The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-05-21

much.
President Roosevelt himself has
agreed that our escort warcraft
might get into shooting matches
with Axis submarines, planes or
surface raiding ships, and he's con-
ceded that shooting is pretty close
TO war"
All that's obvious 10 anybody.
But Herbert Hoover's proposition
was that our navy Cor such Of it
as may be assigned to convoy
duty) must attack German sub
marines, ships and planes, to be Of
any use"
Our pro-convoy and outright In
terventionist congressman were
prompt to jump on that remark as
the bunk, and, as previously OBJ
served, there are even isolationists
who think that Herbert weakened
their case by over-eXpressing him
self.
The arguments this:
We're engaged in sending sup
plies to Britain. They're going, at
present, In British vessels, but
they're our supplies until they're
delivered. And the Germans are
sinking more or less Of them in
transit. Authorities differ as to Just
how much this destruction amounts
to. Nevertheless, there's a good bit
OF it; there's no question as to
that.
And they're OUR supplies ire
CARELESS Of the nationality Of the
boats they're being transported in)
while in process Of being sunk.
Ours Until Delivered
Suppose, for instance, that we
get an order Of goods from Britain
and find it convenient to send 'em
TO the consignee in a British bot
tom. We don't sell 'em to that par
ticular ship. We sell those to the
5rlusn and they're ours until
.hey're delivered to our customer
Just as a grocer still owns his su-
gar and coffee and breakfast food
until his delivery wagon hands 'em
over to the housewife who asked
TOR 'em, by phone.
It's true that our sales to Britain
are on credit basis and everybody
may be middling certain that the
bill never will be paid. But that's
none Of the Nazis' business. II, ulti-
mately, we can't collect a cent, it's
our funeral; not theirs.
Well, Axis blockaders are busy
sinking this stuff. When they do 1t,
they sink British ship, too. May
be that ship-sinlking's none Of our
affair, either, since it isn't our ship.
However, the ships contents are
OURS, up to that point
Let's get back to the case Of the
grocer aforesaid. Suppose his de-
livery wagons overworked, so he
borrows or hires several from some
other chap. But a gang of hood
lums make practice Of overhaul
ing his supplementary wagons,
smashing 'em up and confscating
their cargoes, which consequently
never get to his customers. POSI-
bly, the grocer cares nothing for the
other fellows wagons that he's Dor
rowed or hired, but he does object
TO the interference with his own
deliveries. Accordingly, he arms
his drivers with shotgun apiece
and the next time one of 'em's
jumped by the hoodlum gang, he
shoots 'em full of lead slugs.
Can that grocer properly be saic
TO have attacked" those hood.
lums?
Just so with our proposed con.
voys.
Well Not Go Hunting
1t isn't suggested that our navy
should go hunting Axis subma-
rines, planes and surface raiders.
Oh, yes, our ra-interventionists
1rge our about participation in the
var. The merely pro-convoy boys,
though, advocate only armed es-
sorts for protection Of our ship
ments abroad. II Axis subs and
things will let our exports alone,
our escorts will let THEM alone,