The only real quarrel which took place at the eighth Pan-American Conference held fat Lima was over a declaration of solidarity against aggression from the outside world. The Argentine and the United States headed the opposing schools of thought and it was nearly a week before a compromise proposal was finally worked out. Tt appears strange on the face of it that the shadow should. be considered more important than the substance and that in the interests of a declaration of solidarity the world should bbe given an exhibition of its lack. But the Pan-American Conferences are always a Hittle like that.
Pan-American is a geographical expression und not 1 political "fact and the United States must in its dealings with its sister Republics act on the assumption that the dream is a reality while at the same time takings steps to see that It becomes so. Mr. Cordell Hull, and indeed any Secretary of State must talk of Democracy when nearly every Latin American country is a dictatorship of pence when every country has suffered from internal strife and some half dozen have engaged in boundary disputes. He must talk of the preservation of eemocr tle liberties when nearly every country imposes a censorship; of freeing the chan~ nels of trade and commerce when nearly every country imposes exchange control. He must speak of the Latin American countries' belief in the Good Neighbour policy while good neighbour Mexico confiscates American oil and sells it to Germany and when Good Neighbour Dominica massacres nearly 10,000 unwanted immigrants from Good Neighbour Haiti; he must contrast. this spirit wilh the vicious practices of the totalitarian States who persecute Jews and restrict the activities of American Jo citizens. He must in short keep constantly dinning into the ears of the Latin American dictators as they chisel away at the foundations of the democratic shrine that they are in reality the shrines' defenders. The Justification for such a policy is that with persistence the dictators may in time be led accordingly. to believe that perhaps they are and set keeping alive this unreal conception of the New World Mr. Hull has been aided by the self-control of the American newspapers who exercise patriotic restraint in their dealings with Latin Anverican countries which they would roundly condemn in, for example, the Press of Great Britain as dangerous self-censorship. Perhaps it ix by way of reaction to making the best of all possible New Worlds that they make the worst of everything which happens in the Old World, particularly anything which happens in Britain. A Tittle group of well-known American writers fact seem to have become more than just pessimists, they are vicarious hypochon~ Ariaes, enjoying the ills of other people.
The lack of improvement in European relations since Munich is treated as a matter: for congratulation. Tt serves the statesmen Fight for not going to war last September when the American columnists told them to. This group of editorial writers is very like the crowd at an American "all-in" wrestling match. They take a very bold attitude towards the contestants in the ring and roundly accuse them of cowardice and Jack of energy and initiative. They give bloodthirsty and not very helpful advice on how (0 lick the wrestler they wish to sce beaten and occasionally cry out with irvita~ tion that the whole contest is a fake doiberately designed to deceive them.
The boldness shown by the wrestling spectators might be dye {o the fact that they know they will never have (o carry out the advice they give themselves, but can remain. perfectly safe in their ringside seats. A similar reason might be responsible for the boldness shown by the American writers who lecture Europe on the proper policy to. adopt. No American who is honest with himself, however, would believe that United States would ever again send an army oad so that the yedd taste of arguing that battle should forthwith be engaged is questionable, At one time laying down tankard of conduct for others which you did not propose to follow yourself would have been called hypocrisy; now those who advo it idealism.
One result of tension in Europe has to encourage an American campaign in favour of national unity, towards stressing the points which all parties and all groups the United States share in common, whether they are Republicans or Democrats, Labour Unions or Chambers of Commerce. Ther must be internal unity against external iaygression—preparedness for defence other words, defence being the word yener-ally used als a less frightening synonym. for wa The need for national unity in face of troubled world is one which every Americas recognizes. He hesitates, however, when the further suggestion is made that this implies an acceptance of the Government programme without opposition. It is one thing! to vote for increased appropriations for the army, navy and air forces, but it is quite a different matter when he is asked to make the country's "home line of defence" secure accepting the measures which the New Deal Administration feel will strengjt: en the national economy.
During the first emergency period of the carly 1930's opposition to the Administration was often attacked as unpatriotic and near treason. The political opponents of the Administration ave a little afraid that something of the same attitude will be taken to all Government measures now.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.