Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-11
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

IT JUST "ain't good enough"
= The British reply to Herbert
Hoover's tentative plan to supply
some food to starving civilians
in the conquered countries, and
to supply it under complete
British control, smells-or. as
my distinguished namesake,
Samuel Johnson. once said in
defense of rugged Anglo-Saxon
English:
"You smell; I stink"
The British argument boils
down to this:
Germans are responsible for
their conquests. Let them do the
feeding"
That's swell-from the British
viewpoint-but the cold HUMANE
tartan fact remains that there
isn't enough food in Europe.
There is another consideration
here and it isn't very pleasant.
1t is that one of the chief
weapons of modern war is morale
of the civilian population. The
Germans reap our righteous in
dignation for impairing it by
bombings of non-military OBJ
jects.
But what do we think-what
are we to say of the deliberate
application of starvation to
wholly innocent peoples-espe-
cially to the weak and to women
and children - as possible
weapon of war? 1t is a CHASTITY
thought.
DEMEMBER, this is no sugges-
IL ton of aid to enemy popula-
tons but to people that Britain
melted TO war in her own in
terests when she was-as has
been proved-unable to aid them.
Mr.. Hoover's proposal was not
final. 1t was. by its own terms.
an experiment. If it turned out
TO result in military aid TO Hit
Ter it was 10 be abandoned. 1t
was to cost our people nothing.
Couldn't it even be given trial ?
1t is a gross mistake even TO
mention race or creed in any
of this argument. We have
grown so historical that / have
been we'll advised not to include
even a dialect story in these dis
patches.
But, please may I say that Mr..
Hoover is a Quaker. even as
were all my mothers family.
They don't believe in ferocity or
Understanding. In Spain and
almost everywhere else that
humanity has suffered they have
moved in with food and BAN
dages.
At the World War Armistice.
Britain was unwilling to feed the
conquered enemies. The war was
over. Mr.. Hoover's was the only
great voice raised 10 favor some
alienation of mans inhumanity
TO man. At his urging we
appropriated and spent $780,
100000 TO supply dietary def
ciencies to the aged, the weak
and the helpless in the conquered
countries.
THIS column is not 10 urge
Il any softneSS or any slack
ness in our conduct of this war
AS a student. if not an adept, in
the whole history of wars. 1t
recognizes that the Four Horse
men of the Apocalypse are as
much a part of it as gunpowder
and bullets-conquest, starva-
ton. death and pestilence.
But it is impossible here to
see how our people can support
a blockade of conquered peoples,
friends of ours, the effect of
which will probably be to starve
them into submission 10 our
potential enemies and could pos
sibly be to warm and strengthen
them into resistance in behalf of
our apparent friends.
THIS British position goes just
l. little bit too far. 1t is all
right for them to pay cash TO
Canada and their other associ-
ated nations for munitions they
are to get free from us, TO con-
script Canadians for four
months training with no obliga-
ton to serve overseas. while we
take our men by CONSUMPTION
for a year with no limitation as
to service. and many other
similar unequal burdens as
sumed so gratuitously by Uncle
Sap.
But when the ukase comes
that we shall not even try to
alleviate the sufferings of peo-
pies who are as much part of
our flesh and blood as the Brit
ish-Belgians. French. Dutch
and Danes-to see whether ii
can be done without impairing
the British military position, my
Quaker blood rebels.
While l have never before
stood on common ground with
Herbert Hoover. i do today. The
nrnnocifinn To his nrnOrarY1 seems