The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-06-05


Once more proof has been present
ed, if any were needed, that it is i'm
possible to measure Mr.. Roosevelt by
the ordinary standards of logic and
reason. Always it BATTLES those who
try it. Again and again he has null
fled his own policies and frustrated
his declared purposes.
$500
Knowing this tendency of the Pres
ident's, there is at the moment some
apprehension lest he do exactly that,
either through inaction or indecision,
to the policy declared and the purpose
announced in his speech of last Tues
day. On that night, in a ringing utter
ance heard around the world, he
seemed to outline a course for the
country-clear, unequvocal and ade-
quate. 1t was overwhelmingly praised
as an example of leadership. 1t
evoked warm response in every
section, and his interpretative journ-
alistic friends trumpeted loudly the
following day that "the time for
words has passed; the time for action
has arrived"
sMm
And so it appeared until the follow
ing afternoon when Mr.. Roosevelt
called a special press conference at
the White House. The idea, as ex-
planned by his secretary, was to
clarity certain parts of his address.
But that is precisely what he did not
do. On the contrary, he was as mega
tive on Wednesday as he had been
positive on Tuesday. He was not only
vague but evasive. So far as the latter
is concerned, he may be excused, for
there is good reason for not answer
ing questions as to navy plans to in
sure the delivery which he promised.
But there seems no reason at all for
being vague about questions such as
what he purposes to do to make good
on his statement that strikes in de-
Tense contracts must not be permitted
when there are thirty two on army
contracts alone in progress at this
time.
= :;
Besides letting it be known that he
is not planning any direct steps now
to implement his anti-strike declara-
ton, he also made it clear that he has
no further ideas as to speeding up to
coordinating the defense organization,
which, it is generally agreed is con-
fusedly and incompentently admins,
tered. In addition, he flatly asserted
that he has no intention of asking
Congress for either repeal or modifi-
cation Of the Neutrality Act, although
that act absolutely blocks the freedom
of the seas, to sustain which tradi-
tional American doctrine he has
pledged himself. Also he insisted that
freedom Of the seas" does not mean
that American ships shall be allowed
to go where they would likely be sunk.
##*
Considering these things, one can
not but wonder what in the world the
President did mean by his solemn re-
vival of the freedom of the-seas"
doctrine, which we abandoned when
we laid down national policy of
rigid neutrality. If, now that that
policy has been scrapped the Neutral
ity Act is not to be changed and if
American ships are still to be kept
out of the war zones, where some
thing might happen to them, why did
he bring the subject up at all? What
does he mean by freedom? And what
seas has he in mind? Those who
heard him at the press conference
were unable to answer these ques-
lions.
Most of them were baffled by the
Presidents words and confused by the
effort of trying to reconcile his posi-
tive statements of Tuesday night with
his negative statements Of Wednes-
day afternoon. Certainly it must be
confessed that the plan to hold onto
the Neutrality Act while proclaiming
the freedom of the seas is battling
indeed. And if American vessels are
to go only in safe waters, hat was
that freedom of the-seas F of the
Presidents speech about lyhow?
Actually, that special pre- confer
ence seemed designed to convey the
impression that no swift action of any
sort to implement the Presidents
words will be taken Immediately. 1t
clarified nothing at all
Mm#
This strange transition from the
position to the negative did not great
ly surprise those who have observed
closely the Presidents reaction to his
own speeches in the past. They re-
called his curious disposition to think
that when a speech has been made on
an important subject, or man has
been named to high post, the job
has been largely done They recalled,
too, that months ago, after he had an
nounced his defense organization and
told tho naop1a that SDepd was the