TIMES, WILLAMINA. OREGON
W EEKLY
NEWS A N A LYSIS
BY
ROGER SHAW
Fighting Shifts From Flanders
As Nazi Air Force Bombs Paris;
Malta Looms as Trouble Spot
(EDITOR'S NOTE—When opinions »re expressed in these colum ns, they
a re those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
-
THURSDAY. JUNE 13. 1940
Bruckart’a Washington Digest
National Preparedness Drive
Encounters Political Bickering
Washington Correspondent Sees Defense Program Being
Turned ’Into a Vehicle for Selfish Use’; Racketeering
Lahor Leaders Climb on Bandwagon.
Released by W estern N ew spaper Unton. —
By WILLIAM BRVCKART
WNU Service, National Press Bldg.,
Washington. I). C.
WASHINGTON.—It is exceedingly
difficult to m aintain a balanced
viewpoint in the national capital
these days. War hysteria is flowing
at higher tide than in any other city
of the land. Washington is the nerve
center of the pluns for a great and
proper national defense scheme.
That is bad. Yet, a calm perhaps
would settle down and the serious
job confronting the nation probably
would be accomplished more effec
tively and efficiently if some other
and more dangerous factors were
not horning in on the situation.
It may not yet be so clear to the
folks outside of Washington, but I
must report that the urgently need
ed national defense program is be
ing turned into a vehicle for selfish
use. There is no longer room for
doubt. The tragedy is that many
otherwise sincere and honest indi
viduals in places of responsibility
are lending aid to this chicanery
and boring-from-within.
The cold fact is that while patri
otic and far-seeing folks are giving
the best efforts available to the de
velopment and execution of the na
tional defense program , fumes and
stench are beginning to arise from
ed a united people behind the pro
gram . The President hinted broad
ly in various utterances that any
one disagreeing with him was pretty
much of sourpuss.
Form er President H erbert Hoover
disagreed, as did a considerable
number of representatives and sen-
ators, with some phases of the de
fense program . The President
sought to quiet them all by making
another speech—a fireside chat.
There were holes in that speech,
and scores of newspapers pointed
at them, editorially. Mr. Hoover
took issue with some of the Presi
dent's plans in a radio speech.
Two days after Mr. Hoover’s radio
speech, Assistant Secretary John-
son, of the war departm ent, went
on the air with a "reply” to Mr.
Hoover. Notwithstanding the Presi
dent's contention that there was no
politics in the defense program , Mr.
Johnson’s speech was released by
the Democratic national committee
Slipped By
“ I was on the stage once.”
“ Well, the doorkeeper can't be
on guurd all the tim e.”
'
i
“ An adult,” suggests a school
boy, "is someone who’s stopped
growing up and started growing
out.”
BEYOND THAT
?
,
!
“ Have you a speaking acquaint
ance with the woman next door?”
“ Speaking acquaintance! Why, I
know her so w >11 that we don't
speak at all.”
P re tid e n t a n d H i t F rie n d t
H a v e R ig h t to B a c k P la n
Misstated
With a terrific crash, the motor
car shot headlong into the hole in
At least, the copy which came to ‘ the road.
me was on the stationery of the com- >
“ Here, you!” yelled the watch
mittee. I do not mean to say that | m an. “ Did you see that notice
either the President or Mr. Johnson j
the road was closed?"
should not defend the program , saying
“
I
did,"
replied the motorist, ns
which is their responsibility. I do
he started to climb out of the hole,
insist, however, that there is no ex
"but I fr-wnd it wide open.”
If Italy should move against Great Britain in the Mediterranean she
cuse for accusations of politics when
might very likely direct an attack at the great British naval base at
they, themselves, are playing poli
He'll Fix That
Malta. Malta has been on a war footing since the beginning of the Eu- ’
tics.
“I'm afraid I really cannot tee you
ropean crises. Map at the right shows the relationship of Malta to Italy.
In addition to the Roosevelt-
ju st n o u .”
Vulnerable perhaps to bombing attacks it would be a tough nut for Mus
Hoover interlude, any observer j
“G ood - I ’m selling spectacles.“
solini to crack by sea. Top left is a view of the harbor at Valetta with
must have seen the deluge of propa
British man o’ war at anchor. Below, one of the big costal guns that ring
ganda coming from various places ’
Place for Him
Malta is blazing away during gunnery practice.
in
the
government.
The
press
agents
j
He
was
relating his adventures
(SE E IT A L IC N O T E S .)
have been working overtime in ! to his fiancee.
thinking up ideas that link their de
“ I had to hack my way through
II GERMAN WAR:
Italic Notes
partm ent's job with the develop
almost im penetrable jungle,” he
m ent of a national defense program.
All private motoring stopped in
said. “ Chopping, slashing at thick
Flanders Battle
Some of the efforts are pretty ridicu
Italy, due to government conserva
undergrowth and trees."
