The Omaha guide., 1938-05-21
Economic Highlights

aA-L me- army expansion
axes, Secretary Ful's reciprocal
erade program. perhaps even gov
arnment reorganization War
EAST, present and futures an
minus ard exec DINGHY active
cement in American affairs today.
Most obvious example of our
areoceupaticn with the prosoe t of
var IS the naval building program
he largest IN our resce-time his
tory. It's proponents-and there
are many-4argue hat our best
guarantee of peace IS a ma led fist
econa to rOne. On he ether hand
there are men of distinction and
au+horitv who argue With force
hot this program IS Leading us
straight into war. Reason: Navy
specifications today call for fight
Mp ships Of tremendous cruis ng
Hanges, and for supply vessels able
% make rurs # thousands Of
miles, provide the fleet with oil.
food. munitions ard return to
bases on the continental United
states. How say the opponents of
he building program, can Sims of
mis- TYNE be justified as essent'al
fools of the natioral defense? Why
10 we not build instead. small fast
hips with a relatively short cruis-
mo range sufficient in number
nd power to defend Il coasts
y TO fioht in foreign waters? Is it
possible. they conclude that the
ansnoken purpose behind the cur-
,ent program IS the creation sf a
7. s flent rrimarilv designed for
md capable IF fighting in the
Ghina seas or the Mediterranean?
There IS no definite answer to
these questions now-tut they are
~ndicative Of the confusion that
visits in the minds of the people.
Even more important, perhaps, is
The attitude of the State Depart
nent toward European troubles
an attitude that has received a
yraat deal less Interpretation than
4 subject of such moment deser-
yes.
Apparently the day is owe when
representatives of great govern
nents could sit down. argue diff
'erences. arrive at agreements and
20 home. with all concerned know
ing that the agreements will be
kent. at least until some crisis ar
i've which made one of the parti-
sipants feel that it was necessary
70 sacrifice principle to expediency.
The U. S. State Department at the
present time doesn't say it in SO
many words-but it obviously
feels that words, treaties and pro-
misses of the belligerent powers
Germany, Japan and Italy-can-
not be trusted. There r two con-
crete examples of this to which
are not widely known. A few
months ago the Japanese govern
ment intimated that it was again
ready to discuss a treaty for the
limitation of capital fighting ships
and the u. S. government Of
fered no encouragement. And for
two years. Hitler has periodically
proposed an agreement among the
GREAT powers to ameliorate some
of the evils of war. such as the
unrestricted use of submarines
and the ruthless bombing of civil
ian centers-and again this gov
eminent has turned a deaf ear to
the suggestion.
1t is. of course. almost unthink-
able to blame the U. S. govern
ment for this attitude. The dicta-
tors who agreed to non-interven-
ton in the Spanish revolution have
all but made a Franco victory err
tain by sending him apparently
unlimited quantities Of men, planes.
cannons. and other essentials of
war-ard Japan. which row bur-
denpd under a staggering debt,
might wish to slow down the
world rtaval building race. was the
to violate the previous naval
building treaty.. The States De-
nartment' attitude is simply an
indication of the difficulties of
narrvinrg on diplomacy in a world
the old values have been so
largely destroyed.
One %bv-nroduct of this is Secre-
+arv Hull's nolicv of caution. Of
fieiallv, we have rot recognized
Ttalv's conquest of Abvssinia, nor
cerman's sudden seizure of Aus
We have made protests
= against thesa acts-but mostly in
and indirect terms. Our pro-
miuent part in seeking to curb the
ravages and imiustices # the die
t%ators. Yet no one thinks that the
feeling of this country is p rpu-
one-American sentiment
against the dictators is almost 100
per cent strong Judging by what
evidence there is. the majority of
Americans were disappointed at
The failure Of Eden and the adop-
by England of the Chamber
lain "peaee at any price" foreign
Tt IS rot a remote POSSIBLE
itv that this partisan sentiment
viii in the future be reflected in
the governments attitude. and re-
-