| Show antiwar anti war sentiment will keep U US s out of war for some time observers believe kven even city of flint incident failed to rouse american ire those who fo forecast ccase that the frank anti dictatorship dictator ship sentiment of the american people would rapidly load lead us into war once it broke out abroad and many made exactly that forecast during the past few years seem scorn to have backed a lo losing loing ing horse going by the best evidence available the martial artial ra spirit has not increased a wl whit lit in this country since the war var began i A late fotune fortune poll is of exceptional dional interest according to this poll only 17 per cent of the people should enter the war an th thel eside side of tile the allies in october where 23 per cent thought we mc should in september slightly Y aver over 10 per cent thought we should join the allies if it looks as if they are getting the worst of it where per cent approve approved d of that course course the month before this overwhelming isolationist espirit obtains even though according to the same poll 3 more than 85 95 per cent of our people want england and france and their friends to win and only 13 per cent want avant germany and tier her friends to win the ithe balance re plied that they favored neither nei t tier side 0 or know president view furthermore anti war feeling seems to exist at practically a a fever level in government and official circles men lien close to washington affairs have said that when wh en war first began important officials 0 feared that we would inevitably be drawn in today say the correspondents their I 1 outlook has undergone dramatic change an important sidelight on sentiment there is found in one of paul mal lons ions washington dispatches dated october 27 wrote air mallon mr roosevelt has been pounding the desk in confabs with congressmen lately about this talk that he will get us into the war tile the surprised legislators report they have never seen him so aroused about anything the united states government will not get into the war at any time under any circumstances and it is foolish and absurd for anyone to suggest such a thing tile the president has told at least cast three representatives senta tives individually city of flint incident to pile up more evidence in support of the argument that the american people really are determined ter mined to stay out of this war some observers have used tile the city of flint incident as an example of what they regard as americas hard headed and realistic attitude had the germans seized an american ship under similar circumstances in 1915 or 1916 they say public feeling would have boiled mass meetings would have been held andee and we might have been led headlong into war what actually happened when the flint was seized was far different there was no great excitement the government made strong diplomatic protests to russia and germany high officials als admitted frankly that a large part of the flints cargo might accurately be called contraband and that she was liable to legal seizure seim 42 under international I 1 i i A TIMELY REMINDER AA st I 1 bi 8 ti tt t ta it T at t J L aliet law no one of consequence edep even suggested the possibility of military reprisals and the main point of controversy was not the seizure but the technical question of whether she could have legally been taken to a neutral port propaganda menace some feel that our neutrality may be menaced if and when the british and french really loose the floodgates flood gates of propaganda they remembered how efficiently the allies rang the bell with this weapon in the last war but it must also be remembered that this propaganda was ruthlessly exposed and that many americans feel that we were taken for a suckers buggy ride more and more of us seem to think that Eu ropes quarrels are Eu ropes business and that hate the dictators as we will we must keep our hands out of the mess all in all today say men whose business is feeling the public pulse americas chances of remaining at peace are very good indeed business outlook there is nothing of unusual interest to report from the busness business front the early war boom has abated to some extent foresighted business men are thinking less of possible european orders and more about increasing their business in the vast markets of this country and latin america the third quarter corporation reports have been drifting in and by comparison with previous periods they are encouraging gross income net profits and dividends paid are generally up some companies voted their first dividends in a lengthy period of time A business week survey shows that while department store sales prime index of consumer put chasing power are running 2 per cent under 1937 levels in terms of dollar volume they are 5 per cent higher in terms of merchandise moved in other words the public is spending a little less but getting more due to lower prices and that means more business tor for manufacturers steel and textiles still lead the manufacturers race to higher production peaks Both industries are close to actual maximum production which is materially less than the theoretical maximum |
