Evening star., 1945-03-26
Mood of 'ProcticuIity'
Seen Sweeping Nation

Seen Sweeping Nation
Observer Asks If Returning Sol
der Won't See Through Sham
BY David Laurence.
A strange mood of practically" is
sweeping the United States at the mo-
ment. 1t is one of the phenomena of
the war most difficult to explain 1t
extolls compromise" and looks askance
at those who insist on adherence to
principle"
One wonders what the soldiers and
sailors will think of it when they come
home-whether they, too, will join the
ranks of the so-ealled practical" who
says principle" is theoretical or ideal
istic. One wonders, on the other hand,
whether the servicemen will not see
through the sham of the practical
philosophy and ask some searching ques-
tionS.
For If it Is right to be practical" in
l945, why wasn't it right, they may ask,
to have been practical" in 1899? The
records show that Russia, for instance,
was negotiating with Great Britain early
in 1889 and wanted assurances con-
cerning certain Polish territory, but the
British felt that adherence to the
pledges which guaranteed the terri
torial Integrity of Poland was para
mount. If Britain had been more ''prac-
tical,' would Stain have signed the
alliance in 1889 with Hitler which gave
the Nazis their hoped-for assurance of
one-front operation and which en-
abled Germany to start the war?
Lesson of Appeasement.
There's another question too which
Will have to be answered by the school
of thought which espouses the "prac-
tical." Hitler wanted the city of Danzig.
He argued that the Polish Corridor"
set up by the Treaty of Versailles really
blsected German territory. In the case
OF the Suedeten section of Czechoslo-
Vakia populated by Germans the Munich
conference of 1888 which was governed
wholly by 'practicar' philosophy, gave
Hitler distinct encouragement
If the British and French statesmen
had been practical" in 1889 and had
given Hitler his Danzig and revised the
Polish Corridor" set-up as simply
mistake of 1919, just as Mr.. Stain now
argues that the failure to grant the
Curzon Line to Russia was a mistake
OF the Versailles conference, would not
such appeasement in 1899 have kept
Europe at peace as it did in 1898?
If small matter of European terri
tory, thousands of miles away from us,
Is unimportant-as so many of the
practical" folks are saying about the
partition of Poland-then why was the
European war permitted to break out in
September. 1899? If weak nations like
Poland are to be carved UP in 1945 why
couldn't they have been carved up in
1889 and saved the millions of lives and
the manning of millions more in this
war that now has gone five and a half
years?
The practical" folks may not be able
to answer those questions without re-
veallng their own inconsistency and
their own lack of logic The adherents
to principle" who are sometimes called
'perfectloniSts' can however, answer
those questions unhesitatingly and can
face the returning servicemen without
equlvocation For the idealist believes
implicitly that this war was begun and
will be fought to the end to secure re-
spect for principle" to maintain the
pledged word of states and to revive
morality among states. The basic "prin-
ciple" behind the worthwhile sacrifices
being made today in this war is belief
in fundamental justice. Along with that
belief goes a condemnation of evil, no
matter whether it rears its head on the
side of an ally or foe.
Reason for This War.
The believer in principle" cannot con-
done in an ally any behavior that emu
lates that of the totalitarian enemies
now being crushed by the sword. The
reason for this war, as the defenders of
principle" see it, is that neither Hitler
nor any other totalitarian ruler can be
trusted to keep the peace no matter
what concessions are given. Appease-
ment and compromise never pay in
/ dealing with, the selfish or with those
! greedy for power or with those who
exclude the -four freedoms" from their
! people.
Fortunately, in the democracies. pub
lie discussion of these issues is still per
mitted though some of the practical
school of thought think that criticism
of an ally for failure to adhere to the
-four freedoms" should be suppressed
1t would appear that fears of disunity
have been widely exaggerated. Practi-
| cally speaking, Russia and the United
| States and Britain are bound together
| by common aim to defeat Germany
aided by our manpower and supplies.
Despite the criticisms of Russia, for
instance, it appears that her armies are
proceeding vigorously and so are the
armies of Britain and France and
America. Evidently nothing that has
been said in this country by the mi
nority of believers in principle" has
given Goebbels enough ammunition to
bolster his armies to defeat ours. The
Allies seem to be making wonderful
progress across the Rhine anyway.
The sooner the victory is Won, the
sooner discussion on fundamental issues
can be carried on without the hysterica
cry that to speak the truth about our
selves is to aid the enemy
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