The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-01-14

SeHCy neSOIuLlOUs
Washington, Jan. 14-In ordinary
times 1t would be almost impossible
TO pass q bill providing that al
members Of Congress be painted
with red and green stripes and pa
raded down Pennsylvania Avenue
in that costume. But these are moi
ordinary times.
All you need do to insure VIC
tory for such proposal Is tag II
neutrality legislation"
Never was there such q popular
issue In the Capitol. 1t was SO
popular that the Senate voted 80
TO 0 and the House voted 400 to
to embargo arms, ammunition,
and implements Of war to Spain,
though members had no printed
or mimeographed cOplese Of the
bill before them, no committee
had considered the measure, and
many members voted aye while
holding their noses.
The administration steam ROLLER
tactics, Roosevelt's eagerness to
make a witch-hunting grandstand
play to American peace-lovers over
export Of an admitted pile of aer-
ial junk by one Mr.. Cuse, the al
acrity with which Congress jumped
through the hoop at the magic word
and the actual source of this piece
OF legislation-all these factors
combine to make 1t seem increas-
ingly likely that the permanent
neutrality legislation promised for
this session will be by no means the
Mccoy, insofar as ic pretends to
guarantee keeping us out Of war.
." vt
FlOuts World Law
The immediate practical effect of
the law to bust contracts between
American citizens and the duly con-
stituted Spanish government, with
which this country theoretically has
friendly relations.
That reverses precepts of inter-
national law, yet 1t unquestionably
will be satisfactory to the over
whelming mass of American citi-
zens who want no part Of the Span
ish mess.
But the question why the law
wasn't written to apply to Ger
many, Russia, Italy, France, Por-
tugaI-nati0ns In the Spanish war
up to the neck-and other cOun-
tries which may or may notDbe
pouring arms into Spain presum-
ably Is best known to manufac-
turers Of munitions, who are do
ing thriving export business.
Sales Of planes and parts 10
Germany for the first six months
Of 1884, the last reported period,
were $1,445,000 - and then ON the
increase.
Hardly any Of the members who
voted for the bill knew where II
came from, so they might as well
be told. The measure was con-
cocted In the State Department,
where the dominating clique is
largely pro-Fascist.
Picks on Spain Only
Instead of making the existing
neutrality act applicable to all civil
wars, the new law merely picks on
Spain. The president remains free
to permit shipments to any other
nation where there may be a civil
war, regardless OF whether those
who benefit most therefrom are
government forces or rebels, Fas-
cists OF Communists, Norwegians
or Senegambians.
Also, American interests may
still export oil, copper and similar
materials Of war TO Spain or any,
where else. These materials can
me just as useful TO belligerent
nation engaged In numbering per-
sons as actual ammunition, some.
times more so.
And the traffic would be Just as
likely to get us into war. The State
Department opposed embargo on oil
to Italy during the Ethiopian war
on the ground that this would have
been an unfriendly act toward
1taly-Ethiopia being inaccessible to
our OIL