Evening star., 1939-09-20
Hitler Danzig Speech
Held Un|ike|yt 10
Influence Britain
Existence and Honor
Equally at Stoke,
People Feel
Bv LELAND STOWE.

CHICAGO Daily News Foreign correspondent
LONDON, Sept. 20.-Fuehrer
Adolf Hitler's first war speech, which
proved to be a peace-feeler har-
angue, has made far less impression
on the British people-also, it may
safely be assumed, upon the British
government-than any Of his major
announcements before September 3
of this year. The unanimous reac-
ton here is that Hitler may sue
cessfully have bullied his way into
war, but that he will not be per-
mitted to bamboozle his way out Of
it. At last Great Britain is united
in the conviction that howitzers and
lead constitute the only possible re-
ply to Der Fuehrer and that the time
Tor rhetoric has passed irrevocably.
The British government stands
confidently upon the record Of its
white paper in regard to RESPONSE
bility for the present conflict and
the London press sees slight cause
to debate the extraordinary mis-
representations" voiced by Hitler at
Danzig. 1t is noteworthy that the
London Times declares bluntly that
Hitler's speech calls only for prac-
tical reply:
ut is enough that powerful, de-
termined nations have taken up
arms to see justice done and Hit
lerism thrown down and will not
lay them aside until this elementary
duty to civilization is accomplished"
81 C<nlr
The time also seems to have passed
when Hitler's threats and promises
can make any real dent in British
public opinion. The average Eng
lishman, whatever his place in the
social scale, feels keenly that Brit
aims honor and existence are
equally at stake. The rape of Poland
and the however serious setbacks
in the first weeks of the hostlhtles
have served to illuminate graph
ically the gravity Of the peril to
the Western democracies. Hereafter
the British will judge Hitler by his
acts alone.
Of course, Hitler's calculated
threat about employing a weapon
not vet known" has aroused consid-
cradle speculation in certain circles.
Some people here think Hitler IS
lust throwing out another flesh
creeper," others wonder whether
some more devastating type OF bomb
or gas may have been developed by
Germany There is also one rumor
about a possible spraying device for
deadly bacteria which could be scat
tered over great population centers
from the air. But such speculatlons
are confined to private or other IN
dividuals who try to anticipate what
new horrors science may eventually
unleash in this second World War.
The newspapers actually pay little
attention to Hitler's latest scare
stuff, while the Daily Telegraph
calmly remarks that "Those who
war with Germany know they have
to reckon with frightfulness
they will not be turned aside from
the end which they have set them
selves"
Conviction Solidified.
Hitler's speech can only be i'm
IlSlC 1Ol 1oI ViiSA oOANAJ
ing Britain's firm conviction of the
Nazi regimes war guilt and in
humanity and for increasing that
slowly born, reluctantly reached
British determination to meet Hit
lerism's force with force.
If Hitler spoke yesterday as a
prelude to a peace offensive which
he intends to launch with desperate
earnestness in the next few weeks
the British would be no whit sur
prised. Perhaps the kind Of peace
that Hitler could now offer would
still find some willing ears inside
the British Isles, and perhaps an
autumnal armistice move from Ber-
lin will eventually disturb political
circles, even if in restricted sense.
But for the present or any succeed
ing British government to seriously
consider an early peace which would
inevitably constitute an abject sur
render seems inconceivable in Brit
ain today.
More Hitler speeches such as that
at Danzig are much more likely to
accelerate the fighting spirit
throughout Great Britain.
Copyright, 1889. BY Chicago Daily News,