Show i Washington If If the first legislative legislative legisla legisla- tive live act of o the th new congress is to tc measure its efTi effi- effi Plane and its iU Embargo value as the policy policy policy poli poli- cy making branch of our government there is no other conclusion than that our legislative l c body dy has sunk to a new low in its history Of Ot course congress should not Dot be j judged by the mess it made in irl rushing through a resolution barring further further- shipment of airplanes air- air planes and engines to Spain but on every side I 1 hear criticism of the lack of common sense used in that instance To recall some of ot the details congress convened there was a wild and surging wave demanding that the United States remain neu- neu entanglement in the S crisis Ever Everywhere where and on ona a 41 million milli n tongues was heard the cry that the the United States should lake b no c chances it should take all v ef f. f the th stitches in time that are a e j Jn necessary to make certain that we will not not get involved in a circumstance circum- circum stance on European soil that thit th t threat threat- ens s to b become come another 1914 It t f has ha has has' been bec and is quite evident that the people of the United States ati ari committed oni n tt d to a policy policy-of peace ua a policy of neutrality European u cd de developments v l have proc proceeded so that merest slowly 1 even the tyro ores ri the ultimate clash bewen between be- be tween tw wen en communism and fascism bout about which 1 I wrote in these columns col- col some weeks weeks- ago In other words the European situation has developed develop d after a n manner that would enable preventative plans to tobe tobe tobe be laid on this side of the Atlantic ocean cean But congress in attempting to insure insure insure in in- sure our neutrality did probably the most thing tiling it could done In so doing I believe the consensus is that both house and senate demonstrated again the inability in in- ability characterizing congresses of the last few years years' to appraise a complete picture It yielded to what it believed to be the public demand without giving thought to the he fu future ure Let us analyze briefly what what hap- hap The rhe e congress convened as asI I have said with ith an almost unanimous InOUS demand from the country for fora a d definite and workable neutrality p policy jc It convened with wit two hyo or three individual business units seeking to deliver and ande L J shipments of airplanes f e c engines to the so-called so loyalist troops tr ops ih in Spain The exporters of these war wat materials sensed quick action by congress that wo would ld destroy destroy destroy de de- de- de stroy their heir contracts Naturally they put on all speed to get the S C planes and engines out of this c coun country un- un try ahead of an embargo C Congress like in so many any boys in a college footS football football foot foot- S ball match fell into the spirit of l competition a race S S S Well the answer is that Robert Cuse succeeded in ip getting his planes and engines 0 on n j lS Beats Beats' Em board ship a and n d dr iy t r to fo It lt away from N New NewYork NewYork e w York and beat In the race by twelve hours a fact factS j h congressional leaders knew S when they enacted the r r resolution of S. S emb embargo S So h appears j it appears to be almost inexcusable inex nex- S I us ble that men of brains brain's sho should ld have ave rushed a piece o of legislation S on on through its channels containing 1 an entire absence of ot neutrality in S its its' ver very language The resolution that was to prevent prevent pre pre- 5 vent Mr Cuse and several others from shipping airplanes and engines to Spain not only laid down the embargo embargo embargo em- em em em- which its but it bargo was purpose A laid down that embargo specifically against Spain Now to those not versed in la international international international inter inter- national law it may not be imS' imS immediately im- im S' S 5 mediately evident how dangerous S. S S such a precedent is International law r requires quires and it is accepted S everywhere among all nations that t there I hall shall be b no discrimination 5 5 among nations unless those nations ar are d declared to be be b belligerents Spain lias n not t been s so declared The war i in Spain is a civil war insofar S 'S as asit it relates to any ny other nation officially rr cl y Of lf course it is a well S known fact that tro troops ps from cornS com com- t r Russia and nearly com I S S France are helping the so- so Jf ij called loyalist government in Spain l It is is' equally qually well known that fascist A troops from rom Nazi Germany and fasSa fascist fas- fas S a cist Italy are supporting the rebel liberal General Franco in Spain These facts would seem to make mahe 1 the war in Spain something more than a civil war which indeed it is S but as far far- faras as the United States i is ia officially concerned the war in Spain remains civil strife And yet our congress in the worst display of low grade intelligence witnessed In a long time specifically places 5 Spain in the category of a nation at war with another mother nation and says Mf in Ir a statute that certain corn commodities modi- modi tc J ties tIes' may not not be shipped to that J j a nation nation S c ip c r S To state this problem another I. I S I way y i it would woul have b been beCa cn exceedS exceed- exceed simple to have made the legS legislation leg leg- J W- W S I apply to all nations a and a d thereby to avoid embarrassment i 4 There was time after atter the Hie race with iI t Mr Nr Cuse C se was lost to have made mader r 7 the the correction of a mistake which S should never have