Evening star., 1939-10-02
Neutrality
Continued From First Page)

NeutrolIty
Continued From First Page.)
of them believe that by prohibiting
the export of what are defined as
arms, ammunition and instruments
of war will entirely eliminate us
from any part in the destruction
of human lives during war. How
mistaken and unfounded Is this
conception!
IF an embargo is necessary to
keep us out of war, then let us
place an embargo on all Of the in
Struments of war and on all of the
materials that enter into the manu-
facture of all arms, ammunition and
instruments of war. I do not con-
slider that such embargo is neces-
Sary for such purpose I do not
think it is so much the character
of goods that we permit to be ex-
ported, but rather the use of our
American vessels in the export to
belligerents of any material de-
clared by the belligerents to be con-
traband of war.
1T has been charged by Senators
and other able men throughout the
United States that to repeal the
embargo provisions of our Neutrality
Act and place them in the same
category with all other instruments
of war and all other goods listed as
contraband by the belligerent ma
tions would be discrimination in
favor OF Great Britain and France
and injurious to Germany. We
might put it the other way and say
that the maintenance of such en-
barge is discrimination in favor
of Germany because it prevents
Great Britain, which is surrounded
by water, from purchasing in our
market arms, ammunition and i'm
plements of war, whilst Germany,
being land power, has access to
arms, ammunition and implements
OF war that may be manufactured
in Russia, Italy, Rumania, Yugo-
slavla and other countries.
There might have been some
foundation for the argument that
the repeal of the embargo act would
discriminate in favor of Great
Britain and France because such
countries are supposed to have con-
troll of the sea, before the recent
changed events in Europe. Now, we
find Italy neutral and, therefore,
not subject to our embargo act.
Italy can legally import from the
United States any arms, ammuni-
ton, and implements of war because
the embargo act only applies to
belligerents. Can these goods, or
substitute for these goods, be trans
ferred to Germany?
ITALY is a neutral and Russia is
a neutral, but we know that there is
an alliance between Italy and Ger
many. We know that they have
agreed to cooperate. We know that
there is an agreement between Rus
sia and Germany through which
they are cooperating. Isn't it evi-
dent that those who established and
those who have maintained interna-
tional law with reference to neutrals
maintaining open markets were
founded in wisdom, and this alone
constitutes neutrality?
Most Important Ever.
I'm my opinion, this is the most
important legislation that has ever
been proposed to Congress or ever
enacted into law for the purpose OF
keeping us out of European war. If
our vessels cannot carry on COM
merce with belligerents and the
belligerent powers know it, there will
be little excuse, if any, for the de-
struction of American vessels on the
high seas with the inevitable loss of
the lives of our Seamen. Certainly
the peace-loving Senators who OPP
pose the proposed substitute are in
favor of such mandatory legislation.
Il have every confidence in the
President of the United States.
have confidence in the declaration
that he intends to do everything in
his power to keep us out of war. I
have confidence that if granted the
discretion with regard to prohibition
of our vessels from engaging in COM
merce with belligerents that he
would exert such discretion. How
ever, the policy of our Government
is vested in the Congress of the
United States and it should not, in
my opinion, delegate such authority,
where it is unnecessary, to the Presi-
dent or any other single man or
group of men. We know that the
delegation of such authority is not
only unnecessary but unwise.
Il fully realize that such pro-
vision may be injurious to some ex-
tent to our merchant marine.
fully realize the value of the mer-
chant marine to the United States,
not only in time of peace but in
time of war. I doubt, however, if
our merchant marine will be seri-
ously injured by such prohibition.
"It may be that our American
vessels will have to engage more or
less in the trade on the Pacific and
the South Atlantic, abandoned by
the vessels of other countries. This
in the long run may be great bene-
fit, not only to our shipping inter-
ests but to our exports. It will per-
NIT us to establish trade firmly
and permanently in places where
we now are finding great difficulty
in promoting such trade in COM