Evening star., 1937-09-16
Rate by Mail-Payable in Advance.
An Other State, ana c,n,a.
Member Of the Associated Pres.
A Move for Peace.


Average Americans have little compre-
nenslon OF the intricacies of international
law concerned with neutrality. blockades.
emoargoes and belligerent rights. but the
rank and file understand and appreciate
what President Roosevelt has Just done.
IN an effort to minimize the risk of our
involvement in the Far Eastern war. He
mas forbidden merchant vessels owned
py the Government to transport arms
ammunition and other sinews of battle
70 China or Japan. simultaneously
notice is served that privately-owned
ships nying the American flag will engage
m such trade at their own risk.
Supplementing the Presidents action
the Department of Commerce is exnlor-
Ing the question whether cotton should
pe CLASSIFIED as an implement of war"
and also banned as untransportable on
Asia-bound Government ships. Cotton
Is not only raw material for explosives.
out indispensable for clothing an army
and for other military supplies. Oriental
pelllgerents are heavy consumers of
Dlxies staple. This years exports to
China through July amounted to $26,117.-
600, while Japan, which is almost ex-
clusively dependent upon American
cotton, purchased $l92o50,OOO worth.
soundly double her 1886 importation.
Ihe ban on carriage of munitions in
Uncle Sans own cargo boats does not
entail application of the neutrality act.
which would prohibit the export of arms
or other merchandise declared to be i'm
plements Of war;" no matter in what
bottoms they might be shipped. Neu-
trality considerations remain on "a twen-
ty-four-hour basis" that is, subject to in
slant change.
The country welcomes the Presidents
step because 1t is apparently timed to keep
IN home waters the Government t-ovned
Wichita. That vessel recently cleared
from Baltimore loaded with war planes
Tor China. The Wichita is privately
operated under charter from the Mari
time Commission. 1t is now at San
Pedro, having traversed the Canal, and is
scheduled to sail at once for its Chinese
destination. 1t is almost certain that
the Japanese Navy, despite a pledge to
respect neutral shipping, would discover
ways and means of preventing the de-
livery OF so important a cargo to the
enemy. II in order to do so, Toxic would
order the Wichita stopped, searched or
seized, to say nothing of the remote pos
sioility that it might be sunk, no stretch
of the imagination is required to realize
tnat the ugliest sort of incident would
instantly be provoked. The United States
would be confronted by the same critical
situation which in I9l4-15-16 period
ically brought us into bitter conflict with
Great Britain and even threatened to
drag us into the war against the allies
who were blockading the central powers.
Deliberately to court such danger in
the Far East would be sheer madness.
The Nation would have no patience with
. policy that permitted that risk to be
run. The Wichita should not be allowed
TO proceed to China, freighted with prov
ocation and peril. The South is about to
reap bumper cotton crop. Loss of
Its Far Eastern market at such a time
would be double hardship. But how
ever regrettable, that would be insig-
nineant compared to the Jeopardy to
peace which such trade, however badly
needed or however profitable, might en-
tail. Never was there a game less worth
the candle.