America's Sympathy The effect of German and Italian brigandage in
Europe on American public opinion has been demonstrated de- cisively, not merely by the comment in the leading papers but by approval openly given by President Roosevelt to one of the most vigorous and outspoken of all the editorials, that in the Washington Post of last Tuesday. Mr. Roosevelt, no doubt, is somewhat in advance of public opinion in this matter, but he is too wise to go so far ahead as to be in any way out of touch with it, and what the President says today on foreign affairs the country can be safely counted on to say tomorrow or not long after. All that is reassuring and satisfactory, but the impression made on the Dictator coun- tries would be greater if Congress could bring itself to give the President (and his Secretary of State) swifter and more decisive backing. It is clear enough that in the event of an actual European War the American people would never let existing neutrality legislation (which makes no distinction between the author and the victim of aggression) prevent the Executive from rendering the fullest support to the European democratic Powers. But what is wanted is not merely that America should help the democracies to win a war, but that she should help them to prevent a war. The best way to do that would be for the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to cut short its discussions on the neutrality law and propose its amendment in such a way as to give the President full power to use it in the way the country desires to see it used.
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