Evening star., 1941-02-07

avoiding unnecessary involvement
in the present conflict through ac-
cepting our inevitable relationships
TO a worldwide convulsion.
BY branding the aid-to-Britain
bill as the equivalent Of declara-
ton of war, they have made 1t GER
tain that large number of Amerl-
cans will accept its passage as a
mandate to enter the war next
spring. Their Interpretation of the
measure is bound to color the na-
tional and international interpre-
tation of its adoption.
More important still, they have
been harping on the war theme so
insiStently that most Americans
have become used to the idea that
we are going to enter the war
shortly. For example, the other day
a friend of mine heard a shop
girl say that her husband opposed
buying a home of their own because
We would be at war in few weeks
and then there would be plenty Of
vacant houses available for rent
here in Washington. Another friend
of mine. Southerner, reports that
all of the people in his section
simply assume-without enthusiasm
but also without fear-that we will
be at war this spring.
Made Third Term Reality.
In this we see operating the same
sort of process as that which made
the third term a reality. AS early
as 1888 a number of anti-NeW Deal
papers began harping away on the
idea that Roosevelt was seeking a
third term. The discussion proceed
ed so long and so vehemently that
the public became quite used to
the idea and accepted it in advance
as the events of 1910 demonstrated.
One of the reasons for this
boomerang effect is the isolationists'
assumption that war is the most re-
pulsive idea you can offer the pub
lie mind. 1t is, in addition, one Of
the most fascinating ideas. Men
run to a fight as they run to a fire.
Then, too, the moralistS have always
known that there are worse things
than death or Disagreement of the
body-that the death of the soul
and the Gripping of the conscience
are worSe-that slavery or dishonor
are worse-and that it is not safety
first but truth that sets men free.
Final Consideration.
There is one final consideration
which is fitting public opinion on
the side of active belligerency in
the present war. This is the fact
that the bulk of the forces in opposi-
ton are recruited from the same ele-
ments which have bitterly opposed
the American people since 1882.
Here one need only cite the fact
that most of the criticism of the aid
to-Britain bill is not directed against
the idea of helping the British but
against the idea of granting in
creased constitutional authority to
That Man in the White House"
Faced with a choice between ef-
fective American defense and
strengthening the American who is
most trusted by the mass of our
people, they would rather score a
point against Franklin Delano
Roosevelt than make it possible for
him to wage our -belligerency
with speed, and decision.
All this of course is aside from the
point that the Communists, pro-
Nazis, defeatists and appeasers are
against Roosevelt to a man.
We Americans have a way of low
ing public figure by the enemies
he has made and judging a public
policy by the character of its critics.
Therefore observers at Washington
have come to the conclusion that the
total effect of the antics of our
peace-mongers has been to increase
the likelihood that the American
people would accept and even well
come our possible entry into the
war
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