FIRM RESOLVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23928, 31 March 1941, Page 8

FIRM RESOLVE

AGAINST DICTATORS t _ t NAZIS AND COMMUNISTS ; WARNING BY IiOOSEVELT 1 7.r, p.m.) NEW YORK, March '_><» On his return to I'orf Everglades, ( Florida. sun-iaimed and refreshed , after eight days' holiday in the sun- , shine at sea. President iioosevelt spoke by radio to the American people from the cabin of the yacht ( Potomac. i Although he spoke as head of the ] Democrat Party, on the occasion of < .1 aekson Day. he made it near that he i wn , noi only talking to the party but rather to all Americans. Aiding Democracies His address was in many ways a : repetition of previous speeehes, hut the i vorv repetitions served to empnas.se 11| ( . bluntness of his words. He uttered resounding warning against CoinKi 1 iiiists. Nazis, defeatists, and their da pes but proclaimed that Amencans , were transcending partisanship to defend democracy. He reiterated American determination in the stiffing words: "We Ameri- ( rans, with all our resources and a I our power, shall help those who block , the dictators in their march toward world domination." Quoting as an example the peaceful- j ness of his holiday after the labours j of Washington, President Uoosevelt said: "Here fat sea) you come to realise that to-day you have to work over- j time and work harder than e\ ei befoiG i in your life, to make that peace possible later on. Action and More Action "If we sit down now we may get run over later, and, if our kind of civilisation gets run over, the kind of , peace we seek will become an unattainable hope. ' "That is why, in the comparative j tpiici of this week, I have seen it more j than ever clear that the time calls for | courage and more courage, action and : \ more action. I "The threat to our union and to our democracy is not a sectional one. It . comes from a great part of the world which surrounds us and which draws more tightly around us day by day. To ! do this job we Americans, nearly all of ; us, have risen above the consideration j of party politics. Totalitarian Mentality "The totalitarian mentality is too narrow to comprehend the greatness of a people who can be divided in party allegiance at election time, but remain united in devotion to their country and to the ideals of democracy at all times. "in dictatorships there can be no i party divisions, for all men must think I as they are told. Every common man | and woman is forced to walk the nar- ! row path of party line as drawn by I the dictator himself. I "Lust year we held an American I election in which the people voted bv | secret ballot, and without prodding by the bayonets of storm troopers. And we are determined so to act that Americans will go on year after year holding j free elections. Guarantee of Freedom "Such elections guarantee that there can be 110 possibility of stilling the J freedom of speech, freedom of the press i and air, and freedom of worship. These j | are eternal principles which are now j being threatened by the alliance of j dictator nations. Ours is the responsi- ; bility of defending these principles, j "The history of the nations betrayed during the past year should show us I and the rest of the world what it means | to live in a world organised and ruled j by the Gestapo. j " "The enemies of democracy are now trying by every means to destroy our unity. Tiie chief weapon they now use against us is propaganda. Propaganda comes in ever-increasing quantities, with ever-increasing violence, from across the seas, and it is disseminated within our own borders by agents or innocent dupes of foreign Powers. Betrayal of Dupes "We have seen what has happened to great industrialists of Germany who 1 supported the Nazi movement, and then , received their reward in Nazi concentration camps or in death. > "We have seen how the workers of • France were betrayed by their so- . called champions, the Communists, for no matter what Communist lips have said their actions have proved that in their hearts they care nothing for the real rights of free labour. "The agents of Nazism and those who unwittingly help them are still ' trying to play both ends against the ' middle. They have attempted to exploit the natural love of our people for peace. They have represented themselves as pacificists when actually they are serving the most brutal warI mongers of all time." j "I AM AN AMERICAN" DAY ( (Reed. ft 35 p.m.) WASHINGTON. March 2ft , Sunday, May 18, President Uoosevelt announced today, will be proclaimed as , "1 am an American" day. It is to lie p observed in recognition of American citizens who have attained their major- , ity, or who have been naturalised within the past year. RECORDS OF AIR WAR GIFT TO NEW ZEALAND (Rrcii 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, March 28 Following an exhibition at the Press Club of a collection of photographs taken during and after the fire raid of December '29. the committee decided to offer copies as a gift to Parliamentary Press Galleries in Wellington and other parts of tiie Empire. The pictures make a stirring, realistic and comprehensive record of London in flames and devastation in the City Temple and Fleet Street area. On the day of publication there was a phenomenal demand for "The Battle of Britain," the small booklet giving an account of the great air fight from August to October, 19-10. says a British official wireless message. The edition was soon sold out, orders within a few hours amounting to more than 300.000 copies.