Evening star., 1939-11-05
Neutrality Prospects

In forbidding American ships to
enter combat area broader in scope
than the waters closed to our vessels
by the provisions of the new neutral
ity bill, President Roosevelt has un-
derscored earlier assertions of his in
tent to make every feasible effort to
keep this country out of the war and,
at the same time, he has supplied a
full and effective answer to those who
went to the extreme of questioning
his good faith during the fight over
repeal of the arms embargo.
It is to be noted that the President
was under no statutory obligation to
issue the proclamation defining the
combat area. That was an exercise
of supplemental discretionary
power left to him by the Congress
after the legislators had defined in
the law specific zone from which
our merchant ships are to be ex-
cluded. Included in the combat area
prescribed by Mr.. Roosevelt are neu-
trail ports to which American ships,
in the opinion of number of Con-
gressmen, including Senator Pittman,
might have sailed with safety. But
the President, believing that the
actual operations of the war appear
to make navigation of American ships
dangerous" in these waters, has
availed himself of the power con-
ferred on him to guard against this
possible source of incidents which
might involve us in difficulties with
any of the belligerents.
BY taking that action the President
should have convinced the most skep-
tical that his desire to keep this
country at peace is genuine, and 1t Is
to be hoped that those who have been
guilty of irresponsible contentious to
the contrary in the past will be ST.
fenced henceforth by yesterdays
proclamation.
AS the neutrality law now stands,
it appears to offer all the protection
against the involvment of this coun-
try in war that can be provided by
legislation consistent with our role
as a great world power. In its ap-
plication to the European conflict, 1t
withdraws the indirect support and
the encouragement we have been CIV
ing the totalitarian aggressors. It
opens our markets, both for raw ma
terials and finished weapons, to the
democracies of Europe to the extent
that they will be able to pay for their
purchases here and transport them
in non-American ships. Those fac
tors should tend to insure the ulti-
mate victory of France and Great
Britain, particularly If this should
prove to be a long war of attrition
in which the availability of supplies
will be the decisive element, and that,
in turn, lessons the chance that we
may be drawn into the conf1ict-a
danger that would become appre-
ciable If defeat of the democracies
appeared imminent.
It may safely be assumed that those
who supported as well as those who
opposed the present bill hope it will
serve the dual purpose of keeping
this country out of the war while
contributing to the success Of what
is left Of democracy in Europe. But
If time should indicate that it Is
deficient in these respects the law
can and undoubtedly will be changed
accordingly.
The President in designating the
combat area recognized that it might
have to be altered to conform to fu-
ture developments which cannot now
be foreseen, and the neutrality law
itself must stand on the same footing.
We have had one unhappy experience
with an attempt to lay down by law
hard and fast rules for the conduct
of our external relations, and it has
taught us that such legislation must
be susceptible of adjustment to the
demands of our vital interests as
those interests become apparent.