Our Stand Is (Vol. 4, Issue 13)

Isolationists to the right of him, Trotskyites to the left of him, pacifists somewhere in between volleyed and thundered. Ours not to do or die, ours but to question why said this strange brigade.

Into the valley of death rides Roosevelt, shout they in dismay. If Europe goes to h-ll — well. Too bad, it’s sad. 

Indeed much is to be said for this attitude. The last war to save democracy and to end all wars proved to be history’s most costly disillusionment. The sole result of the sacrifice of millions of lives, of untold suffering, and staggering destruction was to prepare the world for another and greater holocaust. Apparently, however, not all nations have learned that no one is victor in war, for ominous indeed are the present portends and the stage is again set as in 1914.

Moreover, talk of war is once more being freely heard; acceptance of its inevitability is rapidly increasing. This pessimistic acquiescence is in itself a terrifying factor for it provides war propaganda with its most fertile soil of activity. It is removed by one step from actual participation in war.

It is, therefore, that these aforementioned gentlemen denounce in no uncertain terms every attempt of President Roosevelt to clash verbally with the dictators or to brand their aggressive conquests as immoral according to international law. Every such act of his, they maintain, brings, the U.S. closer to the brink of war.

We understand this position and yet we beg to differ. At the risk of being termed naive and hopelessly optimistic, we assert our firm belief that America will not readily become involved in another world war. We believe that anti-war feeling has run deep into. the consciousness of our national life and that the events of, the past few years have but served to strengthen our resolve never to become parties again to a new world war. We are confident, moreover, that Pres. Roosevelt, is truly a peace-loving citizen and has no designs of smoothing the way for our entry into war.

To us, therefore, the recent statements of our President are not fraught with danger, nor are they yet the farcical sallying-forth of a Don Quixote to do battle with two dangerous rogues; rather they represent a definite contribution to world peace at a moment when dire necessity called for a firm voice and a courageous stand. The reverberations of his peace proposal are being heard around the world and the spontaneous acclaim which it has won cannot fail to help muzzle the mad-dogs of Europe.

The proposal to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 1939 to President Franklin D. Roosevelt receives our whole-hearted support.