Evening star., 1940-08-03

this he did not believe was right
for any President.
Mr.. Roosevelt's explanation, of
course. is that since America is in
the midst of a worldwide crisis,
there should be no change in the
Office of President. In his speech
of acceptance of third nomination,
he expressed the fear that the Gov
ernment might pass into ''untried
hands. inexperienced hands," but
in that same speech, Mr.. Roosevelt
spoke approvingly of the fact that
men in all parties, almost without
exception, had responded to his
summons to serve.
What is being asked now is why
Wendell Willkie, if elected, would
not be able to command the service
of every single man in the present
administration, including, if need
be, Mr.. Roosevelt himself, where
intimate detail of foreign policy
might be better obtained than by
a separation from the Government
of these tried and experienced
hands.
Could Retain Hull.
Mr.. Willkie could retain the serv-
Ices of Secretary Hull, and certainly
the keymen in industry who have
come here to serve in the Council
of National Defense would be as
glad to serve under one admins
tration as another-most of them
are Republicans anyway. There
isn't a single man now in the Gov
ernment service who couldn't be
retained. The only difference is
that different mind would be
in the White House. Mr.. Roosevelt
really was expressing a belief in
his own indispensability when he
spoke of ''untried and inexperienced
hands" but with the patriotic sup
port of all men irrespective of party,
even Mr.. Roosevelt would, if called
by another President, find himself
ready to serve the Government.
What the President has done in
permitting himself tc be a third
term candidate already has affected
the national defense situation. Con-
scription and plans of Congress to
adopt legislation to carry out defense
proposals of various kinds, especially
taxation, are enveloped in politics
and especially are they interviewer
in Mr.. Roosevelt's third-term ambi-
tions. In history should record some
day that the summer of 1910 was i'm
portant in getting America ready to
defend her democracy. then it may
be that the injection of the third
term issue by the acceptance of a
third nomination will have proved
to be the cause of delays and hence
the biggest disservice rendered to
American security.
Already evidences OF the artificial
situation that has been created are
apparent in the well-meaning but
misguided efforts of various persons
to persuade Messrs. Willkie and
Roosevelt to enter some sort of truce
with respect to consumption and for
eign policy questions so that, con-
ceivably, aid to the Allies might be
accomplished without political de-
bate.
Question of Policy.
The assumption Is that the only
thing which prevents the United
States Government from rendering
more aid to Britain in her hour of
need is the possibility that Mr.. Will
kie would endeavor to make political
capital out of Mr.. Roosevelt's pos
sible action. The truth is far away
from any such assumption. For the
real question is, what is sound Amer
lean policy?
If it is sound and truly American
to send destroyers and small boats
to England to help against the Nazi
invasion, then it is eminently de-
sirable for Mr.. Roosevelt to pro-
claim that policy and boldly call on
Congress to follow his recommenda-
tion. If, on the other hand, it is
not desirable policy, then both
Democrats and Republicans will be
found who will assail it.
The theory that Mr.. Roosevelt
should be spared the unpleasantness
of criticism growing out of his
peculiar position as third-term can
didate and Commander in Chief of
the United States Army is fallacious
The situation is of Mr.. Roosevelt's
own making. To shut off debate or
to attempt to squelch criticism by
an agreement between the two
presidential candidates would be
about as undemocratic as it would
be provocative of distrust by the
people.
A Paramount Issue.
Mr.. Willkie has rejected all in
formal overtures that he somehow
get into conference with various
spokesmen of the administration on
the subject of aid to the Allies in
order that foreign policy may be
taken out of the campaign as an
issue. The truth is, foreign policy
is the paramount issue of the 194o
campaign.
America presumably is in danger
Of having an attack made by the
NaZis on Western Hemisphere terri
tory supposedly protected by the
Monroe Doctrine. What sort OF de-
fense has the United States ready?
A handful of planes and a lot more
on paper-or, to use a presidential
phrase, ION order" Why are so few
planes available? Why hasn't the
President built up our defenses here
tofore? He has known better than
any man in the world what was
going to happen in Europe. Is 1t
an answer to say the Republicans
would have voted against it or that
Mr.. Roosevelt would have been un-
popular? What possible interest
should a public man have in the
question of popularity" or "unpop-
ularity" during his second term? Mr.
Roosevelt had everything to gain by
insisting on an adequate national