The Dutch-Belgian-Flanders-Artois tion of gas and oil. Italy has no
lous, as silly as trying to make the
“ Oh, G eorge," said she, "you’ll
battle came virtually to an end. save native petroleum, iron or coal.
love life of a bull frog appear im- ; be an expert at weeding the gar
for up-moppings and kitty-corner
portant in the training of a soldier. ' d en !”
Pro-Italians were jailed in Eng
operations here and there.
The land’s M editerranean naval base,
That sort of thing is going on—the ;
Dutch and Belgian arm ies had been Malta. Possession of this strategic
promotion of President Roosevelt’s
surrendered or finished, and the island is a leading Italian objective.
candidacy for a third term.
F irst, Seventh, and Ninth French The English suspended Italian pa
On top of this situation, comes
arm ies were destroyed.
Nobody pers read by the Italian-speaking
another request from President
cam e out of it with any laurels save Maltese. A minority of Maltese
Roosevelt for congress to appropri- i
the British navy, which somehow talk the ancient Carthaginian tongue ,
ate additional money. He started \
succeeded in ferrying perhaps two- of Hannibal and his elephants.
out by asking something over a bil- j
From your 8 exposure roll. Better
thirds of the British arm y out of
Mussolini said he was too busy to
lion dollars. One hundred million
Prices than you hove ever hod before.
HERBERT HOOVER
Dunkirk by m eans of warships, see U. S. Ambassador Phillips, who
of this was to be turned over to
Send coin.
"Made by Portland's
He chose to disugree.
transports, yachts, barges, and life was toting a message from Roose
him, personally. But now, he has
Largest Kodab Piniihirtg Co."
boats—and under heavy aerial fire.
velt. Mussolini also broke off a ship the midst of this very serious busi asked for one billion more. He told
PORTLAND FILM CO.
Box 4 2 1 3
It seemed that the German air ping deal with the English, in the j ness. The condition is upon us and congressional leaders that the ter
Portland
Oregon
force fell down on this debarkation m atter of illegal contraband control, thus far there is no apparent effort rific debacle among the allies, the
operation, for British losses, in re which put the shivers into London • on the part of anybody in authority surrender of the Belgians by their
tre a t, were sm aller than might have
Italian journalists left Paris.
king, Leopold, and some other sue- .
to check it.
been expected. Somehow, the allies
cesses of the Hitler m urder drive
One
hears
and"
sees
how
the
de
Hero is Amazing Relief e t
secured a tem porary air suprem acy D. of C. AND—
fense program is being speeded. necessitated faster spending.
Conditions Due to Sluggish Bowels
in the Dunkirk sector, and the Brit W hite Housings
Those needs may be genuine.
One naturally offers commendation.
I f you thin k all la ia d v r «
ish Spitfire machines showed a
act alike. )uat try thia
But hardly is that applause given Army and navy people tell me—and
______
_
a ll
b la la ia lltp * .
President
Roosevelt
made
another
slight superiority to the German
they
ought
to
know—that
we
have
no
when
through
the
cracks
and
the
m ild. thorough. rrfrr«h ln g . Invigorating. I)e -
M esserschm itt combat craft. Brit request for money. This time it crevices comes the information that arm y that is “ ready to go,” ready j pendabfte relief ftom tl<k headaches. biltoua rprlls.
ish m orale, strangely enough, was was for more than a billion, for the politics is preying upon the whole to carry on if we are attacked. But 1 tired feeling when a * » * luted w ith « onatlpatluri.
h . i L . , 4
DZesL <r t ■ 25rgJ«»« of N R from yo c r
reported as excellent, but French arm y, navy and civilian train scheme. Some of it already smells those same arm y and navy experts : I Vtllnotfl
NISN druggist. M a k e the teat— then
I f not delighted, re tu rn the bos to us. We w ill
m orale did not appear in quite so ing program , coupled with a fear to high heaven. The length to which said this was not a new condition.
re fu n d th e p u rc h a s e
favorable a light. The German gen that all continents m ay become in some men will go to further their They insisted that rebuilding of the
p r ic e . T h a t '« t a le .
Gat N R Tablets today
eral headquarters was strangely re volved in the II German war (he i selfish political aim s at the expense arm y and the navy should have
strained in its moment of triumph. did not mention Germany by name). of all of us is beyond comprehension. been undertaken a dozen years ago.
Lille, fourth city of France and its Roosevelt asked for specific author
And in the midst of these serious
“ P ittsburgh,” was in German ity to call up the national guard and ' endeavors, also, comes the shouts C o tt o f 5 0 ,0 0 0 P la n e t
Death No EvM
arm
y
reservists—if
and
when
need-
i
hands, along with Amsterdam, Rot
It
is
impossible
that anything so
I
t
T
en
B
illio
n
D
o
lla
r»
and the threats of some racketeer
terdam , Brussels, Antwerp, Ostend, ed to “ safeguard” and “defend.” | ing labor leaders. As usual, that
natural, so necessary, and so uni
Strangely,
the
request
for
addi
Calais, Boulogne, The Hague, Liege, And Roosevelt asked for a corps of ; type is simply getting on the band tional money did not reach congress
versal as death should ever have
etc. Would refugee-choked, hyster dollar-a-year men, to expedite na wagon for the sake of publicity that until newspapers throughout the
been designed as an evil to m an
ical P aris be next, wondered the tional defense preparations. Also, they can get for their mouthings. country began calling attention to
kind.—Swift.
