The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-01-21

Westinghouse the first legisla-
tive act of the new congress is to
measure it's eff
Ftone cheney and its
Embargo value as the poll
cy making branch
of our government, there is no other
conclusion than that our legislative
body has sunk to new low in its
history. Of course, congress should
not be judged by the mess it made
in rushing through a resolution
barring further shipment of air.
planes and engines to Spain but on
every side I hear criticism of the
lack of common sense used in that
instance.
To recall some of the details,
when congress convened there was
wild and surging wave demanding
that the United States remain neu-
trail and avoid ENHANCEMENT in the
Spanish crisis. Everywhere and on
a million tongues was heard the
cry that the United States should
take no chances; it should take all
of the stitches in time tn t are
necessary to make certain that we
will not get involved in a circum-
stance on European soil that threat
ems to become another 1914.
1t has been and is quite evident
that the people of the United States
are committed to a policy of peace,
policy of neutrality. European
developments have proceeded so
slowly that even the merest tyro
has foreseen the ultimate clash be-
tween communism and fascism
about which l wrote in these col
umns some weeks ago. In other
words, the European situation has
developed after a manner that
would enable preventative plans to
be laid on this side of the Atlantic
ocean.
But congress, in attempting to in
sure our neutrality, did probably
the most unneutral thing it could
have done. In so doing, believe
the consensus is that both house and
senate demonstrated again the in
ability characterizing congresses of
the last few years to appraise a
complete picture. 1t yielded to what
it believed to be the public demand
without giving thought to the future.
Let us analyze briefly what hap
pened. The congress convened, as
I have said, with an almost unani-
nous demand from the country for
a definite and workable neutrality
policy. It convened with two or three
individual business units seeking to
deliver shipments of airplanes and
engines to the so-called loyalist
troops in Spain. The exporters of
these war materials sensed quick
action by congress that would de-
stroy their contracts. Naturally,
they put on all speed to get the
planes and engines out of this coun-
try ahead of an embargo. Congress,
like so many boys in a college foot
ball match, fell into the spirit of
competition, race.
Well, the answer is that Robert
Cuse succeeded in getting his planes
- and engines on
Beats EN- board ship and
to 1t away from N e w
York and beat in
the race by twelve hours, a fact
which congressional leaders knew
when they enacted the resolution of
embargo.
So, it appears to be almost mex
cusable that men of brains should
have rushed a piece of legislation
on through its channels containing
an entire absence of neutrality in
it's very language.
The resolution that was to pre-
vent Mr.. Cuse and several others
from shipping airplanes and engines
to Spain not only laid down the en-
barge which was its purpose but it
laid down that embargo specifically
against Spain.
Now, to those not versed in inter
national law, it may not be inn
mediately evident how dangerous
such a precedent is. International
law requires (and it is accepted
everywhere among all nations) that
there shall be no discrimination
among nations unless those nations
are declared to be belligerents.
Spain has not been so declared. The
war in Spain is a civil war insofar
as it relates to any other nation
officially. Of course, it is a well
known fact that troops from COM
munist Russia and nearly-com-
munist France are helping the So
called loyalist government in Spain.
It is equally well known that fascist
troops from Nazi Germany and fas-
cist Italy are supporting the rebel
liberal General Franco in Spain.
These facts would seem to make
the war in Spain something more
than civil war, which, indeed, it is,
but as far as the United States
is officially concerned, the war in
Spain remains civil strife. And yet
our congress in the worst display
of low grade intelligence witnessed
in a long time, specifically places
Spain in the category of a nation
at war with another nation and says
in a statute that certain commodi-
ties may not be shipped to that
nation.
To state this problem another
way, it would have been exceed
ingly simple to have made the leg
islation apply to all nations and
thereby to avoid embarrassment.
There was time after the race with
Mr.. Cuse was lost to have made
the correction of mistake which
should never have been made in
the first place. But congressional
leaders were swept overheard by
thu hio u,axna and &C for &C I am