| Show I Prevail Prevailing ng Opinions I Comment of tho the American Press Duck Soup It was a matter of some discussion discussion discussion dis dis- dis- dis several years ago when a federal bureau was discovered publishing a leaflet on the proper method of buttoning up little littleboy bo boys boy s 's pants What demanded the then congressional minority in outraged tones was government in the United States State coming to anyway anY National Capital Parks headquarters headquarters headquarters head head- quarters is busy these days designing designing de de- signing duck When com corn completed they will be placed in the pond of the federal bird refuge at Roaches Run a few tew hundred yards ards below Washington airport Tho rho idea is that wild ducks stopping stopping stop stop- ping off there will be able to reston rest reston reston on tho the rafts Even ducks it appears appears appears ap ap- ap- ap pears cant can't swim forever fore Rafts for tired ducks are only a small item of course but they convey some somo idea of how the benevolent arm of the government is being extended And presumably presumably ably this is only the beginning Take the neighborhood around Roa Roaches hes Run for example Tunnels Tun I Tunnels nels nets ought to be built to protect the poor turtles while crossing the highway yay from the madly careenIng careening careening careen careen- ing wheels of onrushing cars and the even more more madly careening wheels of the subsequent am am- Washington Washington Post A A. Soft Cushion of Hard Cash The bureau of b business siness r research search of ot the University of Illinois is has been making a study of the books of corporations which have gone broke The investigators ors hoped to find easily recognized symptoms of ot dissolution and they vero not dis dis- dis appointed The most Important warning and in man many instances the only warning of at impending bankruptcy they discovered was wasa a decline in hi cash assets Changes in other kinds of ot assets including plant and equipment inventories and money due from customers dont don't tell much When the cash position Is weakened weakened weakened weak weak- ened the business is imperiled It has greater difficulty In keeping pace with new v dev developments and andIn andIn andin in taking advantage of ot unusual opportunities It must expect to pay more for wh what t it buys and it itis is js s under continual pressure to sell aeU its inventory at a sacrifice in order to get the cash with which to pay its bills The Th fact Is of ot importance in connection with the announced intention of the administration at Washington to crack down on the undivided profits of business The government has hu taxed these ac accumulations accumulations accumulations ac- ac once on-ce as as' as corporate t i in in- in 1 come but wants to cra crack k them again as addition to individual incomes The Thc policy is an unwise one It may be true that that some some individuals may have avoided some taxation by not declaring dividends in in companies which they control but for every excessive cash holding which the government would break up without working serious Injury It would do immense and perhaps irreparable damage to scores of other corporations The finding of the University of ot Illinois researchers shows the error In the administrations administration's plans Many of the corporations whoso whose records were studied died from excessive pa payment ment of ot dividends dividends divi divi- when reserves should have been built up No corporation so far as as we know ever went vent out of ot business because its cash position was vas too too strong Chicago strong Chicago Tribune Difficult Neutrality Various proposals to revise the tue neutrality laws Jaws have been submitted submitted submitted sub sub- to congress and the president president president dent thinks it would vo be a fine tine thing if it some of them could be adopted provided they did not provoke too long a debate But the subject has become so o complicated ed cd and difficult that any hasty and ill-considered ill legislation concerning concerning con con- it would be a mistake In Inthe Inthe Inthe the first place such laws would apply only to our own citizens There Is no guarantee that they would be observed or regarded as valid by bya a foreign nation engaged In Jn war Moreover modern warfare warfare war war- fare tare both on land and sea and Inthe Inthe in inthe the air has become a very d different different differ differ- ent thing from what it was when the doctrine of ot neutrality first began to appear in international law In an article Troubles Trou bias bles of a a Neutral published in Foreign Affairs last year Charles Warren wrote illuminatingly upon the whole question H He pointed out in detail the difficulties which would confront and embarrass the American government if It it strove to be neutral in another great war Indeed the thickening obstacles obstacle in the way of ot real neutrality have I become becom such than an English publicist pub pub- Heist has dogmatically declared In th the next war there will be no neutrals In case the United States should wish to hold aloof aloot from a European European European Euro Euro- war warl- warl the most urgent need would be to protect our legitimate commerce with either or both of ot the belligerents But wo we know from our out experience e in the last last war how hard it would be bo to do this There is is' no definite list of goods not contraband of or w war r now S f- f accepted as ns a recognized part part of international law Moreover no noone ono one can say now what are the established rules of a blockade or what is an effective blockade Controversies on both these points would be sure to arise quickly If It the American government stiffly insisted upon maintaining its own views in such matters and threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened to resort to force torce if necessary necessary necessary sary sary in order t to carry carry them out speedily find itself drawn into the war despite all its resolutions reso reso- J to remain neutral There is in fact tact no end to the complexities of neutrality as left now at loose Joose ends Congress Congress' is in inno inno inno no condition of ot mind or oi or body to todeal todeal deal deaf intelligently with them now Our government would do well to concentrate its Its ct efforts in conjunction conjunction conjunction con con- junction with other nations upon preventing war instead of ot trying blaze its way along the thorny path of neutrality in case a war breaks out New out New York Times A We Wedge ge for Di Dictatorship A significant debate looms before before be be- fore tore the house in the matter Oft of ot t the h e McCormack Tydings-McCormack bJ bi bill II 11 which has already been passed by the s senate nate and has the approval of the house military affairs com com- The bill is designed to punish whoever publishes or dig dig- tributes any book boole pamphlet paper paper paper pa pa- per print article letter or other writing which advises counsels urges or solicits any member of the military or naval forces of the United States to disobey the laws or regulations governing such military or naval establishments Surely military and naval authorities authorities au au- au- au are arc able to control subversive sub sub- activity within the ranks Codes of both departments provide pro pro- vide ride for the treatment of ot mutiny and Why then this bill billIt It is the product of ot eminently sincere minds but minds so ob obsessed obsessed oh- oh by an abhorrence of ot communism communism com corn and other foreign influences influences that they overlook o far Itar more imminent dangers to the American Ameri Amen can system of civil liberties The abridgement lit fri the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed bill bUl Is slight admittedly but once sanctioned it might provide provide provide pro pro- vide the entering wedge for more comprehensive e c censor e ens n a o 0 r ship of speech and the press Certainly it would encourage those who are working to set act up dictatorial authorIty authority au au- nu- nu in the United States It is only through fearless tearless and unhindered er fred ered d criticism that the cou country try can be guarded against tendencies in that direction direction Washington P Post L |
