Evening star., 1939-09-10
New Dealers Are Convinced
War Makes Third Term Sure
Republicans Refuse to Admit Defeat, but Outbreak
of Hostilities Has Made Change of
Strategy Imperative
By Marquis ". Childs.

". CMlds.
buy since these two powers control the
seaways.
Others In the administration would
go much farther and extend credits to
the Allies, repeating the johnson Act to
make this possible. Plans are reported
in preparation for the repeal of this law
which forbids extension of credit, either
public or private, to any nations in
debted to the United States Government.
Effects Of Johnson's Speech.
Still others would have this Govern
ment lined up Immediately with Britain
and France 1t is only realistic, they
argue, to defend the democracies since
if they are defeated we shall some day
face the Nazis alone. Our first line Of
defense, the argument runs, is the Brit
isy navy, and it is an argument, Incl
dentally, which is heard in high places.
One of the most militant members Of
the administration is Assistant Secretary
of War Louis Johnson Johnson. speak
ing in Boston several days ago. blamed
tllc OulUl Cdh Ol IiiC wal VII NOllSlSo
failure to revise the Neutrality Act. The
immediate political reaction to this
speech is said to have been bad. john
son, according to rumors here, is soon
to replace Harry Woodring as Secretary
of War II this move is made it will be
significant of the White House attitude
since Woodring favors doing everything
to avoid ENHANCEMENT. Another militant
member of the administration Is Secre-
tary of the Interior Ickes.
At the same time there are those
within the Presidents party and within
his administration who favor strict iso-
lation from Europes quarrel. Jerome
Frank, chairman of the Securities and
Exchange Commission, has expressed
the extreme isolationist point OF view
in his book, "Save America First" Sen
ator David L Walsh of Massachusetts,.
chairman of the Naval Affairs Commit
tee in the Senate speaking in The Star
Radio Forum after the outbreak of the
war, declared in favor of forbidding any
shipments whatsoever to belligerent
nations
Suspicious otSs
Those Senate Democrats who have
been in opposition to much OF Mr.. Roose-
velts domestic program are for the most
part isolationists. Suspicious of the
Presidents foreign policy in the past,
they will be doubly suspicious now that
war has begun. There is no reason to
believe that these isolationist Democrats
have changed their point OF view. Many
of them. such as Senator Bennett Clark
of Missouri and Senator Worth Clark
of Idaho, will be found in opposition to
any change in the present Neutrality Act.
Then there is the Presidents own at
titude. He has said unequivocally that
he will make every effort to maintain
American neutrality. But there is reason
to believe that he has little confidence
in efforts to maintain neutrality in the
face of conflict that has spread through
the world Often in the past he has
said, as he said last Sunday night, that
war makes itself felt all over the world
and that no one can escape its conse-
quences.
Even as he was uttering those words
the Athena incident had occurred, with
American lives endangered through the
sinking of a passenger liner. That was
the third day of the war; less than "a
hours since Great Britain's declaration.
Woodrow Wilson was not confronted with
the tragedy of the Lusitania until nearly
a year after the outbreak of hostilities.
Rrands Germany Aggressor.
In the past, too, beginning with his
Chicago speech in 1887, the President
and members of his administration have
frequently denounced the Nazis. In his
talk on Sunday he named Germany as
the aggressor for her invasion OF Poland.
Along with virtually all Americans he
has had an intense dislike for the Nazi
regime. In peacetime such attitudes are
merely an expression Of national opin-
ion, canalized of in various forms. In
wartime attitudes are vitality important
in determining the national course.
If the war has brought political prob
lens for the Democrats, it has made the
Republican position a thousand-fold
more difficult. The domestic issues on
which the opposition party hoped to
come back into power are out the window
for the time being, anyway. Republican
hopefuls suddenly find their whole posi-
ton undermined.
In the public mind the Grand Old
Party is considered the party Of isola-
tionism. The President was able to point
out at a recent press conference that q
solid Republican minority in the House
had blocked consideration of revision Of
neutrality laws. The Republicans resent
this impeachment; they say that they
are for on-intervention>rather than for
isolation. Senator Robert A. Taft has
rean1rmed the stand he took last spring
in favor of cash-and-carry neutrality
instead of the present arbitrary prohibi-
ton on all sales of arms and imple-
ments.
For all that they may disclaim it, the
fact is that the isolationist view domi-
mates the Republican party. This
Is the source Of a probable conflict within
Republican ranks not unlike that which
| may divide the Democrats.