Evening star., 1939-10-30
for carrying on its legitimate busi-
ness.
Spending Billion Dollars,

for carrying on its legitimate busi-
ness.
Spending Billion Dollars.
We are spending approximately a
billion dollars to create an effective
! merchant marine, and are now de-
liberately proposing to paralyze the
industry by preventing it from going
to sea except in restricted areas.
Should our ships be permitted to
assert their rights on the high seas,
they would, of course, be subject
to the requirements of international
law and alone responsible for any
hazard taken contrary to the re-
quirements Of international law.
Search and seizure are sanctioned
by all civilized nations. and our
merchant marine fully understands
this
This whole subject of American
rights on the seas was eXhaustively
and intelligently discussed by the
Congress just prior to our entrance
in the World War. Over and over
again, Lansing, Acting Secretary of
State, vehemently asserted the
rights of American shipping and
warned Germany that we would not
tolerate any attempt to violate them
or any breach on Germany's part
of the prohibitions or sanctions Of
international law
To enforce his contention Lansing
reasserted the doctrine proclaimed
by Chief Justice Marshall in the
Nercide case of 1915, reaffirmed time
and again by the Supreme Court of
the United States in all judicial
determinations by the court up to
this time.
Would Have Dissented.
Hence, had I been able to attend
the Senate sessions, l would, upon
full consideration, have dissented
from the cash and carry" feature
of the embargo bill However,
imagine the circumstances were
such. unhappily, to make the action
taken eXpedient, if not desirable.
Nevertheless, persons actuated by
reason and not by considerations
of pseudo-humanitarianism could
we'll wish that the United States
would not be taken to the verge
of poltroonism, as was so cogently
expressed in 1916 by Senator Suther-
lapd, since a notable member of
the Supreme Court of the United
States.
Even with the harsh and unprece-
dented restrictions upon our mer-
chant shipping, there is no assur-
ance that Hitler's submarines and
bombers will not disregard all re-
quirements of law. His pledged word
is not worth a thrip He is a fer
vent believer in the immoral Machia-
vellian doctrine of the end justifying
the means, however vile the end
may be. He has repeatedly lied as
to his purposes since the deplorable
Munich conference, and it may con-
fidently be expected that under his
wretched domination Germany still
regards written treaties as mere
scraps of paper.
Destitute of Courage.
This country went into the World
War to vindicate its rights on the
high seas, and now to relinquish
these rights through fear of Hitler
ism is to dishonor our dead. The
proposition is utterly destitute of
courage and moral sense. A nation
without spirit or an elevated soul
is as bad as derelict on the seas.
and must be devoid of self-respect
and unworthy of the respect of other
nations.
This country should not be con-
tent simply to eat and sleep and
go to the movies That would be a
sorry contribution to modern civili-
zation. The talk about the NUM-
tions industry dragging this country
into war, either past or present, is
incredible fiction AS a matter of
fact in the World War our NUM-
tions industry was utterly incapable
of supplying our own demands, and
American troops at the front had
10 be supplied with rifles by France.