Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-18

limit Of practicability.
Candor in these times Is the
hope Of democracy. We must
not kid ourselves any longer. We
must begin to tell ourselves the
truth-right here-and right
now.
We have been sitting as spec
tators Of q great tragedy. The
action on the stage of history has
been relentless.
For instance, the French people
were Just as brave and intelligent
as the Germans. Their armies
were considered the best In the
world. France and her allies
won the last war. They possessed
all the material resources they
needed. They had wealth and
reserves OF credit all over the
earth. Yet the Germans crushed
France like an eggshell.
The reason Is now clear: The
fault lay with France herself.
France believed in the forms
Of democracy and In the idea Of
freedom. But she failed to put
them to use. She forgot that
freedom must be dynamic, that
1t is forever in the process OF
creating a new world. This was
the lesson that we Of America
had taught to all countries,
When the European democ-
racies lost that vision they opened
the way to Hitler. While Ger
many was building great new
productive plant, France became
absorbed in unfruitful political
adventures and f1imsy economy
theories. Her government was
trying desperately to cover the
peoples nakedness with a gar
ment that was not big enough.
The free men of France should
have been weaving themselves a
bigger garment. For in trying to
pull the small one around them
selves they tore 1t to pieces.
Foreign Policy Has Roots
In Strength at Home.
And in this tragedy let us find
our lesson. The foreign policy
of the United States begins right
here in our own land. The first
task Of our country in its inter-
national affairs Is to become
strong at home. We must re-
gain prosperity, restore the indie
pendence Of our people and pro-
tect our defensive forces. If that
is not done promptly, we are in
constant danger. II that Is done,
no enemy on earth dare attack
US. I propose to do it.
We must face brutal, perhaps
a terrible fact. Our way of life
is in competition with Hitler's
way Of life.
This competition is not merely
one of arguments. 1t Is a COM
petition Of energy against energy,
production against production,
brains against brains, salesman
ship against craftsmanship.
In facing 1t We should have no
fear. History shows that our
way of life is the stronger way.
From 1t has come more wealth,
more industry. more happiness.
more human enlightenment than
from any other way. Free men
are the strongest men.
But We cannot just take this
historical fact for granted. We
must make 1t live. II we are to
outdistance the totalitarian pow
ers, we must arise to a new life
of adventure and discovery. We
must make a wider horizon for
the human race. It is to that
new life that I pledge myself.
Will Beat Hitler on Our
Own Terms, In American Way.
Ipromise, by returning to those
same American principles that
overcame German autocracy once
before. both in business and in
war, to outdistance Hitler in any
contest he chooses in 1910 or
after. And I promise that when
we beat him. We shall beat him
on our own terms, in our own
American way.
The promises of the present
administration cannot lead you
to victory against Hitler. or any
one else. This administration
stands for principles exactly OPP
posite to mine. 1t does not
preach the doctrine of growth.
It breaches the doctrine Of di-
vision. We are not asked to
make more for ourselves. We
are asked to divide among our
selves that which we already
have. The New Deal doctrine
does not seek risk, it seeks safety.
Let us call it the Il pass" doc
trine. The New Deal dealt 1t
and refused to make any more
bets on the American future
Why, that is exactly the course
France followed to her destruc-
ton! Like the Blum government
in France, so has our Govern
ment become entangled in I'M
fruitful adventures. AS in France,
so here, we have heard talk of
class distinctions and of eco
nomic groups preying upon other
groups. We are told that capital
hates labor and labor, capital.
We are told that the different
kinds of men, whose task 1t is to
build America, are enemies Of
one another. And I am ashamed
to say that some Americans have
made political capital of that
supposed enmity.
New Deal Implants Hate
For Political Purposes.
As for me, I want to say here
and now that there is no hate in
my heart, and that there will be
none in my campaign. 1t is my
belief that there is no hate in
the hearts of any group of Amer
leans for any other American
group-except as the New Deal
ers seek to put it there for polit-
ical purposes. I stand for new
companionship in an industrial
society.
Of course If you start lilo the