Evening star., 1940-06-17
While Rome Burns

WnIIe kOme burns
The great weakness of the Euro
pean democracies, as shown by the
present desperate plight in which
they find themselves, has been their
inability to function quickly and
effectively in an emergency No one
In America can doubt that this is
true, but there is a serious question
whether we have taken to heart the
lesson that should be learned from
the tragic blunders of Britain and
France. If we have not profited by
their miStakes-and an answer to
that vital question may be given by
the House this week-then the out
look for America is indeed dark.
During the next few days the
House will be called upon to consider
recommendation by it's Committee
on Military Affairs with respect to
the Presidents request for authority,
in the absence of Congress, to call
a portion of the National Guard to
active service should an emergency
arise to warrant such action. A ma
jority of the committee has proposed
that this authority be granted sub
Ject to limitation which would deny
the President the power to use the
Guard anywhere except in the CONT
mental United States, the Panama
Canal Zone and our insular possess
sions-a limitation which brought
forth vigorous protest from seven
minority members of the committee.
The real consideration which in
spired the majority members to i'm
pose this restriction is not known.
1t may have resulted from a lack of
confidence in the Presidents discre-
ton, or, more probably, it may have
reflected surrender to the vocifer-
GUS but unthinking outcry from GER
tain groups against sending Amer
lean boys to fight on foreign soil"
But, whatever the cause, the impo-
sition of such a limitation in view of
present world conditions is lament
ably short-sighted
As the minority members pointed
out, at any hour it may become
necessary for the United States to
give military assistance to any one
of several countries in this hemi-
sphere in order to prevent disloyal
elements in league with the totali-
tartan powers from seizing the reins
of a neighboring government. In
such an operation time would be a
most important element and our
Regular Army forces, small and
widely scattered as they are, might
well be incapable of dealing with
such an emergency. But the ma
jority of the House committee, for
reasons which defy comprehension,
would not permit the National
Guard to be used on such a mission
until Congress, assuming it to be in
recess or adjournment, could re-
assemble and grant the specific au-
thority. Meanwhile, of course, hos
tile forces might obtain foothold in
this hemisphere from which they
could not be dislodged without great
difficulty, but rather than delegate
a wholly reasonable power to the
President the majority members of
the House committee presumably
prefer to gamble that potential enc
mics will be considerate enough to
strike only when Congress is in
session.
When the House takes up the rec
ommendation of it's committee, the
Nation will join with the minority
members in asking whether Con-
gress, like Nero, proposes to fiddle
while our Rome is burning.
In The Stars opinion the calling
up of the National Guard would be
at best but first step in preparing
to resist the danger which confronts
us. But, as preliminary step, it
should be taken, and refusal by the
House to grant in full the Presidents
request could only be interpreted as
confirming the contention that de-
mocracies cannot or will not function
with that degree of effectiveness
which a real emergency requires.