Evening star., 1944-10-25
Text Of Dewey's Minneapolis Speech
Republican Candidate Says Congress Alone Must Determine
Extent Of Y. 5. Armed Aid to QueII Future Aggression
ell Future Aggression

I paraded before the American people
the ghosts of the dead past. He
told us a few bits of history, care
fully selected, and then said in ef-
| feet, 'ask me no questions-you are
not entitled to know where we are
going. Just leave everything to
me-"
Now, Mr.. Roosevelt said. in that
speech, Il am giving you the whole
story" But the isolated bits of his
tory he gave were only a very small
part of the story. I had intended to
talk tonight about some of the
problems of the American farmer
l have deferred that talk SO I
could, without delay, look with you
tonight at the vital events my op-
ponent left out of what he called
the whole story"
Convenient Memory.
My opponent says the heavy hand
of isolationism governed our coun-
try in the 1920s Does he mean to
apply that term to the three great
Republican Secretaries of States,
Charles Evans Hughes, Frank B.
Kellogg, and Henry l.. Stimson, his
own present Secretary of War? If
so, I am afraid he has a convenient
memory. 1t was my opponent him.
self who said on the day he took
Office, the fourth of March, 1888,
the world picture was an image
of substantial peace International
consultation and widespread hope
for the bettering of relations be-
tween the nations gave to all of
us a reasonable expectation that
the barriers to mutual confidence,
to increased trade and to the peace
full settlement of disputes could be
progressively removed"
And that was the truth. My OPP
ponent did inherit progressive
improving structure of interna-
tional co-operation-from the Dis
armament Conference of 1921 led by
Charles Evans Hughes through the
great Kellogg BRAND pact of 1928,
in which most of the nations OF the
world renounced war as an instru-
But it was on March S, 1888, that
Adolph Hitler made himself die
tator of Germany. That was fate
full year. Germany walked out of the
Disarmament Conference Germany
and Japan quit the League Of Ma
tions. And. tragically, under the
leadership of Mr.. Roosevelt, America
did her own bit toward the break
down of international cooperation
for peace.
Statement in 1888.
Mr.. Roosevelt now speaks fondly
of the League of Nations. But it
was he who in 1888 said this of the
League: We are not members and
we do not contemplate member
Ship
He rejected the policy of collabo-
ration with the League which had
previously been established, and in
1885 the American representative at
Geneva was instructed that we de-
sire to follow our course independ-
emily"
I1CIC oil e tWO pal ID VI biiC oGol y liIy
opponent conveniently forgot. Now
let's look at some more.
1t was also in 1885 that instead of
the policy of consultation with other
nations, an overwhelmingly Demo-
cratic Congress adopted the fruit
less Neutrality Act and the President
signed it.
But it was in 1888 that we really
had our last chance OF bring order
out of the chaos of international
money exchange and trade. The
London Economic Conference had
been labored over for months by
Republican Secretary of State Slim
son. Yet, as one of his early acts
as President. Mr.. Roosevelt deliber-
ately scuttled that conference. That
was the most completely isolationist
action ever taken by an American
President in our $50 years of his
tory 1t was that event that led at
least one European statesman TO
say there was then nothing ahead in
Europe but war.
Impoverished Army.
Year after year. from 1888 to
1889. our representatives in Berlin
and Tokyo in their confidential re-
ports, which are now partly made