Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 10, Number 30, DeMotte, Jasper County, 13 June 1940 — Bruckart’s Washington Digest National Preparedness Drive Encounters Political Bickering [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Bruckart’s Washington Digest National Preparedness Drive Encounters Political Bickering

Washington Correspondent Sees Defense Program Being Turned ’lnto a \ ehicle for Selfish Use’; Racketeering Labor Leaders Climb on Bandwagon.

By WILLIAM BRUCKART

ed a united people behind the program. The President hinted broadly in various utterances that anyone disagreeing with him was pretty much of sourpuss. Former President Herbert Hoover disagreed, as did a considerable number of representatives and senators, with some phases of the defense 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 President’s plans in a radio speech. Two days after Mr. Hoover’s radio speech, Assistant Secretary Johnson, of the w r ar department, w r ent on the air with a “reply” to Mr. Hoover. Notwithstanding the President’s contention that there was no politics in the defense program, Mr. Johnson's speech was released by the Democratic national committee. President and His Friknds Have Right to Back Plan At least, the copy which came to me was on the stationery of the committee. I do not mean to say that either the President or Mr. Johnson should not defend the program which is their I. do insist, however, that there is no excuse for accusations of politics when they, themselves, are playing politics. In addition to the RooseveltHoover interlude, any observer must h,ave seen the deluge of propaganda coming from various places in the government. The press agents have been working overtime in thinking up ideas that link their department’s job with the development of a national defense program. Some of the efforts are pretty ridiculous, as silly as trying to make the love life of a bull frog appear important in the training of a soldier. That sort Of thing is going on—the promotion of President Roosevelt’s candidacy for a third term. On top -of this situation, comes another request from President Roosevelt for congress to appropriate additional money. He started out by asking something over a billion dollars. One hundred million of this was to be turned over to him, personally. But now, he has asked for one billion more. He told congressional leaders that the terrific debacle among the allies, the surrender of the Belgians by their king, Leopold, and some other successes of the Hitler murder drive necessitated faster spending. Those needs may be genuine. Army and navy people tell me—and they ought to know—that we have no army that is “ready to go,” ready to carry on if w'e are attacked. But those same army and navy experts said this was not a new' condition. They insisted that rebuilding of the army and the navy should have been undertaken a dozen years ago. Cost of 50,000 Planes Is Ten Billion Dollars Strangely, the request for additional money did not reach congress until newspapers throughout the country began calling attention to the total cost involved in the President’s call for 50,000 new planes. Mr. Roosevelt subsequently had said that the planes ranged in cost from $133,000 to $350,000 each. Well, if one takes an average that must be below' the minimum and figures the cost at $200,000 per plane, 50,000 planes w'ould cost $10,000,000,000. Ten billion dollars is a lot of money in anybody’s language. So, a tax bill is proposed. A decision is made to issue “defense bonds” w'hich w'ould be paid off by the “defense” taxes that have been proposed, and the job w'ill have been done in five years. It all sounds reasonable and logical, but the taxes proposed w'ould amount to around $650,000,000 a year and it is planned to issue three billions in defense bonds. Which leaves the question still unanswered as to how’ we are to pay for 50.000 planes that must cost around $10,000,000,000. It is all so confusing to a country boy, like me. It remains only to be said that there is no great reason to be confident about the success of our defense program. The program is needed in view' of world conditions w'hich cannot be ignored. For the most part, it is a good program. But I still am asking w'hy there is a call for national unity when responsible authorities are breeding dissatisfaction or are permitting confidence to wane. There has been one agency of the government that has become Americanized. The civil service commission has shown its colors. Notwithstanding that the commission has been shorn of mjuch of its authority during the past few years, it has taken a definite Stand on the matter of communists and fascists and others who do not believe in Americanism. It has announced none of these will be certified for jobs in the government. Which is all to the good, except that patronage jobs outnumber civil-service jobs under the New Deal.

WNU Service, National Press Bid;., Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON.—It is exceedingly difficult to maintain a balanced viewpoint in the national capital these days. War hysteria is flowing at higher tide than in any other city x>f the land. Washington is the nerve center of the plans 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 effectively and Efficiently if some other and more dangerous factors were not in on the situation. It may not yet be so clear to the folks outside of Washington, but I must report that the urgently needed national defense program is being turned into a vehicle for selfish use. There is no longer room for doubt. The tragedy is that many otherwise sincere and honest individuals in places of responsibility are lending aid to this chicanery and boring-from-within. The cold fact is that while patriotic and far-seeing folks are giving the ±>est efforts available to the development and execution of the national defense program, fumes and stench are beginning to arise from

the midst of this very serious business. The condition is upon us and thus far there is no apparent effort •on the part of anybody in authority to check it. One hears and sees how the defense program is being speeded. One naturally offers commendation. But hardly is that applause given when through the cracks and the crevices comes the information that politics is preying upon the whole scheme Some of it already smells to high heaven. The length to which some men will go to further their selfish political aims at the expense of all of us is beyond comprehension. And vn the midst of these serious endeavors, also, comes the shouts and the threats of some racketeering labor leaders. As usual, that type is simply getting on the bandwagon for the sake of publicity that they can get for their mouthings. It makes them appear important to benighted followers Opponents of Democracy Are Boring From Within Behind and beneath all of these things that are to be deplored is the creeping and gnawing of the termites who would be most happy to destroy our form of government. They are seizing upon the hysteria and’ the patriotism of the day to worm themselves into the spots where their concealed efforts whit attract the least attention until the floor falls in. I .have complained about these fellows many times before, and I shall continue to write about the dangers from them. They are in our government to the tune of several thousands. Again, little is being done about those, or the thousands that are at large. Let us begin with some details of the politics of the situation as it has existed now for several w'eeks. We should begin at the top. President Roosevelt is not less guilty than many of his supporters in the matter of playing politics. The President’s speech to congress was a good speech, a speech that should have aroused a sleepy nation. It did. But there w r ere some parts of it about w'hich there could be, and w’as, disagreement. Of those who disagreed, the President immediately said, in effect, that they were playing politics. He want-

HERBERT HOOVER He chose to disagree.