Evening star., 1940-06-26

Uilc CUuIG IlOuSS
politics that makes local candidates
alert to the potentialities of the
standard bearer at the top of the
ticket.
Mr.. Hoover painted a picture of
world conditions which, however
even President Roosevelt might diff
fer as to detail, brings out the fact
that Americans of all parties are
mindful of the changed world that
Herr Hitler has wrought.
While Mr.. Hoover says plainly
that America should not fight un-
less attacked, this probably will be
the Democratic platform, too. The
truth is, the axiom that America
must not fight unless attacked is
every day becoming more and more
academic because the real compli-
cations will not arise out of mill
tary attack at all, but out of eco
nomic controls foisted by Hitler on
Americas neighbors, with repercus-
sions on us. If the British Empire
and the fleet is based in Canada the
United States may we'll say she will
not fight unless attacked, but Re-
publican platform cannot very we'll
say that an invasion of this hemiS-
phere by the Nazis will not be re-
sisted.
Monroe Doctrine Re-affirmed.
What seems to have been over
looked by many Of the isolationist
delegates at this convention is that
Congress only last week passed a
joint resolution reaffirming the
Monroe Doctrine and warning Eu-
rope that no transfers of territory
to non-American powers would be
tolerated. This resolution passed
the Senate by vote of rs to 0 and
the House of Representatives by a
vote of $50 to 8.
This is a formal declaration of
American policy because it pro-
claims that Republicans and Demo-
Gratis alike are already committed to
vote for declaration of war against
any power which violates the prin-
ciples laid down in that joint reso-
luton.
In the face of such action by Con-
gress it would be folly for this or
any other convention to assume
that the United States will not go
to war or that attacks will not be
resisted. Attempts to gain sover-
eighty and interfere with the inde-
pendence of the republics of this
hemisphere by the Nazis are the
only thing that can provoke trouble
as between the United States and
the Nazis. But nobody in political
convention can base his platform
on what Hitler may or may not do.
There can be guesses, but no guar
antees.
New Axis on Horizon.
Reports that the American fleet
Is being moved to the Atlantic
would seem to mean that Japan and
the United States are getting closer
together and that Russia may be
soon getting arms and ammunition
from America, to which, of course,
she is legally entitled. The possi-
bllty OF a new axis, consisting of
Japan, Russia and the United
States, is on the horizon, and this
means that the American feet can
move into the Atlantic.
Almost every day world condi-
tions are changing, and that's why
any attempt to commit the Repub-
hcan party against war under any
circumstances, or to argue that the
President will go to war no matter
what public sentiment there may
be against it, is to deal in political
terms with grave problem that
isn't political at all.
Mr.. Hoover's speech in a sense
followed the general lines of the
keynote address by Gov. Stassen.
The impression made by the for
mer President was such that his
supporters-mostly the former Of
f1ceholders of his administration
who have remained loyal TO him
began to hope that he might be
nominated if deadlock ensued.
Willkie and for Taft.
The convention situation showed
little change overnight. Taft ap-
pears stronger than Dewey. The
Dewey delegates, IN a breakup, may
go largely to Willkie. The second
choice of the Taft men is Willkie.
If Taft isn't nominated first Willkie
will be the nominee.
A boom for Hoover may tie up
and temporarily block the nomina-
ton of either Taft or Willkie, but
In the end one of these two latter
names will be on the ticket and
maybe both; that is, the ticket may
be Willkie for President and Taft
for vice president. The determina-
tion of the Willkie delegates grows