The Washington times., 1937-12-01
War Minded

" that the Roosevelt administration is more war
minded than the resde proestaons of the President
regarding his personal pacifism.
John L. Lewis pointed to one of them in his inter-
view with Eleanor Patterson in the Washington Herald
last week when he revealed that the Navy Department
had been so intent upon rushing the construction of
warships that it permitted the Walsh-Healy and Wag
ner labor disputes acts to be tossed in the ash
In additions Secret submarine and air bases on the
A!eutian Islands, special War Department survey of
all emergency arpors in the United Staes stringent
precautions regarding photographs made from the
w. 1uo,;tuk,o Clipper planes while passing over
"' - Hawaii and reports that President
Some BeHeOe Roosevelt plans to ask for a
billion-dolar naval program all indicate school of
thought within the Administration which believes
is inevitable and that this country eventually will
drift in.
Outside the Administration there even those who
claim that war may be the solution to all of Mr. Roose
velt's problems-that war fever soothes the pain of
economic ls that unemployed would rather be drafted
than stand in breadnes that budgets do not have
to be balanced, politics relegaed to the sdenes,
labor becomes patriotic and tractable-all under the
stimulus of war;
This is nasty accusation to lodge against any states
man. and while it may be in the minds of some of his
aides we do not believe that the President knowingly
and deliberately would shape the course of this country
in that direction
However, it is extremely easy to drift, and we do
believe that if the foreign policies of this country
allowed to drift they have been of late then
and our ENHANCEMENT in it is inevitable.
All during the terrible slaughter of Chinese in
Shanghai, sat SILENT protesting only to Japan
garding the danger of American lives in the Inter-
national Settlement Regarding the cold blooded
der of thousands of Chinese civilians their soil
by invading army, had nothing4to say.
Then, after the height of the Shanghai carnage had
andit atn to liz for
Cbicoco Sneoch any effective pressure against
Japan, suddenly President Roose-
NOOIe OeStNFe welt delivered his speech at Chi
cago advocating Quarantine" against aggressor
nations.
It a noble gesture, but having made it, Roose-
vet Immediately pulled in his horns. In his fireside
chat few days later he modified his Chicago Speech
and it looked very much if Jim Farley had whispered
that the Chicago speech not good political medicine
Nevertheless the State Department went ahead with
its plans for the Brussels Conference called for the pur-
pose of exerng form of economic pressure against
Japan or at least passing censure upon her.
That conference has adjourned, and
amentabe failure has occurred in the entire history of
many lamentable peace parleys Completely bulldozed
by the smooth working triple alliance of dctators, the
delegates left for home without daring to pass
resolution of censure against Japan
Immediately after which, Secretary Hull puts up a
show Of resistance to Japanese conquest by bark
ing over their seizure OF Shanghai customs. He was
not aroused the slaughter of Chinese civilians, but
he is worried over the seizure of Chinese shekels
But the Japanese are not dumb. They know that Mr..
Hull has backed and filled too often public opinion is
no longer with him, there is no bite behind his bark
In other words, the Roosevelt policy in the Far East
has been one of rudderless drf-from beigerency to
surrender and from surrender to beligerency.
Meanwhile the japanese, fully aware of this, have
been playing off against the British. In the Orient
the British due to the fact that most of their fleet must
be kept in the Mediterranean are weak So the Japa
nese have seized eight British vessels, nearly killed a
British Ambassador fired on three automobiles filled
with British diplomats, and generally smacked the
British up and down the China coast
In 1892 this less the way the Japanese
treated the United States Knowing that our Navy then
NiDDOu Currvino was feeling the effects of Cool
80 7u.,, - idge economy, American consus
EU0U W." =" insulted, several American
citizens attacked, and only belated and niggardly
apologies given by the Japanese
Until the flag incident of yesterday which may or
may not have been deliberate japanese policy toward
us has been of the utmost respect.