Imperial Valley press., 1941-05-02

WASHINGTON, May 2 - one
month ago the advocates OF peace
for America had about given up
The lease-lend bill had gone thru
congress by wide margins. 1t look
ed as if the United States were
headed for eventual war.
Today, these peace advocates
have taken heart They think now
they have a $3.50 chance OF keep
ing the country out of war. The
next month or six weeks will give
the answer.
It is q strange group that is
clubbed together in this fellowship
of peace. Officially, its spokesmen
are Senators Wheeler and Nye, who
have been transforming the coun-
try and drawing tremendous
crowds. Unofficially, it has the
America First Committee as its
most active element. In Washington
it has the peace lobby groups, the
old National Council for Preven-
ton of War and the Women's IN
ternational League for Peace and
Freedom and kindred organiza-
tions. a half dozen of which have
formed a Keep America Out OF
War Congress for four-day mass
meeting in Washington on Deco
ration Day weekend. There are
individualists like Colonel Lind
bergh and Sinclair Lewis, General
johnson and John T. Flynn who
are star performers. There is a
lunatic fringe. including the Cough
linites and the Gerald Smith Com
mittee of a Million, which have
been showing a new strength un-
der the peace banners of the mid
west
There is a definite effort on the
part of all tnese organizations to
keep out the Communists and the
Nazis and the Fascists who are
all too anxious to see the peace
movement succeed in America,
though for different reasons. Sen
ator Nye, speaking in Detroit, was
somewhat set back to find his
meeting under the sponsorship Of
the Gerald Smith crowd.
THEY
POINT TO
The belief of all the legitimat
peace groups that their cause has a
chance IS based on a number of
contentious:
Most important is the recent ma
tional poll showing that only II per
cent oil the people wanted TO go
to war.
Next is q realization that the
country is not now prepared for
war. and cannot be prepared for
another year.
Third is the fear that the war
may end before American aid to
Britain can do any effective good.
This is important, as every British
defeat swings more of the 'un-
decided" element of the population
into the peace ranks.
Fourth is the success of the
Wheeler and Nye speeches in arous-
ing people to the dangers of war.
Fifth is the unwillingness of la
bor to recognize the dangers to
their rights in the present emer-
gency and make the sacrifices
which they might make if the
country were actually at war.
Sixth is a belief that the admin
s.ration's new tax program will
scare many people away from
wars unquestionable cost.
Seventh is a matter of interpre-
quently called attention TO the
apathy of the American people in
this crisis. The peace advocates
say apathy" is the wrong word
that it is in reality coldness and
a total disinterest in war.
Eighth is the fact that con-
gressmen's mail is again running
heavy against war.
All these points are listed here
not TO advocate them, but merely
to try to summarize the argument
from the peace side. If the peace
advocates contention that the
country is drifting away from war
is true, then the anti-war crowd
has actually talked the country
away from war sentiment while the
administration has merely bemoan-
ed the public's lack Of appreciation
OF the crisis.
To overcome that lead the ad-
ministration will have TO send its