Evening star., 1941-01-10

fenSe interferes in any way with
established privilege and practice,
then let's not try to defend our
selves. One artlesS member of Con-
gress, in commenting on the Presi-
dents message, asked what could
be worse than War?" Well, defeat
can be worse than war Conquest
can be worse than war. Slavery can
be worse than war. Anarchy can
be worse than war. Cowardice can
be worse than war just as dishonor
can be worse than death.
The American tradition is not one
of appeasement. We have a num-
ber OF slogans which express our
national determination: Don't fire
till you see the whites of their eyes"
Remember the Alamol" Dam the
tOrpedoes!" You may fire when
ready, Gridley!" Il have just be-
gun to fight" "We have met the
enemy and they are ours" But
perhaps the one which best fits
the present mood of our decision
to defend democracy and to expand
the frontiers of freedom, in the face
Of the new order of tyranny" IS
Comdr. James Laurence's order to
the Chesapeake in her battle with
the Shannon in Massachusetts Bay:
Don't give up the ship!'
Appeasers Were Ignored.
That was in the War of 1872.
and though we lost that battle we
won the war itself, and carried the
frontier of freedom to New Orleans
and the Great Lakes. because we
did not give up the Ship of State,
despite a well-organized appease-
ment movement in New England
business circles.
For Americans, in this time OF
crisis, Don't give up the ship!" is
a pretty good slogan. Don't lose
faith in democracy. Don't lose
| courage in the face of the NazlsI
Don't sacrifice liberty or freedom
TO purchase the illusion of a little
temporary security. Don't let bus
mess as usual undermine total de-
tense. Don't fall for any of Hitlers
gold bricks. Don't let Japan bluff US.
Don't let the pseudo -isolationists
make cowardice respectable or cour-
age suspect. Don't let the craven
or treacherous cry of "War-mon-
ger!" defect us from our decision
to establish a World-order based on
the four freedoms of the Roosevelt
meSsage-freedom of speech, free
dom of religion, freedom from want
and freedom from fear everywhere
in the world.
Don't give up the ship!' is slo-
gan for Americans who are pre-
pared to set aside past grudges, con-
f1icts of opinion and clash of in
terest in an all-out program of total
defense.
A Slogan for Appeasers.
AS for the appeaSers, suggest
that they adopt what is almost the
same slogan. All that they need
do is to change one letter-one
vowel-from Il" to 90 in order to
express their ideal of business as
usual" So I make a present of
the following slogan to those who
would rather see England fall and
democracy destroyed than give up
their pet pursuits.
Instead of Don't give up the
ship!" I offer them Don't give up
the shop"
Don't give up anything which
would interfere with your comfort,
your power your profit or your am
bition. Don't give up the shop, boys!
Joe Kennedy says that means the
end of democracy. Stake everything
not on the machine gun or the air
plane but on the stockticker and
the cash register. What does 1t
matter to us If liberty fails and
freedom dwindles? What care we
If the Nazis smash England, cap
ture the British fleet and turn the
Japanese loose in the Pacific? What
care we if all of South America falls
as loot to the axis and the totali-
tarians inherit the French and Brit
iSh bases in the Caribbean? All this
Is nothing so long as we don't give
up the shop and let the appeasers
pursue power, profit and privilege,
though the writings of Jefferson
and Lincoln are burned in our pub
lie squares and "Mein Kampf" sup
plants the Declaration of Inde-
pendence.
I don't think the appeasers will
find many Americans who will cheer
for this slogan, but they are well
come to any they can find to follow
them in their sordid retreat be-
meath the national bedclothes.
(ReleaSed hy Consolidated NeuA