Evening star., 1939-10-14

more devastated Europe becomes,
the less hope there is for de-
mocracy. That is a lesson we
should have learned from our
participation In the last war.
II democratic principles had
been applied in Europe after
that war, If the "democracies"
Of Europe had been willing to
make some sacrifice to help
democracy In Europe while it
was fighting for it's life. If Eng
land and France had offered a
hand to the struggling republic
of Germany, there would be no
war today.
If we repeal the arms embargo
with the idea of assisting one of
the warning sides to overcome the
other. tnen why mislead ourselves
by talk of neutrality? Those who
advance this argument should
admit openly that repeal is a
step toward war. The next step
would be the extension of credit
and the next would be the send
ing of American troops.
To those who argue that we
could make profit and build up
our own industry by selling NUM-
tions abroad, reply that we in
America have nor yet reached a
point where we wish to capitalize
on the destruction and death of
war. l do not believe that the
material welfare of this country
needs. or that our spiritual well
fare could withstand, such a
policy. If our industry depends
upon commerce of arms for its
strength. then our industrial sys-
tenn should be changed.
1t is impossible for me to
understand how America can
contribute to civilization and hu-
manity by sending offensive in
struments of destruction to
European battlefields. This would
not only implicate lis in the war,
but it would also make us partly
responsible for its devastation.
The fallacy of helping to defend
political theology, even though
1t be somewhat similar to our
own, was clearly demonstrated to
us in the last war. Through our
help that war was won. but
neither the democracy nor the
justice for which we fought grew
in the peace that fol. owed our
victory.
Racial Strength Vital,
Politics Luxury.
Our bond with Europe is bond
of race and not OF political
theology. We had to fight
European army TO establish de-
mocracy in this country. 1t is
the European race We must pre-
serve; political progress will fol-
low Racial strength is vital
politics, a luxury. If the white
race is ever seriously threat
ened, it may then be time for us
to take our part in it's protec-
ton, to fight side by side with
the English, French and Ger
mans, but not with one against
the other for our mutual destruc-
tion.
Let us not dissipate our
strength, or help Europe to dis
sipate hers, in these wars of poll
tics and possession. For the
benefit of Western civilization,
we should continue our embargo
on offensive ornaments. AS far
as purely defensive arms are
concerned, I, for one, am in favor
of supplying European countries
with as much as we can spare
of the material that falls within
this category.
There are technicians who
will argue that offensive and de-
fensive arms cannot be sep
arated completely. That is true,
but it is no more difficult to make
list of defensive weapons than
it is to separate munitions of
war from semi-manufactured
articles, and we are faced with
that problem today. No one
says that we should sell opium
because it is difficult to make a
list of narcotics. I would as soon
see our country traffic in opium
as in bombs. There are certain
border line cases, but there are