Show r Nationalist View r I-i I Result of 01 Honest Doubt L Isolationism in Prairie States Is Not Head Headin in Sand Viewpoint Stems Sterns From FromE Fear of Entanglements N Ni E i tk 1 I E i BAUKHAGE By News Newt Analyst and Commentator 1 Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C The flag over the White Whit House lazily lazi lazi- ly Jy embraces Its staff stall squirrels and starlings loaf on the wide lawn the east gate Is still locked but the pac pae- pacing pacing ing sentry is gone and only the friendly White House police pollee and Secret secret secret se se- cret service men guard the western portal and scrutinize the credentials of visitors most of whom they know There is no uno admittance except on business but these days as the delegates to the Democratic national convention meet In Chicago much of the business here as elsewhere Is politics Some things of political significance cance have happened since the Republicans Re publicans chose their candidates inthe in inthe inthe the sweltering heat of the Chicago Stadium now warming the blood of their opponents By y this time It Is clear that the Democratic meeting always a more spirited affair than the Republican conclave has a serious undertone even though the Democrats love a Donnybrook as one of them just reminded me There is one outstanding reason for the need of some very careful planning on the part of the adminIstration administration administration admin admin- supporters even though they feel confident that the country will not swap horses in the middle of a stream One veteran politician ardently Anti-administration Anti but too long a laborer in the vineyard to let his bis emotions run away with his hard sense said fo to me This time the Republicans have a ticket that the people who dont don't want Roosevelt can vote for That seems faint praise but It was not meant to be damning Of course you dont don't have to be a cynic to admit that the vote which usually wins a presidential election Is a vote against the man or the party in power The preponderance o of oi that vote is motivated by the good old American idea that in government gov variety Is the spice of the JR cation's life lUe Since Hitler started on the rampage a purely artificial situation situation situ situ- atlon has existed which tended to nullify that natural trend And theone the theone theone one big imp imponderable in hi the coming election is the relative weight of those two ancient slogans throw the rascals out and dont swap horses while willIe crossing a stream Because the Republican leaders realized this they tried to subordinate subordinate subordinate nate all other efforts to the end of minimizing the me importance or of anything anything any any- thing which administration stands for which affects the war and international inter international national relations That is why harmony harmony har bar mony was achieved as it was not achieved at the Philadelphia convention convention con con- convention and why the fiercely conflicting conflicting conflicting con con- forces were silenced behind closed doors leaving the delegates on the floor as harmonious as a Hayden Hay Hay- den string quartet The real job was to keep the convention convention convention con con- from producing a foreign plank which would anger the Isolationists isolationists Isolationists isola Isola- which would make it ft Possible possible possible ble for the Democrats to say as asfar astar asfar far tar as world affairs go you wont won't benefit by making a change and you might affect the war or the peace Strong Nationalist National t Feeling in Middle West How strongly nationalist the Middle West is is not realized One Republican who has done as much muchas as any to try to work ou out a compromise compromise compro compro- mise between the Wendell philosophy of foreign relations and I the isolationist viewpoint said to me when the tempest in the subcommittee subcommittee sub com drawing up the foreign policy pol pal icy lcy plank was having its fiercest conflict conflict con con- filet You have no idea how the Isolationist Isolationist Isola Isola- sentiment out here has grown grows h hIn In the last few weeks These people dont don't want to be isolationists but ii if t they are forced to go on record with witha a choice they will choose that way p This was when Willkie Governor Edge Idge of New Jersey and others other were demanding stronger language In the plank seeking to commit the tin Republican party to a more positive postwar program of international co co- operation That was finally avoided Partly by building up a world state straw man and knocking it over partly by insisting on phrases capa ble of wide interpretation and turn ing lag the interpretation over to tb the S candidates The second compromise C Brickers Bricker's acceptance of the vice vie C Co o- o presidential nomination was nomination was really a part of the first made in the hope that Brickers Bricker's atmosphere and Deweys Dewey's eastern flavor flavor flavor fla fla- fla- fla vor could produce a mixture palatable palatable pala pain table to all After Alter the convention I set out to look into this called so-called midwest isolationism isolationism iso iso- for when I first heard that phrase they dont don't want to be isolationist Isolationist iso Iso- isolationist I didn't quite know what it meant Later I think I found out I spent the evening in a private home of two middle class middle- middle westerners a retired engineer and his w wile wife e a college bred prairie-farm prairie girl My host first showed me the progress progress progress ress of his Victory garden one of many that crept up over the wide lawns of the comfortable suburban community with its corn and beans squash and parsnips I said fried parsnips we cant can't get them in Washington We stopped in next door where the neighbor lad lady who works in a war Industry was just preparing a batch of currant jelly At dinner I was just about to say supper there were thick luscious pork chops and apple sauce and tiny green onions from the garden fresh crisp and sweet I was of course back home In Illinois and felt it was only yesterday since I leStOn left leSt I On the porch under the blossoming blossomIng blossomIng blossom- blossom Ing catalpas I did as much listenIng listenIng listening listen listen- I ing as my too agile tongue would per per- mit We started talking international international international affairs I heard plenty of ot references to Swing and Lippman and Harpers and the Atlantic monthly month month- ly but across the whole conversation conversation conversa conversa- tion I felt the bitter wind that blows from the Tribune tower tower tower-I I know ol of olno no newspaper in the country which the profession feet up p after 30 criticizes as sharply including its own alumni but there is no question question ques ques- I tion that the Chicago Tribune is as I much a part of the prairie state as I Ithe the wind that ripples its broad green greenfields greenfields greenfields fields of corn i iAn An Honest Doubt Of International Set Up I am arm not citing this family normal Republicans for their economic views but to show what Midwest isolationism is namely an honest doubt that any strong international i organization which in any way commits commits com corn mits the United States to act Inthe Inthe in inthe the foreign field in close cooperation with either Great Britain who they fear leads us by the nose or Russia whom they regard as the heathen Chinee of Bret Hart noted for ways that are dark or worse This viewpoint is not the ostrich sand head viewpoint it Isan isan Is Isan an honest and deep and overshadowing overshadowing overshadowing owing doubt And if the intellectuals als feel that tha t way consider how those who dont don't get the other side feel to say nothing of people like the ones who tried to storm the Bricker headquarters head bead quarters at the convention led bythe bythe by bythe the lunatic fringe of the screaming isola isolationists These people arent aren't worrying hailas hallas hall half as much about not swapping horses crossing a stream as they are about getting out of the stream And so what the Democrats are having to consider is this to what whal degree will this attitude affect the large throw them out element and thus overcome the dont throw them out until weve we've got across cross the river feeling Democrats will tell you that they have what they need the liberals the labor vote part of the farmer vote and enough of just votes the kind that kept Roosevelt in office of ot- fice flee after the support protest-support which L put him in had worn of off I wouldn't L be surprised If Li that were true But Bul there are many line border-line Republicans I and discontented fair fairweather fair I er Democrats who may feel the wa way P my politician friend did when he in said there was a ticket which the tin people who dont don't want Roosevelt Roosevel I could vote for At the present convention there ther Is a very careful consideration o of f these factors When Senator Pepper of Florida ardent New Dealer sou sow sow-ded led the warning to the revolting revolt revolt- ing lag southern Democrats he was perhaps giving voice to a deeper dis dis- tress He said a split in the Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic cratie party would assure the election election elec tion of a Republican What he ma may 7 have meant was that a lot of folks tolk S whose political feet are itching have hav at last decided that most of the tin over and they think I it t is safe to hunt a better ole |