Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-05-29

is eQulVdleIlL 10 D'iu
a power to repel attack. In all his
speeches during the last campaign
and since, the President promised
to keep America out of war except
in case of attack" Just a year ago
before the election campaign began,
in speaking to Congress, the Presi-
dent said that in the modern world
1t was not enough to wait for an
aggressor to attack, but we must
stop an aggressor in his route"
This conception of potential at
tack is now brought wildly to pub
lie attention. 1t constitutes the
answer to those who say the Presi-
dent promised to keep out of war in
all circumstances. The phrase lex
cept in case of attack" now becomes
the vital portion of his earlier pledge.
President Wilson in May, 1915,
when the Lusitania-a British YES
sci carrying war supplies-was sunk
with the loss of more than 1000
American lives, took the position
that Germany had attacked Ameri-
can rights and American lives and
property at sea. When the war
message came in April, 1917, it was
not a request for a declaration of
war as such, but for ratification of a
Estate of war" as having already
been brought into being by the
action of the German naval COM
manders in attacking American
lives and property.
Effort at National Unity.
Mr.. Roosevelt sees ahead an at
tack on American commerce and
more than that an aggressor on his
way to vital bases in the North At
lantic and on the African Coast in
tine South Atlantic. He decides that
the American Navy and air force
must be used to ward off attack. So
he places it in strategic positions to
patrol and watch If Admiral Raeder
now orders. his commanders to
shoot. it means state of war. The
Germans will have done the first
shooting. In due time If the PreSi-
dent feels congressional power is
needed to ward off such attack, he
will be in position to ask Congress
for a ratification of state of war.
Meanwhile, in formal sense,
war has not been declared nor has
the issuance of proclamation of
unlimited emergency done more
than to prepare the people psyche
logically for the crisis that may
lie ahead. 1t is really an effort to
get national unity, to stop strikes
and interferences with the defense
program and to bolster up the
morale Of the British people.
Irrespective of the consequences
of the step just taken, the question
of whether the Nation approves and
whether Congress approves is one
that will cause considerable Specu-
1ation. Judging by Gallup polls.
the American people have been
ready to use conveys If necessary
to deliver their defense program.
AS for Congress, request for au-
thority to do what is proclaimed
In the Presidents message would, If
tried this week for instance, result
in fairly quick action by the House,
but in a prolonged debate, if not
filibuster, in the Senate In the end
the administration would have the
votes to authorize conveys, but the
many weeks that would be lost
while a minority prevented the
majority from acting might be vital.
Conveys a Logical Sequel.
Since the Congress approved by
majority vote of both houses the
repeal of the embargo in the
autumn of 1889 and since the Con-
gress by overwhelming vote passed
the lease-lend bill, the President
feels that conveys are a logical
sequel and that he would have the
votes if he wished to project the
matter into Congress.
He takes the position, on the other
hand, that by precedent protection
of American-madeg goods on the
high seas by force is presidential
prerogative under the Constitution,
and that's where the matter will
rest, because the iSolationists could
not command a majority vote even
If they introduced resolution, which
they could, expressing the sense of
the Senate or the House in opposi-
ton to the Presidents new proc
lamation of purpose.
Mr.. Roosevelt's speech was not a
declaration of war, but declara-
ton of American purpose. Herr
Hitler can take it or leave it. If
the Nazis insist on fighting Ameri-
can naval conveys and patrols, it
means war and the challenge will
doubtless be accepted then to the
full limit of American man power
as we'll as industrial power. But
Herr Hitler doesn't want Americas