Evening star., 1938-02-20
Roosevelt Now Taking
Against World Woes
BY OVEN L. SCOTT.

hItempC 10 JOll economic ana pO0ClcQl
forces into reversal Of trend.
The result Is that European statesmen
are beginning quietly to accuse the
United States Of rocking the boat. Their
apparent idea is that the President, by
his comments, actually is giving Europe
q case of war filters. Europeans already
were Of the opinion that Mr.. Roosevelt's
comments on prices made In April, 1887,
upset recovery for them as we'll as for us.
Just why the rest of the world should
begin to be disturbed by the Official talk
within this country is not difficult to
discover.
War talk and war preparation talk is
almost q semi-weekly occurrence at the
White House. The deeper the depression
becoms, the more the stress is placed
upon armament and upon alarms warn
ing Of threats to the United States, first
In the Pacific and then In the Atlantic.
The constant theme is that dictators are
lurking around every corner Euro
peans, with enemies next door all armed
and ready to pounce, discover that they
are calm and collected in comparison
with the rulers of nation 5000 miles
away from any possible danger on one
side and 1000 miles away on another
side.
What foreigners apparently fail to
realize is that Mr.. Roosevelt pretty much
talked this country into one recovery
with the aid of some billions of dollars
then talked 1t out again when the bill
lions were used up, and is engaged now
In trying to talk another recovery The
same technique calls for words to be
used to try to talk and frighten the
world into an international new deal.
A quick glance at what is happening
shows this technique at work. It is aimed
at getting the United States all the way
back into the swim of world affairs.
Rearmament is talked up at every op-
portunity in White House press confer
ences. First the talk is of a feet big
enough to meet any emergency on one
ocean and even as far away as the
Philippines. Now it has jumped to feet
big enough to meet any emergency on
either coast, as result of the February
Is press conference
Then the President wants a law passed
by Congress right away to take the profits
out OF the next war, which. by implica-
ton, seems to be near. He has talked
ABOUT Quarantining nations that have
spread the war disease A demand is
made to Japan to tell of her naval build
ing plans or to face building race.
lhree American cruisers are sent to help
the British dedicate their new naval base
at Singapore, which is long way from
home.
An emissary of the American NAVY is
PACK from a visit to London, where he
exchanged information with the British
admiralty. Anthony Eden, the British
foreign minister intimates that there are
relationships between his nation and the
United States about which he cannot
speak. even In Parliament And the
British House OF Lords is told that every
move by England in the Far East is made
only after consultation with the Ameri
can State Department.
+ y y X
Mr. Roosevelt suddenly has Joined in
an on1cial chorus organized to tell this
country that it cannot escape foreirn
commitments and responsibilities. Alarms
are sounded OF supposed threats by die
tatorships to the independence of South
American nations. The country,s new
neutrality law is allowed to die of neglect
Wnlte House pressure Is applied with all
OF the vigor the President can bring to
Dear to kill the resolution that would
require vote of the people before war
could be declared except in the event
Of invasion.
New naval plans are based on defend
ing the Philippines, which are supposed
10 gain their independence In 1916 with
no 1urtner ties to this country. Secre-
tary Hull refers to critics of the Nations
lorelen policy as irresponsible. The
secretary OF State points to the need for
proceeding "on parallel lines with other
nations, presumably Great Britain. Con.
slant warnings are issued about dicta-
torshlps and their threat to democracy.
Inc sum total Of these DEVELOPMENTS is
an uncertainty and a turn of direction
tnat has some of the Presidents stanch-
est supporters in Congress and outside
deeply concerned.
ihey think that they see the country
oeine pushed by Mr.. Roosevelt and Cor
aeu Hull' his Secretary of State back
ihto lnternationalism, after repeated eyi-
oences OF the seeming determination of
the country to try nationalism in world
gone berserk.
AT that point. a number of things i'm
press themselves on the minds Of the
astounded Senators.
one Is the apparent belief of Presi-
dent Roosevelt that he has a formula for
curing the ills Of the world when his ad-
mlnlstration Is in the midst of verv
grave dimculties trying to cure the ills If
the United States alone Another is Tho
evidence that, while Mr.. Roosevelt &c
busily engaged in trying to save thu world
Tor democracy, the British-who are Tho
principal object Of the solicitude-are
anxlously maneuvering to make a deal
Win tne German and Italian dictator
snips. 1t seems that Great Britain has
otner ideas about the way to be saved
third thing is the continued serenity
OF sweden and Norway and Denmsri
and Holland in the midst of war rro,,.
rations all about. r'p"
These nations, bumped smack I'm
against both dictatorships and democrap
+ cles, have managed to get along deaIin,
with both sides, selling their wares tn ~
buyers possessing the cash to nav for
tnem. They managed to stay detached
from the last war, while the United
States-thousands Of miles awav from,
the the f1ghting-got dragged In. Yet
the Swedes and the Norwegians and tho
Danes and the Dutch have resources that
are Just as attractive to the "have-not"
nations as those of this hemisphere and
are much nearer home. They are fullv
as concerned as the United States with