The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-08-29
DAWN OF A NEW DAY

(By Chester M. wright, washington, II. "
OUT of historical background which has beer
one of mo entangling alliances" the United
States has come to point in the road, where ou
of set of circumstances which Americans had NJ
part in creating, from here on there is an alliance
with the British Empire, no less binding for MOI
being yet written into treaty.
[ write this as my own analysis for what II
may be worth, with no attempt to make 1t appear
as anything other than that and nowhere except
in the Western Hemisphere could it be written.
What are the elements which make up this
new and profoundly important alliance?
First, the granting by Britain of naval bases
on British possessions in the Western Hemisphere
By that act Britain abandonS for all time any
possibility of challenging the United States. Neg
atively that means British acceptance of Ameri
can supremacy and leadership. If England goes
down in the present war, then the fact of Ameri.
can supremacy becomes even more pronounced.
Second, the alliance with Canada, an alliance
that always has been potential, but that now
energies into active reality. In a military sense
Canada and the United States are one unity. That
is patent fact Canada accepts United States lead
ership. Normally economic dependence follows
military dependence.
Third, the whole doctrine of hemisphere de-
fense, which means hemisphere military unity
This fact, even though it is easily possible that
hemisphere defense may well mean the defense
by the United States of portions Of Latin America
that have desire to be defended, or may be def
initely hostile to the idea Mexico is first and fore
most in the realm to be defended; her future is
inescapably within the United States military or
bit, which means a growing economic dependence
These facts seem to me to be beyond dispute
The British Empire is far-hung domain. 1t
is not possible to know what portions will remain
under the Union Jack when the war ends; but
whatever may be the fate Of the European and
Asiatic dominions and subdivisions, it is clearly
the fact that ali that lies within the Western Hem
isphere will remain British, or else the United
States must go down with it. The die is cast; the
policy is laid down. in actions and circumstances
that bind more tightly than any treaties that were
ever written
A fourth factor is the naval assistance given
to Great Britain, which will be interpreted by
Germany and Italy as they choose, no matter
what may be the American and British interpre-
tation.
And a fifth and final factor is the statement on
foreign policy made by Wendell Wilkie in his
speech of acceptance. With this final and definite
substantial unity Of the leadership of both great
political parties, there can be no effort to unmake
the facts of history.
1t is not as if the United States, in peaceful
and calm deliberation, has chosen to revoke pol
icy as old as the Republic; it is rather that the
unfolding of history has created new and revo-
situation which the American people
recognize and which all political leadership, save
the subversive minorities, accept in full
The old day is done; no one can know what
the new will bring.
But whatever it may bring, the trade union
cannot escape it's joint participation in
the developments and the consequences. All of
this tremendous historical upheavaI will have it's
effects in wages and hours, in freedoms and in
food and clothing and housing.
The United States energies into a new realm of
leadership. By the same token and
out of the same facts the American labor move
ment assumes new role, new responsibilities and
new opportunities for service. International means
new in labor language from now on
just as it does in diplomatic language.
American labor cannot escape the results, good
or bad, of the leadership it selects, in this position
of new and imposing international leadership