NEW NEUTRALITY LEGISLATION

Southland Times, Issue 23773, 22 March 1939, Page 5

NEW NEUTRALITY LEGISLATION

Americans’ Move To Aid Democracies “CASH-AND-CARRY” IN WAR TIME (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received March 21, 11.55 p.m.) NEW YORK, March 21. A Bill amending the Neutrality Act was introduced at Washington today by the chairman of the Seriate Foreign Relations Committee (Senator Key Pittman). The Bill provides that one month after the outbreak of hostilities between foreign States a presidential proclamation would make unlawful the carriage of goods or passengers by any American vessel to the countries involved. All materials, however, would be available to any nation able to pay cash and to carry the goods in its own vessels. It is believed that the amendment will aid the democracies, as they control the seas. The New York Times 'in an editorial says: “The outbreak of a general war in Europe is conceivable only if » an aggressive Germany or a disappointed Italy egged on by German promises pushes ahead to some new conquest at the expense of Britain and France or a smaller nation whose integrity these Powers would defend. In such a war there is no doubt where our interests would lie. They would lie on the side of the nations engaged in defending our own way of life. We would serve American interests best by permitting the democracies to acquire in our markets weapons of self-defence. “The enormous potential output of the American war industries is a factor of immense importance in the world today. It is so large a factor that adoption of Senator Pittman’s' amendment could in itself be expected to play a part in resolving the present crisis in Europe. It would give Germany one additional important reason for not taking a risk which might involve all Europe in war, and to that extent it might heir to keep the world at peace.” The New York Herald-Tribune says: “Senator Pittman’s revision might work satisfactorily in the case of war in Europe, but it would compel us to deny the Chinese a chance of obtaining American munitions, which is ridiculous. The Neutrality Act should be repealed outright.”