Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-11-08

Germany in its
long history of
relations with David Lawrence.
America.
The World War was fought on
the issue that Germany did not
have the right to torpedo American
ships without warning when they
entered the war zones. In effect,
Germany contended for a right of
blockade and the United States en-
tered the war to inforce her own
viewpoint.
Today, as the record is made, the
United States Government has &C
cepted the German view and, from
some points of view, may be said
to have proved the futility of the
sacrifices made by American citizens
in the last war 1t is true that a
preamble to the new neutrality law
says the United States does not
surrender or waive any of her rights.
but the fact remains that American
citizens are forbidden to traverse the
seas in voyages even to neutral coun-
tries in Europe, and American ships
cannot carry cargoes to belllgerent
countries or neutral countries ad-
jacent thereto.
Since Germany has won her point
after Is years, the Berlin press
missed a signal opportunity to draw
attention to Americas revision Of
the position which led to war in
1917. Even President Roosevelt's
remark when he signed the neutral
ity law. that the United States had
returned to her historic position"
is susceptible of differences of opin-
ion, for only in one respect, the
expectation of arms and supplies to
belligerents, has the historic posi-
ton of America been restored.
Reverses Freedom of Seas.
As for the right to travel on the
high seas, and particularly to carry
on trade with neutral countries, the
new law just passed by Congress re-
verses the historic position of the
United States as enunciated en-
phatically in the freedom of the
seas issue in the war of 1872 and the
war of 1917.
This reversal of Americas ira
ditional doctrine came about as a
consequence of a compromise. The
administration feared it could not
get legislation adopted to repeal the
embargo unless it agreed also to the
cash-and-carry provisions. In other
words, it virtually consented to
driving American ships off the seas
in the European trade in order to
get enough support for the repeal of
the embargo.
Now, as the consequences of the
action are surveyed, there will be
some international law experts who
will contend that the United States,
strictly speaking, has not waived any
rights, because an act of Congress
does not bind America in asserting
claims internationally if her citizens
do lose ships or cargoes in violation
OF American domestic law. But the
effect is Just the same as if America
had announced that she recedes
from her traditional position. be-
cause any protest made internation-
ally would rest on a weak basis if
the claimant had violated American
law.
The much discussed transfer of
American ships to foreign flags-the
Panama governments registry-il-
Illustrates the loss of work which will
soon be felt by seamen and crews
OF American vessels tied up because
OF the new law. The American ships
can be bought by foreign govern
ments or by foreign corporations, but
they cannot be manned by Ameri-
cans. In any event, American labor
has been deprived of jobs by the
pressure of the "isolationist" group
upon Congress to enact the cash
and-carry" bill.
Other sacrifices of employment
will follow, but theoretically there
will be other jobs, not necessarily
in shipping, for those who now
become idle.
Severe Blow to U. S. Shipping.
The hysteria about keeping
America out of war" when nobody
wants war, has already resulted in
a severe blow to the American
merchant marine. 1t may cost bill
lions in subsidies some day to re-
store American shipping to the po-
sition it once had in trade with
Europe.
The assumption that a torpedoed
American ship means war was true
in 1917, but 1t no longer is true.
President Roosevelt, in announcing
that he favored the transfer of some
American ships to Panamanian reg
istry, is reported to have said that
If the ships were lost, even though
American owned, the United States
would not consider it cause of war.
Some such statement could also
have been made without the neces-
sity of removing American ships
from the high seas in their>trad
with Europe.
Germany has won the 1917 war
Issue by the voluntary action of the
American Congress, and history will
record that the United States fought
war and then by Act of Congress
acknowledged it was all wrong.
Maybe in subsequent years this &C.
acknowledgement of error will stand
out as wise public policy-but the
German press missed the whole
point of the episode,