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Show Bruckart' Washington Digest Washington Stirs With War Talk As Defense Plan Takes Shape President Roosevelt Asks Congress for Billion Dollar Military Appropriation in Addition to Regular Annual Grants for Army and Navy. By WILLIAM BRUCKART WNU Service, National Tress Bldg., Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON.-I shall try, in this article, to provide you with a picture of your national capital during dur-ing the last few weeks. It is a situation, situ-ation, a condition that, in general, gives rise to very little pride. But the facts must be faced, for in this capital city things have happened that can best be described as the screaming and play-panic of children chil-dren playing cops and robbers. Only, of course, the screams were screams of men and women in places of official responsibility and the panicky outbursts and orders were the excited and unbalanced procedure of leaders in public and private life. In the midst of this period which I am attempting to describe came President Roosevelt's voice, heard over the din of the others because the President and his office are respected. re-spected. He drove to the Capitol building and there, before a joint assembly of senate and house, he asked for new national defense measures, and he asked for $1,196,- blared forth in loud tones the learned wisdom of a statesman. It shouted to the world that the United States of America must do everything every-thing it can to help the allies. Yes, we must supply money! And so, Senator Austin argued for repeal of that so-called Johnson Act. Now, it may be remembered that Senator "Hi" Johnson of California fought and fought until he was able to convince congress that none of the foreign nations who had not paid their debts should be allowed to borrow bor-row any more money in the United States. The California senator is one of seven men now in the senate who were there during the first World war, and he is still going strong. No Payment on War Debts Has Been Made Recently The law that he forced through congress, almost single handed, was a good law when it was passed. It is a better law today, considering that those nations which we helped by men and billions of dollars are involved again in a war to save democracy. And. incidentally, they have paid nothing on their debts in the last 10 or 12 years, so that they still owe around $13,500,000,000. Lights have been burning late in the war and navy offices. Mr. Roosevelt worked one night until two o'clock in the morning. That was while he was preparing his defense de-fense speech. Even the gambling spirit is around. One can get bets in the capital city that we will be mixed up in Europe's war, and the dates that are offered range anywhere any-where from a few weeks to next winter. And the politicians. Yes, they are busy about the thing, also. The "inner circle" and the third term advocates are smiling with that self-satisfied self-satisfied appearance that goes with a knowledge that they have gained ground. Privately, many of them will say that the nearness of the war makes certain that Mr. Roosevelt Roose-velt will be elected for a third term. They are sure the country will not dare to change horses in the middle of the stream, not even if France and England did change their principal prin-cipal leaders. Mr. Roosevelt will have to remain on the job because his two terms give him a great advantage ad-vantage in dealing with these foreign for-eign problems, they are saying. SEN. HIRAM JOHXSOM He's been in the Senate since the last World war and is "still going go-ing strong." 000,000 in appropriations to pay for an expanded army, navy, marine corps, shipbuilding plants, munition plants, gun production, etc. Mr. Roosevelt foresaw desperate need for these things and he told congress to speed up these appropriations. appro-priations. According to the President's Presi-dent's view of the conditions that our nation faces, fast enemy airplanes air-planes can reach Kansas City or St. Louis the heart of America before we can do anything about it. Moreover, More-over, parachutists from enemy planes might drop in, most any day now, and start taking over our cities and towns and countrysides. The fact is that Mr. Roosevelt made Europe's Eu-rope's war appear so close to Washington Wash-ington that we really may expect to hear bombs exploding almost any minute. In view of all of these things, Mr Roosevelt thought we ought to have approximately 50,000 airplanes, and build them tonight or tomorrow. 'He Kept Us Out of War' Is Now Being Revived And dear Mr. Secretary Wallace of the department of agriculture. He couldn't get in on the excitement any other way, apparently. So, in his keynote speech to the Iowa Democratic Dem-ocratic state convention, he announced an-nounced that Mr. Roosevelt had kept this nation out of war. That was his tribute, but immediately there were a good many persons able to recall a similar slogan from back about 1916 when it was used with great effectiveness. All through these days that I have sought to describe was a steady stream of bad news from Europe-bad Europe-bad news for all of us who want to see the allies (or anybody else who can do it) knock Hitler and his gang into smithereens. The United States is pro-ally. Of that there is no doubt. The Hitler drives into Holland and Belgium have made it certain that few supporters of Hitler dare assert themselves in this country. coun-try. But I have a hunch that allied censorship has been opened somewhat some-what in order that we, here in the United States, can get the full impact im-pact of the slaughter, rape and arson ar-son being committed by the German Ger-man legions. I say it is just a hunch. You see, it might be possible pos-sible after all that the allies would like to have us in the war on their side to pay their bills and have our soldiers killed, again. Anyway, this whole thing gripes me beyond expression. It is disgusting dis-gusting to see activities that were hardly equaled in the midst of the World war. It is more disgusting to listen to talk that represents per-fection per-fection in lack of balanced thinking. There is no doubt at all that our army and our navy are far below par. That is to say. this nation has nothing le the necessary or proper defense structure that a great nation na-tion must have. But if there is to be preparations against enemies why neglect enemies within our gates. If we faca the facts, it must be admitted that we have "fifth col-umn" col-umn" dangers within the boundaries of America, dangerous "fifth col umns." I havj written in these columns before ihat Chairman Dies of the special house committee was doing a great Kb in ferreting out the groups in the United States that would destroy our government I have written likewise that Mr Dies was fought at every turn from with-in with-in the administration which is of the same Democratic political faith as he. So, ,t strikes me that -prepara- ",,cludc dnse S the fifth column" of our nafon as well as the "fifth columns ' and the u? of other nations. President's Request Added To Regular Appropriations The vast sum for which the President Presi-dent asked is in addition to about $3,276,000,000 in appropriations that were requested for the military services in the regular annual appropriation ap-propriation bills for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 1940. He assured as-sured congress there was no overlapping over-lapping of items. This was all new stuff; it represented the best thought of what ought to be done to meet the challenge of Hitler's legions. As Hitler's legions overran Holland Hol-land and Belgium, the war fever of Washington hit a new high. It had started up when the German dictator dic-tator went into Norway. Naturally, the temperature increased when the awful forces of the Hitler machine were turned loose in the Low Countries. Coun-tries. Mr. Roosevelt's speech to congress, well advertised in advance ad-vance to a nation of people that was waiting for decisions from Washington, Washing-ton, turned on all of the valves of excitement as a street cleaner floods a street from a fire hydrant. Only the fire hydrant gives off cool water wa-ter in which children like to play. But before the President's speech, there were such sour songs as that sung by Senator Austin of Vermont, assistant Republican leader in the senate. Mr. Austin rose gravely in his place in the senate and there |