Evening star., 1938-09-22
Post MOrtem of Democracy.

"Czechs Bow to Hitler's Peace Terms,
After Ultimatum of Britain France ran
headlines in Wednesdays Evening Star,
epitomizing the international scandal of
written during the incredible week, no
single episode outstrips in humiliating
implications this climactic development
in Czechoslovakia tragedy and the
Anglo-French Vaccinations that led up
to it.
1t was bad enough and sad enough that
Hitler condemned the young republic to
death; almost worse, that Europe's lead
irg and powerful democracies were ac-
cessories to the execution. But that the
Czechs should actually have been goaded
onto the guillotine by their supposed
friends staggers the imagination. A Lon
don-Paris "ultimatum" to Benes and
Hodza to place their heads on the chop
ping block-an order to a sovereign state
which British and French statesmen
themselves, with all its chronological and
geographical incongruities, fashioned and
set on its feet-that is something which
turns Runnymede into a travesty and
makes mockery of Liberte, Egalite ct
Fraternite. That it will cause generations
of Britons and Frenchmen yet unborn
to hang their heads in shame is hardly
to be doubted. They will find it hard to
believe that men of their blood at the
helm In this year of disgrace could have
compounded such felony. When the
Prime Minister of Great Britain makes
his bow and, figuratively at least, bends
the knee before Hitler at Godesberg to-
day, Mr.. Chamberlain will have the
historical, If ignoble, distinction of
having presided at the post mortem of
democracy.
So much having been said in general
characterization of events of the past
twenty-four hours-pivoted on Prague's
acceptance under duress of Nazi de-
mands for cession of the Sudeten prov
inces and German domination of what
is left of the dismembered state, includ-
ing abrogation of it's French and Russian
alliances-common honesty requires it to
be emphasized that Americans are on
untenable ground in censuring Britain
and France. If we had been ready to
fight-with our economic resources and
moral support, If not with our armed
forces-we would be In position to pass
judgment on eventualities which might
indeed perhaps have been obviated or at
least postponed, by categorical affirma-
ton of the United States resentment of
the projected assassination of the Czechs.
We did not even protest the depreciation.
We are by that attitude of aloofness put
completely beyond the pale of legitimate
criticism. We are left to deplere-even
to view with alarm-but we have no
right to complain or abuse. We are not
even entitled to take issue with the
,Czechs' reluctant decision not to commit
suicide by tackling the German war ma
chine single-handed.
1t is with the future that disillusioned
IL
cannot be undone. That the architects of
Czechoslovak doom have while preserv!
Ing peace-peace with dishonor-simul-
taneously planted the seeds of future war
Is not to be questioned. A Hitler flushed
with the easy, bloodless twin successes of
Austria and Czechoslovakia cannot, will
not stop with those conquests. Where
the new master of Europe will seek fresh
booty time alone can tell
In which direction he is likely to 20 in
quest OF 1t, his unrepudiated program,
set down in "Mein Kampf," speaks vol
umes. 1--WE turn our eyes eastward" says
Der Fuehrer. East of the Rhine lie Po-
land. with 100000 Germans; Rumania.
with 100000; Hungary, with $4,000;
Yugoslavia with 100000, and Italy, with
100000. To the north are Denmark,
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with, be-
tween them, some 10000 Germans.
Switzerland, the Netherlands and Bel
gium probably account for an additional
aggregate Of $4,000 or $4,000 Will the
war lord of Berchtesgaden, in pursuit of
the program of liberation" triumphantly
inaugurated in Czechoslovakia, proceed ins
due course to bring the blessings of Nazi
civilization to these 5000, ,0O0-odd "op-
pressed brethren" living on those bleed
ing borders" Of the Fatherland, which
Hitler and his co-ideologists ever and
anon pledge themselves to revise" as
the frontier Of Czechoslovakia has Just
been "rectified"?
And what assurance have the British
and French empires that the Reich will
content itself with mere planting of the
swastika across Europe from the Baltic
to the Bosphorus? What guarantee has
Russia that the Ukraine-"to make us rich
beyond the dreams of avarice," as Hitler
put It at Nurnberg in 1937-will long re-
main outside the orbit of German lust?
With the grain fields of Hungary and the
oil fields of Rumania at its disposal, the