The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-05-17
WEDNESDAY. MAY II. 1893.
THE ROOSEVELT DOCTRINE
"a sCRIPPs-HOWARD NEWsPAPERl

appeal to all nations goes far beyond the
Hitler menace which fastened it, Between
the lines Of the appeal is implied recognition
of Russia warning to the warning nations
Of South America, reminder to japan that
she is outawing herself as an aggressor, and
notice to the entire world that the United
States is ready to take leadership in effective
international cooperation for prosperity and
peace.
Probably no action by an American gov
eminent since our entry into the World war
has been so significant. Since Versailles,
American foreign policy has been a wavering
and unsuccessful attempt to WELD power in
world affairs without assuming responsibility.
In the Washington arms conference, the
United States restricted its responsibility to
naval and Pacific questions in which we had
a direct interest.
In all the Geneva arms conferences we
have taken the position that land disarma-
ment and the related security question was
a European problem, to be worked out by
European nations, without our cooperation.
The United States government refused TO put
teeth into the Kellogg ant-war pact speci-
flcally because it was unwilling to take any
definite responsibility for observance Of that
treaty.
Hitherto our government has declined even
to enter a consultative pact for preservation
OF it's treaties.
But in this emergency President Roosevelt
not o,,1,y hoe cope,,1+ad with other nations.
he actually has put the United States ahead
of Great Britain and France in an affirmation
that any threat to European peace is threat
to American peace and welfare.
Though this truth is somewhat clearer to
the average man today than before, it was
Just as true in fact during all the postwar
years. when the Washington government
vainly was trying to maintain the fiction of
national isolation from European affairs.
TTHERE is not a single American economic
Il problem that can be solved in disregard
of the rest Of the world. Even the most blatant
isolatonist among us must realize after these
four years of suffering that our fictitious sola-
ton from Europe did not prevent world de-
preston from helping to drag us down, ruin
ing the foreign market for our farm products
and the excess output of our industries, bank
rupting farmers closing factories. turning
workers out on the breadlines, smashing our
banking system, and finally pulling us off
the gold standard itself.
President Roosevelt is not moving into the
international situation because he likes it, or
because he lacks enough work excitement
at home He is fighting to save the arms and
economic conferences, because he has learned
since March that even the most drastic
domestic measures he has introduced can not
revive agriculture, can not give work to
100000 unemployed, can not put us safely
back on the gold standard, if world chaos is
sucking us down
The American government can not really
balance its budget or plan national economic
revival, until it knows whether there is to be
arms competition or arms reduction; tariff
war or reciprocity agreements; a depreciation
race between the pound and dollar or none
tary stabiuzation; observance of peace treaties
in Europe, Latin America, and the far east,
or American preparation for war
The immediate effect of the Roosevelt
declaration is to unite the world against the
Hitler madness. Hitlers capacity for mischief
is not ended, but his ability to provoke world
war probably has been destroyed by the
President
Because the United States now is allied
Germanys violation of the treatieS-not to
mention the unwillingness of Italy and Russia
TO Join Germany--HitlerS international power
is virtually nil
At worst, Hitler conceivably might force
international sanctions against Germany, but
even that would be more apt to result in the
overthrow of Hitler than world war. To
provoke a world war Hitler must have power
full armed allies. and today even Italy hest
tateS to join him. After the Roosevelt declara-
tion, it is less likely that Hitler will find for
eign allies.
DUT the far eastern crisis is more serious.
- Not only has Japan violated the treaties
in the past, she is violating them now
President Roosevelt after his discussion of
the arms and economic conferences, added
these significant words to his world message:
But the peace of the world must be as
sumed during the whole period of disarma-
ment, and I, therefore, propose fourth step,
concurrent with and wholly dependent on the
faithful fullllment of these three proposals
and subject to existing treaties:
That all the nations of the world should
enter into a solemn and definite pact Of non
49,