The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-06

m 1917, as in lo42, the war prNldent was DenoerOt-Wils son, with his "New Freedom" Now wo have Roosevelt and his "New Deal" But after that, com. parisons end.
 Wilson was elected to his sec- ond term in i0l0 on tho slogan, "Iie kept Us out of war" Roose. welt broke all precedent by win- ming a third term in io40. with- out benefit of such 6 slogan,
 When war broke out in August, 1914 Wilson, Q paelflSt at heart, delivered q neutrality message, hegeeching Americans 10 Do i'm. partial in thought as well as in action,
 U. s. WAS BETTER
 PREPARED THIS TIME
 When war Ngain broke out in Europe in 1889, Roosevelt isSued the set neutrality proclamation and only that,
 In later years it was revealed Wilson had always been pro.Ally, History did not have to wait Co learn what Roosevelt felt, He pros claimed it repeatedly.
 Wilson SpoHe Of peace without victory. Roosevelt told the world he could not conceive of peace without total defeat for the Axis.
 h World War |, in the matter of preparedness, the country was ahead of Wilson, In World War IT, Roosevelt was way ahead Of his country,
 Only in June, i0i0. after nearly two years Of European war did Wilson march in . Washington preparedness parade.
 Tn that same month, we, who sat la the pres gallery, saw Con. gresS vote to increase the regular army to q paitry i7S,000 Even before the second World War started, Roosevelt preached pre- parGdness
 In July, 1e40, hc asked Congress for nearly flyc billion dollars for national defense. While Congress dawdled, he took matters into his own hands, astounding tho country on Sept, 3, i040, by telling the poo. plc he had traded with Britain, giv. ing 50 oVer-age destroyerS and roc eeiVing bases in Newfoundland and the British West Tndies-vital out- posts for defense of American shores.
 Just c few days before, ile had signed an act ho had proposed. It authorized him to mobilize the ra. tional guard and the army and navy reserves.
 Tn World War I. after AmerIca had been at war with Germany for seven weeks, Congress passed c Bo- lectivo service act May i8, 1917, and on June 5 the first registration was held, By contrast, owing to Roose- velt's urging, Congress passed e SC. lective service act Sept, 10. ie40 -- more than i4 months before Amer- fen was ct war, and the first reg istrati0n occurred Oct. 10, i040.
 Tn World War I, as in World War IT, German submarines sank Alner- jean merchantmen, even before Am. erica entered the conflict, Wilson patiently wrote his long series of notes SO much ridIculed ct the time RoosoYelt wrote no notes. He cons sidercd it Q waste of time.
 In the present war, aB iil the oths or Britain and her allies spent their own money here, buying food and war supplies. Again their monetary resources waned. Tn World War !, the Allies borrowed some Si0,000, 900, but this time Roosevelt proposed his famous and fought Lend Lease bill.
 Before America entered World War I, there was strenuous propa- ganda campaign to keep the coun- try out Of the conflict, just as there recently was in l040 and part Of 104i.
 Then, as now, much of this was ilnadulterated pr0-Qerman stuff. Before April 6, 1917, we saw often in Washington the foremost pro- Ger man booSter-G George Sylvester Vle- reck. Until Dec. [, i04I. the same Viereck was once more the leading pro- German propagandist. Only this time he came to grief. We newspa- pernen recently saw him convicted as an unregistered propagandiSt and sentenced to from 2 to 6 years in prison,
 Tn April. 1917, angered by repeat- cd German sinkingg of American ships, wilson finally went to Con- gregg and asked for Q declaration of