Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-09-28
Meddlingg Has Caused Trouble For
Us Before; 1t May Do So Again
Mrs. H. B. Wilcox, State
President of the WOmen's
international League,
Writes Sentiments.

Mrs. Wilcox addressed the fol-
lowing letter to United States
Senator Ernest Lundeen:
We must and can keep the United
States from being involved in the
present suicidal war in Europe. The
Women'S International League for
Peace and Freedom has always aimed
to express the more or less inarticu-
late will of the people for peace.
Now more urgently than ever we
express their demand to be kept free
from this new recurrence of Europe's
age-long boundary disputes.
We especially urge that you, in this
historic special session of Congress,
keep the mandatory embargo feature
of the present neutrality act. and de-
fend it against attack from two
threatening sources: CD the attempt
to repeal the act entirely and (2)
the attempt to substitute leash and
carry" provisions for the mandatory
embargo on munitions and imple-
mentS of war.
Points to History.
Proponents of repeal claim that it
would be better to put United States
neutrality back again on the basis
of international law rather than on
special enactment of Congress. The
history of the last war, however,
aided by the revelations of the Nye
Munitions Investigation Committee,
proves conclusively that it was the
insistence by the United States on its
right as a neutral to trade with bel
ligerents which finally dragged us
into that war This included the
shipment of munitions and secondary
war materials, the extension of loans
and credits, and the travelling by
nationals of the United States on
foreign ships Charles Warren, as
sistant attorney general, 1914-17, en-
trusted with prosecuting the United
States cases in court under this con-
cept of neutrality, himself warned Gin
a pamphlet, TROUBLES of a Neutral"
published in 1850 of the danger to
peace involved in this course. He
recommended the provisions en-
bodied in the present neutrality law
which amount to remuneration by
the American people of their tradi-
tional insistence on the freedom of
the seas" and neutral rights of
trade" This was done in the interest
of and as the price of peace and we
believe should not now be revoked.
False Prosperity.
The second threat is more insidious
because less obvious. "Cash and
carry" trade in war materials stacks
the cards" somewhat in favor of Great
Britain and France. This appeals to
those persons who believe these So
called "democracies" are fighting
''our" fight. The present realignment
of nations across the water should,
however, entirely discredit that argu-
ment. In effect such change in
the law would permit a full fledged
war-boom to develop Industrial
stocks have already scared in antici-
patton of change). Americans
would again become profiteers in the
blood of their brothers, a thought
abhorrent to true lovers of peace and
democracy. In economic terms our
whole economy, foreign and domestic,
would be geared to the continuance
of the war in Europe, which would
act as powerful force to prolong it.
Eventually, American loans would
have to be made to bolster up this
war trade, then another A. E. F. to
Europe to insure collection of the
loans whole sorry story of 1914
ID repeated. We must not embark
on that cycle now. Keep the present
mandatory arms embargo!
In regard to basic but secondary
war materials (oil, cotton, motor
parts, scrap iron, etc., we advocate
restoration of that section of the law
which expired May /, 1899, putting
them on leash and carry" basis. In
addition, amounts to be shipped
should be rigidly limited to average
peacetime quotas. We do not believe
in feeding anybody's war.
We count on you as the representa-
tive of all the people in Congress to
heed this plea-to curb the war pro-
fits of the few so that the nation
will not be embroiled in war;