The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-06-12
Economic . (.
e#~hAThA
National and International Problems
Inseparable from Local Welfare.

A great deal of the Presidents late
talk was given to restatement of
his foreign policy, so there was moth
ling particularly new in it, except for
la definitely more aggressive tone
when he spoke of Hitler and the Axis
However, Mr.. Roosevelt emphasized
a few points which are of the high
est Importance, and which he had not
covered in the same way before.
First, he made it perfectly clear
that, in the Administration view
point, our present policy is not just
an idealistic attempt to save England
and the British Empire-that, to the
contrary, it is based on cold, hard
principles of self-interest. He is con-
|vinced that if England falls we will
be next on Hitler's list, and that the
wise course is to keep the fighting out
of this hemisphere if possible.
Second, he said categorically that
sea control will be the determining is
sue-"If the Axis powers fail to gain
control of the seas they will certainly
be defeated." Therefore, he and his
supporters reason, it is necessary that
we keep the democracies' present con-
troll of the oceans intact.
Third, he intimated that this coun-
try, in self-defense, may find it nec-
essary to control certain areas in this
hemisphere which now belong to Ger
man-dominated France-Dakar, the
Cape Verde Island, etc. Of these pos
sessions, it is probable that only Da-
kar, which is fairly we'll fortified
position, would be difficult to take
over.
Fourth, and very important, he
spoke tellingly of freedom of the
seas" TO millions of Americans
those words carried them right back
to 1916. Freedom of the seas" was
President Wilson's cardinal point of
disagreement with imperial Germany
and it was Wilson's insistence on
this point that finally brought US ac-
lively into the war. When we passed
the Neutrality Act at the beginning
of the present war, we, by indirec-
tion, Abandoned that old policy. AND
while the President has said he sees
no reason for repeating the Neutrality
Act, it is clear that he has no inten,
tion of accepting Germany's version OF
the rules of war as they apply to the
ship traffic of n-belligerents. Many
think that the Neutrality Act, though
it is still on the statute books, is
pretty much of dead letter-at this
time, the Presidents powers are sc
vast and SO sweeping, and his back
ing in Congress is so great, that laws
can be construed pretty much as he
wants. -4-s
The President seems certain thai
American participation in this wal
can be limited to air and naval actor
of one kind or another. "While pre-
paring his speech, he referred fre
quently to this" say Columnists AL
sop and kintner,, arguing that Ger
many could be strangled by sea pow
er and that no large American expe
dictionary force would be needed tt
conquer her" In other words, the
President is thinking of long wal
lof attrtion.
Highlight of the speech was hi!
announcement of an unlimited ma
|tional emergency" The legal hair
|spitters will be arguing for a lonl
time just what powers this gives hin
that he didn't already possess unde
= the Limited emergency proclaime,
more than a year ago. He can com
:, mandeer factories, control the radi,
and perhaps the press, ration basi
materials, etc.-but, say some au
thorities, he could have done this any
, way with his "limited emergency
IpoWcrS. One point of view is tha
the "unlimited emergency" proclama
tion was at least partly for psyche
logical ciIect-to stiffen up the coun
= try and make it more aware of it.
4, ,|problcms. Some think it was ais,
partly directed at malcontents in tn
ranks of labor. The sections of tn
; Presidents speech in which he spok,
: 'Ioflabor, and said that decisions of th
government mediators must be ac
} |ccpted by all concerned, are consd
cred significant in some quarters.
X X X
Britain's decisive victory in Ira,
makes good news-she couldn't atfor,
, to lose her oil wells and pipeline
there, as they are almost literally tn
Iifebood of her military and nava
forces in the East. Other good new
was the destruction of the BismarcI
by a tremendous concentration 0
British naval units-that had to b
done, to buck up British publ
: which was aghast at the sinking 0
the Hood, pride of the fleet.
! But the news from Crete is as ba
, as 1t could be. Again, the German
! demonstrated the power of their air
ilarm-again they showed the fines
, kind of staff and supply work. In los
| ing Crete, Britain loses much of he
Mediterranean power.
C| Some commentators think the bat
T. tie OF Crete may have been flu
!. dress rehearsal for invasion of Brit
/ ain herself. There is a similarity i
IpnnIltInns 'Ihr NJ, L,l