The Last Ditch

At last, after a year and nine months under multifold disguises that fooled practically no one, the men who want war for this country are launching their open campaign for belligerency. The war sentiment, once a rank heresy but always a seething undercurrent in the Aid to Britain argument, changed in one fortnight from a whisper to a strident shout. The voices which have moved so slowly from "short of war" to "war if necessary" have now undergone the final inevitable metamorphosis into "now is the time" with lightning speed.

In one respect the activities of the last week have had their desired effect, for despite the heroic resistance still being put up by the much maligned little band of anti-Administration stalwarts, the result has been consternation in the anti-war camp. The ranks of the faithful have been serried by the honeyed arguments which present the War To Come as an exciting adventure. The roscate prospect of a quick and decisive victory over Japan and a paralysis of Germany by a painless conquest has made a good interventionist out of many a former advocate of peace.

Even of those who remain convinced that going to war would be fatal tot he cause of American democracy, almost a majority have given up hope for success in the fight for peace. This form of defeatism led one Boston columnist tacitly to admit yesterday that he could be convinced of the merits of fighting if only the Administration would hire some better showmen than bumbling Mr. Willkie and dull Mr. Stimson. Another "Over There" in his opinion would give the needed touch of crusading spirit to the cause macabre.

Bleak as the outlook appears at this point, the time to stop fighting for peace has not come, nor will it unless there is an actual declaration of war and we are stopped of necessity. There is no compromise with war. We are standing in our last trench. If we do not put up a fight now, we shall be fighting in a different sort of battle soon enough.