been made in inthe inthe Inthe the first place But congressional leaders were swept overboard by bythe bythe bythe the big wave and as os far as I am concerned h have ve demonstrated again their lack of ability to keep their feet on the ground I do not know what it presages in inthe inthe Inthe the way of 01 future legislation It Itma ma may be that after the excitement has died down congress will again debate legislation and work out proper laws but the start certainly has been inauspicious S S Attention ought to be called just here to the differences that have bave arisen and prom- prom Some ise to cause dim Differences c ties between n the t h e ex cuti v ve c branch of the government and nd some of the legislators M Mr r. r Roosevelt as President seems to feel that he should have pl plenty nty of 01 power verto po to deal with problems problems' like the Spanish situation and export of arms without consulting c congress con o n gross gress A good many New Deal leaders in congress feel the same way But there ore are many who di disagree dis di- agree with that idea There is pronounced pronounced pro pro- sentiment at the Capitol Capitolin in favor of legislation that w would uld definitely prohibit the exporting of arms and munitions muni ms of war but including including in in- eluding definitions and guide lines s for tho those c in the ex executive br branch branchat of at 1 the government t to en enforce It i is ig f too o early yet et tb tell what form the per permanent a eg legislation will take because of the ci circumstances cum st just outlined With the top tap heavy New Deal majority in congress c n ress Jt it would s seem m the better guess to predict predict pre pre- dict diet that Mr Roosevelt will vili have ha his way but on the other hand until such an ab Issue becomes cut clear cut one canno cannot tell very far in advance d ance how the two schools o of thought will solve their problem and whether hether the Unit United ed States will be committed further to the I one man control that would necessarily result from granting additional nal discretionary power to the President in a matter of this kind There seems to be no doubt anywhere anywhere anywhere any any- where that sooner or later one of the nations whose troops is participating pa in the Spanish civil strife will commit an overt act an n a act t of w war r. r Some hot headed individual in command of a ship or an airplane or troops troops' guarding a border will take a pot shot that will wipe out a alife alife life or two and wipe out peace at atthe atthe atthe the same time just as occurred when the comparatively insignificant insignificant insignificant cant Austrian Archduke was shot in 1914 There can be no b no question that the United States must follow fallow an international policy under these circumstances circumstances circumstances cir cir- that is most cauti cautious us It must watch its step It dare not slip slip slip-if if it is going to stay out of that European cauldron And congress first of all must calm down and consider this his situation in the light of the future instead of the jittery urge to respond to excited editorials S S S Dr Rexford Guy Tugwell the fa famous famous ta- ta I dreaming brain braih truster No 1 of the Roosevelt U Tugwell's Tugwell admin administration sira tion Last Act has returned t to o private life to toan toan toan an an executive ve position with a molasses firm Before he left his pos post as Undersecretary of Agriculture Agriculture Agriculture ture however the famous fam us professor signed an order that is designed to curb lobbying by former employees employ I ees of the Department In whose administration administration administration ad ad- ministration he had a hand The aim of this order was an worthy one because it was designed to prevent former officials officials officials or employees of the Department Department Depart Depart- ment meat of Agriculture from using new hew new connections s with commercial groups from obtaining information or u tui- tui ing lug influence not of the best sort from a public standpoint With that order there can be beno no quarrel I find among astute observers in Washington however n no no serious supposition that the order would operate to deprive Dr Tugwell himseLf himself himself him him- self or any other former official of high standing from access to members members members mem mem- bers of the Departments Department's staff It just docs does not work out that way It never has and it never never will despite despite despite de de- de- de spite the wholesome character of the good gO d professors professor's pr plans prans The truth Is that while such an order I may make lesser officials more cautious ca and ana thus tb s put a few f w obstacles cles in the way of petty lobbyIng lobbying lobbying lobby lobby- ing it is s thoroughly ineffectual in hi preventing the use of influence or orthe orthe orthe the obtaining of information from that Department or any other in the government The difficulty with this situation is that government offices are being used as a stepping stone to more lucrative jobs he government does not offer otTer ambitious and able men mena a security of ot tenure Men who demonstrate demonstrate dem dern- ability in governmental positions positions positions po po- po- po sooner or later are offered j jobs bs' bs with great big salary sabry checks attached and they would be less less than ihan human if they did not consider consider con con- sider such proposition when th they theyS y S know that In tn the course of human events a great turnover will vill take takeI place in their own De Department arid and they are re swept aside by reversal reve sal of I public political action f Western Newspaper Union |