The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-02-17

that they are approaching toward
some international crisis-seems to
have spread to our side of the At
lantic. Right out of the air, so to
speak, we are made to feel that
great questions are about to take
shape and that we, in this country,
must be ready to decide them. The
germ, or whatever it is, has taken
up its domicile within our admins
tration and, to some extent, in con-
gress, and the result is great and in
creasing mystery.
Most sources in Washington did
not believe that the so-called settle
ment of the European crisis at Mu-
mich last September was, in fact,
more than stop-gap, as I reported
to you at that time. The Munich
failure has become more and more
evident and the very atmosphere is
charged again with exactly the
same type of bated expectancy.
In a general way, of course, we
all know that the worldwide differ
ence between the democratic forms
of government and the relationships
is at the bottom of the whole thing.
We know, as well, that Hitler and
Mussolini have challenged the Eu-
ropean democracies by the holiness
of their dictatorship actions in TAX
ing practically what they want in
the way Of additions to their en-
pires. We know, further, that the
end decidedly is not yet insofar as
the Hitler and Mussolini ambitions
are to be considered. And wrapped
up in all of this is the genuine
friendship that the United States
has for France and England.
Beneath the surface, things have
been going on in our own govern
ment. The President, the depart
ment of state and the military and
naval services know what is taking
place in Europe and they are adj
vised as to what may be expected.
Plans were being formed and de-
ve1oped so that steps could be taken
here at the proper time. All of this
was done in more or less secrecy,
as it always has to be done since
public discussion of such delicate
matters could tilt us very easily
from the frying pan into the frev
Genuine Danger Of War,
But Not Immediately
Because of the necessity for avoid
ing wrong impressions which is a
vital thing in International relations,
President Roosevelt told the mill
tary affairs committee of the senate
confidentially something of the in
side story. I believe he did right in
shielding those facts from general
knowledge for no one knows how
they could, or would, be distorted in
German or Italian newspapers.
But this air of mystery has back
fired in curious way. It has
aroused certain portions of the coun-
try into a veritable frenzy-particu-
larly, some members of congress
and they have seized upon a rela-
lively unimportant thing as their
weapon in striking at Mr.. Roose-
velt's foreign policy. They have
jumped all over the Presidents neck
about the sale of airplanes to
France, airplanes that were manu-
featured and are being manufac-
tured by private plane builders and
which are being sold for cash to
the French government.
It is made to appear that this is
q terrible thing. The howlers are
saying that Mr.. Roosevelt has VIC
lated the spirit of the neutrality act
and that he should never have given
permission for the sale of the
planes. There are other charges
flying about, also, but they are I'M
important here.
have dug into the situation as
far as is possible, I believe, and I
fail to get very much excited about
the whole thing. There is, of course,
the genuine danger of war, although
am not convinced that Europe is
going to break out tomorrow. Some
time, probably, but not immediate
ly. Such clash of hopes and con-
victions and traditions and faith as
obviously occurs between the philos-
ophies of relationships and democ-
racies is bound to lead to use of
force but I think there is the prob
ability that it is further away than
this jittery feeling Of the world now
indicates.
Frances Purchase of
American-Made Airplanes