The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-09-19

arabic from Local Welfare.
One Of the commentators recently
wrote that if the destroyers-for- Eng
land deal had been made eight or ten
months ago it would have literally
caused riots in the streets, and brought
the wrath of large part of the ma
tion down upon the President, his ad-
visitors and official family. Now, so
greatly has the American peoples at
titude toward the European war
changed, the trade went through al
most automatically. There was criti-
cism of the Presidents method of con-
summating it, but almost no criticism
of the motive-that of helping Eng
land. While, in theory, the deal was
simply business-like exchange where
by we got valuable air and naval
bases in trade for ships which our
Navy considers obsolete, in actual fact
it was aggressively pro-British and
anti-Nazi. 1t is generally believed
that we could have gotten the bases
without giving England the destroyers.
The almost routine way in which
this deal was made, in the view of
some commentators, illustrates how
rapidly the United States has come
to the brink of war.
1t is certainly true that there is
little talk now of American neutrality.
We are violently partisan. Our status
is simply one of n-belligerency, very
similar to that of Italy before she
joined arms with the Reich. Accord
ing to the polls, about ninety-nine per
cent of our people want England to
win, and substantial majority believe
that we will be in danger of invasion
if England loses. This Administra-
ton obviously believes that Hitler will
attack US if he manages to destroy
England this year-naval and military
spokesmen, according to authoritative
information, have said unoffcially that
they would not be surprised if the at
tack came next year. If England sur
wives, the picture of course will be
drastically changed. Then, think the
authorities, we will be safe-time will
be on our side, and we will be able to
create an invincible military defense
that will discourage any potential in
vader.
The talk that is going on in Wash
ington is war talk. The shadow Of
war, and the possibility of our actual
participation in war, dominates every
thing that the government does. Some
of that talk deserves the thoughtful
attention of every American. Accord
ing to one school of thought-and it is
an influential .school-the destroyer
trade marked simply the beginning.
England, if she survives the winter,
will next need modern fighting ships,
and crews to operate them. She will
need our Army aud Navy fighting
planes, along with their pilots. This
school thinks we will of necessity give
them to her. 1t is clearly very DIFF
ferent matter for a government to
supply a belligerent power with the
tools Of war than for a private in
dustry to sell them to her.
No one expects this country to de-
clare war on Germany-not, at least,
for long time to come. But nowadays
a declaration Of war is of little i'm
portance-great wars have been GO
ing on for years, such as the Sino-
japanese affair, without a declaration
from either side. And Germany has
never declared war on England. The
United States, in the opinion of eX-
Icellent authorities, could be up to its
neck in war without ever going
through the legal excellent authori-
through the legal formalities of de-
lclaring war.
This situation will in all probability
have an important effect on the presi-
dental election. Mr.. Roosevelt's ag-
excessively pro-British policy seems to
be generally supported by the country.
But Mr.. Willkie is also pro- British, and
the speech in which Secretary Wall
ace intimated that vote for Willkie
was a vote for appeasement was not
well received save in the most violent
lily partisan Democratic circles. The
difference between Mr.. Roosevelt and
Mr.. Willlkie, so far as the war issue
is concerned, is largely one of method.
And there the Republicans seem to
have an excellent case-the best OBJ
servers, including many who are for
New Deal objectives, think that the
Presidents most notable failure has
been in the field Of administration.
Mr.. Willkie is very successful bust
ness man, and is first class admins
TRAITOR. He should be able to capitalize
on that, say the experts, and thus win
many voter on the grounds that he
Twill be able to arm this country more
rapidly and etfectively-and follow a
|pro-British, anti-Axis policy with
minimum risk to our own safety. That
lis the kind Of issue on which great
campaigns can be based
The business barometers rise. The
|stock market remains dormant-which
lis logical in view of the chaotic, un-
predictable days we are living through.
The war boom of today could swiftly
turn into the postwar depression of
tomorrow.