Show weekly kiews analysis isolation vs internationalism senate debates foreign pol policy ICY w gy by joseph W la bin e 4 y 4 10 ra IJ 7 4 A THE PRESIDENT presidents S VISITING FIREMEN the conference was secret but someone spoke EDITOR S NOTE when op n ons are exp essed n these co dumns they are those of the news analyst and not ly of the newspaper defense in dealing with today s internal dional situation the U S govern ment has its choice of two methods any citizen may hold to one or the other method with equal righteous ness 1 strict neutrality and isolation europe s affairs are no business of ours we should have no arms se crets no secret alliances all U S activities should be strictly above board be because calise secrets are lundemo cratic and tend to create public doubt about the government 2 the antithesis in 1939 one hemisphere hemispheres s problems are adoth er s if the institution of democracy is worth saving we must join other nations in aggressive combat against dictators this need not mean war but constitutes economic and military favoritism to one group of nations with sanctions agai agat st others in post world war history not un til the current winter have these two contrasting foreign policies found such ardent champions as to cause a marked rift in washington champions of the latter favoritism are president roosevelt and admin leaders opposed is every republican senator and congressman plus a formidable bloc of insurgent democrats that this difference of opinion is partly a reflection of political animosity is a foregone conclusion administration forces favor internationalism as ex pressed in secretary of state cor dell hull s reciprocal trade treaties contrariwise is the traditional re publican tenet of high tariff walls and the isolation that ine inevitably vitally ac companies them this winter s foreign policy bat tie tle got its real start when a bomb ing plane crashed in california bouncing out a representative of the french air ministry whose presence in the U S had previously been kept secret the subsequent revelations that president roosevelt had ap of warplanes to france though army secrets were being carefully guarded from all foreigners A few days later the senate s military affairs committee constituted itself a body of visiting firemen asee see photo to call on the president and get the real facts about a rumored U S french mill tary alliance the secret president roosevelt re told his visitors was so choice that some anonymous corn mit teeman blurted to the press the minute the conference ended which bespeaks the futility of any admin attempt at sharing its mil gitary secrets with congress the alleged secret that the U S is following a policy of selling arms to independent states as opposed to dictators that the U S will give britain and france every assistance but troops in case of war that the frontiers of the united states are in france if a vote were taken most people would sympathize with the dent dents s foreign policy i e to help britain france and china against japan italy and germany to im prove trade and political relations with south america where dictator states are attempting to gain sway but for the president to speak open ly of his purpose brings the situa tion into a shockingly sharp focus for the first time the net result will probably be open congressional revolt against se cret alliances against favoritism in military exports and even against the president presidents s emergency defense program which many legislators think is unjustified in view of the tax burden it would create tossed in along with other subjects of re front row left to r iii nos nois i 3 ham I 1 ton lewis north carolina carolinas s robert R rey holds oklahoma s josh lee new hampshire s H styles bridges vermont s war ren R aust n south dakota s chandler gurney texas morris sheppard commit tee cha aman colorado s edw n C john son utah s elbert D thomas back row left to r M s ernest lundeen oregon s rufus C holman north dakota s gerald P nye M s bennett champ dark clark alabama s lister hill ind irid ana s sherman INI mon kentucky a s M M logan and wyoming a H H schwartz i sentiment sent ment will be a broadside against the treasury s highly secret libation liza tion fund which congress fears is being used to further monetary agreements with britain and france in the end a cumbersome loud voiced and highly opinionated con gress may find itself incapable of taking a constructive hand in for eign policy though rightfully in dinnant over a pan democracy al liance because future anglo french friendship is problematical massa chu sen da david daid id I 1 walsh summed up the entire exasperating situation quite well in god s name who are we the U S to determine where truth and justice exists when we attempt it we will find ourselves in trouble treasury depressions hatch pension plans and this winter winters s congress is del aged with panaceas to make the U S safe for old people believing most such plans like Townsend ism to be impractical the tra tion has offered congress its own ideas via proposed amendments to the social security law biggest amendment is that call ing for a start on old age benefit payments in 1940 instead of 1942 annuities to be based not on pay roll taxes actually paid out on wage rates hence the social security W TREASURY S social security is costly 9 board would simply make believe that benefit recipients had been pay ing taxes throughout their adult lives instead of a mere four years