Evening star., 1940-06-09
G. O. P. Convention May Face
Big Obstacle in Foreign Issue
Any Platform Declaration Might Be Made Silly
By Events Before Election, So Avoidance
Looks Likely Now
Bv William Allen White.

The foreign policy and isolation
issues, and some candidates in the
1910 Republican campaign, are dis
cuSsed here by "the sage OF Emporia,"
an editor 1CtO has been an Observer OF
the american scene for more than
halt a century and confdant OF
the Nations political and industrial
chiefs.
EMPORIA, Kans-Republican lead
ers for the last month have been trying
to double -shush the isolationists who
want to wave the flag in the platform,
to denounce the Presidents foreign
policy, and to write declaration that
will stop aid in any form to the Allies.
At this hour, 1t looks as though the
leadership of the Republican party will
avoid any declaration on foreign policy.
The platform, as 1t now stands, will de-
vote its space on foreign relations to
demanding that we arm to the teeth
and criticize the President for letting
the years go by and the war approach
while he spent money for social gadgets
and political propaganda without enough
airplanes, battleships or soldiers to meet
the present crisis. Which is fair game
In politics.
But 1t Is more than reasonably certain
that the leaders who are working on
the Republican platform now feel that
any declaration in the Republican plat
form made at this time or made late in
June might be Cancelled out, rendered
utterly silly by the events of August
and September. 1t would be easy to
write platform on foreign affairs that
would bind candidate hand and foot
In October and put him out of the race
unless he ignored and denounced the
platform. The smart politicians in
Washington who are drafting the plat
form know this, and so far they have
about stopped the cries OF the Republic
an isolationists.
Fight Might Go to Floor.
However, small group of Republican
Senators may take the isolationist fight
to the floor OF the convention. The
difficulty in that is that last year these
dRdlLlSU
repeal of the embargo. Most of them
will admit now that If we had the en-
barge law today which permitted our
ships to carry materials if not actual
munitions of war into the war zones
We would be deeply in the war Some
of our ships would have been sunk by
the Germans and some of our sailors
would have been killed. But the isola-
tlonlst Republican record is there, which
makes most OF the Republican Congress-
men in the Senate and the House look
rather cheap.
They cannot put up SO good a fight
under the circumstances now as they
could six months ago 1t is becoming
more and more evident that if the Allies
lose, the United States either will have
to take over the defense of Canada and
the West Indies or surrender the Mon
roe Doctrine
The cold, terrible truth is that the
foreign policy of the United States for
100 years has been built up behind the
protection of the British fleet. We did
not acknowledge this angle of our for
elgn policy, but the American diplomats
have realized for nearly century that
there could be no possible break between
the United States and Great Britain.
Out in the Cold World Now.
If We ratified our swords at John Bull
sometimes and shook our war plumes, it
was always in Pickwickian sense. Now
that the British feet is threatened we
are out in the cold. cold world and the
Republican platform this year cannot
wave the flag and stomp its feet and
y show its teeth as it did in other days to
catch the Irish and German vote.
The immediate political effect of the
situation is to give the boom of Wendell
Willkie considerable impetus. He is
the only leader in the Republican party
who has frankly, unequivocally indorsed
the general conception of the Presidents
foreign policy, that is to say, to give aid
to the Allies short of war, sort of an
unbelligerent neutrality. Mr.. Willkie
also has been friendly toward the Hull
treaties. He IS low-tariff man.
In befuddled world where economic
sacrifices must be made by every one to
guarantee peace, the high protectionist
who is, of course, the ideal isolationist
has rough shedding The American peo-
pie seem to be drifting toward a low
tariff policy, which is probably mani
fest in the growing strength of Wendell
Willkie. There will be no high protec-
ton plank in the Republican platform
Mr.. Dewey. in his early campaign
speeches, notably in Wisconsin where
there is large German element, seemed