The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1940-05-02
By Staff Writer)

Washington.-May 1.-The de-
velopments resulting from Ger
many's seizure of Denmark, It's
invasion of Norway and threats
against Sweden, coupled with the
possibility of the German capture
of Holland and with it the I'M
mensely wealthy Dutch East In
dies. have brought the war ano
its possible effects upon the I'M.
ted States back to the forefront
of political discussion.
The United States is not gong
to get into or take any part IN
this war to save anybody else's
property, under any circumstan-
ces. That can be set down as fixed
and definite. If Germany and ia
pan or either of them, can seize
the Dutch East Indies, the United
States. as official Washington
views the situation today, will not
make move to stop them.
For that matter, we prooaoly
would not make move to stop
the seizure of the Philippines by
japan. The Philippines asked us
for their freedom and we gave II
to them a few years ago, with
onlv a few slender strings at
tached. Washington, with its ear
to the ground, does not hear even
a whisper of a public demand that
we go to war with anybody TO
save the Philippines.
The same goes for our assumed
interest in China. Nobody who
represents any important body
Of public sentiment believes that
there is any justification for get
ting into scrap with Japan.
Yet the war talk will not down.
It is becoming more apparent ev-
cry day that there is genuine
war propaganda movement under
way and doing some effective
work in the national capital. Just
why anybody either wants this
country to 60 to war, or wants
to,scare the American people into
the belief that somebody is 60
inc to make war on us, is not
easy to see at first glance. 1t
takes a bit of digging in the in
ner labyrinth of politics to find
even a plausible reason.
War Talk Originators
There is a belief strongly held
by the most audacious and ire
sponsible group of New Deal IA
vorites that if the situation can
be made to look as if this country
was in danger, the people will
rise and call upon the only man
who, these war propagandlsts will
tell them, can possibly save us.
That sort of talk is said to be
very pleasant to Mr.. Roosevelt's
ears.
It is always flattering to any
head of the government to be
told that he is the one man who
can save his country. Not all of
them believe tin fact, most of
them know it isn't so. But it is
hard to avoid looking pleased
when somebody hands you that
line of banana OIL
Many of the shrewd observers
here, who have been saying that
Mr.. Roosevelt is inclining again
toward the idea of running for a
third term, say that those reports
originate with people who have
observed his pleased smile when
such a suggestion is made. Those
better versed is the intricacies Of
Administration politics continue
to believe that the President has
made up his mind not to take the
third term nomination which
would be his for the asking.
These same people, however,
are little concerned with the
war-like tone of his utterances in
regard to possible invasion of the
American sphere of influence in
the Western hemisphere by Ger
many. Some of the veteran OBJ
servers think that if there was
anything in Mr. Roosevelt's re-
marks indicating that he expec-
ted or wanted this country to
take part in the war, he had
scraped the excuse pretty thin.
Third-Term Talk Increases
It is noticeable, however, that
third-term talk not only in Wash
ington but elsewhere throughout
the country began to increase
among the Democrats very short
1y after Mr.. Dewey had demon
strated to the Republican voters
and the rest of the country that
he would be a mighty hard man
to beat if his party should nomi-
nate him in June.
Washington has stopped refer