1t
is only fair to say that the present
Roosevelt determination to keep us out
Of war Is no higher than was that ex-
pressed by Wilson. Yet, in spite OF
Wilson's determination, we couldn't
remain neutral and the cause is trace
able quite directly to the fact that We
were without q determined hard and
fast neutrality policy. The facts are
that while the Wilson administration
was declaring itself neutral, parts OF
that administration were actually con-
| templating the hour when we would
ultimately get into the war without
a doubt as to which side we would
enter on.
Lansing Tells Story.
Prior to his death Robert Lansing.
wartime Secretary of State and
custodian of our neutrality in 1915
and 1916, set down In writing the
history he saw made during those
years. These have been published re-
Gently under the title. War Memoirs
of Robert Lansing The book Is rather
notable for the absence from it of
certain papers he wrote and received.
But even without these, Lansings S
| story is a complete condemnation OF
any discretionary policy of neutral
prejudiced oficial hands which
were guiding our neutrality while pre-
tending publicly a sincereity in effort
to prevent our entry into the war.
Lansing tells us of his own ap-
pointment following the resignation
of Bryan as Secretary of State
and indicates that Col. House had
urged the President to appoint Am
bassador Page as Secretary. With his
own pen Lansing writes that when he
became Secretary there had been re-
moved from his mind amy doubt that
1 had previously held that sooner or
later the United States would be
forced to enter the war on the side
Of the Allies He continues that he
believed that it was unwise to at
tempt to obtain from Congress a dec
| laration of war until American public
opinion was demanding such action
and that it was hard to await the slow
process of complete (American) con-
version to the cause Of the Allies.
Though he was sure of where We would
ultimately be, Lansing continues the
| open announcement that the foreign
policies Of the administration would
be based on the presumption that the
United States would finally declare
war against Germany would have been
q serious mistake
Why mistake. pray tell? Why
not do openly what they were doing
while pretending to be neutral?
OF course. had they done that,
there could have been no excuse 18
months later for the hue and cry he
kept US out Of war For nearly two
| R,II.o..