Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-20
u. s., Argentina
PdCtIsCdIIed
Blow toFdrmer
BY ARTHUR CAPPER
United States Senator from Kansas
special to THE DETROIT TIAlES

~ w ~ vi n III
United States Senator from Kansas
special to TN DETROIT TIMEs
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20. - The I.
past week il was announced. with
a great fanfare Of trumpetlngS .
from the White House and the
state department, that a reciprocal
trade agreement had been negotl-
ated with Argentina.
President Roosevelt congratu- !
lated Secretary OF State Hull upon
the accomplishment Secretary of
State Hull congratulated President
/ extend my congratu-l
lations TO the republic OF Argen-
tina.
AT a hearing before the House
committee on agriculture. when.
the Argentina trade agreement
was mentioned. some one asked
what the agreement means.
lit Just means that Argentina
has a better secretary OF agri-
culture than the United States"
commented Rep. Cliff Clevenger
Of Ohio.
NOT WICKARD's WORK
Perhaps that is not exactly fair
TO our Secretary of Agriculture
Wiekard. II was Secretary Hull
not Secretary Wickard, who nego-
tiated the new trade agreement,
which certainly bodies no good for
the farmers of the United States,
particularly the farmers Of the
West and Southwest, including
Kansas.
/ want 10 say few words about
legislation now pending in Con-
gress.
The House has approved the adj
mlnistration proposal 10 revise the
neutrality act so that United
States merchant ships can be
armed. The measure will come be-
fore the Senate foreign relations
committee, of which / am a NOM
Der. for hearings, starting to-
morrow.
may as we'll state. right at the
beginning, that the administration
has the votes 10 pass the measure.
1t is another decisive step, to-
ward war. That, in my judgment,
is the reason the legislation was
recommended by the President.
ANOTHER STEP DUE
There will be another step taken
In the near futuse. That step
probably. would have been coupled
with the ship arming proposal if
the administration had been GER
tain it could be approved without
"a long and holly contested strug-
gle in Congress.
This other step, recommended
by the President in his recent
message 10 Congress Is Ia remove
the prohibition against American
flag ships manned by American
seamen being used 10 transport
war materials and other supple,
through combat zones into port,
OF warning nations Repeal of thi,
section OF the neutrality act is ex.
pccted 10 furnish the necessary
Incidents 10 arouse the public Ia
demand war.
The arming Of merchant ships is
Just another subterfuge to commit
the United States the govern
ment OF the United States, and the
people of the United StsteS-to an
all-out war policy.
CAN'T FIGHT RAIDERS
II is not seriously contended
that arming of merchant ships is
an effective way of protecting
them against mines, surface raid
erS. submarines or aircraft. What
~ does is 10 make these vessels,
legally, warShips, but warships so
inadequstely armed that they can
not ever hope 10 win sea battle.
President Wilson, YOU may re-
member. ordered the arming OF our
merchant ships a short time before
we entered World War no. !
There was no prohibitive neutrality
act on the statute books at that
time.
In a letter 10 Representative
Mundt OF South Dakota, Admiral
H. r. Stark. naval chief OF opera.
tons, made this blunt and forth.
right statement as 10 the operation
lol this program al that time
and ! quote his exact language:
mo armed guard vessel was
officially credited with fatally
damaging an enemy vessel.
Thirty-five armed guard vessels
were sunk by the enemy during
the last war, with a loss Of SO
lives"
That seems 10 be the answer
10 the demand for srming mer.
Ichant vessels-it is 4 futile. use.
less gesture so far as affordnl
projection 10 American ships snC
American lives is concerned.
MORE HONEST TACTICS
I think il would have been more
honest and above board for The
administration 10 have presented
the clear-cut issue OF sending
American flag ships and American
Seamen into the combat zones. in
stead of 'cdginC up 10 tina
program by this suhlcrfuge O
presenting the repeal OF the bar
against aiming merchant ships.
In his latest message president
Roosevelt went much farther thar
thi, lie recommended repeal o
iall the safety provisions of the