Evening star., 1933-04-09
ROOSEVELT LEAD
DESIRE OF WORLD
Statesmen of Europe, Asia
and South America Tire
of Own Peace Efforts.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Es
President Roosevelt's dramatic invi-
tation to the heads of the nine leading
powers Of Europe, Asia and South
America to confer with him in Wash
ington has electrified all international
quarters at the National Capital. His
initiative is widely interpreted as ndi-
eating the United States willingness
to accept leadership in world recon-
struction. Everywhere men are saying
that to Franklin Roosevelt has returned
the opportunity which was offered to
the preceding Democratic President,
Woodrow Wilson, and rejected by the
country acting through the Senate. Ac-
cording to the same authorities, the
world at large is as ready for q new
deal as the American people them
selves and equally prepared to let Pres
ident Roosevelt distribute the cards.
They do not suggest that he would be
given "dictatorial powers" OF any kind.
They mean that the nations are In re-
ceptive mood for blast Of fresh air.
This. at least. Is the reaction imme-
diately manifest in Washington to the
spectacular action of the White House
in seeking personal conversations here
with European, Asiatic and South
American government leaders. The
views EXPRESSED exactly reflect the pro-
phetic opinion voiced, shortly after the
inauguration Of President Roosevelt, by
]. T. Garvin, famed editor Of the Lon
don Observer, who said: America has
found a man. In him at later stage
and it cannot be very long deferred
the world must find leader.
Europe Tired Of Leadership.
Europe in particular, according 70
d1SGISSS-
ful continent. is tired of her own lead
ership. Her leaders are depicted as be-
ing tired of one another. They tnem-
selves are described as tired men, worn
out by the futility of their own eI-
forts. A long procession OF them mas
come and gone since the World wal
leaving the European situation pro
rressively worse from year to year tnan
II was before. Statesmen cry peace
and call for peace, but there Is no
neace. The continent is like marx
Twain,s weather in state which
evokes universal disgust and unceas-
ing alarm, but nobody does anytnlng
II is in the midst Of this hopeless
ness that Macdonald and simon, Dai,
adler and Paul-Boncour, Mussollnl anu
Grandi, Hitler and Hidenburg, 10 say
nothing of lesser lights like Plisuoski
in Poland; Bernes In CzecnosiovaxIa'
Zamora and Madariaga In SPAN, ny.
mans in Belgium; Manu- and T1tuiesco
IN Roumania: Schulthess In Switzer-
land: Tsaldaris and Venizelos in Greece
Marinkovitch in Yugoslavia; Van BLOCK
land In the Netherlands. and Sander
In sweden are depicted as looking al
most longing across the Atlanuc ior
fresh blood and inspiration IN the
realm of international statesmansnlp.
Old World Diagnosis.
An Old World spokesman, who can
not for obvious reasons be named, dag
noses the situation in these terms
20 SO far as to prophesy with comples,e
confidence" he says, that Europe VIII
accept with open srms the same sor. Oh
audacious leadership from Presloens
Roosevelt as he has given the onlIeo
States during the past nVe Weeks.
Broadly speaking, Mr.. Rooseveit, as nc
looks across the ocean, sees the same
picture of leaderlessness. drifting. un.
Certainty. Distress fear. that confronted
him when he took office at washington
on March 4. It was much the same
position as Europe found itself IN alteI
the Armistice-a house bitterly oivloeo
into groups of conQuertng ana COIL
quered nations. ,. .,,-
came an American President, WOODROW
wilson. In its craving for order and
an ordered peace, Europe welcomed Mr.
wilson as a new Messiah. AT the mo
ment of his arrival in France, on the
eve of the Peace Conference. Europe,
conuuering and conquered peoples alke,
were almost in a mood to anolnt nin
as arbiter of the universe. He was
something new, something wholly oe,
tached from Europes own conflict and
woes. something from which, In its own
desperation. Europe fondly hoped for the
lioht and leading that four years OF
war had failed to bring forth: Frank
lin D. Roosevelt strikes us as ftt1ng per-
fectly into the picture OF 1888 wer!o
needs. Just as we envisioned that WOOD
row Wilson did In 1918.
Wilson and Nations Confidence.
"For Woodrow Wilson's failure TO
measure up to European expectations,
there are many reasons. Foremost
among them, in our opinion, was the
fact that he had lost the commence OF
his own country, or at least OF the
branch of Congress, the United States
senate. whose approval of his engage
ments with Europe was necessary Delore
they could become valid. Few OF the
europeans who threw themselves at
the feet of the American Messiah"
realized that they were tdolizing
statesman who only q few weeks before
had been rebuked at the national cleo
tions in which he had called for vindi-
cation and support.
I'm Franklin D. Roosevelt Europe
finds q President of the United states
who has the confidence Of his people
to an extent in some respects unparal-
leled in their modern history. Certainly
If he cares and dares to lead his coun-
try in an international new deal, there
is every sign that it will follow him as
Wholeheartedly as 1t has rallied around
him in the field Of national policies.
He has another advantage that Mr..
Wilson lacked-he is practical
politician.
TT is not for Europe to suggest what
Mr. Roosevelt should essay In the way