Show GENERAL GENERALI I HUGH S. S JOHNSON Jour J 4 US r Jr Washington D D. D C. C DANGEROUS GESTURE The selection of the Republicans cans Mr Knox and Mr Stimson as secretaries of navy and war respectively respectively re reo re- re has a poisonous significance They are both ardent tom tom beaters for war Mr Stimson has been raising his voice for us to repeat the follies of 1917 and 1918 In a steadily Increasing Increasing ing clamor until his most recent blasts Insisted on our convoying contraband of war to Britain and opening our naval bases to the BritIsh British British Brit Brit- ish fleet both fleet both Irretrievable acts of war Mr Knox has been preaching armed Intervention for months This choice leaves no doubt whatever about the Presidents President's own If he is not stopped he is going to take this country into bloody war as soon as possible whether it wants to go or not not and and with about 85 per percent percent percent cent majority it doesn't want to go S I Both men are leading citizens with honorable and distinguished rec rec- Mr Stimson was at one time secretary of war and at another secretary of state In neither position position position tion did he leave any record that would recommend him as a great cabinet minister As secretary of state he was ready to use force to oppose Japan in a course which however minded high would have been fatal to the AmerIcan American Amer Amer- ican lean position in the Far East Both these gentlemen have served as volunteer temporary army officers officers of of- in time of war war Mr Knox in two wars There can be nothing but praise for that patriotic and minded high-minded performance But a little knowledge is a dangerous thing Such temporary service in relatively subordinate commands sometimes sometimes fortunately fortunately not fre Ire frequently leaves leaves the veteran with the conviction that Providence really real really ly intended him as a latter-day latter Napoleon Napoleon or or at least a master of strategy logistics and tactics That Is true in both these cases In both this conviction has persuaded persuaded per per- these gents that we should commence firing tomorrow tomorrow before before we get guns to fire That strategic folly Is another danger of this blitzkrieg blitz blitz- blitzkrieg krieg move S I I Surely the President doesn't feel teel the need of any such expert amateur ama leur military and naval advice He lie shares snares a similar conviction about his own powers in these fields It was obviously not with any Idea to improve technical preparedness that this move was made It will have havea a reverse effect e It Is too clearly a pure political gesture in an election elec tion year year the the coalition cabinet slickness that the White House has denied intending It is a dangerous gesture because it is designed to destroy the third term tradition and erect a war dictatorship by ImpairIng impairing impairing impair Impair- ing our two party system which is of the very essence of American democracy democracy and and that is menacing and sinister in the extreme Mr Stimson wont won't do the war department de any good It will take months to educate him in the completely completely com com- changed condition since he left left and and his is the sort of inflexible mind which does not filter filler fast This is a cruel blow to the fine tine work that has been done especially done especially recently recently recently-by by Louis Johnson in the office of of- office fice of assistant secretary of war Under a statutory mandate Mr Johnsons Johnson's organization has done much of at the preparatory work necessary necessary necessary essary to rapid supply and industrial mobilization In its recent historical floundering to make up for tor Its criminal criminal crim crim- inal neglect of preparedness this administration has simply ignored the valuable product of work and planning passed by passed by-passed It and paralleled paralleled paral paral- It Now it has taken the tucker out of Mr Johnsons Johnson's dynamic leadership leadership leadership lead lead- and energy by kicking him aside and giving him a new boss whom it Will wil eks to educate I DEn DEFENSE tSE SE BOOM BOO We haven't even scratched the surface of consideration of defense of our cities from sudden air raids That requires tens of thousands of guns with some kind of semi mili tary home guard and expert crews and and we haven't even begun to think about it or to provide one one- tenth of ot one per cent of the material the whole program will require Shall we like England dally along with a bunch of Chamberlains until un un- til lil it is too late for tor any Churchill to todo todo todo do his stun stuff Our effort to build our defenses if vigorously and intelligently handled han han- dIed should create much employment employment employ employ- ment and even esen some kind of an in industrial industrial in in- boom Appropriations asked for seem tremendous but If they are really to prove sufficient and effective we aint seen yet We haven't even made a good start It has been estimated by the best authority that if the World Worle tar ar had extended through 1919 our expenditures expenditures expenditures expendi expendi- tures for that thet year ur would have been War whether offensive or live sive is now largely a matter of industrial in industrial in in- production of arms arms spar spartan tan discipline and sacrifice to the single purpose of military m efficiency |