Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1941. AMERICA IN DANGER.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 January 1941, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1941. AMERICA IN DANGER.

J \ his Message to Congress which was reported yesterday. President Roosevelt placed the United States definitely on side with those nations which are fighting to maintain or to recover their liberties and as definitely against the dictatorships which are now seeking by methods of brute force to dominate the world. In doing this, however, Mr Roosevelt made out a ease which even the most hardened and irreconcilable isolationists. of whom there are still some in the United States, will find it exceedingly difficult to answer, and even more difficult to rebut. The President went to the root of the matter in maintaining, in effect, that it is essential to the security of the American nation that it should give all the material assistance that it can ‘‘to those nations now in actual war with the aggressors.

Having declared that not previously had American security been as seriously threatened from without as it is today. Mr Roosevelt said in the course of his address; —

The future and safety of our country and our democracy are overwhelmingly involved in events far beyond our borders. Armed defence of democratic existence is now being gallantly waged on four continents. If the defence /Nils, all the populations and all the resources of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia will be dominated by the conquerors. It is immature, and incidentally untrue, for anybody to Lrag that an unprepared America, single-handed, can hold off the whole world.

Here is a plain statement of facts in face of which till the vague claims of isolationists, whether they are based on more or less idealistic aspirations, a mere desire for comfort, or the hope of commercial gain, must fall th the ground. President Roosevelt might without extravagance have gone even further than he did. It is doubtful if any degree of preparation would enable the Americas to hold their own in a world elsewhere and otherwise dominated by the so-called principles of totalitarian aggression. That position, however, need never arise if enterprising effect is given to the policy defined broadly and expounded by President Roosevelt in his Message to Congress. That Message is in a real sense the culmination to date of a long course of leadership in which the President has marshalled the American nation in support of the world democracy of which its own is an indivisible parr. That task of leadership, it may be hoped, has been carried out so well and successfully that there is no question of the I’nited States doing anything else than give full effect to the policy summed up by Mr Roosevelt when ho said :—

Let us say to the democracies: We Americans are vitally concerned in your defence of freedom and we are putting forth our energies and resources and organising our powers to give you strength to regain and maintain a free world. We shall semi you ever-increasing numbers of ships, planes, tanks and guns. This is our purpose and our pledge. In fulfilment of this purpose we will not be intimidated by the threats of the dictators. . . .

Amongst other things, this obviously is a challenge to the dictatorships. in Europe and in Asia, and an invitation to them to do their worst. Nothing is better established, however, than that the dictatorships in any event will do their worst within the limits of their opportunities. That fact gives the I'niGal States its best and most, essentia! reason for vo-operating with Britain and other nations to preserve world democracy and for making any call upon its resources that may be needed to ensure that democracy shall not perish from the earth. President Roosevelt's Message to Congress is entitled to approval first and foremost as making provision in the only possible way for the safety and security of the I’nited States. It is at the same lime a reassuring and inspiriting message of hope to Britain and other nations now engaged in a life and death struggle and a message of doom to the gangster dictatorships which are seeking to enslave and degrade humanity.