Evening star., 1941-01-10
Cites Duty to Resist
Aggressor Powers
Writer Believes America
Will Defend
Treoty Rights
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
War in defense of the treaty rights Of
the United States and of nations that are
for the nonce occupied by or are in armed
conflict with the bandit governments may
lawfully begin with no special sanction by
Congress and with no formal proclama-
ton of hostilities.
If sovereign State of our Republic
were to act in contravention of treaty
to the injury of foreign nation, the
Federal Government would be required
by the Constitution to compel the Offend
ing State to comply with the treaty, and
failure so to do would entitle the ag-
grieved power to intervene.
Of.the nations whose treaty rights in
the regions of the Pacific are threatened,
and of the concert of peoples whose in
terests are menaced by increasing acts of
piracy in that ocean, the United States
alone is in a position to maintain the
sanctity of treaties and to enforce inter-
national justice. Failure so to fulfill the
Nations duty would constitute a tacit
acquieScence in the demolition of the
foundations of the society of nations,
whose superstructure is being leveled by
outlaw powers and in their widening
piracy.
Except for such duties, a nation could
claim no rights, for the only alternatives
would be international anarchy or an ul-
innate universal sovereignty acquired by
continuous laWleSs wars of conquest.
History presents no parallel to the crisis
confronting the race today. With the ex-
ception of aggressive Carthage, the sub
jugated Holy Land, and Greece, such
nations as Rome conquered were effete
or uncivilized, and from the Romans the
peoples obtained the arts of legislation
and government. Napoleon was not
total curse; he ended Europe'S feudallsm.
What the German dictator is endeavor-
ing to do is to create universal politics
and to make that what Mahomet planned
with his universal religion, and to realize
his objective he is prepared to sacrifice
each of his companions of the road for
his only interest in them is to employ
them to fight his battles. These, too, he
plans to dominate and might do so II the
British commonwealth of nations and the
United States failed to suppress his and
their outlawry in fullflment OF their in
ternational duties as responsible powers
in and guardians of the society of
nations.
America can and will command respect
for treaties to which the United States
is a party, and the indisputable duty OF
the Government is to resist, and by force
if must be, the hostile act of any power
endeavoring to evade treaty engagements
or to deny TO America or to any nation
rights guaranteed by the offending and
the injured nations.
The doctrine that treaty may be vi
tiated at will or convenience is totall-
tartan only and no power or camp OF
predator governments can propose any
argument to the United States in the
interest of such contention except
armed force, an arbitrament in which no
power can be so persuasive as America
will be if challenged.
The United States desires no nation TO
resign any just interests in the Pacific
and meditateS the abandonment OF none.
However, if any nation with interests IN
the regions of the Pacific operates those
interests to the prejudice and injury OF
a lawful society of nations, such nation,
if deaf to remonstrances, will be ce-
prived of them, and in the future be
restricted and restrained, quite as Eu-
ropes aggressors will be when the forces
of righteousness dictate the peace OF that
continent.
A prime attribute of America is justice.
The Nation is slow to wrath, and when
aroused by threats that create a nuisance,
and by acts that erect danger in
diligence ceases, and the disturber Is
deprived of the arm he would wrongly
apply. The thunder of voices preluding
war soon may be heard in the land.
EDWARD CONN.