The Daily Alaska empire., 1938-10-03
Self-DeterminatiOn
(New York World-Telegram)


 The governments of Great Britain and France, have agreed to satisfy Herr Hiters demand of self determination for the Sudetens, proposing at the same time system of guarantees by which they hope to bring peace to Central Europe
 Most Americans understandaby, we think will depore this abandonment of the grand little twenty year-old democracy called Czechoslovakia. American sentiment always kindes for the underdog, and ln this case our emotions overwhelmingly one-slded
 But logic and reason also have something on their side. The World War made grand total of more than 37oOO0OO dead, wounded prisoners and missing It lasted more than four years Its cost up to April 30 1919 approximately $1S6,0000000O0. And the world is still paying and will continue to pay for many years, not only in dollars and cents but in human misery.
 That war we were told was to make the world safe democracy" And the foundation of democracy was the sef-determination of peoples.
 Even Soviet Russia when she walked out on the Allies in March, 1918, at their darkest hour told Germany that she would sign the Treaty of Brest- Litovsk if she must. but that she still insisted on the recognition of the right of selfdetermnaton for all peoples
 When the peace of Paris set up in 1919 it was supposedly founded upon the Wsonian doctrine of self-determination In that spirit entered the World War and in that spirit we helped to frame the Treaty of Versailles. Czechoslovaka was one of the fruits of that treaty
 Unfortunately when Czechoslovakia was created her borders included certain unwilling minorities The Sudetens apparently wanted to go with Austria the Teschen Poles to Poland, some of the Magyars to Hungary and Today, therefore if these mnori- ties insist upon being left free to determine their own development-unhindered, unthreatened and un afraid" it will be difficult to justify refusal.
 After wagng world to uphold the right of self determination the democracies would find themselves shifting sands if they fought another in denial of precisely that same right.
 But, it is said if the Sudeten area is dominated by Germany, and other minorities are also granted the right of the strategic frontiers Of Czechoslovakia will be impossible to defend. She will be at the mercy of any of her more powerful neighbors
 Czechoslovakia is already at the mercy of her powerful neighbors. Any one of at least three of thenl-Germany, Russia Poland-could destroy her if she were left to fight it out alone Today, in the past her security lies in help from outside situation which would not be changed by any vision of her frontiers.
 Holland has only 120O0 square miles of territory and barely 85O0OO0 inhabitants She is vulnerable at every frontier flat as a pancake Her security like that of Switzerland Belgium Luxembourg and similar elsewhere depends upon factors other than her strength So it is and it must continue to be with Czechoslovaka.
 Conceivably, granting to the Sudetens the right of selfdetermnation will not satisfy Hitler for long Pretty soon he may be asking for more But we had better not try to cross that bridge until We come to it. that is, unless willing to fight preventive war now on the issue that has been joined.
 
 The pronoun we is used advsedly For if there is general European war and it lasts long enough will be sucked in.
 We in this country hate But we are not pacifists. We believe there things principles for which should fight cost what it may But are we. Americans, prepared to raise billions of dollars and ship millions of men overseas to leave their bones on the banks of the Rhine and the Danube in order to deny principle which have already fought foreign to upheld?
 As Americans should frankly ask ourselves that question. For unless are so prepared we should be chary with criticism of Britain and France of the step they reported to have taken.