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Show renounces war as an instruments of national policy and this leads some people to suggest that the road to future peace will be certain cer-tain if other nations do likewise. The first observation, in connection connec-tion with the Japanese renunciation, renuncia-tion, is that the declaration was forced upon a defeated people, whose Army, Navy and Air Force had been completely shatterd. Without the tools, equipment and paraphernalia of warfare, it made little difference whether the Japs renounced war formally or not. In addition, there comes to mind the specter of the Pact Paris, negotiated ne-gotiated by Secy, of State Kellogg and signed by most of the nations of the world nearly two decades ago. This Pact likewise bound the signatory nations to renounce war as an instrument of national policy. The pacifist-influenced democracies de-mocracies took the agreement solemnly, sol-emnly, but the Pact did not deter the dictators of fascist states from plotting war as soon as they came into complete power. The suggestion now comes that a renunciation of war will be effective ef-fective if there is a provision for the forceful implementation of the agreement. In other words, the protagonsts of such a pact insist in-sist that "military teeth" be provided pro-vided to bring future aggressors to judgment. In this case, there is no use to go through the monkey mon-key business of signing an international inter-national treaty . renouncing war. If the peace of the world depends de-pends upon the military might of those who oppose aggression, let's recognize the fact which might have some bearing upon the hys-erical hys-erical demobilitzaion fever which, even now, rages in this country and in Great Brtain. FORWARD MARCH By H. S. Sims, Jr. fiiiiiiiNiiiiiiiiiiiihiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirtiiiiiniiiiiHuntfiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiittiiiiii REP. HARE AND SANTA CLAUS . . . Rep. Butler B. Hare questions the wisdom of this country "assuming "as-suming the role of Santa Claus" in connection with the problems of the peoples of Europe. Of course such a phrase means nothing but the South Carolina congressman seems to -think that the United States is trying to do too much for the rehabilitation of distressed peoples, saying there is not "the prospect of wholesale starvation" anywhere to the extent ex-tent "it has been publicized by the press and otherwise." Mr. Hare may be correct in his conclusion but it certainly conflicts con-flicts with reports that, have been released by UNRRA officials an other spokesmen ' for relief work. It is much better to give too much to relieve starvation than not to give enough. To do so is not, as Mr. Hare says, to relieve re-lieve the countries "of their repeated re-peated political errors." It is to express, in actual life) some of the principles of religion. Men, women wom-en and children should not be permitted to starve because of political errors. NONSENSE FROM A BRIGADIER ... There may be reasons why the United States should not extend elective Servicta andhyjlmiversal military service in time should not become the policy of the nation. Nevertheless, it is somewhat silly for Herbert C. Holdridge, retired Brigadier-General, who is fighting fight-ing any peacetime draft, to assert that the law cannot be enforced because "there woudn't be enough agents in the Dept. of Justice to run down the invaders." The retired Brigadier makes it plain that he has little respect for, the Army in which he served and his remarks suggest that he has a very poor opinion of the people of this country generally. Certainly, if Selective Service is extended or universal military service adopted, the overwhelming overwhelm-ing majority of Americans would fulfill their duty. - RENOUNCING WAR . . . The new Japanese constitution |