Evening star., 1944-09-27
Letters to The Star
Presidents Speech Stirs Readers
to Various Comments

10 NdIlOuS comments
To the Editor Of The Star:
In his first political speech, the Presi-
dent stated that the Republicans
"botched" the peace tasks of the last
war. Yes, not only the Republicans,
but the Democrats, including Woodrow
Wilson, who served two years and four
months or So per cent of his second term
after hostilities ended.
There is small doubt that the Senate
would have ratified the League had Mr..
Wilson accepted a substantial number
of the reservations proposed by the
Senators. Instead, he said, Take it as
Is, or leave it." So the Senate and
later the voters left it.
1t is not enough to blame the Re-
publicans entirely for past national mis-
takes. The voters want Mr.. Roosevelt.
to discuss how he intends to avoid the
pitfalls of his own Democratic pre-
decessor.
The time is 1914, but the basic prob
lens OF 1919 (Which were not solved and
hence caused the present war; are still
facing us. Transfer OF minorities,
whether they be in Fiume, Italy, and
Shantung, China, in 1919, or in Po-
land in 1914, and reparations and post
war international relationships need to
be settled in such way as to prevent
another war.
There still is the problem of how to
establish an international police force
to enforce peace without increasing the
enmlty OF minority groups The prob
lem is the same now as in 1919.
1t is not claimed that the Repub-
licans really can solve these complex
problems, but let's hear more from the
President as to how he intends to do
so, instead of expending his energy in
impugning the motives of those who
allegedly hurl ridiculous falsifications"
and malicious falsehoods"
Yes, depression" Is q bad word, but
then does no one remember the word
recession" used In 1887 when pump
printing was curtailed? Perhaps Mr.
Roosevelt is superstitious.
Reporting the peak annual product
ton Of 20 billion rounds OF small arms
ammunition, Mr.. Roosevelt added to his
text the statement that that figure was
beyond his comprehension. One Won
ders If he comprehends the annual ex-
penditure OF approximately 100 billion
dollars and a public national debt of
we'll above 200 billion dollars plus State
and local debts-or does he?
B. H. TABB, Jr.
To the Editor of The Star:
President Roosevelts speech Satur-
day night must have made every one
looking for decent, dignined leadership
sick when they heard 1t. 1t STOPPED to
the lowest theatrical political trash he
has touched so far. And the worst OF
it is it seems to have fooled the bat
brains it was intended for 1t was the
biggest, fattest red herring the New
Deal has drawn across the scene 50 far
He could have added the Trumans and
the Prendergasts and the Flynns, and
so on ad inhnitum, to the people he
mentioned whom we don't hke-but he
was too smart to do it. G. w.
To the Editor OF The Star:
A noted criminal lawyer once said:
III your opponent in court has all the
facts and evidence on his side, abandon
logic and indulge in ridicule and sar-
casm." That was exactly the technique
OF the Commander in Chief in his Sat-
urday night talk at the teamsters
banquet. Tom Dewey has got under his
skin. He manifested some of the venom
that newspapermen say he exhibits
when asked questions aNpress confer
ences that he doesn't care to answer.
But such an attitude will not get the
"nonpartisan" head of the "Win-the-
War Party" anywhere with sooer-minded
citizens. AMERICAN
To the Editor OF The Star:
On numerous occasions when ] lived
in Washington, The Star was kindly
disposed toward my protests and gave
them space. One of these still engages
my attention, and l wish to re-empha-
size it after listening to the radio ad-
dress of President Roosevelt on Satur-
day evening. 1t is the use of the ex-
preston free men" with which he
climaxed his political speech.
This masculine term, together with
others that are supposed to include both
sexes, seems to have the proverbial nine
lives of cat. 1t dies hard What can
We do to give this half truth a decisive
finishing stroke? Why can't we say "a
free people" thus including the feminine
half, as it justly deserves? When we
note the indispensable service women
are giving-these war days particularly
is it so dif1icult to dissolve the various
language flxations? Is it not as plain as
pikesta1 that we cannot move for
ward with Gods help to the greatest
epoch of free achievement :. the world
has ever known or imagined possible" :"
as the President declared, without the
full and free participation Of women?
Then let them be included by means OF
proper phraseology
Won't somebody close to Mr.. Roose-
velt commend him for using men and
women" as often as he does and appeal
to him to stop using free men" when
he really means all the people?
ROSE ARNOLD POWELL.
Minneapolis, MINI.
Appreciates Indians