Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-27
Senator Calls Comdr. McNutt
principal Propagandist
for War Profiteers."
PRESIDENTS ORDER SEEN
CONGRESS FIGHT CAUSE
Organized Machinists Also Add
Protest on Suspension of
Building Plans.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Commencing President Hoover for
suspension of construction of three
cruisers, Senator Brookhart of Iowa,
who opposed the cruiser construction
bill, today voiced a vigorous protest
against opposite views expressed by
National Comdr. McNutt of the Ameri-
can Legion, on the question.
In a fighting mood on his arrival
from Chicago, where he was excluded
from an executive meeting of the Farm
Board yesterday. Brookhart said that
McNutt 'is only representing little,
bloodthirsty coterie at the head of the
Legion, which has become principal
propaganda for the war profteerS."
The Iowan is Legion member.
II am in complete accord with the
President" Brookhart continued, and
hope these cruisers never will be
built. They are useless when they are
built, and the construction of them is
an unnecessary threat Of war;"
Rank Against War.
He asserted that vast majority of
the rank and file of the Legion are
against war and useless war prepara-
ton"
"The same Is true" he said, "of a
still larger number of World War
soldiers who are not members Of the
Legion at all.
THE Legion conventions that in
dorsed the cruisers and other warlike
programs are a packed and controlled
affair. Resolutions are usually passed
by a picked committee and indorSed
by small number Of organized dele
gates. They never present the facts
or the whole truth about the situation
and they never represent the Legion
membership in its sober judgment"
N. P. Alifas, president Of District a
of the International Association of
Machinists. said today that his asso-
citation opposed the suspension by Presi-
dent Hoover and that formal protest
was planned.
The Chief Executive acted without
authority, Alifas said, when he called
a halt on construction work on the
three ships to be built in navy yards
AlifaS asserted that the order would
work a great hardship on union work.
ers in navy yards. He said he talked
the situation over with A. o. Wharton,
president of the International Associa-
ton of MachinistS, and that Wharton
approved his stand. Alifas also said he
had presented his unions view to Sec
retary Adams.
Controversy Expected.
The prospect that cruiser building
again will raise point of bitter con-
troverSy in Congress is rapidly becom-
ing more and more definitely indicated
in the discussion which has arisen over
President Hoover's right to suspend
construction to match the similar ac-
ton of Prime Minister Macdonald.
The discussion already has disclosed
the White House under Mr.. Hoover
holding much the same attitude toward
the efforts of many members of Con-
greSs who advocated mandatory con-
Struction of the vessels within fixed
time limits that it maintained under
Calvin Coolidge during the last two
years of his administration while the
15-cruiser law was under consideration.
Coolidge'S desire that the Presidents
hands be not tied to rigid construction
program in the law was the pivot Of
most of that two-year dispute, ard the
comment which has followed President
Hoover'S action suspending construction
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