Evening star., 1940-06-13
A Time for Stutesmunship

A lime tor Craftsmanship
Senator Wheelers brief remarks in
the Senate yesterday are unfortu-
nately characteristic of much of the
talk that predominates Senate de-
bate these days, coloring such
debates with tinge of unreality
that is at times unbelievable.
What Senator Wheeler said was
that II the Democratic party became
a war party" he would break with
it; that any presidential candidate
who tries to get us into war will lose
his support. The evil in such state
mentS lies in the inferences and
the suspicious which they invite,
thus interposing new obstacles in the
path of preparedness.
Is it not about time that our SEN
ators, taking into consideration their
serious responsibility as Senators,
refrain from such confusing and
pointless remarks and get down to
brass tacks?
What the country would like to
hear from these Senators, including
Senator Wheeler, is a thoughtful
discussion of some of the circum-
stances under which the necessities
of going to war would outweigh the
obvious desirability of remaining at
peace and thus prepare themselves
and the country for foreseeable pos
sibilities.
Would the Senator favor going to
war if he felt that the interests of
his country demanded it; or does
ne feel that the interests of his coun-
try will never demand the tragedy
of going to war?
Would he favor going to war if
victorious German-Italian alliance
demanded as part of the spoils of
war the Dominion of Canada. Ber-
muda, the Dutch, French and British
West Indies; or would he prefer that
a victorious Germany take over such
conquered territories in the belief
that the peace of the United States
would thus be preserved?
Does he favor real-not fictitious
aid to the Allied cause in the form of
our material resources, on the prin-
ciple that an Allied victory is the
best assurance of keeping this coun-
try out of war; or would he withhold
all such assistance in the belief that
there is no danger to the United
States from German victory or on
the ground that it is contrary to the
role of neutral?
Would he prefer going to war to
protect our vital interest in the
preservation of the Monroe Doctrine;
or does he favor repudiating the
Monroe Doctrine in the belief that
such action will preserve the peace
of the United States?
Would he favor giving the protec-
ton of our harbors and the support
of our people to the preservation of
the British Navy-if it comes to that;
or would he prefer to see the British
Navy scuttled or surrendered rather
than place in jeopardy the peace of
the United States by the commits
sion of an unfriendly act?
Some of our Senators who sing
their theme song of 1--WE Must Not
Go to War" without admitting realis-
tically the possibilities of war as
protective necessity, are gambling
with the destinies of the Nation and
confusing the whole issue of pre-
paredness. They are largely respon-
sible for our dangerously inadequate
defenses today. They have played
the part of Doubling Thomases so
long, and with such success at the
polls, that they continue to do all
their thinking in terms of votes,
blindly unaware that public senti-
ment is quicker than they are in
facing facts. And if the succession
of emergencies facing this country
finally brings about a breakdown
in democratic processes and produces
dictator, as it has done abroad,
they, and not the democratic theory
of government, will be responsible.
For democracy that functions de-
mands the Jealous guardianship of
statesmen who can rise above the
role of politicians.