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Show Washington Comment At this writing there is a growing grow-ing sentiment to hold congress in session to enact emergency, taxes; previously the political armistice between Republicans and Democrats Demo-crats appeared to be greasing the legislative wheels toward speedy adjournment. All signs point to the passage this week of the defense de-fense measure, and after that becomes a "fait accompli", there is, of importance, only the $1,-(111,000,000 $1,-(111,000,000 relief appropriation j and a rcitine deficiency bill to stand in the way of congressional departure. Not much opposition is anticipated along (those lines, although the atmosphere of ''sweetness and light" that prevailed pre-vailed briefly and flee'tingly after Mr. Roosevelt's address to congress con-gress has evaporated into thin air. (Continued on last page) M ivi Washington Comment (Continued from first page) "Coalition" is now a fighting word in these here parts. The Republicans are on the warpath again and going after the New Deal's scalp with renewed vigor. It is said, by "those who ought to know" that their campaign strategy strat-egy will likely include "Keep Out of War" platform pledges, but a plug for aid to the Allies in some safe form, even private credit; louder calling for delfense than even the Democrats, accompanied by the charge that the New Deal has wasted money needed for defense de-fense on non-essentials; a scathing scath-ing attack on a third-term as breaking with American traditions tradi-tions (provided Mr. Roosevelt runs again, of course); the claim that the Republicans can effect a betiter defense machine through American industries than the Democrats; and the indisputable argument that economic stability at home is best for national defense de-fense the issue where the New Deal bogs down. By way of a lighter note: the National Press club in Washington Washing-ton recently held its annual picnic, pic-nic, at which it entertained mem-i mem-i hers of congress and other big- wigs. A mule race was featured, in which eight mules were entered, enter-ed, each bearing the name of a presidential candidate. If you believe be-lieve in symbolism, take heed of the result: the mules named I "Taft" and "Dewev" walked side by side for a ways, then stopped in the middle of the race and never budged again, the mule named "Hull" plodded slowly but1 steadily along and crossed the finish line first of all the entries. Signs of the (war) times: The senatte judiciary committee, con- J sidering alien legislation, has moved to strike a heavy blow at "fifth column" activities in the United States iby approving a measure to require all of the approximately ap-proximately 4,000,000 aliens J in the United States to be register ed and fingerprinted, and providing provid-ing a maximum penality of ten : years in prison and a $10,000 fine for any attempt to "interfere with, impair, or influence the loyalty, morale, or dicipline" of the nation's armed forces, i In an unusual procedure, the civil service commission has ( moved to speed up the character i investigations of all positions to be filled in connection with the national defense program by attaching at-taching the notation in bold type: I "Please answer immediately" on j all forms sent to persons named j iiy applicants for jobs in navy yards, arsenals, quarlternnasttr and engineer corps of the army, signal corps and maritime commission. com-mission. Between 5,000 and 6,000 workers work-ers in the district navy yard, which is the major navy gun-producing plant, have been jumped from a 40- to 48-hour week in order to speed up armament, and approximately 2,000 more workers will be needed to operate the gun factories. . The Civil Aeronautics authority is engaged in mapping plans for its expanded airplane pilot-train- ing course to school 50,000 civil-I civil-I ian aviators in the next 12 months, the men to be drawn from three classifications, between the ges of 18 and 25: from, the 435 : colleges at which the program is j now operating; from a large group of citizens who now have licenses but who have allowed ' them to lapse; and from men in the proper age category, but not in college, who desire ltd njiake themselves available for military service. Some of America's largest fire insurance companies are now inserting in-serting a "war clause" in their policies, even renewals: the customary cus-tomary "civil authority clause" which protects the policy holder j in case public authorities have to dynamite his property to prevent the spread of fire, is now marked mark-ed "void" and attached to the policy is a "rider" which covers this hazard, but emphasizes that , the company will not be respon-' respon-' sible if fire is caused by the war. j- |