Evening star., 1939-10-23
Wisdom of Views
OF Shafer Questioned.

To the Editor of The Star:
During the past several weeks we have
heard all kinds Of arguments on the neu-
trality bill, some of them intelligent,
some of them silly, and some Of them
nauseating. The letter by Mr.. John C..
Shafer, M. c., falls in the last classifi-
cation.
Does 1t seem reasonable and, we'll
decent, to question or impugn the pa
triotism and honesty of purpose of the
President, large section of both houses
of Congress and millions of Americans
as Mr.. Shafer does when he says the
repeal Of the existing neutrality law
will permit the New Deal administration
to drag our country into another Eu-
ropean war?' I would think at least an
M. c. would be above such small and
cheap tactics.
Mr. Shafer goes on to speak of the
foreign debts. OF course. no one defends
the several foreign governments in their
default on their obligations. Still, there
are two sides to the question. Does Mr.
Shafer remember what we did during
the last war. before we ourselves became
involved? How we raised the ante daily,
as the need Of the allied governments
became acute. how we trebled and quad
rupled the prices of the commodities
that they had to have? How we bled
them white for nearly their last dollar,
when they were fighting for their very
existence? Finally because we would
no longer tolerate the sinking of our
ships and the destruction of the lives of
our citizens, we went to war ourselves,
against an enemy already greatly weak
ened by nearly three years of warfare.
And this member of Congress, intrust-
ed with the welfare of the Nation, advo-
Gates that we foreclose on the possess
sions of the debtors in the Western
Hemisphere. And he does this in spite
of his previous implication that he is
trying to keep the country out of war.
Honestly, Mr.. Shafer, did this idea Just
occur to you now, or have you waited all
OF these years until the allied govern
ments became embroiled in another war
to release this brilliant suggestion? And
you say you are opposed to foreign en-
tanglements.
Mr.. Shafer would do we'll to consult
one of the international bankers" whom
he seems to dislike almost as much as
he does our President, to learn something
about our economy and what would
happen to our country if we summarily
cut off all our foreign trade.
We, as Nation, live in world with
other neighbors, with whom we wish to
trade and live in peace Since we are
endowed with at least reasonable
amount of intelligence, we know right
from wrong; and If we have any moral
or physical courage at all are COM
PEELED to sympathize with those nations
which pursue decency and peaceful ways
of life. There just isn't enough room
under that feather bed for all of us, even
If we did all feel the urge to join the
goodly number who are there now.
certainly would be the last to ques-
ton Mr.. Shafer's sincerity, but I do
question his wisdom on this subject. His
suggestions, If carried out, would not
keep us out of war, but plunge us in,
for the purpose of collecting q debt
which Uncle Sam took over from the
international bankers" OF course, Mr..
Hitler would like that. It would put us
on the side of the crooks and brigands
of this era. HARRY A. KORAB.
October 10