Show 0 National Topics Interpreted by William Bruckart National Press Building Washington D. D C. C Washington Tt It was In the sultry days of the summer Bummer of or 1914 1014 It will he fie Waiting Wailing bored that Arch- Arch for lor a Spark duke Ferdinand was laid lad low by byan byan byon an on assassins assassin's bullet In a n remote province of ot Austria At the time the assassination was page front news for most moat of ot the newspapers but Its real Import was not generally generally gener ally recognized Nevertheless from that Incident sprang the greatest war the world worM has hus ever known Within a few months of 22 years cars after the assassination 2 at Sar the world sees a n situation In Europe where another such Incident would have consequences just as 88 violent At the present time ammunition dumps all nIl over Europe are waiting for tor a spark to set them off oft It may maybe maybe maybe be an accidental spark or It may be bea a spark deliberately cast Into that powder keg I do not mean to say that It will happen b but t I do wish to toi i t. t that at no time since the archdukes archduke's assassination has hIlS there been a n field so fertile ferUle for tl the promotion promotion pro pro- motion of or a gigantic war as ns the present It may seem and It undoubtedly does seem to man many that the dangers dangers dan dan- gers Inherent In the European situation situation sit sit- at present are afar off But It can can be recalled that there were those In this country who as late as 1016 said the European war was i 1000 miles miles away Before It ended however American bo boys s 's i and young men had been drafted to tobe tobe tobe be thrown Into that European caul caul- dron It may happen again While there Is no Immediate possibility possibility pos of the United States gett getting n tangled up In the European political problems which spring n from hostilities lies lUes between Ethiopia and Italy those who know history cannot fail fult to agree fig with the statement u that at It ItIs ItIs Itis Is never nc too early to plan for preventing preventing pre pre- venting war For that reason then I I believe almost every family In the United States has a n stake either directly or Indirectly In one of the problems with which con congress must deal This legislation Is known by br bythe bythe the short and und rather title of or the neutrality policy It Is Is Indeed deed Just that but the point I seek to make male Is that the title does not convey onvey by any manner or means Its full Importance or Its full fun effect uj upon Mega on the lives of each of us If a n policy pol can be worked out a policy that Is effective obviously our chances for remaining out of or an any In Asia for fOI hostilities In Europe Europe or or that matter mutter matter are certainly much better heUer I du do not know and I do not hell believe eve anybody can cun say accurately that t It Is possible to develop a neutrality neu policy that wilt will be proof fool or that will guarantee to us the removal of possible entanglements A year ago ngo about this time congress congress con con- gress gl-eSS enacted a n a. a bill which was designed designed de de- de signed to prevent Keep Us the shipment of Out of War war materials to toa a any n y belligerent nation or nations It was manda manda- tory tor The President was directed by congress to lay Iny an au embargo 3 against the shipment of arms arms ammunition ammunition am am- of war to an any countries engaged In hostilities s regardless of whether their claims were right or wrong Y Vve e a have had some experience experience ence with the force of that legisla- legisla legisla legislation legislation tion already and It has not been without Its embarrassing and cult cuU phases Now however cr It Is proposed to revamp that legisla legislation tion which was admittedly of a temporary temporary tem tern character and Is due to expire expire expire ex ex- pire by limitation of of- law raW on py 29 20 Z Congress has been told rather father definitely I think that this country wants to remain out of or someone else's war The President has the same Idea So Instead d of allowing our citizens to run wild ship anything and everything e make contracts with the countries now engaged In war or those that may be engaged ed later It Is proposed pro posed that we have ha a permanent policy embr embodying whatever principles principles ples may be found wisest to protect us vs from ourselves and prevent us from throwing ourselves again Into such a volcano of molten moUen lava us as any present day war wag would be I The problem Is not as simple as asIt asIt asIt It appears on the surface When congress enacted the present neutrality neutrality neu neu- legislation It provided that the embargoes oes when and If laid lall must apply to all It gave ga t the le President no discretionary power to determine whether w we wanted to use these embargoes as a weapon n against one nation while aiding another an an- other Mr Ir Roosevelt In accepting the thc original legislation shall shaH pub Itchy that he believed that he should have c such discretionary power This was waa In line Une with the conclusions conclusIons conclusions of the Department of ot State which necessarily must be the Presidents President's Pres Pres- I ident's adviser on matters of ot this kind I I Congress was waa criticized In many manyI quarters when It made the embargoes embargoes embar embar- goes applicable to all belligerents Now however If It we may Judge from tram the word that comes cornea to Washington Washing Washing- ton sentiment seems t to