Evening star., 1937-10-10
PEOPLE HOLD VETO RIGHT
OVER ORIENT WAR RISKS
Citizens, Through Congress, Can Insist
OH Avoiding Involvement Through
Roosevelt Quarantine Policy.

llgerents or with "quarantining" ma
tions, the warning of october S, 1885,
might be repeated.
But withdrawal of protection Is
strictly passive expedient, and al
ways is subject to congressional de-
mand, backed by voted resolution, for
the restoration of protection.
The neutrality act, as 1t stands,
leaves large measure of discretion
to the Executive as to its application.
The proclamation Of a state of war
automatically imposes an embargo
on exports of arms, ammunition and
implements of war to belligerents or
to neutrals for trans-shipment thereto,
as well as an absolute prohibition
against travel by Americans on COM
mercial vessels of belligerents and
prohibition of loans and credits to
belligerents and their governmental
subdivisions, except for the bare needs
of commerce.
Beyond these automatic provisions
the President has discretionary power
to enumerate certain articles besides
arms, ammunition and implements of
war which American vessels are not
to carry to belligerentS, and still fur
ther to require cash payment by bel
ligerents for all commodities pur-
chased in the United States.
Although the act is to be applied to
all belligerents equally. the selection
OF articles for prohibition of shipping
In American bottoms may be highly
discriminatory The effect of the
cash" provision also may be dis
criminatory when one or the other
belligerent depends largely on the use
Of credits for its import trade and
lacks cash with which to buy goods
In this country.
China Could Use Silver Hoard.
China possesses large reserves of sill
yer which under the recent monetary
agreement are being sold to the United
States for gold. These exports of the
white metal may as we'll be used to
pay for the purchase of American
goods If the cash clause of the neu-
u amy dll lS ever 6pplleQ.
Japan, on the other hand. has been
losing large quantities of gold in set
tlement Of passive balances of pay
ment and as result has imposed rigid
exchange control. She would have tc
rely upon loans obtained in other
| countries to pay for purchases from
the United States.
The present powers of the President
permit, then, cooperation with the
League to the extent that our neu.
trality act, if invoked, would keer
American arms, ammunition and i'm.
plements of war from being sent tc
either Japan or China. at the same
time putting obstacles in the way ot
Japan obtaining other war necessities
from this country.
The provision of war materials tc
China would be left to League mem
hers, who, presumably, would deny
those articles as well as other essen.
tlal wartime commodities to Japan
With Germany and Italy outside the
League, however, and In all proba bill
ity refusing to assist sanctions, there
is nothing to prevent them from SUD-
plying Japan not only with arms, but
with all the necessities of war. Par
ticularly would their merchant ma
rines prove valuable in Transporting
goods forbidden to be carried in Amer
ican bottoms, so that for effective pre-
!. vention of essential raw materials
flowing from the United States, as
they did to Italy in 1856, absolute
embargoes may be necessary.
Absolute Ban Up to Congress.
Such absolute export prohibitions
are beyond the reach of the existing
powers of the President and thus
would require further congressional
action. If the League proceeds, now
to essay a quarantine" Of China s
attacker, the necessity for Congress
to make good on Mr.. Roosevelt's offer
of cooperation will become more real.
Proper evaluation Of the Presidents
speech at Chicago in sounding the
tocsin for concert of the peace-lov-
ing nations to assert the power OF
right over aggression can only be re-
vealed by the course of subsequent
events.
Whether 1t will prove merely an
other-if far stronger-sermon to the
disturbers of the worlds peace, OF
whether it will mark the end Of the
progressive deterioration of orderly
relationships between nations depends
solely upon the extent to which the
moral pressure it marshals is imple-
mented by the necessary forceful
measures to discourage present and
future aggressions.