Evening star., 1938-09-25
Democracies
On the Defensive
By OWEN L. SCOTT.

GIGS anu plhIlS OF knlS Government.
American foreign policy rests Upon the
premise that the worlds remaining de-
mocracies can utilize their preponderant
economic strength to bring to terms the
impoverished and presumably hard
pressed relationships
President Roosevelt and Cordell Hull,
Secretary Of State, have looked at the
vast gold supplies in the hands of the
democracies, at the control Of the seas
held by these democracies, at their mex
haustible stores Of raw material, at their
superior man power, their trade agree
ments and their currency agreements as
guarantees Of world dominance
The very thought Of these things theo-
retically should be enough to cause Ger
many and Italy and Japan, with their
negligible gold supplies and their raw
material shortages, to cringe and to give
way to what looks like superior power in
the hands of England and France and
the United States
threatening and democracies are doing
the cringing.
Just why should this be so? What ac-
counts for the constant retreat on the
part Of England and France and-indi-
rectly-of the United States?
Military reasons apparently do not pro-
vide the answer. This country's military
experts and those of other nations all
seem convinced that in a war between
Great Britain and France on one side
and Germany and Italy on the other,
the democratic powers would win. There
is constant reference to the acute short
age of vital raw materials In the Fascist
countries. Over and over again the ex-
perts assert that anything but a short
war would result in ruin and defeat for
those nations.
Yet the Germans and Italians push
from one successful threat to another
The reasons for this situation, Govern
ment analysts say, really are deep-seated.
Some OF these reasons trace to the United
States, where the greatest irritation
toward the attitude of England and
France seems to center. All point to a
weakness on the side of the democracies
that may become more pronounced.
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Take the case of the British At home
the British nation is up against depres-
sion that chills the ardor for adventure.
In the empire, Britain is faced with a
loosening OF old ties. Canada and
Australia and South Africa and India all
are reported to be distinctly cool toward
the idea Of sacrificing men and resources
to battle for Ethiopians or Spaniards or
Sudeten Czechs. Without help from
those dominions, Great Britain is a rath-
er moderate-sized nation.
But even If help did come from the
oomlnions. there would remain the in
dustrial and financial problems at home,
The British debt load is at the breaking
point. Foreign investments no longer
provide the amount of income that they
once provided. Reserves to fight a war
are extremely low and there exists a deep
lear on the part of the public that air
raids would wreak havoc.
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The rulers of Britain apparently are
convinced that even q victory would
leave problems of character that would
spell the end of the present form of capi-
talism, and of democracy.
AS a result, it seems much cheaper to
buy the favor Of Hitler or a Mussolini
particularly when that purchase can be
made with the territory and resources of
other nations. AS the experiences of
Spain and Ethiopia and Czechoslovakia
prove, the relationships continue to
md profit in threatened force The
nations financial and economic structure
is tottering. with democracy hanging only
by thread. Actually, in both Great
Britain and France the governments
even now are relationships by American
standards.
Here is the point at which the United
States enters the picture.
II this country would only be willing
10 sacrlf1ce some of its vast store of gold
or TO give assurance that its resources
and lts man power were at the beck and
call OF European democracies. then Eng
land and France might gamble on war
by letting the United States pay the bills
once again.
But instead OF that, this country Is
ready to offer nothing very tangible ex-
cept advice. A Neutrality Act forbids ex-
port of munitions upon the outbreak of
war, and the British and the French thus
would be denied access to the American
market for airplanes and guns and am
munltion. Furthermore, any raw mate
rails proclaimed by the President to be
war materials could be sold only on a
cash-and-carry basis.
Then in addition, the johnson Act
forbids new loans to nations in default
to this Government on past borrowing.
That would close American capital mar
kets to the democracies, removing the
chance that the United States might
finance a new European war as it
financed much of the last one.
All OF this means that the richest ma
ton on earth, and the leading exponent
of the democratic form of government
as well as of international morality,
would expect the other democracies-
already on the ragged edge economically
to fight the battle for democracy.
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The truth of the matter is that no
other course than that is politically pos
sible. The people of this country never
were more nationalistic; never less will
ing to sacrifice for somewhat uncertain
ideal. A survey of newspaper opinion
discloses that the newspapers, too, are
calling for isolation-with all that means
in the way of more drastic New Deal
than any yet proposed.
1t is in this situation, the experts find,
that the real strength of the dictator
ships lies.
Germany and Italy are organized on
war basis. Their people are educated to
expect call for sacrifice. Their econo-
mics are geared to war and the public is
disciplined to respond Immediately to the
orders of the state, regardless of the type
OF sacrifice that these orders may de-
mand. InduStrialiSts and finaHciers are