Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-12-20
Entire Nation
To Blame for
Hawaii Raid
We Ignored Warning
TO Arm TO Teeth
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
IVES, they apparently were
caught mapping at Pearl
Harbor, with a known thug and
a notorious sneak-puncher. at
that. lurking near. but weren't
we all?
Our present view of the cam
paign 10 remilitarize dates only
from May, 1870 and even our
arguments on that phase of the
problem are confused, for there
were very few among the isola-
tionists who opposed this pro-
gram.
Those few. incidentally, and
lest we forget, were mainly
COMMUNISTS and Nazis, not
Americans.
Most of the patriotic Ameri-
cans who were isolationists up
10 that hour Of war believed in
milltariZing the country but OPP
posed President Roosevelts for
eIgn policy which they thought
provocative and dangerous.
They did not counsel unarmed
surrender 10 any one.
They were for armed and
mighty isolation.
DuTr before May, 1910, and
- especially before Hitler
started tifis-war deliberately and
wantonly and in violation of
every assurance that he could
give 10 lull the suspicious of
trusting, peaceful people. we all
were guilty and the entire nation
was still off guard when japan
struck.
Not 10 prettify the case. we
had been for dozen years the
drunkeneSt people on earth.
Gin was our obseSsion. money
and luxury and pleasure were
our consuming popular interests
and we made gods Of trashy in
dlvidualS who photographed we'll
IN the movies or shocked us with
obscene books which had no
other appeal but filth.
We even made god of AL
Capono. who pandered 10 our
vices and sneered a, ctr hypo-
critical pretenSe Of responsibility.
EOR many years, some clergy
was concerned with one Is
sue "a the almost total neglect
OF the mission Of religion and
that was prohibition which was
a constant provocation 10 drink
and a source Of crime and po-
Atical corruption
In New York, New Jersey, AL
hany. Chicago and Boston DO
| ltlcal corruption thrived so mon
strouSly under bosses as 10 i'm
pair the peoples confidence in
/ the American way OF govern
ment and finally, as 10 evoke
the famous but too little read
and almost UNDECIDED open letter
! 20 q boss by Father Lord s. j.,
/ which recognized this enormity
as a special ConCbrn Of the men,
bcrS OF the church.
We were not thinking Of our
/ liberties then or the duties Of
I citizenship or any need 10 be
prepared 10 fight a mad enemy.
DROF1TS. high wages. Specula-
ton and liquor were our in
tcreStS and. i'm New York. at
/ least. the papers assigned spe-
/ clallStS 10 glamorize people who
were tearing up money in dive['
run openly by criminals under2
political protection.
In one Of our cities. the mayor
collected dollar a barrel from
7 the bootleggers for permitting
them 10 dig in the public streets
and lay a pipe line from their
brewery 70 the outlet and no
body even thought OF sending
him 10 prison
Long ago, Woodrow Wilson. a
dying man, preached a warning
that # we rejected the League
OF Nations this country would
have 10 go armed 10 the teeth
forever in a world of hungry
and wolfish predators.
We rejected the League and
refused 10 arm even after trav-
elerS from Europe brought back
descriptions Of the rising might
of the fuehrrr's dictatorship and
OF Russian army Of 100000
men.
I'VE WERE too busy having a
w good time until the crash
of 1929, after which We were
too busy with number of other
interests. all selfish or political
At all events. none recognized
any danger until Hitler made
his war and even then few Amer
leans were willing 10 admit that
he might one day attack US.
Or, if II was possible, then II
would be up TO the govern
ment," that rich. impersonal
power in Washington. and not
up 10 the individual TO get us
out OF the jam. the same gov
eminent" which congressman and
senator's preyed upon for cash