Evening star., 1937-02-28
SENATE TO WEIGH
NEUTRALITY N BILL
Mandatory Provisions Show
Imprint of Bipartisan
Groups Action.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Mandatory neutrality legislation,
bearing the strong imprint OF bl-
partisan group but at the sacrifice OF
a grant of discretionary power to the
President. steps up to the hurdles to-
morrow in the Senate.
The new neutrality and arms en-
barge bill, framed by the Senate For
eign Relations Committee. contains
primarily the recommendations OF the
old Munitions Investigating Commit
tee for shutting off military supplies
to overseas belligerents
In addition to what they have sue
ceeded in writing into the bill in the
past two years, the Munitions Commit
tee members, headed by Senator Nye,
Republican, of North Dakota, were sue
cessful in adding to this years draft
a new "cash-and-carry" provision un-
der which warning nations might be
required to come with their own ships
ito American shores to pick up nom
military purchases.
It was in the framework of that
addition that was written the provision
for presidential discretion.
- Under the draft of the bill going
before the Senate, the President would
be permitted to designate those COM
modities he believed it dangerous for
American ships to carry into belliger-
ent zones.
Sought Sweeping Bars.
The Munitions Committee had
sought instead to list by law the items
American ships could not carry to
belligerents or to go even farther and
provide that no American ships could
carry any commodity described by a
belligerent as contraband. In the last
war that included every major COM
modify.
The State Department persistently
has pleaded for greater discretionary
authority under the neutrality legisla-
ton and this one grant, although still
subject to debate, was looked upon by
many as the opening wedge OF an
administration effort to win far wider
discretion in preserving American neu-
trality than the legislation of the past
two years has permitted.
r. Walton Moore, assistant secre-
tary of state, explained the State De-
partments position at hearings on
the bill.
II am going to be frank" he said.
"I have always thought that legis-
lation that is enacted should be per-
missive to very large extent In
atooi ~ hoinr
The principal provision of the bill
Is the same as in the past, that
when war breaks out any place in
the world, the President must i'm
pose an automatic embargo on all
arms and munitions shipments to
belligerents. Moore criticized the
whole mandatory policy in brief
discussion of the advisability of man
datory legislation as against permis-
slve legislation where foreign affairs
are concerned.
Fears Switch in Trade
IT do not think" he said I'VE
ought to enact domestic legislation
- which will induce all the other ma
tions of the world to channel their
trade to other markets than the
American market, expecting that a
war may occur, and that they will
be forced to deal with other coun-
tries, as for instance, they will be
forced to go to Brazil for cotton,
instead of going to the United States.
There might be a multiplication
Of illustration of that, of conditions
they will think of in advance of war.
which might involve them, and may
say: We will be shut out of the
American market and therefore must
cultivate other markets in advance. I"
= The cash and carry" provision be-
:. sides limiting the rights of American
ships to haul certain presidentially
- designated articles, requires foreign
. nations to pay in notes or cash for
- all military items they buy and
- haul themselves so Americans will
- have no property interest in the
. cargoes.
~ 1t also directs the President to re-
fuse protection to citizens travelling
in belligerent zones.
- The draft of the bill was written
by Senator Pittman Democrat of
Nevada, chairman of the Foreign
Relations Committee.