Evening star., 1940-02-23
Points Out Errors
Of IsoIotionists
Washington Held
Misunderstood on
Foreign Relations
By EdDin P. Halsev.

Foreign Relations
By Ed,Din P. Halsey,
On History Fellowship. Harvard University.
There have always been American
leaders with the vision to see that COM
mon decency and self-interest demand
that we support collective security.
Such leaders include John Hay, Theo-
dore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Owen
Young, Henry Stimson, Franklin Roose-
velt, Cordell Hull and Nicholas Murray
Butler. Strange bedfellows, do you say?
Yes. but having this In common: All
anti-isolationists. All have to refute the
isolationists' rabble-rousing claim that
George Washington disliked "entangle-
ments"!
There is one good answer to extreme
isolationists- ts-Republicans like Harding,
Borah, johnson, Nye, Bridges, Vanden-
berg; Democrats like Bryan, Clark,
Walsh; Left-Wingers like Downey, La
Toilette, Shipstead-quoting Washington
against excessive partiality for one
foreign nation and excessive dislike for
another"
The answer is simply to read farther
in the Farewell Address, remembering
three. basic changes in conditions since
1796: Cd From what Washington called
our detached and distant situation" we
have been brought within bombing
range of Europe by the airplane; ca
from self-sufncient people, we have
become dependent on foreign trade; 90
from population about that of Finland
today, we have grown into the most
powerful Nation In the world.
The principles Of George Washington
during the Revolution. during the Con-
stitutional Convention. or during his
first term as President have little in
common with the philosophy of isola-
tionists. But for the sake OF argument,
let us limit quotations to passages from
his immortal (and misquoted) Farewell
Address.
AS to the change from our detached
situation" of the sailboat era, Washing
ton would not now imagine that the
United States could protect itself by
defensive measures alone. If he were
alive, he would visualize the need of
sending expeditions against the bases Of
enemies that attacked us. That is one
factor that Is overlooked by isolationists,
who would ignore the Nazi Communist
menace, to escape sending troops abroad
again.
Washington might well have agreed
with H. R. Knickerbocker-hardb
war correspondent-that We should do
all We could (even declare war, for the
effect on wavering neutrals) to halt the
aggressors lin Europe, before they are
strong enough to attack us. When
Washington said that timely disburse-
ments frequently prevent much
greater disbursements to repel' dam
gers, he might have been forseeing the
present circumstances in which timely
donation of 1000 planes to Finland would
prevent future risk Of American lives to
repel Russia.
According to recent Gallup Poll, So
per cent Of our voters want to support
"any effective international police force"
hereafter. Collective security must de-
pend primarily on economic sanctions,
which can only be effective If supported
by this Nation, which has so per cent of
the worlds developed war materials. A
sound basis of collective security would
relieve us Of military strain on the
Monroe Doctrine or the Open Door in
China, two traditional American COM
mitments. Not to speak of any obliga-
tions we may have under the BRAND
Kellogg Pact or the Nine-Power Treaty!
Such considerations would not be mat
ter OF indifference to the Washington
who said Of all treaty obligations: Let
me not be understood as capable of in
fidelity to existing engagements"
AS for the second point, We lost our
self -sufficiency and became dependent on
foreign trade through following Wash
ington's advice: Harmony liberal in
tercourse with all nations are recon-
mended by policy humanity and inter-
est He advised "Establishing-in order
to define the rights of our merchants, and
to enable the Government to support
them-conventional rules of intercourse. /"
Is it conceivable that our first President
would advise meek submission to Japa-
nese encroachments on "the rights Of our
merchants" under a new order in Asia?
The practical Washington would cry
out that it is not in our material interest
to allow totalitarians to continue SUBJ
jugating whole nations to work at starva-
tion wages. Himself an exporter, he
would see that unless democratic insti-
tutions survive in Europe. we must either
Cd lower our standard Of living or ca,
abandon hope Of foreign trade.
The idealistic Washington would cry
out even louder that it is not in our moral
interest to be Indifferent in this struggle
of right against wrong in the world today.
Washington said definitely that Re
ligion and morality are indispensable
supports to political prosperity" :"
Insisting that "virtue and morality is q
necessary spring of every species
of free governments" he asked: "Who
that is sincere friend to it Gree govern
ment) can look with indifference upon
attempts to shake the foundation of the