Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-05-29
Sensible Neutrality

SSUSIOIS INSu(IUIly
Secretary Hull's somewhat belated
but none the less fortnight and ef-
fective neutrality pronouncement
should serve to break the dangerous
log-jam in Congress growing out Of
the confusing weller of conflicting
views expressed there regarding neu-
trality legislation.
The Hull roposals-and they are,
of course, also Roosevelt proposals.
are neither new nor radical. Most Of
them have had the benefit Of actual
trial in some form or another. Some
Of them are in existing law, others
are embodied in one or more Of the
sundry bills before Congress. AS a
group they constitute what Is, under
the circumstances, the best approach
to the common objective Of even the
most diverse of the schools of thought
avoidance of involvement in other
peoples wars. History has shown
that money, men and ships are
among the chief catalysts that pre-
cipitate neutral nations into wars
not of their own making. The Hull
program would throw restrictions
around all three when other nations
fly at each others throats-withou
sacrificing any of our traditional
rights in the family Of nations and
with a minimum of inconvenience to
our nationals and our national econ
omy.
According to the Nye Munitions
Committee, the love of money had
much to do with our embodiment in
the World War. War loans to the
Allies undoubtedly tended to draw us
closer to the brink which finally we
reached on April 6, 1917. Secretary
Hull, therefore, would ban loans and
credits to belligerents and restrict
private solicitation and collection of
funds for foreign wars. The existing
law contains similar provisions.
Another provocative of war is the
jeopardizing of American lives by
belligerents. This hazard always is
present when nationals of neutral
nation venture into known area Of
combat operations. To reduce the
possibility of involvement in this
way, Mr.. Hull would restrict dras-
tically all travel by American citi-
zens in war zones. The Neutrality
Act of 1887, now in effect, imposes
like restrictions.
Ships and their cargoes are capable
Of dragging nations into cross-cur-
rents that lead to war, hence the
emphasis placed by Secretary Hull
and many other neutrality students
on the question of wartime trade.
The Hull program would abso-
lutely forbid American merchant
and passenger vessels from entering
any designated combat area. More
important yet, 1t would revive the
"cash" part of the extinct "cash-and-
carry" section of the 1887 act, so
that no cargo-whether munitions,
oil or other commodity-could leave
our shores until Invested completely
Of American title or other potentially
entangling interest. While Senator
Pittman and a number of other lead
ers In the neutrality discussions
would go farther and require these
cash purchases to be carried only in
foreign bottoms, Secretary Hull
would permit American ships to
benefit by this trade providing war
zones are not invaded He advocates,
as an additional safeguard, continu-
ance of the present system of licens-
ing the arms trade, both as to exports
and imports.
The Hull program would, in effect,
reshape and expand the dangerously
rigid 1887 Neutrality Act, with its
automatic embargoes on munitions
to friend or foe alike, into a more
flexible and therefore more practi-
cable instrument for peace.
There is every reason to believe
that our own national interests and
the cause Of world peace would be
served better by a more complete
abandonment of the old neutrality
legislation and the investment of the
President with adequate discretion
airy authority for the conduct of our
foreign relations. But since Secre-
tary Hull is confronted with the
practical problem of dealing with
Congress obviously reluctant to give
the President the degree of flexi-
bility he should have in handling
international affairs, he has sub
mitted what is obviously a compro-
mise proposal-one that in all
probability represents the most he
can hope to get in the way of new
neutrality legislation at this session.
If the present law remains I'M
touched by this Congress, the Euro
pean aggressors will be further en-
couraged in whatever plans they
may have for conquest by right of
might Theirs will be the satisfaction
Of knowing that II general Euro
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