Evening star., 1941-09-12

2 a1M up on the spur
MeLemors. of the moment.
It's too important for that.
The question Iswant answered is
this: What act, or series Of acts, on
the part of an Axis nation, would
make us mad enough TO declare
war?
Everywhere you go you hear that
all the President is waiting for to
start us shooting is IAN incident"
I've heard that opinion expressed
in half the States Of the Union and
by people ranging from those who
live in the lap Of luxury to those who
Just live.
Will it take the plugging of a
battleship TO send us in or was the
Greer, if she had been hit, OF suf-
ficient tonnage TO increase the itch-
ing of trigger fingers to where they
would pull?
Has the Government placed any
limit on the number or total ton
mage of merchant ships that it will
allow to be sunk by the Nazis be-
fore flashing the green light for
war? A lot Of us thought that the
Robin Moor sinking might start the
fireworks, but we got by that, and
now the freighter Steel Seafarer has
gone to the bottom of the Red Sea,
the American-owned SeSSa TO the
bottom Of the Atlantic, sent there
by Nazi bombs. But every one had
the filters for awhile.
The Government owes it TO the
peace of mind of the citizens to
make a frank statement of just how
much it will take to get US in war.
AS it is now, citizen must stay on
tiptoe from morning until night.
He can't get any rest. Somebody
in Washington must know the
answer. How much more restful 1t
would be if the Government would
issue a bulletin in which Hitler and
Mussolini and that illustrious and
buck-toothed representative Of the
Rising Sun, Konoye, were told just
how much monkeying around they
could do and what would happen II
they overstepped the line.
The Government might even print
up a sort Of box score for the citi-
zens with which they could keep
count Of just how close We were to
war. Here's what mean. Say the
Government declared that when the
Axis called Roosevelt a liar and q
scoundrel IS times, sunk II freight.
ers, missed five destroyers with tor
pedoes and bombed nine gunboats
war would automatically be declared.
AS these things happened we could
check them off. We wouldn't worry
when our box score showed that
Roosevelt has been called liar or q
scoundrel but II times, or that Ave
more freighters had to be sent to
the bottom before war could be
declared
Such a declaration by the Gov
ernment might go long way toward
curbing the warlike act of the Axis
nations. too. AS it is now, they
must be curious TO know just how
much kicking around this country
will take before 1t gets tough. So.
being curious, they keep sniping at
US here and there. II this sniping
keeps up we are bound to go to war.
The United States has pride enough
to make it punch any one who in
sists on slapping its face. I can't
help but feel that If the world knew
exactly where our patience ended
it might be bit more careful in
trying that patience. Out of such .
declaration might come an under
standing that would keep us out Of
war.
If you think it is presumptuous Of
me to write to the United States
Government, let me tell you that I
just heard from it the other day. I
got letter right straight from
Washington. 1t was inclosed in a
slender brown envelope, with what
used TO be called an isinglass front.
1t was an awfully cute letter. 1t said
something about September Is and
named sum of money, and some
how between the lines I could feel
that the Government had a great
interest in me and would be damn
disappointed II it didn't get an
answer to this little letter.
What do you suppose would
happen to me if I wrote the Govern
ment and told the boys that
wasn't going to answer the little
income tax envelope if they didn' I
answer the question I asked earlier
in this story?
Well, you know and I know what
would happen. Having no more
rights than a private citizen,
would be right out there in Alcatraz
in corner room, with no key.