there cam e a request for a million It m akes them appear important to
railbirds?
the total cost involved in the Presi
Even as these railbirds wondered, dollars, to expand the navy depart benighted followers.
dent’s call for 50,000 new planes.
m
ent
and
munitions
buildings
in
the
H itler’s warbirds came out of the
Mr. Roosevelt subsequently had said
O
p
p
o
n
en
t»
o
f
D
e
m
o
c
ra
c
y
Talkative young Elliott
skies and rained showers of bombs capital.
that the planes ranged in cost from
Roosevelt
assailed
so-called
fifth
i
A
r
e
B
o
rin
g
F
ro
m
W
ith
in
upon southern France and later
$133,000 to $350,000 each. Well, if
columns
in
Mexico.
Elliott
is
a
ra
upon P aris itself. In the first at
Behind and beneath all of these one takes an average that must be
tacks about 150 German bombers dio executive.
things that are to be deplored is the below the minimum and figures the
JUST
War
departm
ent
plans
called
for
swept over the city, dropping their
DASH IN
creeping
and
gnawing
of
the
ter
cost
at
$200,000
per
plane,
50,000
cargoes of high explosives, setting im m ediate orders to get 2,800 mites who would be most happy to planes would cost $10,000,000,000.
OR S P R E A D O
m any fires, inflicting huge property planes, 1,700 tanks, 500 heavy artil destroy our form of government. Ten billion dollars is a lot of money
lery
units,
and
big
consignments
of
losses and killing at least 45 persons
They are seizing upon the hysteria in anybody’s language.
in P a ris and its suburbs. The allies anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns.
and the patriotism of the day to
How to Read
So, a tax bill is proposed. A de
The
senate
voted,
55-4,
for
a
new
prom ised to repay Germany bomb
worm themselves into the spots cision is m ade to issue “ defense
Read not to contradict and con
alien
control
resolution,
already
for bomb in the new air offensive
fute, nor to believe and take for
p a s s e d by where their concealed efforts will bonds” which would be paid off by
they were launching.
granted, nor to find talk and dis
th e h o u se. a ttract the least attention until the the “defense” taxes that have been
course—but to weigh and consid
T he im m i floor falls in. I have complained proposed, and the job will have been
er.—Bacon.
gration - nat- about these fellows many tim es be done in five years. It all sounds
u r a liz a tio n fore, and I shall continue to write reasonable and logical, but the taxes
about the dangers from them. They proposed would amount to around
b u re a u
WNU—13
24—40
. . . in the news
w o u l d b e are in our government to the tune $650,000,000 a year and it is planned
of
several
thousands.
Again,
little
to issue three billions in defense
tra n s fe rre d
from the de is being done about those, or the bonds. Which leaves the question
<L F o rm er French Generalissimo
still unanswered as to how we are
partm ent of thousands that are at large.
Let us begin with some details of to pay for 50,000 planes that must
Gam elin was said to have commit
labor to the
ted suicide, while General Corap,
d e p a rtm e n t the politics of the situation as it has cost around $10,000,000,000. It is all
now for several weeks. We so confusing to a country boy, like
chief of the French Ninth arm y de
of j u s tic e . existed
should
begin
at the top. President
feated at Sedan, was reported as ex
S e n a t o r s Roosevelt is not less guilty than me.
It rem ains only to be said that
ecuted. General Bodet of the
N o rris and many of his supporters in the m at
Senator Wheeler
there is no great reason to be con
F rench Medical corps got six
Wheeler, lib- ter of playing politics.
fident about the success of our de
m onths in jail for abandoning his erais opposed to the transfer, as
The President’s speech to con fense program . The program is
post in the ill-fated Sedan sector. sailed J. Edgar Hoover and the G-
Thus did la Republique crack down. men, while Wheeler censured the gress was a good speech, a speech needed in view of world conditions
that should have aroused a sleepy which cannot be ignored. For the
<L G eneral Robert Lee Bullard, dis current American “ hysteria.”
nation. It did. But there were
Archibald Macleash, "radical” li some parts of it about which there most part, it is a good program.
tinguished U. S. arm y officer and
But I still am asking why there is a
brarian
of
the
Congressional
library
patriot, was re-elected president of
could be, and was, disagreem ent.
the National Security league, which a t Washington, said that the II Ger Of those who disagreed, the Presi call for national unity when respon
favors increased preparedness and m an war was not a revolt of the dent immediately said, in effect, that sible authorities are breeding dis
is strongly “ anti-subversive” in it* m asses. He said that, instead, it they were playing politics. He want satisfaction or are permitting con
fidence to wane.
was the revolt of a gang.
haw keye activities.
2 PBNTJ
OD
NEGATIVE
L J
fpom EACH good /
^
FEEL GOOD
NAM ES