Evening star., 1938-08-19

manned for MIR. Roosevelt to put it on
record at time when the significance
of the statement becomes an act OF
war prevention itself.
Coming as it does Immediately after
Secretary Hull's address OF warning to
the dictatorship countries, the speech
delivered in the presence of the high
officials of the Canadian government
will be taken to mean in Europe that
there are extremes to which Germany,
italy and Japan need not venture
upon without taking into account the
potentiality of American armed force.
This is not threat of war, but a
warning to prevent war--a language
better understood, unhappily. than the
unpersuasive phrases of a peace ap-
peal.
Moral force would be effective II
public opinion we're allowed to crystal
lize naturally in dictatorship coun-
tries. In the absence of the free play
of opinion. the most constructive serv-
ice that can be rendered by America is
to tell the European world that any
war which is extended to this hemis-
phere would be of immediate concern
to the United States. Since Canada is
part Of North America, any attack on
Canada would have to be resisted just
as any attack on Central or South
American countries.
Minces No Words.
Mr.. Roosevelt uses the phrase dom
fnation of Canadian soil," which makes
1t clear that he means military or
naval occupation and in modern war
fare 1t would mean also aerial domina-
ton. There was no mincing of words
in the Presidents speech. In some
respects it is more sensational than
his Chicago speech of year ago in
which he advocated the quarantining
Of outlaw nations. This week Mr..
Roosevelt has made it clear that in a
concrete situation affecting our next
door neighbor, America would consider
measures Of military and naval de-
tense.
The converse of the same proposition
becomes important, too. Would Canada
sit idly by If the United States found
her Pacific Coast under attack by
an Asiatic power? Hardly. Mr..
Roosevelt has dealt in realistic fashion
with the whole problem Of "the next
war" and has taken aggressively the
very measures which may serve to
prevent such war from ever breaking
out.
The warning will, of course, be un-
derstood in Europe, though the Italian
press already profess to see the Roose-
welt doctrine as addressed primarily
to Japan. But for long time, eSpe-
cially in view of the approaching crisis
in Czechoslovakia, the diplomats OF
the United States Government have
been trying in the most delicate fash
ion possible to prevent European
war, knowing full well that the chances
Of America being drawn in could
hardly be ignored. But American pol
icy has been weakened by the fire.
quent assertions of isolationists that
under no circumstances would the
United States take part in another
European war. History shows that
or indirectly in almost every world
war 1Or Cne laSC Two centuries.
Chooses Auspicious Scene.
But even if the United States
wanted to warn Germany that she
could no more rely on the American
tsolationists than Berlin could in 1914
there would be no way for President
Roosevelt to raise the question directly
without provoking a debate at home
1t is to Mr.. Roosevelt's credit, there
fore, that he contrived to select an
occasion such as visit to Canada
as the means of showing to the whole
world that while no alliances or en-
tanglements are desired, nobody can
guarantee Americas course in GER
tain contingencies. American Ambas-
sador Kennedy has said this publicly
IN London. Mr. Roosevelt backs him