Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-11-24
Defeutist Attitude
Seen on League Hopes
Power Blocs Are Causing Many
to Lose Faith, Says Writer
By Dapid Laurence

BY Dapid Laurence
Are there some Americans who are
beginning to lose faith in the principle
of democracy? After this war has been
won will there be some among us who
will argue that the totalitarian concept
wherein might makes right is perhaps
the more practicable?
These questions are asked because Of
the defeatist attitude already being as
sumed by those here and abroad who
are beginning to defend as realistic the
proposal to create a western bloc of
powers in Europe to be dominated by
Britain and an eastern bloc to be DOM
mated by Russia.
1t Is being argued, for instance, that
because the smaller nations aren't ca
pable of defending themselves asAd did
not contribute sufficiently to prewar
security, hence they must now yield
some degree of sovereignty and submit
to the rule and dictation OF the larger
powers.
To those who suggest that this means
two rival systems of alliances which can
only mean perennial friction, the answer
is being made that unless certain from
tiers are guaranteed in Europe and a
defense system organized to support
those guarantees the continent will
again be menaced from within.
Strength Overlooked.
What seems to be overlooked is that
the plan for a new League of Nations
with its security council and military
committees has been offered to the world
as universal organization which shall
nave sufflcient military power back of
it to keep the peace, and that its mill
tary forces will be deployed only as q
result of collective authority.
The American people are being urged
| to contribute to the armed forces of
the proposed league SO it can go into
action at moments notice, and this
principle is every day receiving more and
more support. But it is difficult to
understand how the idea of a regional
system of blocs to be dominated in a
military way by two rival powers with
their own set of political and economic
interests can ever be honestly reconciled
with the broader principle of universal
organization in which large and small
nations shall be represented and in
which all nations shall have sovereign
rights as well as duties.
| Can it be that when the argument is
| made for the need to build friendly"
| Poland or a friendly" Iran or a
friendly" Romania and so on through
the Balkan and Baltic bloc soon to
come under Russias sphere of influ-
ence' there is an unwillingness to see
that such types of friendship are in
culcated usually by coercion if not in
timidation?
Undoubtedly there will arise many
sponsors of the balance of power idea
who will urge that it is the only "prac-
tical' way for Britain to meet the dan
gers of Communism bloc in Eastern
Europe. But the American people are
not likely to accept the thesis that be-
cause to be moral in this world Is diff
cult and presents obstacles there must
be compromise with the principles of
| justice and equity.
| America to Keep Pledge.
| To wink at the ambitions OF the larger
| powers which seek to rule the weak Is
| to follow the line of least resistance,
a course that inevitably leads to in
ternational disasters. Perhaps at the
| moment the traditional American re-
! luctance to help keep the peace in
Europe after the war by large military
| commitments is being discounted by
Russia and Britain. They feel there is
| little chance of collective security any,
| how
| But British and Russian statesmen
| will find that they never will have
made bigger mistake than to assume
| that America will not continue even in
| the peace years to be watchful of every
| episode or incident that threatens world
| peace. For America is getting ready
to make an unprecedented pledge to
| use her armed forces to preserve peace
| in Europe before disputes reach the
| acute stages of a world war.
That pledge will hardly be forthcom-
ing If two sets of alliances are going to
make their own military arrangements
and set up their own spheres of selfish
interest with the expectation that
! American lives will be sacrificed in
| order to extricate either or both alli-
| anceS from the friction their own mis-
guided diplomacy will have engendered
| Decentralization RIGHTS Pesarvadh