The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-02-14
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SELF CONTRADICTION

The proponents of the Morgenthau
''lease-lend" bill are certainly talk
ing themselves into position OF
self-contradiction which it may take
their lifetime to explain. The ex-
PLANTATION required may. not be
merely lack Of logic-it may be of
why they helped to ruin their coun-
try by using their official positions
to dignity statements that, from
private citizen, wouldn't stand two
minutes cross-examination before a
justice of the peace.
Secretary Morgenthau, who began
by trying, without consulting public
opinion at all, to divert our war sup
plies to France, where Hitler got
them, says that if we do not pass
that bill, Britain will have to stop
fighting. Secretary Stimson, also
urging this particular bill, says that
it must pass at once, because il
Britain stops fighting, we are subject
to attack.
Mr.. Morgenthau's argument is
that "they haven't any dollars left"
That may or may not be so, and
probably isn't, but if the secretary
means that they have nothing which
they can pledge as collateral it GER
tainly is not so-not by billions.
There is considerable apprehension
in Canada that, if we begin. giving
our manufactures away to Britain,
Canada will lose a lot Of business.
The British have to pay Canadian
industry, also British industry, not
to mention all the other nations Of
the British Commonwealth and the
whole of the rest of the world. Only
Uncle Sam is rushing out again to
give away his-well, let's call them
innards- when even the association
Of British nations give not theirs.
O. K, failing franker. and more
credible statement of this finan-
cial problem, most of us are willing
to give England money outright to
buy our just share of aid to her and
to the precise extent-and not one
inch further-than it really contrib
utes to American defense. We want
congress to control these appropri-
atoms for the efense Of Britain just
as it must control appropriations
for the defense of America. The
"lease-lend" bill doesn't do that. It
authorizes the President alone to
make, buy and give Britain unlinit-
ed billions worth Of our resources
without consulting congress.
If, therefore, as Secretary Nor
genthau has said, it is only ques-
ton Of dollars for Britain, no argu-
ment is left for the much wider
powers Of the e1ease-lend" bill.
Other official Opinions" that
Great Britain can lick Germany on
the continent with our aid, that if
Great Britain doesn't, Germany will
lick us eject, eject; aren't worth the
paper on which they are written or
the breath with which they are
spoken. Modern war is too unpre-
dictable. There is only one rule for
us-a burning lesson Of this terrible
age. Arm for inpregnable Amer
lean defense. Rely on no other ma
tion-on nothing but the strength Of
our own resources and the courage,
ingenuity, patriotism and devotion
of our own people"
DEFENSE AUTHORITY
Secretary Stimson says that one
reason for bum s-rushing the in
creasingly discredited '''lease-lend"
bin is that it win cure the disorder
which has existed for nearly two
years in the manufacture of NUM-
tions. ~
His point is that the President
must purchase all supplies for our
several defense departments and
also for any allies because, other
wise, they would compete with each
other, raise prices and create con-
fusion.
Whatever confusion has existed
is not traceable to any lack of ex-
ecutive authority.
Up to the middle of last year, our
government had no plans whatever
for adequate defense and then, in
moment of panic, dumped indigest-
ible billions of dollars of totally I'M
co-ordinated orders into the lap of
Oil ulWdIIlCQ llQQStIys IL - QQS
also to the long and inexcusable lag
in setting up any single authorized
and intelligent control. That hasn't
been done yet.
It was not because government
had not been warned by the voice
of intense and highly successful ex-
perience. B, M. Baruch warned it
over and over again as to precisely
what was wrong and what was nee
essary to cure it.
= TO use the excuse that Mr.. Slim
son thus advanced for the passage
of this totalitarian bill-this gratui-.
-tous American assumption of re-
sponsibility for the worldwide con-
duct Of this war--is-either confess
sion of ignorance or it is an attempt
to brighten this nation into such an
abandonment of democratic and. CON
stitutional processes as is neither
necessary nor desirable M
The second and only other. point
sof Mr.. Stimson's argument is that
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