St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1939-02-10
Here And
There
By w. N. Saith

tive. Since then the center of in
terested inquiry has been, What
will start the next war and where
will it occur?
The Balkans, that hotbed of irri-
tating barriers and quick-tempered
people, seemed to many source OF
greatest danger.
Japan's controversy with Russia
over the frontiers of Manchuria
looked for moment like the spark
plug of a new conhagration.
Later the undeclared war in
Spain, arraying the demoeracies
and the fascist states in camps of
opposition that could at any past
time throw them at each others
throats, has not yet passed the dan
ger of armed conflict into which
the whole world would inevitably
be joined.
And now the demand for in
creased American armament, which
demand comes from those in high
authority and is having its danger
Gus repercussions surrounding
Americas foreign policies; these
and other incidents have turned the
worlds thought toward war and
are responsible for the jittery feel
ing prevalent everywhere.
The ease with which Germany
seized Czechoslovakia and her ap-
parent intention to extend her ter
ritory to the very borders of Rus
STA has caused such a turmoil and
apprehension among the vulnerable
states that anything may happen
at any time if perchance any one
of them should make a mistaken
movement. .-
Now comes C. L. R. James, West
Indian born Negro author, who in
his lecture, twilight of the Brit
ish Empire" given here in the
Twin Cities, brings forward a new
and plausible explanation of some
mystifying occurrences and a new
lead to the where and why of a
coming war.
Why has the great British En-
pire been so complaisant under the
yelled threats and sneers of Hitler
and Mussolini? Why did she so
readily agree to the terms of the
Munich conference?
Why has Chamberlain run at the
beck and call Of these dictators ?
She did not dare do otherwise, says
Mr.. James, and the reason: the
sword of Damocles which hangs by
a hair over her own head. Briefly,
this is the situation as outlined by
Mr.. James: ......
England's economic supremacy
of many decades is based upon her
ability to impose upon her dark
colonists her own terms.
Her dark sons, $50 million in
India, some so million in Africa,
are forced to undergo hardships
such as the American Negro can
scarce conceive of in order to give
to England the vast returns that
have kept her financial condition
intact while that of all the coun-
tries of the world has shrunk.
These subject people have reached
the waters edge of economic sur
vival. There is nothing left but
revolution, and this by every means
in her power England is seeking to
avoid. She realizes that once she
is tainted or plagued into war she
would not only lose the support of
these colonies but be in danger of
their fusion with the empires enc
mics.
So Hitler with impunity has
tweaked England's nose and "made
her like it." Mussolini will further
embarrass her by her demands fol-
concession from England's only
ally in Europe-France.
But in India and Africa revolu.
ton will surely come if England
will not grant readjustment that
white overlords will resist to the
bitter end: either horn of this di.
lemma spells the end Of British
domination and will reduce her tc
a second-class power. The climax
will be war. It will be worldwide
At least this is the judgment OF
the well-prepared Mr.. James whose
interpretations were received with
much interest by Twin Cities audi.
ences this week.
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