Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1947-01-02
i MIGHT BE
WRONGFUL

~ article written by +. u.
Stromberg under this heading
l appeared in the weekly news
papers published by him in How
ard, Montgomery and Baltimore
counties-later Prince Georges
paper added to the thousands OF
readers who turn to this column
each week for his comment on
world, national and state affairs.
Last November Mr.. Stromberg
was elected State Senator from
Howard County and yesterday
took his seat as member of the
Assembly, Last week he startled
the editors of his six news
papers by announcing that this
column was to be discontinued,
at least during the time he is in
Annapolis. He explained that he
had promised during his cam
paign to give his entire time and
efforts for the good of the coun-
~ from which he was elected.
| might be wrong - but be-
1 heve the greatest thing Mr..
\ Stromberg can do for his county
Il md his state is to cnotinue in
\ his papers, as we'll as in his
everyday life, his compaign for
world peace. AS a captain in
World War / he saw the sordid
side of war-he came out hater
Of war-and was an ardent pro-
ponent of Woodrow Wilson's
plan to outlaw war.
May %, 1910, events of the
previous week in Europe aroused
Americans as nothing had done
for two decades. The highly
trained and mechanical armies
of Germany had smashed SEEM
ingly impregnable fortresses and
made us realize that our own de-
lenses were woefully weak. The
Nazi grab for power had shown
that it is the weak nation that
is in greatest danger of attack.
Heret in America isolationists
werei still being acclaimed as
pat4pts and mothers were sign
=, ing Editions against the military
preparedness program. And So
this column was born.
A believer in peace, Mr.. Strom-
berg also believes in being pre-
pared to fight to maintain that
peace, and so in his first column
he wrote: 1--WE WANT PEACE.
We want peace so earnestly that
we are willing to make any sac
rifice to maintain it. To main
tain it means that we must be
ready to fight. To be ready to
fight does not mean war. 1t
means that we are paying peace
Insurance" just as we pay fire
insurance . i. Some day perhaps
we will again have an oppor-
tunity to support world police
force which will be every nations
guarantee of peace"
Last week after more than six
years, when it appeared the
United Nations might reach an
agreement on disarmament, he
wrote, 1--WE should lend our sup
port to a movement to have a
complete course on American
democracy taught in every
school, public and private, with
the purpose of intoxicating in the
minds of youngsters a spirit of
patriotism which will ever stand
as our best insurance against
any and all isms'. We should
have this course teach the value
OF peace !. Is it not possible to
place our war heroes on a high
pedestal and still present to
young minds the horrors and sac
rifices Of war;" In other words.
to let them hear about the
toloody, bare feet at VALLEY
+ Forge, and the unspeakable fox
holes OF this war while they learn
Of Washington and Eisenhower.
! These weekly columns have
Sheen written in simple language.
in a concise and breezy manner.
Y The subjects have been varied
and timely. Unlike many writer's
of the day, Mr.. Stromberg has
not tried to force his opinions
on his readers, but has tried to
guide their thinking and to in
spire them to seek further infor-
nation on current events from
the daily press.
Reading the column has be-
come a habit with a great many
people-people from all walks of
life. Many have agreed with the
opinions its writer has expressed,
Others have disagreed. Both have
inspired him. His readers wept
with him rs they read the classic