Evening star., 1937-09-26
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.
n HE average American, alarmed
at the dramatic news which is
COMING to hin, aithor +bro,,rl,

a the daily newspapers or
through direct or indirect statements
1rom the White House, is puzzled. His
sentiment is on one side or the other
OF the actual or would-be belligerents,
but his foremost thought is, Can and
will Washington keep us out of WARP"
AS far as the situation can be faith
omed in the National Capital there is
no doubt that President Roosevelt is as
determined to keep this country out of
. war as President Wilson was in 1916.
His sympathies inevitably lie toward
the European democracies, with a spe-
clal tenderness toward the British. If
Europe were the only focal point in
the present drama it would be easy to
say that President Roosevelt, fully
aware OF the sentiments of the people
who renewed his lease on the White
House, will not attempt another war
to preserve democracy in the world.
Skating on Thin Ice.
The problem is incomparably more
complicated than that of 81 years ago.
because this time the Far Eastern sit
uation is crisis by itself-as far as
Shanghai and other parts of China is
regarded by our administration leaders
as one which must inevitably affect
the welfare of large section of Amer
lean citizens-not those who have
chosen to live in the Far East, but peo-
pie who live in this country, in the
cotton-growing South and in the in
dustrlal centers throughout the United
States. That is why President Roose-
Welt and Secretary Hull find them
selves skating on thin ice.
No administration leader in Wash
ington pushes diplomacy so far as to
deny that he hopes the Chinese will
emerge victorious from the present
conflict. And none of these people
believes that China can resist for long
the Japanese onslaught through her
own efforts. The powers interested in
maintaining China as an independent
political unit fervently hope that some
other nations will rush to Chang Kai-
shekS rescue.
President Roosevelt and Secretary
Hull agree that a japanese victory in
the Far East might have serious con-
sequences for us. Secretary Hull is en-
deavoring, therefore, to avoid such a
catastrophe by pushing forward his
1deal-world cooperation based on his
IA principles. President Roosevelt has
limited faith in the practical success
OF this method, but he allows his chief
adviser on foreign affairs to play with
1t until circumstances demand more
doE
they have invented new diplomatic
cocktail, which might be termed a
paciflst-bellicose beverage.
First Look Deceiving.
The executive order, dramatically
Issued by the President on Monday.
September 13, forbidding American
ships to carry arms and ammunition
to the Pacific seems, on first analysis,
TO be complete contradiction of the
actual sympathetic feeling which pre-
walls IN administration circles toward
China.
In China. as well as in this coun-
try, it has been interpreted as telling
the direction of Tokio's war machine:
I'VE will hold back while you give her
a good beating" -
On the surface it appears that the
administration, despite repeated de-
mails, has surrendered to fear of
japanese saber-rattling and thrown
the Chinese overheard.
On the surface, too, this executive
order seems to place the Chinese in a
hopeless position, since they have no
merchant marine to carry the much
needed war material from this country.
In fact, however, neither of these
assumptions is true. The order di-
rectly affects only the vessels which
are the property of the United States
and those which fly the American flag.
Their owners have been told that they
cannot reckon on Admiral Yarnell's
destroyers If they carry arms and am
munition in the bottoms to China and
are stopped by japanese warships.
Read the Neutrality Act.
The question of unfairness toward
emma was raised in Washington the
day after the executive order was put
into effect. Those in charge of our
foreign policy were asked why the
neutrality act was not proclaimed-a
much more impartial method of
keeping this country out of war. The
answer was: Read the act again and
see for yourself how damaging its
proclamation would have been to the
Chinese interests
China recently placed in this coun-
try large orders for war materials
Japan has ordered next to nothing.
The neutrality act would have pre-
vented automatically the shipping of
war planes, guns and other objects
contained in the list issued by the Mu-
nitions Control Board in the State De-
partment, while it would merely have
told the japanese to send their owr
ships and pay cash for cotton, pig anc
scrap iron and other raw materials
which are not contained in that list
The result would have been that
China, almost completely lacking ships
would no longer have had access te
the products of our factories, while
the American markets for raw ma.
terials would have been as much oper
as IN the past to the Japanese.
Credit and Sales Open.
On the other hand, it was pointed
out, the present order does not forbit
the sale of immediate war material t,
the Chinese; neither does it curtai
their credit to this country. There ar
large number of vessels flying for
eign flag which are ready to take II
Hong Kong all the war material Cham
Kai-shek wants to purchase in thi
country. Thus, while it is admitte,
that the moral effect of the President
order may have been detrimental +
the Chinese cause, in fact it gives tn
Marking government greater ad
vantage than would the proclamation
of the neutrality act.
It is admitted also that it nigh
have been better if the order ha
been withheld entirely. but the Pres
tdent was placed in q position wher