Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-12-25
Urges 'Moginot Line
For Western World
Writer Advocates American
Isolation From Conflict
Of Government Theories

We are witnessing today great world
wide conflict supposedly between two
theories of government, theories which
have stimulated on the continent fear,
suspicion, frantic demonstrations and in
ternational conflict. These theories are
supported by those on the one hand
who are in favor of rule by a clique,
oligarchy or some titular head, and on
the other by those who believe in rule
by many, the masses or. to use the more
popular term, the democratic way. Both
deavors and no doubt conscience to
great extent is molding their decisions.
We in America are prejudiced in favor
of democracy. We have a right to be,
for is it not our heritage even our way
of life?
Since time immemorial mankind has
progressed or retrogressed, whichever the
case may be, from one form of govern
mental rule to another We are told
by historians that the nucleus of
that great drama called the evo-
luton of the state" is the early pa
triarchal family and, of course, this form
OF organization existed really before there
was any kind of government in the mod
ern sense Of the word. The next step in
political organization was the tribe, ruled
over by a chieftain and sometimes as
sisted by advisory councils. Here we
notice that as society increased there
was a tendency to add to the admins
trative end.
The next chapter in this metamorpho-
sis OF the state was the ancient Oriental
empire under which f1ourished the civil
izations of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, In
dia and China. We are told that these
empires were not strongly centralized,
but were made up of subordinate units
obliged to furnish soldiers and to pay
tribute. Our next form of government
was the first real attempt at democratic
rule known as the Greek city state Here
culture and education abounded and rep
resentative rule worked out favorably.
due in part to the small geographical
size and unification of thought. The
following acts in this never-ending drama
may be mentioned briefly. They were
the Roman empire, with its bureaucratic
and despotlc rule: the feudal state, with
its lnterlocking form of government with
each noble vassal to the other with
the King at the top of a continually
shaky pyramid and the new national
states in which individualism, nourished
by the industrial revolution, new inven-
lions and the factory system, became the
dominant factor. The old philosophy of
the divine right of kings" so exem-
pllfied by Louis XIV when he said,
upon question, that he was the state,
gave way to the more radical and popu-
lar theories of free speech, free press
and the right to peaceful assemblage.
1t might be interpreted therefore, in
certain schools of thought that num-
Der OF the governments of the world are
IN reverse, going back to the pagan in
fiuences Of barbaric policies. This in
depreciation. no doubt, is prevalent
among London and Paris circles, hence
the present crusade and war cry of
Down With Hitlerism!' We in the
States must remain aloof, play the role
OF Watchful waiter, and do everything in
our power to unite the 81 republics in
this hemisphere. We cannot altogether
isolate ourselves from the realities of
the present day. China believed at one
time that She had reached the zenith
OF cultural perfection and what hap
pened? She built a wall Gradually
stagnation and degeneration set in and
she became the footstool of every other
progressive nation in the world. America
cannot afford such a luxury. She can
not become hermit Nation, for hermit
most always dies a pauper in spirit. But
she can protect what the Western
Hemisphere holds, the torch of uncen-
sored intelligence to light the way out
OF the Zimmerman depths for all those
who will follow
Again I say, let us build a Maginot
Line from Boring Strait to Cape Horn
and up the east coast to Baffin
Bay. Protect what America has and
we save for the world a treasure of
inestimable value. Vox populi, vox Del
the voice of the people is the voice of
God. BENJAMIN r. ST1CKNEY, Jr.
December %.