be bo swinging swingIng swingIng swing- swing Ing In the other direction and there certainly Is a considerable If not a 11 majority sentiment for use of ot the mandatory provision aa as 1 from the extension of discretionary discretionary dis lIs authority to the Pres- Pres dent To say It another WI way the sentiment appears to be In favor ta of ot making the embargoes applicable to all aU belligerent powers and not Just to one nation whose claims our government may ma believe belle to be unjust un un- un just It Is safe to say that tha t before congress congress con con- gress gross determines definitely what the permanent policy Expect shall be there will Hot Not Debate be bitter debate In examining the problems It Is to be remembered that when lays un an embargo against all nations notions at war It takes away awny possibilities of tremendous profit proUt This profit accrues to those by which sustaining war materials are produced Neutrality Neutral Neutral- ity legislation therefore may prove pro castl costly not as costly as war perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps haps- but nevertheless a costly n ac ac- ac tion Hence there Is no question that many lines of ot commerce and Industry are going to be drawn Into the preliminaries of or this decision To explain how disturbing to to certaIn certain tain tala lines of Industry this thing c can n be bc It Is only necessary to recall recall re re- call crill events event of ot the last month or so 80 In connection with the sanctions proposed by the League of Nations The league has lias tried to force Corce the tha dictator Mussolini to withdraw from Africa by the use of embargoes embargoes embargoes embar embar- goes which Is what sanctions are The league proceeded with considerable considerable consid consid- erable vigor until It reached the question of oil Immediately shoes began to pinch and the feet that were pinched were In every country coun coun- country country I try where oil Is s found even our own As a n result they have led th the oil horse hors up to the watering trough from a half dozen different approaches approaches approaches ap ap- ap- ap but they the have ha not yet been able to make him drink Our own oil Interests have not been quiescent qui If the league bans oil shipments ship ship- ments to Italy t the United States which Is not a member of the 1 league n ue obviously ob will do likewise Profits of the oil companies and the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of shareholders would be cut Further Mussolini has announced publicly that Imposition of the embargo embargo em em- bargo o upon oil would mean war He ne did not say aay with whom he would go 0 to war but the British and the Fre French ch know and they are getting ready The British have ha the entire home hom lome fleet In the Mediterranean at this time and the Blue Jackets aboard the British men of war have ha been drilled d thoroughly anew In Inthe Inthe inthe the science of manning their big guns Una So It Is seen how delicate this whole circumstance Is It Is plain that when congress deals with the neutrality le legislation It Is molding a pattern over which there will be undoubtedly an alignment among our citizens as ns sharply drawn as though It were n a purely domestic question There will be those of course who favor a n permanent policy policy pol pol- icy which will make malte It mandatory upon the President to apply embargoes embargoes embargoes em em- n against shipments of anything anything anything any any- thing usable In war and treat all nations engaged In war alike There will be set off against this sentiment sentiment sentiment sen sen- those who think the tune Chief Executive should have discretionary power and that the government should not be placed In a straitJacket straitjacket strait strait- Jacket from which It cannot extricate extricate cate Itself without congressional ac nc- ac- ac tion Whatever the conclusions may maybe maybe maybe be and whatever cr form the new legislation legislation leg leg- takes tales It remains as one of the most Important policies to come before beCore congress In many mo moons ns Whatever Is done necessarily will be ben bea n a precedent toward which future generations will look as ns time goes goeson goeson oes on whether civilization becomes more enlightened or not The Treasury operating on a fiscal fiscal fiscal fis fis- fis- fis cal year car that runs from July 1 to June 30 has Just Must Cut passed the half- half Outgo way point In the current month 12 period The figures gures show v that Its receipts are la lagging far behind the expenditures and and demonstrates the thee necessity for cutting down the federal federal fed fed- eral outgo unless the nation desires to see Its public debt go far tar beyond any total hitherto conceived The official Treasury statement as of ot December 30 shows that the government government gov gOY has hns spent approximately more In the first six sL months of or this fiscal year than it received In t taxes tes and other rev rey- In consequence of this deficit the tho public debt Is now approximately the highest point It ever has reached and that total Is roughly two billion dollars higher than the public debt as It stood last July 1 when the present fiscal year yearb b began Since the expenditures were so 80 much larger than the receipts the Treasury has been on a basis baal that reduced to the thc minimum shows an out outgo o of about 1913 for tor every collected In revenue durIng during during dur dur- ing the first half halt of the current r year nr e t Western Newspaper 1 r Union |