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Show Nation's Attitude on War Puzzle to U. S. Officials Washington Hears Conflicting Reports on Issue of Full Participation; Wildlife Is 'Mobilized.' ! S f i " f A ' S By BAUKHAGE National Farm and Home Hour Commentator. WNU Service, 1343 H Street, Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON. One of the interesting inter-esting events to watch in the capital these days is the welcoming of a traveler who has safely returned . from the great west or the wide prairies. Washingtonians gather around him with wan but hopeful ! smiles on their faces. They are j never quite sure whether he is about to pull a peace-pipe from under his blanket or a tomahawk. And they are not sure whether the tomahawk is meant for use on them or as a sign that the wild tribes of Chicago and Pittsburgh and Cripple Creek and Hollywood are ready to join the militant East in a good old-fashioned old-fashioned war-dance. Of late some of these returned travelers have surprised the braves who collect the wampum and the medicine men who sit around the council fires along the Potomac. Surprised at what they hear from the peaceful folk who live in the valley of the Father of Waters and who are tilling their fields on the great plains and among the Rockies. Rock-ies. While these distant Americans are loyal to Big Chief in the White Tepee (according to the Gallup poll), "they just ain't a-spoilin' for a fight." In other words even some of the writers and pamphleteers who have been most enthusiastic about aid to the democracies at all costs have changed their tune. They are beginning be-ginning to say that the American people are still so strongly against permitting America to become a belligerent that Washington must step carefully lest it go too far in that direction. I have very good reasons for feeling that the President Presi-dent is beginning to be influenced bv this feeline. mal population of the primeval forest for-est and the lonely glen. But the white man cut down trees, planted corn and wheat. Birds and animals, robbed of their ancient homes, poached on the settler's set-tler's field and garden. The settler, set-tler, both to protect his crops and to add to his larder, went forth with trap and rifle. The sportsman hunted hunt-ed where he would. American wildlife wild-life all but disappeared in some sections, sec-tions, did in others. Most farmers most people, for that matter have a sneaking affection affec-tion for the furred and feathered folk who live on their land. But the old fear of their predatory habits lies deep birds that pick and rabbits that nibble and the foxes, the little foxes that clear back in King Solomon's Solo-mon's time, spoiled the vineyards. Today the farmer is rapidly breaking down this ancient fear and with the encouragement of the government gov-ernment material as well as moral he is hanging out the welcome sign and offering free board and lodging to wild life. Already more than half the nation's na-tion's game exists on privately owned farm, range and forest land. Department of agriculture officials tell me: "The biggest part of our work of conserving our national resources of quail, pheasants, doves, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, opossums and many other kinds of valuable game and fur animals must be done by individual farmers right on their own land." That is why benefits under the Triple A go to farmers who plant odd corners with trees and brush and grains and legumes which furnish fur-nish house and hearth of the wild folk. Diplomat's Viewpoint. Recently I talked with a foreign diplomat whose country, still at peace, is trembling under the threatening threat-ening shadow of the dictators. He said he found it hard to understand the American people. He was sure that they were willing to save the democracies from defeat at any cost and yet they seemed to be solidly against putting this country into war. "It reminds me,' he said, "of a line from the poet Goethe," and he quoted: "Two spirits dwell within my bosom." Some of the President's associates who are able to look on the situation situa-tion abroad objectively and are in close touch with our observers in foreign parts are saying, in effect, this: "The present American foreign policy is not being run counter to the majority of public opinion. "It is fully realized that while parts of the East and certain groups in Washington are ready for United States participation In the war immediately, im-mediately, the people as a whole would object strenuously to getting us into the conflict. "But they feel that even if this country should take steps which lead us nearer to the edge of the conflict than we have already gone, they believe be-lieve that Germany is so anxious to avoid a formal state of war with us that she would hesitate a long time before bringing about such a step. "In other words even if we were to convoy British supply ships to the very edge of the Western hemisphere, hemi-sphere, to Greenland for example, and there was an open battle between be-tween an American warship and a German submarine, war might not be declared by either side." Evidence of this conviction was offered by Democratic Senate Leader Lead-er Barkley when he was opposing the Tobey amendment recently which expressly forbade the use of convoys. Senator Barkley said: ". . . tf we have violated international inter-national law in such a way as could result in a declaration of war against us by Germany, we have already al-ready done that, and the convoying of ships, would be only an incident." Wildlife Mobilized For Defense The United States is mobilizing wildlife for defense the department of agriculture's recruiting drive is on! When the axe of the .first settler rang out on the continent of America, Amer-ica, its echoes disturbed the "balance "bal-ance of nature." Until then the natural nat-ural food supply regulated the ani- So now many a patch of scab rock in a field that once was a desert island has become an oasis where small animals and birds live and move and have their being. Given a pat on the back the wild life helps the farmer, eats the bad bugs. Given a chance to forage in the upland growth and woodlots and helped, with a little food that the state is glad to furnish, they do not bother the crops. And the game birds and animals have served another purpose. They have built a new comradeship between be-tween the city sportsman and the farmer. Twelve million sportsmen in this country are glad of the chance to shoot on the farmer's land. Six million farmers have proved by their co-operation with the AAA plan for conserving wildlife wild-life that they are glad to offer the hospitality and the sport which the city people love: a chance to hunt with gun, rod or camera and sketchbook. sketch-book. Spring Comes To Nation's Capital Spring comes to the Capital. A cheerful squirrel is begging for peanuts in the shadow of General Lafayette's statue. Suddenly it darts for a tree as a newsboy cries: "Whole col-lum an-eye-a-lated in Balkans." The newsboy passes, selling his blood-spattered news. I watch the squirrel. He watches the newsboy, then darts down to the grass and rolls over three times in sheer glee at not being a man . . . Walking down with the government govern-ment workers in the morning: I pass the tall and dignified brick facade and the great, sheltering dome of St. Matthew's cathedral. A couple, arms locked, pass me. They have walked this same path, this same way to the same office for years. But today, after an Easter Eas-ter holiday, a bright new platinum band Is on her finger. A sudden spot of color on Washington's Wash-ington's wide Sixteenth street. A little lit-tle row of one-story, brick houses. Once they were slave quarters, now they are squeezed in between a stiff, grim brownstone mansion and a tall residence with high peaked roof and bellying bay window, prim clipped hedges. The dweller in one of the little brick boxes has painted his front a warm red. It glows like a glass of chianti held against the light. The cherry blossoms. Walking under un-der them early enough to be alone you can almost feel their enveloping envelop-ing beauty resting on you like a delicate robe of pink down. WPA 'Bookmobiles' Reach Rural Readers More than 200 traveling lending libraries li-braries are now on the road. They are called bookmobiles. "Before the WPA library program began operating operat-ing bookmobiles about four years ago, traveling library service to rural communities was almost unknown," un-known," says Assistant WPA Commissioner Com-missioner Florence Kerr, who nationally na-tionally administers WPA library service along with all other community commu-nity service programs. |