The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-11-16
SEEN~sHEARD
around the
National Capital

National Capital
n1y GARTER FIE1iDuI
Washington.-Members Of tn STATE
department and embassy circles nery-
Ous over the possibility Of war IN Eu.
rope growing out OF the assassination
Of King Alexander Of Yugoslayia. be-
came wen more tense when bulletins
with respect to a~nti-Italian feeling n
Serbia, where the mobs blamed m
.Italian plot" we're published. How
Y g their fears were waved away by
IN old historian.
1It's the wrong time Of the year
the historian smiled.
II they start fighting, It Will be
the wrong time. all right q ambas-
sador retorted. Its always the wrong
time Of the year for war;
"That depends,n said the historian.
sBut II you will look up your history
and refresh your mind about dates,
you will find that OF the last twenty
four important wars, all but one start
ed In July, and that one In August"
whats the answer" asked the AZ
tonished diplomat.
People do not fight until they get
their crops In" replied the historian.
.In Europe they have their crops in
pretty well by July, and there still re-
mains some good weather for fighting
before winter
Down in my part Of the world" In
terrupted the minister Of one OF the
Central American countries, who was
waiting In the State department ante
room with the ambassador and the his
torian, 1--WE do not fight during the
rainy season. When that comes on, we
suspend the war until 1t IL over. And
you talk about old-time chivalry, q gov
eminent would not think Of arresting
q rebel leader merely because he
stopped revolving and went home dur
ing the rainy season. Even If the gov.
eminent knows he intended to resume
the war the moment the rains stopped.
Il that cricket| ask you?"
Fears European War
But the ambassador wal interested
In Europe, not in the vagaries of Gen.
trail American revolutions. 81 r~3
II would not be at all surprised II
this assassination resulted In q war
which would involve first Italy and
Yugoslavia, and later most of Europe
he said, .in spite of your theory It IL
the wrong time Of the year." ~
"Why even the assassination was at
the wrong time of the year to cause q
war;" said the historian. Again I ask
you to search your history and notice
the dates. Dates seem unimportant to
most Of us. We + interested in the
things that happened-in the story, as
It we're. Even as .schoolboys we loathed
memorizing dates. "A
"But there Is q pattern to 1t II you
60 all the way through. Always the
particular outrage or event which has
led to the war has happened in the
late spring. In the cas- Of the World
war It was in June. But the wal did
not come for six weeks. Until the
proper time for q war" Tx
'That may have been logical enough
once" retorted he ambassador. "But
the reasons for It have become archaic.
Anyway, there Is no logic in most wars.
They just happen. I know there are
exceptions, where one nation seeking
some great advantage deliberately
planned a war. But normally war
comes because no one Is wise enough,
o big enough, " has prestige enough
combined with the other qualities. to
stop It. It used to be that wars were
almost suspended in winter. But In.
the World war we fought straight
through" :
1T may be-" said the historian slow.
~, shat through the centuries mems
minds have been grooved by the neces-
stiles until they were. not In a state
which leads to val except at the time
which for thousands Of years has been
normal. I don't know. But I will lay
You any odds In reason that we do
not have war this time, and I am just
betting on my theory
Arouses Criticism !
pass Prosperity Around" the slogan.
Of the Bull Moose cheering for Theo-
dore Roosevelt back In 1912, should be
the text of the Franklin Roosevelt ad-
ministration, according to enthusiastic
insiders. Except that Of course It
would heve to include "when we
get It" !
The two moves-to pass It around
and to get it--have been proceeding
simultaneously in the plans Of the gov
eminent. Hence there has been much
criticism from those who insist that we
have to cook the cake before we can.