Evening star., 1943-01-05
BY SAMUEL GRAFTON.

1t has become fashionable to regard
the refusal of the American people,
% years ago, to get hot about the
League of Nations as an historic in
stance of popular stupidity.
Nobody has yet uttered the simple
and conclusive answer that the
American people did not become ex-
cited on behalf of the League, as
then constituted, because the
League was not very exciting.
Why blame the audience when
the show lays an egg? The people
are the constants, in any political
situation; if a particular scheme
fails to appeal to thetm, the fault
must lie in the scheme. The busi-
ness of denouncing the American
fails to appeal to them, the fault
people as incredible fools for not
having taken a certain course of
action, at certain time, is politi-
can infantilism. II you want the
people to indorse plan you have
to get up plan that they will in
dorse.
The American people just couldn't
become excited tenough) about the
| international cast of characters in
charge of world affairs in 1919, and
who can blame them?
Hard Eggs Of Time.
What was there about the Lloyd
Georges, Clemenceaus, Orlandos,
etc, and the other hardened eggs of
that time to make the American
people 60 dancing on the green,
kissing each other in the streets,
and dropping off to SWEET, secure
dreams?
Does it really seem so reasonable
now that such men as these could,
under any conceivable conditions,
have made safe, secure, prosperous
world? I don't believe it, and the
American people, in their own in
stinctively accurate way, didn't be-
lieve it, either.
The League proposed to do next
to nothing about the things that
really make sense to men. such as
promoting individual security. It's
content was largely a proposal to
set up better methods for resolving
international quarrels of little i'm
mediate concern to the average man.
The average man responded with
boredom, which is the way he votes
between elections. The League was
not failure because 1t did not get
popular support; 1t did not get
popular support because it was a
failure.
So, when the next such proposal
comes along, those behind it had
better make sure it is exciting If
they want the people to be excited
about it.
Those of us who are in a frenzy
of fear lest the people once again
will turn down some dull, gray,
meaningless international concoc-
ton, can be assured now that if it is
dull, gray and meaningless, the
people will turn it down. You have
to give them something they can't
turn down. That is the way demo-
cratic process exercises its squeeze
power on the reluctant.
If the brave new world turns out
to be larded with Darlanism, If 1t
includes understandings with the
remnant Junkers of Germany, the
royal household Of italy, the Haps-
burgs of Austria, the frozen faces Of
the old French general staff, and If
it says nothing to each man about
meat on the table, the people are
very decidedly going to say fudge,
and turn it down, taking their
chances on luck.
(The bad thing about our
dalliance with Otto of Austria,
you see, is not that it makes some
people holler; 1T is that it disap-
points all the people and makes
them quietly Indifferent to the
whole business)
Liberal leaders, such as President
Roosevelt, ought to need no reminder