NO WILSON PROMISES

In the weeks following Woodrow Wilson's reelection in 1916, America was quiet and relaxed. Pacifists were a dime a dozen, but the nation was not prepared for the chain of events which in the ensuing months utterly destroyed America's will to stay at peace. Today's deceptive post-election calm, underscored by unity meetings, holds that same menace.

The tendency to interpret Rooselvelt's reelection as providing a carte balance for a "Vigorous" foreign policy; State Department talk about sending warships to England to rescue a handful of Americans who have had fifteen months in which to get out--these are but straws in the wind. The big push for intervention is yet to come. And in this temporary lull the Student Union is hollering for an organized expression of peace sentiment. Using the apt slogan, "No Wilson Promises," it is seeking to dramatize the tragic parables between 1917 and 1940.

No riders are tacked on to the program by the H.S.U. It is sincerely seeking unity on the single issue of keeping Americans out of the war, not quibbling about aid to England or to Moscow. But if the "No Wilson Promises" movement is to survive and gain momentum, it desperately needs wider support than the Student Union alone can provide. This is no time to be snooty or cynical. If we don't want our guts blasted out in a futile attempt to invade the continent of Europe, the President must be held to his solemn pledge to keep this nation out of war.