Show 1 NEWS BEHIND THE NB NEWS 1 wr Written n for The Telegram By Ray T Tucker ker WASHINGTON WASHINGTON-P P r res resident e s i ide d e n t Roosevelt's 1939 message to congress congress congress con con- gress will wUl be written by men who never heard of his supreme court battle the senatorial purge or his rebuff in the last counting of noses It will attempt to erase these setbacks from public memory memory mem niem- ory by highlighting the dollars- dollars cents and-cents aspect of national de de- de It will be a flirtatious appeal appeal appeal ap ap- ap- ap peal to the investor the consumer the laboring man F. F D. D R. R is Ja carefully concealing the demands he will make on congress congress congress con con- gress for a larger and modernized army and naVy naty and aviation arm But it is privately understood that he will ask at least two billion dollars for new weapons for all branches exclusive of millions of dollars needed for battleships aircraft aircraft aircraft air air- craft and regular upkeep The proposed expenditures together with private industry's spending pl plans ns should rejuvenate the heavy I industries supply firms railroads the oils oUs chemicals steel cement rubber aluminum aluminum in in short any firm which furnishes material for fora a motorized and mechanized army and navy National defense will become an industry in and of it it- it self seIf Munich may have meant a bad day for European democracies But it may mean a field day for American business and industry You can best measure the meaning meaning meaning mean mean- ing of the Munich stunt by considering considering considering con con- the case of Major General General General Gen Gen- eral Malin MaIm Craig the ordinarily snappy and farseeing chief of the general staff of the American army Had a buck private been caught napping like he was the doughboy would have been court- court General Craig wrote his annual report released to the press Monday Monday Monday Mon Mon- day before Mr Hitler made Chamberlain and sign on the dotted line and he failed to revise it in accord with European European European Euro Euro- realignments So the general general gen gen- eral cral noted that instead of spending spending spending spend spend- ing large sums on aircraft this country ought to expand defense weapons weapons semiautomatic semiautomatic rifles for infantry seacoast guns and antiaircraft He concluded that airplanes had been at the very moment when England and France were cowering cowering cowering cower cower- ing because of Germanys Germany's tremendous tremendous tremendous dous air fleet It shows how wrong a great chief of staff can be some some- times Moreover General Craig asked for only about for motorization motorization motorization mo mo- and mechanization of the military forces forces forces-a a pre-Munich pre request In fact that was the sum he asked the budget bureau to allot to him in preliminary conferences But in the war de departments department's departments department's departments department's de- de revised r e q que u e s t t- t amended since Munich Secretary Munich Secretary Woodring will boost the Craig figure to almost for purely military expenditures expenditures-ex- expenditures expenditures-ex- ex exclusive elusive of airplane expansion and the regular army upkeep charge That's what F. F D. D R. R thinks of the outlook for permanent peace here or elsewhere Its It's entirely too early arly to detail the effect of Republican runaway gains on the next congress but buta a few changes in existing laws seem assured as a result of the political revolution The authors of so many new deal measures were defeated or won by a close shave that their original handiwork handiwork handiwork handi handi- work will undergo radical revision by scared colleagues In the industrial state of New J Jersey e r rs s e y Senator-elect Senator Barbour hammered away at the treasury's use of social security taxes for payment of current expenditures He apparently convinced the workers that they were being gypped and a system of annual appropriations for the aged and unemployed may result The defeat defeat defeat de de- de- de feat of Governor Frank Murphy apparently insures a change in inthe inthe inthe the N L R B act and probably a legislative curb on labor Senator McGills McGill's def defeat defeat he he al-he he was a a. a co coauthor coauthor coauthor co- co author of the last A A A law law law- points toward revision of legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion affecting the farmers Victories Victories Vic Vie tories of numerous candidates who assailed W P A and P W A suggest closer congressional control control control con con- of these funds than Capitol V Hill has exercised in lush Roose- Roose days In short the rightward swing twill will produce amendments renovating renovating renovating reno- reno almost all new deal re reforms re- re forms preserving forms preserving their basic purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose but revising the methods now pursued It ought to mean meana a more businesslike handling of social economic and political politic l experiments experiments ex ex- with which most people people peo peo- pie are in sympathy In short the next congress will emphasize efficient efficient efficient effi effi- administration rather than experimentation New deal politicos proved themselves themselves themselves them them- selves to be inept diagnosticians of public sentiment in their attitude attitude attitude atti atti- tude toward the recent election In their talk and bets they re revealed revealed revealed re- re that they are not the wizards wizards wiz wiz- ards of politics they are supposed to be Banking largely on the supposedly supposedly supposedly sup sup- invincible James A. A FarIcy's Farley's Farleys Farleys Farley's Far Far- leys ley's election eve predictions they lost a lot of money and prestige They wagered that Tom Dewey would lose to Herbert Lehman by from to votes They bet that the G. G O. O P. P would gain only 30 30 seats in the house four in the senate They the soft suggestion that the Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans would capture at least 10 state capitols In short they buried their heads in the sands and refused to look a baby Republican Republican Republican Re Re- publican landslide in the face The episode has ha a political as aswell aswell well as a dollars-and-cents dollars aspect For eight years now the Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- have been exalted as the smartest political mechanics and seers the nation has seen since the days of Andrew Jackson Amos Kendall and Frank Blair The team of Roosevelt Farley Fancy and Michelson statesman Michelson-statesman statesman politician publicist was publicist was supposed to be in invincible invincible invincible in- in in their and their diagnosis But November 8 demonstrated demonstrated demonstrated dem dem- that they have feet feet feet- and also pocketbooks pocketbooks-of of clay They dont don't know any more about politics than the rest of us as the results of unofficial wagers around the capital reveal Its It's a comforting thought at the least Copyright 1938 1038 for The Telegram |