Evening star., 1940-12-30
Sees Peril to
Free Government
Writer Says Neutrality
Is InfeosibIe
For America
To the Editor of The Star:

For America
To the Editor of The Star:
The American form of government Is
demonstrably in danger. The menace
would be limited only, not eliminated,
by final repulse of invasion thrusts at
shows that the threat may end only
with the definitive defeat of the chal-
lengers Of our concepts of freedom and
OF the rights and duties of men and OF
nations.
The earth's original republic was the
Hebrew state. when judges governed and
the tribes met in conclave to dictate the
deStinies of the nation. However, the
neighboring peoples were devoted to war,
so that the Jews, to meet the tides Of
battle with maximum of efficiency and
a minimum of internal friction, were
compelled to modify their economy and
to establish monarchy. Were Ger
many not to be defeated, a practical and
inevitable result would be such amend
ments of our practice and Constitution
as would reduce the power Of Congress,
that is, of the people. A sort of militar-
ism would be created, partially beyond
the control of Congress. That the Ma
ton might be prepared for sudden
emergencies the central government
would possess and exercise a species of
arbitrary power in the conduct Of foreign
relations. Political ententes with friend
ly governments possessing identic pow
ers would displace completely our tradi-
tional doctrine Of isolation. Such a
government as Germany's and the
United States could not remain per-
manently at peace.
For several centuries the military pow
er of Sparta dominated Hellas and by
that fact retarded the Towering of the
Greek genius, whose potentialities were
so admirably indicated in the age of the
Iliad and Odyssey. The mighty inva-
sion of Greece by Xerxes dissolved in
conflict with Athens, and in an instant
the city of Minerva was apotheosized as
nearly as an earthling may be, for Greece
was simultaneously liberated from the
arrogance and the dread of Sparta, and
with the freeing of the races soul that
spirit was metamorphosed and eternized.
Germany would be to Europe and to the
continents what Sparta was to Greece,
and a German hegemony of Europe
would compel the American Government
and people to apply their arts and their
sciences to the defense of their land
against an impending conflict with the
nation which processes as an object the
demolition of our civilization.
The last Punic War was purely ag-
gressive. The pretext of Rome was a
poor invention: The Carthaginians, de-
prived previously by Rome of feet and
arms, were charged with vitiating the
peace treaty when they resisted the
depredations of an African outlaw.
Rome was determined to annihilate
Carthage, for the militarists of the
italian power decided that they would
tolerate no competition which might
oppose their design to make Rome SOW
ereign of the Mediterranean or that
might dispute that powers pretensions
of right by force to conquer and law the
earth. Carthage perished in battle,
and the Roman commander was content
only when the city was desert waste.
In this partial prospective parallel
are two possibilities: To realize ultimate
objectives, the German government,
II possible. would disarm the United
States, and exclude America from uni
versal politics, which implies that to
engage in foreign commerce this Nation
would be reduced to an obedience to
Germany's will and word. Were an
American war with Germany to Illustrate
such purposes, the situation at the end
of the conflict would recommend to dis
position, however Ill, and to reason, how
ever faulty, an American expansion to
assure peace such that might place the
governance OF our land for generations in
the power Of few persons who might
be adjudged best qualified to defend our
Nation and our interests. The defeat of
England would make the United States
appear to the German government as
Carthage at last appeared to Rome,
when that power decided to end the
freedom of nations and to subject them
to the Pax Romano.
This thesis suggests fundamental
reasons why the United States may not
be neutral, and could not deny to the
British Commonwealth of Nations
whatever they may require of us to
capacitate them to defeat Germany
except to the injury Of America and the
resigning Of our ideals to a diabolical
sacrifice. EDWARD CONN.