Evening star., 1939-10-14
United Stutes Held
Safe From Attack
Writer Sees No Reason
Why We Should Extend
Aid to Any BeIIieerent
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The STAR
The letter written by H. E. Cotton OF
Nashville, Tenn, which appeared In your
issue of october 8, represents 4 line of
thinking which has caused many Amer
leans to relinquish hold Of their spirit of
mental independence. They are the citi-
zens who, apparently lacking real prob
lens, build paper houses for the sake OF
having something to knock down. Or
perhaps they are continually in the
thrall of Nightmares whose oppressive
weight they cannot remove from their
bosoms. At the moment it is the prospect
of world domination by Hitler that fills
their waking hours with imaginary prob
lens and their sleepless nights with
fearful thoughts. Their attitude is that,
as expressed by Senator last week, of
being afiiicted by hysteria verging on
cowardice when they dwell upon this new
peril. Once 1t was the yellow peril that
tremble. Now this has been replacing
by swinging swastika ticking of the
hours Of civilizations life with the per-
sistence Of a pendulum.
Why can't they see how obvious it is
that our American civilization is still far
from such a terrifying, helpless position
and look upon 1t as a civilization worth
an intelligent. independent effort to save?
It's not many months since these Amer
leans were certain that the British
noodod r,,r holp in Cbipo IN Droeorva
the dignity and power in the Orient of
that empire against the relentless, dou-
ble-dealing Land Of the Rising Sun
lest otherwise our last bulwark be torn
from in front of us leaving us defenseless
before a world-aspiring nation of little
yellow folk. That fear clutched at their
terrified hearts. After China--the United
States!
This was indicative Of the paper prob
lens they, here in their isolated safety,
build up in their minds for lack of some
thing real to worry them. Now it is the
Hitler menace that has been conjured up
for their imagination to play with. Sure
ly they can't be sincere in feeling tina:
only the might Of England and France
separate us from destruction! Even If
they are, do they honestly believe that
Hitler can subjugate England and France
any more than Lloyd George and Glenn
enceau were able to subjugate Germany
20 years ago? 1t just can't be done A
nation that has reached the proportions
OF the major European powers will con-
ifc nVtc
and obstacles. 1t was no small attempt
that the Versailles treaty made to keep
Germany down: it was rather an i'm
mense, thoroughly premeditated plan to
conslgn a nation of industrious intelli-
gent people to eternal bondage. Present
events are the measure of its success.
The present plight of the victors will
show whether they were aggrandized
financially, politically or economically
No more successful would Germany be
in any attempt to relegate England and
France to oblivion.
If only these timid souls would forget
their horrid dream and face realities.
Blind allegiance to the European powers
whom We helped before in a quest for
an ideal can avail us no more now than
1t did then. Fooling ourselves into such
allegiance by dark imaginings is the
surest way to seal our doom. Once we
sacrifice our liberty of action to the die
tates of European power politics we lose
our national democratic identity and
acknowledge our inability to preserve q
al YSo, !,
hates of Europe.
We owe nothing to Germany. We owe
no more to England and France We
can and must watch their squabble from
the sidelines as though neither team on
the field were our alma mater Nor
need We feel that supplying arms and
munitions to the forces at war will be of
any greater advantage than throwing in
fresh pigskin to the two teams on the
gridiron. Whether to repeal or not to
repeal is not the big question. 1t is
rather the long-range view of our respon-
slblllty to preserve for posterity the one
seat of civilization that is not in anv
real or reasonable sense in danger of de-
struction unless We voluntarily toss it to
the lions
Let any one advocate repeal of the
embargo if he will and 1 shall not take
issue with him. But let me beg him to
keep weather eye for the rocks on the
English coast while he steers through the
binding fog of his allegiance to the al
lied powers in his mad flight from the
Hitler horror. D. w. A.
October II.