OCR Text |
Show Politics Takes a Holiday NO FINER exhibition of patriotism and loyalty loy-alty has been given the people of the United States than in the exchange of telegrams by the former governor of Kansas, Alfred Landnn, Republican Re-publican candidate for president in 1936, and President Roosevelt. Ever since Secretary Stephen Early, as a spokesman for the White House, counseled the American people to be calm and asked them and the press to sustain a developing foreign policy all (rowing out of the bombing of the U. S. S. Panay there has been evident over the nation a tenseness not paralleled since before our entry Into the World war. It was grim advice from the people to prepare themselves for any eventuality. eventu-ality. Though, the attitude the country over has lacked the hysteria which brought forth the cry twenty years ago, "Remember the Lusitania," and twenty years before that, "Remember the Maine," there has been real cause to shout "Remember "Re-member the Panay." Disturbing as have been the numerous insults and affronts since the outbreak out-break of Japan's undeclared "defensive" warfare, no "incident" had been comparable to the bomb-ins; bomb-ins; of the gunboat and the murder of navy ptif-aonnel ptif-aonnel and civilians all on lawful and peaceful missions. The seriousness of the wholly unwarranted unwar-ranted and cowardly act by the Japanese was instantly understood by Americans, but to their everlasting credit they remained self-collected in calm appraisal and demonstrated confidence ' in the state department to see the thing through. Ai the state department has shown increasing increas-ing boldness, and as the president undertook to . make it a personal affair between himself and the mikado, preponderantly the people nodded approval. As the Japanese from day to day have been changing their minds, and as each new official of-ficial report to Washington has added evidence of ruthlessnesa in Japan's act, Americans have grimly held fast to their calm. There has been cause to wonder how long it might last Angea and hatred have been growing grow-ing momentarily, but kept pent up. Many wars have been started on pretext of leu significance. signifi-cance. If Japan has ever desired assurance that , the United States harbors no thought of making war against her, as jingoes have stupidly tried to make the Japanese believe, this attitude of patience and forebearance on our part offers strongest proof. It is the fascist-military dictatorship of Japan, for which the sacred person of the emperor manifests man-ifests either fear or sympathy, which clearly invite in-vite war. Its head haa swelled tremendously since acquiring Germany and Italy as allies. All this is apparent to our government and our people. peo-ple. Beneath the admirable restraint which has been all-pervasive in the nation, it is an inescapable in-escapable fact that anxiety has been growing hour by hour. These are, indeed, dangerous days. Former Governor Landon saw this and put patriotism above party politics and loyalty, valor and fealty before personal concerns. For God and country, coun-try, he stands forth as a sterling American. He haa immeasurably contributed to the maintenance mainte-nance of sanity in national thought He has barred criticism by scatterbrains of the deliberate delib-erate effort to formulate an American policy of peaceablenesi that maintains the honor of the republic. He hat made the president's task easier, strengthened his confidence, heartened him in his critical hours. The president's reply to the pledge given correctly expresses American Ameri-can thought. His stirring reference to this country's coun-try's aspirations for peace but not peace at any price is a ring in( declaration, the entire nation will appluad. |