Evening star., 1939-02-19
Neutrality Law Is Up Again,
With Peace Recipe Still Hidden
Legislators Befuddled but Presidents Attitude Is
Now Defined: That Legislative Neutrality
Is Futile.
Bv Cresf0n B. Mullins.

| embargo, and arms embargoes in civil
wars generally, measures short of war
against aggressors, war supplies for the
European denocracies, national and
Western Hemisphere defense, and a my
Rad of objections to various parts of
the law as it stands.
Fundamental in the reconsideration
of 'cash-and-carry' neutrality is the
evidence of its unworkability provided
by the Far Eastern conflict and the
shift in Europe's naval balance as the
result OF Germanys challenge to Great
Britains strength on the high seas
| The law was never invoked in the
| Chinese-Japanese War, chiefly because
of Well-grounded fears Of irreparable
damage to American foreign trade and
shipping, and of enhancing of Japan's
military advantage by preventing Amer
| lean ships from carrying war materials
| to China, while Japan could supply
herself in American markets with her
own merchant marine. 1t was terrify-
| ing prospect, too, of British, italian and
Scandinavian merchant tonnage. as well
| Pacific to reap the harvest of a trade
closed to American vessels. The dam
age to American merchant marine. in
| the upbuilding of which the administra-
| ton has taken such a solicitous inter-
est, would have cost new tens of mil
lions of dollars to repair.
Doubts Prevented Test.
j
trality thus prevented its use in the
first instance where it might have been
| tested. Further than this failure before
trial, the shift in the political situation
in Europe coupled with resurgence of
German and Italian naval power, casts
d pail over this expedient
As passed in 1887 the law favored
the nation or coalition of nations con-
trolling the seas in war time, for they
alone would be able to send ships for
American agricultural and industrial
| products. That meant Great Britain
and France in 1887 Not, however, in
1889
Two more years of rearmament have
upset the balance. Not only has Italy
riile, but Germany has launched a pro-
gram of building submarines, capital
ships and cruisers which may make it
match for the British Navy in a few
years. So that in time of war British
and French control of the sea lanes is
by no means foregone conclusion.
In this new situation the "cash-and-
carry law would operate more evenly,
perhaps between the two prospective
groups of belligerents, but apparently
it is not the administration intention to
give the dictators an even break in OBJ
tanning the sinews of war. which include
whole range of food supplies pri-
mary and secondary raw materials. and
finished products.
Rather than the limited discretion of
the ''cash-and- carry" law, which at best
| can have only uncertain and unpre-
dictable results, Mr. Roosevelt wants
| free hand to work out by diplomacy
the part the United States is to play
iii preserving world peace by means of
! an energetic, activized foreign policy.
| This free hand precludes prior reveia-
ton of how far the executive intends to
| 60 in implementing such policy. just
as good poker player keeps straight
face and his cards hidden.
Bluff or War Games?
The present neutrality law, even with
out the obnoxious sh-and-carry" Sec
tion would not permit freedom of action
regarded necessary to throw the United
States into the side of peace, for the
mandatory embargo on arms and loans
which sprang from postwar isolation
| ism would remain
Is Mr.. Roosevelt playing a titanic
| game of bluff, with the stakes Americas
tseedom or domination by the totaI-
tartan states, or are the warnings he
his Secretary of State and other states
men have given to Chancellor Hitler
and Premier Mussolni founded in a
firm intention 10 take the United States
into war if need be to halt their ad-
vances?
Thousands of new planes, new men,
of-War for the Navy, and a more mo-
bile, mechanized Army are aces and
kings, but the hole card is the purpose
Va A'AA' AooooSNCAC III uolIlS tlllS
vast military and naval establishment
OF which he is commander in chief The
dictators will have to call to see it.
Thomas Amendments Favored.
OF prime Importance at this stage
are the amendments introduced by Sen
ator Thomas of Utah. His joint reso-
luton is not officially an administration
bill, but conforms so closely to admin
istration desires in neutrality revision
that it may be adopted by Mr.. Roosevelt
and the State Department as their own
proposal.
The Thomas amendments provide for
% discretionary presidential power to
embargo any or all materials besides
arms, used in wartime: and co presi-
dental power, with the approval of
both Houses of Congress, to exempt
from all embargoes and restrictions the
innocent party in war conducted in
violation of treaty to which the United
States is party
The first amendment would give the
President wide authority to forbid ex-
port, either in American or foreign ships.
of any commodities used in wartime.
In view of the contraband lists en-
| forced by Great britain Car,,, 49,,