Show NEWS 5 BEH BEHIND I ND THE TH E Sti NEWS 1 By Fulton Lewis Jr Substituting f for Ray Tucker Tucle WASHINGTON P Poll Pol o 1 i f tipsters are hoisting hurricane warnings on the five-billion- five dollar defense appropriation bill scheduled to follow the draft bill on the senate floor It may be the roughest battle yet and may produce some really sensational disclosures Advance clue lies in a resOlution resolution resolution reso resO- lution by Senator David I I. I Walsh of Massachusetts asking certain confidential statistics from the war and navy departments departments departments depart depart- ments about military equipment on hand now and several months ago Its It's harmless enough on the surface but behind behind behind be be- hind it are discrepancies be between between between be- be tween army figures of last May and those of the present coupled coupled coupled cou cou- pled with private reports from the British war front One discrepancy is on army rifle figures War department figures of rifles on hand are many thousands short of what they were earlier in the year Meanwhile some senators have private reports from the other side that arouse suspicion suspicion- that the missing rifles may have landed in the hands of British troops If so it means a a. major senate explosion Whether the rifle rifle Ie report Is true or not Walsh does intend to smoke out the facts on the army and navy status regarding fighting planes on hand Army Chief of Staff Marshall is re reported reported reported re- re ported to have told a senate committee that his air corps has only 30 modern combat planes on the line at present Walsh and his fellow Insurrectionists insurrectionists insurrectionists concede that Marshall's Marshalls Marshalls Marshall's Marshalls Marshall's Mar Mar- shall's figure hinges on what is the definition of modern combat planes If that means tomorrows tomorrow's models it may not be so alarming And if it is due to the fact that existing aircraft aircraft aircraft air air- craft production facilities are busy producing orders for the British it may be understand understand- able But the fact is that most United States aircraft factories are working on one hour eight-hour day shift and are hardly operating operating operating oper oper- at capacity on that one Money has long been available for heavy aircraft purchases by bythe bythe bythe the army and navy but the orders just never have been placed The president can sit back in his chair with a sigh of relief following senate passage of his draft bill bilI because whatever damage he Is to sustain will be confined to that chamber Sailing SailIng Sailing Sail- Sail Ing will be clear and easy for him in the house sentiment is largely coincidental with anti antl sentiment Having its greatest strength in the senate where every state has two senators senators senators sena sena- tors the strength of that group is considerable In the house where representation Is on the basis of population the out keep-out- war of-war representatives are hopelessly hopelessly hopelessly hope hope- lessly outnumbered by heavy representation representation representation rep rep- from the large eastern eastern eastern east east- ern centers of population where interventionist s sentiment e n t i men t is strong Net result is that even the anti- anti draft leaders concede th that t the president will get virtually anything anything anything any any- thing he calls for in the house on the draft issue D Democratic Committee Secretary Secretary Secretary Secre Secre- tary Chip Robert and Treasurer Treasurer Treasurer Treas Treas- Oliver Quayle are currently current current- ly Iy the targets of some fast sti sti- sti- sti play letto-play in the bosom of the Democratic high command Before the Chicago convention when genial Jim Farley told the president of his intention to re resign resign resign re- re sign as national nation l chairman rather rath rath- er than conduct a third-term third campaign the president said he wanted Jim to see to it before it-before before he withdrew withdrew that that the two men were replaced Robert has had a lucrative hand in certain national national national na na- defense contracts After the Chicago convention however national committee reelected reelected reelected re- re elected both men for terms of four years The next time Farley called caned at the White House the president jumped him insisting that he tell Robert and Quayle that their r resignations would be appreciated Jim only shook his bald head saying that the matter matter matter mat mat- ter was out of his hands The president then put it up to the new chairman Ed Flynn who immediately placed a personal personal personal per per- observer in the office of each of the two men Robert nettled privately calls caBs them political political po commissars Inasmuch as the president will not ask for his resignation personally Robert Robert Rob Rob- ert insists he will remain Copyright 1940 McClure re Syndicate |