Evening star., 1940-12-31

est authority, that unless and until
this situation is corrected. our de-
nocracy is in danger. I fully sub
scribe to this view.
Believing as I do in this thesis, I
cannot help but feel that we should
settle our own problems before we
undertake to settle the problems Of
Asia, Africa, Australasia, South
America and Europe.
AS Americans, interested first in
America, what is our present stake?
Our stakes are our independence,
our democracy and our trade and
commerce. Every red-blooded Amer
ican would fight to preserve them.
What is the best way to preserve
them? There are two schools of
thought. One group feels-as they
felt before the last World War
that England is our first line of de-
fense and that we must go to Eng
lands aid every time she declares
war. and that some European die
tator is after rich loot in the United
States, perhaps our gold buried in
the hills of Kentucky. This group
wants to repeal our Neutrality Act
and the johnson Act. They want to
loan our ships, our guns and our
planes-even though it may involve
us in the European conflict. They
profess to believe it is necessary for
the preservation of our country, our
religion and civilization.
We were told the same things in
almost the same terms before the
last war.
The other group feels that we
should build our defenses to meet
any emergency that may arise. But
we do not believe that the preserva-
ton of the American people or our
democracy depends upon any foreign
nation. 1t is hard for us to visualize
a nation of 130,0O0,000 people so
weak that we cannot defend our
selves when our forefathers in the
l3 original Colonies-poor, divided
and weak-were not only able to
conquer an army already in our
midst but to build the greatest de-
mocracy the world has ever known
Opposes U. S. Convoy.
Just as l love the United States
so do I dislike Hitler and all that
he symbolizes. My sympathy for the
British is both deep and genuine
and is exceeded only by the depth
and sincerity of my Americanism.
No anti-British feeling dictates my
opposition to the evasion or repeal
of the johnson and Neutrality Acts.
I am opposed to American convoy of
British ships. oppose all these be-
cause they lead us down that road
with only one ending-total, complete
and futile war. And William Allen
White, chairman of the Committee
to Defend America by Aiding the
Allies, agrees that the conveying of
British ships by American vessels
and the repeal of the Neutrality and
johnson Acts would mean war for us.
Remember-if we lease war mate
rails today, we will lend or lease
American boys tomorrow. Last night
we heard the President promise that
there would be no American expe-
dictionary force, but we received no
promise that our ships and sailors
and our planes and pilots might
not at some time within the near
future be cast into the cauldron of
blood and hate that is Europe today.
Our independence can only be lost
or compromised if Germany invades
the Western Hemisphere north of
the equator. This would be fan
tastic, as it would require the trans
portation of at least 1000, 900 men.
with planes, tanks and equipment,
in one convoy across the Atlantic.
This would require two or three
thousand transports plus a fleet
larger than our Navy, plus thou
sands of fighter escorted bombers.
Such a feet cannot possibly be
available. Certainly it cannot be
trained efficiently before our two
ocean Navy is ready 1t is not pos
sible for the German Navy to pre-
pare an effective plan for such an
invasion which our Navy and Army,
with our air force, cannot defeat.
Remember-Hitler has already been
seven months in vainly trying to
cross 20 miles If Hitler's army