Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-01-23
THE NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT
BY CONG. JOHN PAUL KvALE


Of excitement on this side. Bearing
out the concluding statement Of this
writer last week, regarding the pro-
gress and significance Of the Nye
munitions investigating committee.
headlines during the last day or two
have been filled with rapid and hectic
stories of the results of that investi-
cation.
Facing the most direct and bitter
personal attack that any Senator has
had to meet since the hysterical war
days, Senator Nye quietly and with
dignity accepted the abuse that con-
sentative Southerners heaped on him
for daring to point out the fact,
borne out by records, that President
Wilson had failed to tell the complete
truth to Congress regarding his
knowledge of secret treaties between
European powers at the time that
this nation was drawn into the World
war. Strangely, a large part Of the
audience in the gallery at the time
was composed Of veterans who hac
attended to hear the debate over the
adjusted compensation bill. which
the Senate is trying to dispose of
today.
Senator Nye, however, can point
out that the real object of the bitter
attack upon him apparently is to do
the double job of pinching off fur
Their funds with which he may con-
tinue his investigation. and also to
smother certain factual data which
he already has in his possession and
which might embarrass certain indi-
viduals in the administration. Ger
tainly it. is true that as soon as he
summoned Morgan to testify, the heat
began to be applied, and within the
last days it has reached its climax.
But the reference to important Ge-
velopments which the writer made
last week did not have these things
in mind. The present storm was pre-
! cipitated by Senator Nye's bold state
ment that President Woodrow Wilson
had "falsified" in testimony delivered
to a Senate Committee after the war
To reply to his critics and the indig-
nant worshippers of Wilson's mem
DRY, he quietly states that the record
| is there, and cannot be disputed or
distorted. And Senator Nye proposes
to continue his studies and revela-
tions.
Last week, however, the bombshell
which was exploded was the discov-
cry by his committee that one of the
real causes of our entry into the war
had laid in complete secret since
1915. a period of twenty years and
more. 1t was the fact that President
Wilson, while urging this nation to
be completely neutral in every way.
decided secretly to change the gov
ernmental policy to the extent that
the House of Morgan might be en-
abled to begin the tremendous series
of private loans to the Allies that
eventually committed this country to
take that side of the historic argu-
ment. merely in order to preserve our
economic and financial and CONNER
cial interests.
Strangely, the man who then was
secretary of the treasury is now a
member of that body. Senator Mac
Adoo, President Wilson's son-in-law.
shares in personal interest with Sena-
tor Glass of Virginia, who also has
served in that post. And many of tho
elder Democrats in point of service
have bitterly resented what they call
Senator Nye's "besmirching" of that
| Droc Pr1f hn
he receives funds and the required
authority, pledges himself to continue
to build up the impressive record, to
press for evidence that will make it
possible to pass a mandatory neutral
ity act, and to show the pitiless but
impartial scrutiny Of the old record
which so far has been buried in secret
files or in memories that are already
growing dim.
The fact does remain, however, that
what one eminent writer refers to as
the "ganging up" of the conservatives
against the North Dakota Senator and
those who have been helping him will
materially retard not only the work
Of the investigation, but may also
serve to defeat the provision in the
pending neutrality bill which would
make it mandatory upon the Presi-
dent to enforce neutrality operations
instead of leaving 1t in the discre-
ton of the Chief Executive. This
is regarded by Progressives of all
parties and by peace societies as be-
ing of tremendous Importance, and
will be one of the real points Of dis
pute when the bill reaches that stage.
Whether they like it or not, House
bonus advocates who have been fight
ing for years to secure enactment of
bill such as Senator Owen advocated
and which was seconded by men like
John Simpson of the Farmers Union
anC others may very likely have to
submit to acceptance Of a measure
which the Senate is slated to pass to-