COAL AND IRON CONTROL CRUCIAL IN TIME OF WAR

"The old text book idea of this country's isolation in world affairs has been conclusively disproved by recent events," said Professor Robert Matteson Johnston, in his talk to the Freshman Debating Society in Smith Halls Common Room last night. "We must recast our whole ideas of European relations. The first thing to be done is, of course, to get an army; and few realize that this takes time. It would be six years before a first class force of troops could be created to compete with any of the Powers now at war."

"The Monroe Doctrine," Professor Johnston went on to say, "is excellent food for Government courses and Congressional discussion. But we can't enforce it. Being perfectly defenceless, we ought to prepare."

Professor Johnston accepted in his speech the great significance in the war of industrial conditions. He said that we had to consider as powers in the world only four or five countries--or groups of countries--who control coal and iron supplies. The nations, he stated, who did have at their disposal the greatest supplies of these fundamental raw materials controlled the destinies of the world. The case was cited where Germany at the beginning of the war immediately took possession of the iron fields in eastern France.

After his talk, in answer to questions put by some of those present, Professor Johnston said that he did not believe there was any hope of diplomatic relations being re-established with Germany. He called attention to the fact that President Wilson had received such support from the neutral nations and from the American people that his position was all the more strengthened.