The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1941-03-20
THROUGH
HAZ E [
E Y E S
.
BY
Haze Rrannon

Whether America likes II or not
we are now in a position where we
will have TO use every this
natios has to win the war for Eng
land. Passage of the lend-lease bill
meant that we were committing our
selves to go the whole way. There
is no turning back now even if we
should want to turn back.
Up until the passage Of the lend
lease bill the only picture we got
in America of England was her
heroic courage and steadfast nerves
in the face of mercilcss bombing.
We were presented by our news
papers and the radio with a picture
of an England with a good chance to
win the val il we would only
come through with planes and ships,
guns, tanks and ammunition.
Since the passage Of that bill and
the appropriation by the American
Congress of seven billion dollars the
picture has already changed.
Today and even more so n the
near future we will see a truer
picture Of the real p~redicament Eng
land is in. We are going to be
better informed how strong the
the Nazis are and on England's
weaknesses. Because we have COM
mittted ourselves irrevocably to her
cause We will have to fight with
and die with England.
As proof of this we have only to
read our morning paper. Already
they are calling for boats to bring
the stuff we are giving them. They
say now the boats can be manned by
English sailors. The next step, w
venture to say, after We have given
them boats as we will surely do. is
to mar the boats with American
men.
The first two or three boats Of
American boys to go down won't
create much of a sensation. But
after that the American people will
become indignant and demand war.
That's the way it goes. Once a ma
ton takes one step toward war it
gradually. slowly but surely gets
caught in a net from which there
is no escaping.
America is caught.
The only reason America has not
been called upon sooner by Eng
land for more aid is because we
have not had anything up until
now. Our plants are just now getting
underway. Our production is not in
full stride yet. But as fast as wc'
can manufacture fighting equipment
England will get it.
As for men Roosevelt has
said repeatedly that no American
soldier would be sent outside the
western hemisphere for battle. The
bill which indicted the National
Guard into the United States army
specifically confined its services to
the United States possessions and
the western hemisphere.
1t is remarkable that, surrounded
by Eyes" men as he is, the Presi-
dent knows the one fear uppermost
in the minds Of the American peo-
pie. He knows they do not want to
send another expeditionary force to
Europe. Recognizing that it seems
evident that Churchill's words about
fnot f~oreseeing at any time the need
of an American Expeditionary Force
in Europe" were placed in his mouth
by Roosevelt.
All of these are Notwithstanding
words which mean nothing. Long
before the year is oyer legislation
will be enacted to retain National!
sGuardsmen in service until the pre-
sent emergency is over; more men
will be called to the %colors; a per-
manent compulsory milit.ry train
ing law will probably be enacted;
and more than likely the men who
have already been training a year
will be enroute to England to join
the British forces who care hope
iessly outnumbered and cannot win
unless more American men supple
ment our forces"