Evening star., 1940-06-12

llUtuIN W lllt st4ExS 81
formahties nd Ss ID
amenities of in
ternational in David Lawrence.
tercourSe has been thinking in
terms of what has been said by
Presidents in the past and is not yet
used TO the extraordinary develop
mentS which have been reflected in
the news dispatches since the dav
four weeks ago when the sudden in
vaslon Of two neutral countries
Holland and Belgium-Was under
taken by the NaziS to the horror of
the civilized world. 1t may be that
Washington is in part still far from
oriented to the new march of events
wherein old preCedentS and old
forms are rapidly being swept aside
But it is fact that while the speech
was thrilling it would have been
far more penetrating if it had been
embodied in a joint resolution of
both houses of Congress, that is if
1t had been the expression of the
representative of all parties.
Trained to Sportsmanship.
If, on the other hand, America
plans to enter the war at some not
far distant date, if also the events
yet to come are of nature which
will OvershadoW all that has pre-
Ceded in sensational values, then the
Charlottesville address of the Pres
1dent may yet seem a tame eX-
preston compared to what may
have to be said to express the moral
sense of free people For above
all else the American people have
been trained to sportSmanship and
they do not like to see a bully fall
on the underdog in a struggle for
survival
The talk heard here is that
America might have salu less because
there is as vet no sign that America
will participate as a full-fedged
belligerent. If Mr. Roosevelt wishes
to make the cause of democracy
matter for American concern in
military sense, then the Charlottes-
vile speech will become mere pre-
liminary. incidentally the prospect
that Americas influence as a media
tor may disappear altogether would
seem to have been envIsoned by the
President. who no doubt recalls how
COldly the axis powers treated the
WelleS mission and the sincere ef-
forts of the United States to throw
her economic resources into the
balance in order to reconstruct the
world If a durable peace could be
insured.
Feels He Knows Public Opinion.
Unquestionably the President feels
he is keeping abreast of public
opinion and that America is about
ready to take up arms in defense of
human liberty. Otherwise. he never
would have ventured to call spade a
spade and to have spoken as bluntly
about Italy.
Ihere Is, however another posi-
bic explanation. Mr. Roosevelt re-
calls how President Wilson modified
the opinion Of the whole world be-
hind the American entry into the
war. If America is to 60 in again,
1t is necessary that all other so-called
neutralS in the WOrlC should enter
the fray, too. If even there was
time for collective action it is when
freedom is being burned at the stake
and when the smaller nations of the
world can hardly see ahead anv
chance for independence or security
If relationships are to spread their
sovereignty to the four corners of
the earth.
Mr.. Roosevelt probably would like
to see all the 81 republics of this
hemisphere enter the war together.
He probably would like to see the
already conquered peoples aroused
in hope so that they may somehow
bring the pressure of a possible re-
volt to bear as the free nations else
where organize worldwide crusade
to rescue the fallen democracies.
No Problem of Waiting.
The President thinks of the i'm
mediate future as involving the very
lifeblood of American security now.
He does not consider the problem
one of waiting for an attack in the
dim and distant future. He consid-
ers what has happened already as
an attack on Americas way of life
He doubtless reasons that when
Britain and France shall have been
defeated is no time for the United
States TO begin to go it alone and |
wait for the invasions of South !
America or the restrictions on
American export which will tend
to break down our economic system.
Will the American people sanction
active belligerency instead of non
belllgerency, sending men as we'll as
ships and materials overseas? Up
to now it has been the favorite
expression of the political leaders
that they would not vote to send our
troops overseas. In recent days SEN
tlment has been changing. Today
the question is whether America
will wait as did Belgium and Hol-
land for the aggressor to spring his
surprises or whether the free peoples
will join now and ward off the
future blows.
The President would never have
made his Charlottesville speech if he
didn't think the people of America
were ready to follow him into war
to back up the assertion of the prin-
ciples of freedom. He may or may
not have correctly analyZed public
opinion. Are the people ready to go