Jan, 6.
It is now perfectly clear why German representations on the subject of the recent speech by Mr. Harold L, Ickes, U.S, Secretary of the Interior, met with the reception it did at Washington, for, if the desired apology had been granted, it would have stultified the President in preparing his message to Congress which was delivered on Wednesday, It is true that the President referred to no particular nation, but the manner in which he posed the issue between democracies, and those nations adhering to entirely different political philosophy Permits of there being no misunderstanding a3 to where his references were directed. His remarks were almost as strong as those used by Mr. Ickes in his much-criticized Cleveland speech, and it is now made plain that whether Mr, Ickes was speaking with the Government's consent or not, he was interpreting what was really felt in Washington. If there were at any time doubt as 10 where the United States stood in the struggle between conflicting ideologies there can be none now, and while it would be idle to expect anything in the nature of a combination of the United States with the European democracies Mr, Roosevelt has a finitely shown that the sympathies of his Government are with the latter, Three institutions, now as always indispensible to Americans, are being threatened in Europe, und Mr. Roosevelt sees a similar threat to them growing in the western hemisphere. They are religion, democracy und international ood faith. Religion is being threaten ed by the modification in certain totalitarian, states of freedom of belief and worship. Democracy has been overthrown in some countries no matter what complexion the {totalitarian doctrines may have assumed, while it has been made clear during the past few years that international good faith is at its lowest ebb, and, that endeavours to maintain it have been purely one-sided, the putting of the American house in order is to be found the best means of combatting present-day tendencies. He has warned Congress that, though last year war was averted in Europe, peace has not yet been assured, though he apparently omitted to stale upon whose shoulders responsibility. for that failure must lie.
Perhaps the most signifi message was the follow! int part of the We propose to do our share in protecting from storms from "any quarter of this hemisphere an ideal of democratic govern ment and peoples functioning together toutual respect for peace.
This docs not imply. thatthe American republics will. disassociate themselves. from. nother continent. It does mot Americans are against the rest stand on our historic offer to take counsel "with all other nations to. the end that aggression between them may terminate, the race for vents cease, and commerce: be: renewed. is significant that the protection of the Western continents is not a question which might arise when Europe might have been completely dominated by one form or other of totalitarianism, for it might very".well prove to be the case that the American
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.