Henderson daily dispatch., 1939-10-06
Is0lationist
Group Does
Best Arguing
nv CHARLES p. STEWART
Central Press COlumnlSt

Central PRESS COIuiinISt
Washington, Oct. 6.-From the
very beginning OF the current extra
session of Congress its been evident
that advocates OF modification OF the
Nye neutrality law had thus laws lOu
per cent stand-patters, outnumbered.
They haven't had the 100 per cent
ers out-orated, though. That the
modificationists ultimately would win
has been the best betting all along.
But they're not doing it spec
tacularIy The 100 per cent crowd
has been making the Welkin ring.
The modificationists simply have ar
gued soberly, depending on their OBJ
vious numerical superiorlty-upon
victory to the accompaniment OF no
particular outbursts Of eloquence.
Observation-Disclosures, like Senators
Borah. Nye, Clark and Johnson of
California no doubt realized from
the first that they'd be beaten in the
long run, but they're sparkling talk
ers They've been making fight to
the bitter end. such as Warsaw $
admirable regardless OF its Windup.
The modificationists, led by Sen
L
houses foreign affairs committee,
have been moderate reasonerh, not
impassioned speech makers. Being
sure that they were in a majority,
they've been pretty calm about 1t,
replying on their prepOnderant Vot-
ing strength without shooting OIL
many fireworks.
This may have been very rational
The fact remains that a highly vocal
notifications had q good chance to
make himself SO conspicuous as to
figure among future presidential pos
sibilitieS Nobody has seized the OPP
portunity. The unqualified isolation
lists have done the star debating, but
their creditable performance on the
legislative floor won't profit EN- ma
terially. because they're doomed to
lose, in the last analysis, anyway
Which Is which,
How do the out-and-out isolation
lists and the modificationists differ?
1t seems like a foolish question to
ask, considering how often it already
I've seen folks who don't appear to
know precisely what the correct de-
finitions are.
The Nye law provides essentially
that we can't sell war stuff to any
belligerent nation. The notifications
lists contend that we should sell to
any country that can send its own
ships here and take its explosives
away in these same ships, after pre-
Viously having paid for them.
The alleged hitch in the Nye law
is that Britain and France can do
this, since they have plenty Of yes
sells to come and get their American
war junk, if our law permits; where
as Germany, lacking the necessary
craft to handle its own transporta-
ton, can't do its Teutonic leash and
carrying in any case. The modi-
ficationists argue that, indirectly,
this helps Hitler, because it shuts the
Anglo-French alliance off from a
source of supplies it otherwise could
draw on. So it isn't true American
neutrality, argue the modificationists.
They want us to sell to anybody who
can ''come and get" what's purchas-
ed. They say that, # the British and
French can do it, that's their good
luck; if Adolf can't, that's his fun
eral. It's none Of our business, either
way, according to the modification
lists
lsOlatiOn's Version.
The strict isolatiOnists' version is
that what the modificationists really
want is to aid the democracies a.
gainst totalitarianism.
In their sympathies the overWhelm
ing bulk Of the isolationists also I'M
questionably wish the democracies
well, but not to the extent Of involv-
ing Uncle Sam in any overseas con-
flict, and they think that American
sales Of arms to any Of the bel
Hgerents is step in that direction.
It totalitarianism ticks the European
democracies they'll be sorry; never
theless they don't want the western
hemisphere mixed up in it.
Many isolationists are a bit incon-
slstent in one respect
They haven't objected especially to
sales Of American munitions to ia
pan, for use against Chinese. The
.Chlnese, with whom most Americans
.sympathize, can't come over here for
war materials; they haven't the ship
ping. The Japs have, and have done
lot Of buying in this country Whv
don't the lsolationists choke them off
a good deal sooner? Apparently be-
cause it didn't occur to them. It was
quite an important oversight from
the Chinese standpoint.