Evening star., 1939-09-01
Americas Course

Americas Course
Now that Europe's white war" has
been superseded by the roar of can
non and bombing planes, destroying
the arguments of those American
statesmen who had believed that
Hitler would not resort to arms and
who had charted their legislative
course accordingly, 1t becomes i'm
perative that the United States
should re-eXamine the efforts which
have been made to preserve our neu-
trality
This problem should be approached
with two considerations uppermost
in mind. First, every proper effort
should be made to guard against the
very grave danger that this country
may be drawn into the combat.
Second, so far as is consistent with
the attainment of this first OBJ
jective, our policy should be shaped
with a view to serving realistically
our own best interests, in the dis
tant as we'll as the immediate future.
In other words, we must realize that
Americas stake in the outcome of
the war is not remote and fanciful.
but most direct and vital, and that
1t would be sheer folly to adhere to
a course which can only have the
effect OF aiding the totalitarian ag-
gressors and disadvantaging their
democratic opponents.
During the last session of Congress
the administration proposed that the
present provision of our neutrality
law, which, in event of war, places an
embargo on the shipment of arms,
ammunition or implements OF war
to belligerent, be repealed and that
cash and-carry" plan, opening
our markets to those who can pay
cash for their purchases and trans
port them in their own ships, be
substituted therefor. It was con-
tended, and properly so, in The Stars
opinion, that the change, while leav-
ing us technically neutral, would
serve as deterrent to war, because
the existing embargo favors an
already well-armed Germany, while
the cash-and-carry plan would have
the indirect effect of aiding the
democracies, because their superior
naval power would enable them to
buy in American markets and make
1t difficult, if not impossible, for their
opponents to do so. Believing that
war was not imminent in Europe,
however, and contending that the
existing law was this country's best
guarantee of peace, the so-called
isolationist bloc in Congress rejected
the administrations request.
That position could be defended
so long as Europe refrained from
hostilities, but now that time has
disproved the forecast of the isola-
tionists-now that war has started
this country is confronted with q
fact, and not a guess as to what
lies ahead
It may be supposed that President
Roosevelt will at once call a special
session of Congress to consider neu-
trality legislation. With Europe at
war, the problem must be approached
with one and only one purpose in
mind-the safeguarding of American
interests. There must be an imme-
diate end to the narrow partisanship
which from time to time has marked
the conduct of both the administra-
ton forces and the isolationist group.
1t is perhaps not too much to say
that the future of this country de-
pends to a very great extent on the
wisdom of the course to be followed
by the Congress and the President
during the next few weeks. If the
charting of that course is Influenced
by domestic political considerations,
it will indeed be a major tragedy
for the people OF the United States.