other proposals would 1 provide supplementary pensions for aged wives 2 help widows and orphans of social security s in durees and 3 enlarge the pro gram to include farm laborers sea men servants domestics and self employers starting hearings on this program the house ways and mears committee was startled to learn that more social security would cost tremendously more money so much in fact that secretary of the treas ury henry jr was re ported stroking his chin perplexed ly figures 1 it would cost 1000 1 a year more than at present 2 social security s hoped for 1980 reserve of 47 would be cut to 7 meaning that the U S must find from 1250 1 to 1500 1 new annual taxes to continue financing the program if the above details bother the committee still more trouble will hatch when california s rep ber V y gearhart asks abolition of the present payroll tax and subs titu tion of general revenue levies for a pay as you go social security since the government must already levy extra taxes to pay interest on funds it is Ls borrowing from social se carity s reserve fund mr gear hart s plan has attracted many congressmen who think it is falla clous cious to tax the c for borrowing funds the public has already been taxed for via social security if the gearhart plan is adap adopted ted gen eral revenue taxes must be hiked 1 1000 a year at present un der the social security act twice aas as much in 1950 four times as much in 1980 a em eui ope after a nation wins so many vie vic tones tories as nazi germany has won in the past 12 months austria czecho slovakia spam spain it can practicably adopt a peace policy and to win concessions from weaker bovers who thereby gain the lege of sighing with relief in germany s case a peace policy is the more practicable because the reich must consolidate the past year s gains and pay temporary attention to repairing its internal structure how permanent europe so s peace will be is conjectural but follow ing chancellor hitler s half threat ening half conciliating speech be fore the reichstag most of the con was able to settle back while the wiseacres drew a prediction from the hat the prediction that a peace era is dawning with hitler at the reins during which italy will win territorial concessions from france and germany will regain her war lost colonies moreover the reich will probably wheedle a trade treaty out of britain and most dan berous of all to permanent peace a mi military gitary economic peace with rus sia point by point russia thoroughly scared by the chance that germany will dominate a pan ukrainian movement in south russia the soviet is ready to come to terms with hitler in exchange for surrendering his ukrainian plans der fuehrer could tap russia s end less supply of foodstuffs the pos sivility lity is confirmed by moscow communist organ should germany extend a hand to russia it will not remain floating in the air the gravest consequences might result from such an alliance for russian resources and mandow er coupled with german ingenuity could throw a dictator scare into the entire world colonies most of germany s for mer colonies are mandated to brit am hitler s speech demanded their return and the next day prime mm min ister neville told the house of commons he would not discuss colonies with germany with out an agreed and ample measure of disarmament this showed mr chamberlain is nevertheless willing to return the colonies and since the reich s conquest is already al most complete hitler should have no objection to a temporary arms reduction trade hitler s speech declared the reich must export or die next day robert spear hudson of the british overseas trade depart ment said he believed there is plenty of export trade to go around more important was the announce ment that german and british britis in du dustral representatives will soon meet at Duess eldorf to consider mutual trade and economic lems italy vs france hitler prom ased to aid italy in case of war ob referring to mussolini s ter c claims aims against france since german erman british relations are reach ing an amicable stage britain would therefore not be prone to aid france against a german italian combination hence it can be pre dieted that italy may get her share in the suez canal plus ownership of the djibouti addis ababa rail road trend having boxed its way into a position of dominant european power the reich is now ready to press its pants and assume a role of respectability public feloi hs created in 1933 the public works administration pays 55 per cent of local sponsored construction pro acis scheduled to expire in 1940 still has 1 1500 in pro acts on file and would like to become a permanent agency to combat un employment and centralize federal relief pro projects acts soon to be offered is an administration bill embodying th s program no special annual appropriation will be asked but con gross will get data to show the ne ce casity sity of creating a permanent financial reservoir of 1000 1 a year ti with fairs on both east and west coasts this summer U S railroads figured most would take in one or the other might even take in both with a little incentive just announced by the association of american railroads is a grand cir cic 10 lo fare plan which bids fair to 1939 passenger travel the beginning april 28 a per oi o i l in any point in the country can ravel travel to both new york and san feancisco Fian alcisco cisco expositions and back at a total coach fare of 90 ia class fare is plus space harges charges |