The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-04-22
SEEN
HEARD "a
around the
NATIONAL
CAPITAL
By Carter Field y
By Carter Field y

4 -
Washington. - High army and
navy officials are completely muz-
zled on the neutrality issue as far
as any public utterance Is con-
cerned, and one may be sure that,
remembering the experience OF
Gen. johnson Hagood. none of them
are going to prove embarrassing
to the administration even II sum-
moned before congressional COM
mittees, but-they think nothing Of
1t.
This writer has asked any num-
Der Of high ranking army and navy
officers the very simple question:
rs the senate cash and carry neu-
trality plan, or the house plan CIV
ing the President wider discretion,
more likely to keep this nation out
of a World war;"
Similarity of the answers would
almost convince listener that there
had been a solemn military con-
clave, at which a formal doc
trine with respect to this subject
had been approved. For the answer
almost invariably runs something
like this:
Neither plan will keep this coun-
try out OF war. Both plans are
vicious in many respects. The sem
ate plan forces every far-sighted
foreign nation to plan to get its
war supplies from some other ma
ton, unless it is sure it has plenty
OF shipping to fetch them from this
country, and even then there is the
incentive to build up supplies else
where. This OF course tends to de-
stroy our export trade, and creates
an additional artificial, encourage
ment to other nations to build up
their own merchant marines, as
they know they cannot make use OF
ships flying the American flag.
1.-THE house plan is highly danger
GUS because it grants the President
virtually power to discriminate be-
tween belligerents. To discriminate.
OF course, is to take sides, and
right away this country is, to that
limited extent, on one side or the
other.
No Sure Way to Peace
"There is no sure way Of main
tanning peace, and never will be
In this world. The nearest approach
to it is very adequate army and
navy, the larger and more dan
gerous to any possible antagonist
the better. No nation is running
around picking quarrels with ma
ton whose army and navy it under
stands to be definitely superior to
its own.
Amy other precaution is just
idealistic, wishful thinking, is not
practical and, If it works at all,
is far more likely to work toward
getting the United States into war
then keeping it out"
Incidentally, of course, most
army and navy men do not like
the idea OF discouraging munitions
exports, even. They like the British
system Of encouraging munitions
manufacturers, with the thought
that when war does come the coun-
try gets off to flying start, as con-
trasted with the terrific lag inevita-
BILE If there is only govern
ment manufacture of munitions.
They insist that the government will
never spend enough money, in
peace time, to have the facilities
ready to turn out sufficient supplies
when war comes.
Only the incentive of private
profit, they assert provides that sort
of capacity. Moreover, they do no,
like to see the munition-makine
business transferred to some other
country, possibly one which some
day will be at war with the United
States.
Senator Bennett c. Clark of Mis-.
souri, has not had much success
so far in working out his solution
for this problem. He would have the
government manufacture-or buy
and keep in stock sufficient jigs anc
dies and tools so that on the out
break of war all sorts OF factories
and machine shops could be trans.
formed into armament plants.
Peace Conference
Diplomatic denials are always Il
be taken with a grain, in fact {
pinch, of salt. This goes for the
recent denial of Secretary of State
Cordell Hull with respect to better
prospects of peace conference
OF course all that Mr.. Hull denied
was that this was the errand o
Norman Fl. Davis in London, anc
in this he was, at least technically
correct.
Regardless of any statement.
made hitherto or to be made in The
future, however, President Roose
welt is thinking a great deal abou
an international conference. He ha:
been for a long time. No one in ths
diplomatic corps here is going t.
embarrass Mr.. Hull or the Presi
dent nv rushing into prjnt about IL