Evening star., 1937-09-22
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Within the administration high COM
mand something like battle royal is in
progress between those who want invo-
cation of the neutrality act, with i'm
mediate stoppage of major exports to the
Far East, and those who favor business
as usual" as long as trade is reasonably
safe. Secretary of Commerce Roper is
a fervent opponent of doing anything
premature to arrest American prosperity
Relatively small as our export percentage
is compared to the volume of the Ma
tion's business, foreign markets are vital
and. in some cases, absolutely essential
to the welfare of certain important in
dustries When Americans rail at war
proflteering" and merchants of DEATH"
manufacturers of munitions are gen.
orally the targets of their odium. Few
realize. particularly in connection with
the Sino-Japanese war; that the farm
ers. rather than the Du Points, steel
and other industrial royalists, would
suffer most If neutrality were to be
clamped down. Japan, for example, is
Uncle Sans biggest single cotton buyer
She took about 100000 bales of last
years crop and an annual average of
100000 bales in recent years. China,
tOO. lilPOlt 10 OlAlC D SIdPlC, UuG Ol UO
such scale as the Japanese. The Chinese
market. on the other hand, is vitally
valuable to American agriculture as a
consumer OF tobacco. Next to Great
Britain. the Chinese are the heaviest
users of our cured tobacco. taking about
a sixth of total exports It's no wonder
the Southland, with bumper harvests in
sight, views with alarm any prospect of
losing the Oriental market.
AS for the Black incident, signs multi
ply that Mr.. Roosevelt fondly hopes and
firmly believes the country will soon
forget it, At this troublolis hour the
President doubtless consoles himself
with some of Disraelis political maxims
1t was Dizzy" who said that "time is
the great physician; that "the world
is a wheel and it will all come round
right and that everything comes If
4 man will only wait" Between the
lapse of time and the American public's
eagerness for new excitement, F. d. r.
unquestionably counts upon an early
fadeout of the Black-Klan calamity.
The White House staff notes with un-
concealed satisfaction that at the end
Of barely ten days the ugly affair is
already crowded off the front page.
~ 4
Included in his past mastershp in all
the tricks of the political trade is Presi-
dent Roosevelt's genius for timing. While
the Western trip was projected long be-
fore the Black uproar, he once thought
OF postponing 1t until mid October or
even early November. Then came the
Klan mess, to make an earlier start
advisable If not imperative. That the
expedition across the wide open spaces
will admirably serve the purpose OF
limelighting the Presidents peregrina-
tions is beyond the question. News
columns, editorial and picture pages,
newsreels and radio are all at Roose-
velts disposal till further notice. Such
are the blessings or blights of modern
publicity that he has 1t In his power
almost from hour to hOur to turn the
cuuntry's interest In almost any direc-
ton he pleases. Many are determined
not to let Black break into the Supreme
Court unpurged of the Ku Klux taint.
Whether they can circumvent Mr..
Roosevelts diversion strategy is an
other story.
Discussion of presidential candidates
isn't the business Of the Republican
rfioguls assembled In washington this
week, but it dominates their talk.
There's general agreement that with
the single exception Of vAndenberg, the
cupboard at this time is as bare as
Mother Hubbards. Others are hon.
orAbly mentioned, but usually only for
the purpose of developing thAt none of