Evening star., 1938-12-11
The American System

The American System
II totalitarian powers in Europe or
Asia were ever in any doubt of the
United States determination to ex-
haust it's possibilities, moral as we'll
as material, for preservation of "the
American system" in this Hemi-
sphere, it would be dispelled by Sec
retary Hull's uncommonly fortnight
address at the opening session of the
Lima Conference. Studiously devoid
of any suggestion of imposing North
American hegemony upon our Latin
neighbors, the Secretary of States
speech calls for united action in de-
fense of ideals peculiar to the New
World" but emphasizes that each of
our nations must decide for itself
what measures it should take to meet
the insidious dangers" in question.
WaShington's chief spokesman in
Peru minces no words in pointing out
the perils that menace "the American
system" by which, of course, he
means the institution of free govern
ment intrenched throughout Pan
America. Powerful forces in some
parts of the world" Secretary Hull
declares, "have challenged the valid
ity of the primary and basic princi-
pies upon the foundation of which
we and the rest of mankind have
been building the edifice of our So
cial organization and of our interna-
tional life. Whatever outer garments
they wear today, these forces are not
new in the experience of mankind.
Fundamentally, they are the same
forces that had for centuries held
men in bodily slavery and spiritual
degradation and had impressed upon
the relations among nations a state
of anarchy, of reliance upon armed
force, of complete absence of any
kind of safety and security"
Contending that mankind is trag-
ically confronted once more by the
alternatives of freedom or serfdom,
OF order or anarchy, of progress or
retrogression, of civilization or bar
barism," Mr.. Hull solemnly warns the
Americas to recognize that the al
tcrnativeS confront not only the
countries in which "these resurgent
forces find their organized ex-
preston; they loom threateningly
throughout the world. Their omi-
nous shadow falls athwart our own
Hemisphere"
To whatever ways and means the
sister Americas find it appropriate to
resort to stem the totalitarian tide,
the Secretary of State means no un-
certainty to exist as to the United
States purposes. Each and all of
u.s." he says, "desire passionately to
live at peace with every nation of the
world. But there must not be a
shadow of doubt anywhere as to the
determination of the American ma
tions not to permit the invasion of
this Hemisphere by the armed forces
OF any power or any combination of
powers. AS far as my own country
is concerned, let no one doubt for a
moment that, so long as the possibil-
ity Of armed challenge exists, the
United States will maintain adequate
defensive military, naval and air es-
Establishments"
Details, controversial, complex and
numerous, need to be thrashed out at
Lima before inter American agree
ment on economic, political or mill
tary problems is possible. But a
yeoman service is rendered by Sec
retary Hull in laying fundamental
cards on the table at the outset of a
fraternal discussion of vast import
for all the peoples who dwell between
Hudson Bay and Terre del Fuego.
Lima seethes with agents of the
BerlinRome axis. 1t is to be hoped
they will report faithfully what Cor
dell Hull said, and that Fuehrer and
Duce alike will put it in their pipes
and smoke it. The Nazi autocrats
should take special notice of the Sec
retary of States scathing indictment
of their attempts, through "reversion
to the primitive forms of physical
barter" to undermine sound and
healthy economic relations among
nations" Mr.. Hull pillories devastat-
ingly Germany's suicidal attempts
at autarchy" and her efforts to "im-
pair international trade by forcing
1t into the artificial channels of mar
row bilateralism or exclusive region