Evening star., 1938-02-23
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE

1t is, of course. not within the province
OF the administration to express any
public opinion about the twilight of
democracy in Europe, but it is violating
no state secret to say that both at the
White House and State Department it is
viewed with gravity and dismay. Dis
appointment over the spineless role of
Great Britain is bitter and widespread at
Washington. About the only elements in
the Capital to which the Anglo French
crawl before Hitler and Mussolini brings
satisfaction are the isolationist group.
Undoubtedly. the readiness Of the Lon
don and Paris governments to "appease'
the Fascist relationships without advance
peace commitments on their part, damp
ems any enthusiasm President Roosevelt
and Secretary Hull may have had for
that concerted effort" of which F. D. R.
spoke at Chicago on October s. Ardor
for a reciprocal trade agreement with
John Bull, negotiations for which have
just opened here, has not cooled. but. in
light Of late events ut London, it's fair
certainty that Uncle Sam will watch his
step more carefully than ever in any
truck with perfidious Albion.
Just before he left the United States
last November, after receiving word that
he'd been awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize, Viscount Cecil. Great Britain's
foremost advocate of united democratic
action to curb aggression by the have
not" powers, supplied this observer with
what turned out within 80 days to be an
uncanny bit of prophecy. Lord Cecil
wrote: The situation is undoubtedly
extremely critical. We seem to be in
presence OF q series of acts of interna-
tional brigandage carried out with in
creasing boldness and increasing disre-
gard OF international good faith and
morality; each adventure which sue
ceeds forms precedent for 4 new attempt.
Manchuria was followed by Ethiopia:
Ethiopia by the Rhine provinces and
Spain, and now we have the culminat-
ing invasion of China proper Unless
the peace-loving powers can act now. we
shall no doubt be faced with further at
tempts of the same kind. What that
system may grow to, no one can say.
1t Is to be hoped that the world will wake
up before too late and before we drift
into an impossible position, Of which the
only issue Will be renewal of the great
war;"
William Green, president Of the Amer
ican Federation OF Labor, now has at his
elbow brand-new legal adviser-Joseph
A. Padway of Milwaukee. Author of Wis
consin's Labor Relations Act and preyi-
ously Of its labor code, Judge Padway has
an excellent reputation among the mem
bers OF the Badger bar, as well as among
judges of trial courts and the State
Supreme Court United States District
Judge Ferdinand A. Geiger, hero of re-
cent front-page news in Washington.
also holds the new A. r. of L. counsel
in high respect. While engaged in een-
eral practice Judge Padway specialized
in labor legislation and labor disputes,
He expects to spend part of his time
at the National Capital in connection
with his duties as Bill Green's chief Law
oficer.
Smiles are few and far between at the
State Department these grim interna-
tional days, but grins and laughs are
current all over the place this week at
the expense of q certain United etates
envoy to a minor capital somewhere Ia
Central Europe. In q dispatch COM
menting on the local effect Of the Nads'
conquest of Austria, the Minister re-
ported that the country to which he is
accredited Is jittery because it's afraid