Evening star., 1939-09-14

''partiality'' statute.
Reports are current that informal
polls have been taken and that a
margin of at least IS votes in the
House and II votes in the Senate
has been secured for the removal of
the national law which interfereS
with legitimate American trade as
international law describes it.
The canvass by the administra-
ton has been made easier, it is be-
lieved, by permitting an interval to
elapse before the call for a session
was made. The idea is that as
members were at their homes, they
were able to obtain a clearer idea
of public sentiment by prolonging
their stay than if they had been
asked to come to Washington i'm
mediately.
Sentiment Crystallizing.
Public sentiment on the removal
Of impediments to American trade
has been crystallizing in the last
few days and judging by editorial
opinion and the outspoken state
ments of proponents and opponents,
there is today, as there was last
summer, a substantial majority in
favor of repeal. But last summer the
issue was one of filibustering and
preventing the question from COM
ing to vote. Even though the
administration felt it had the votes
then, it was deemed wise not to
prolong the session, but to await de-
velopments in Europe.
Relatively few public statements
have been made against repeal of
the existing law which embargoes
arms and ammunition. Less than
20 members of Congress in both
houses have been quoted as OBJ
iecting to changing the law, and
usually in advance of serious
controversy there is more evidence
than that of opposition. This is
not to say that men like Senators
Borah and Nye and others will not
make strenuous fight against per-
mitting sales to any nations even
though they can pay cash and
carry off the goods in their own
ships, but 1t does mean that, signif-
icantly enough, the Senators and
Representatives of both parties are
not rushing to the side of the op-
position to repeal.
Effect on Reelection.
Although politics is necessarily
adjourned and there is little talk
for the moment of effects on 1910
the fact remains that voting on
the "partiality" statute may mean
the difference between election and
defeat to many members of Con-
gress, depending on how public
sentiment lines up in their respec-
tive States and districts. Generally
speaking, the opposition to repeal
of the embargo will come from
sparsely settled Western States and
not from industrial areas, though
Senator Vandenberg, Republican, OF
Michigan is an exception in that
he opposes the repeal and yet repre-
sents a big industrial State
The presence of vast numbers of
foreign born voters whose relatives
are affected by Europe's war is
bound to be factor in the matter
of changing doubtful votes. The
pacif1st sentiment which will insist
that any change now will draw
America into the war has its greatest
strength among women voters, but
this argument will no doubt be
countered in Congress by statements
that the present law contains more
peril in it than the proposal Of
change
Congress Probable Course.
Thus, under existing law, an
American ship can carry cotton
and wheat and various raw mate
rails to England, and be sunk by
. German submarine without
warning. If it be assumed that
America might go to war on that
account, then every American ship
laden with wheat becomes poten-
tial instrument for the provocation
Of war. But would Senators and
Representatives vote to embargo
wheat and cotton from the high
seas in order to keep supplies from
aiding the belligerents? The chances
8, are this would strike too deeply on
the political front
The probabilities are that in the
end the present law will be dras-
tically amended, and that safe
guards to prevent Americas being
drawn into the war will be added
even though the cash and carry
policy of allowing exports to be
continued to any nation which car