Evening star., 1937-01-29
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Those numerous other things the
United States Army does besides fight
ing are exemplifled by its plans to
evacuate the entire lowland population
Of the Mississippi Valley below Cairo,
Ill. Foes of preparedness, in asSailing
periodical War Department budgets, sell
dom stress the fact that q high percen-
tage Of the funds annually appropriated
for our land defense establishment is
earmarked for non-military purposes.
OF the $410,000,0 900 estimates for the
coming fiscal year, for example, $685.
8O8484, or nearly half, is assigned to
objects wholly unconnected with the
combatant side of the Army. The War
Departments non-military activities in
the Panama Canal, G. c. c. camps, ma
cation system, and host of other duties
of industrial and civic importance. The
battle against menacing Mississippi Is
the most momentous and dramatic
peacetime campaign ever undertaken
by the Army. It is source OF pride to
peace-loving Americans that the Fed
eral soldiery is engaged in humanitarian
works of such magnitude at time when
tIC CICI6lCo Vi kC4C4 al oIeS4C a10 tAOORo
Of many nations beyond these shores
are concentrated In very different direc-
tions. The Army Is about to clear for
action in theater Of war" that COM
pares favorably in extent to the A. E. F.'s
arena OF operations in France-a domain
Of possibly 10000 square miles, embrace
ing an irregular strip of territory
roughly 50 to 100 miles wide and 1000
miles long.
One Of N. r. AS earliest heroes.
George A. Sloan, has just been elected
to the board Of the United States Steel
Corp. A Tennessean born in 1893, he Is
among the youngest men ever invited
to join the directorate of Americas in
dustrial giant. While president Of the
Cotton Textile Institute, which he
helped to organize in 1926, Mr.. Sloan
was responsible for making the cotton
textile code the first to be submitted
under the Blue Eagle in 1888. Later he
was chairman of the textile code au-
thority and the Textile Arbitration
Council. The Sloan code gave timely
impetus to the movement destined to
make wildf1re progress throughout
American industry under Gen. Hugh
Johnson's strenuous drive, in the days
before the Supreme Court doomed N.
r. A. to inglorious oblivion.
President Roosevelt's arrival at the
age Of IS reminds his more ardent sup
porters and admirers that in 1910 he
will still be young enough-58-to be
eligible for q third term, If his pre-
elections incline him in that unparal.
leled direction. Every indication ema-
posed inspiration there manifests r. D.
RS intention to begin the life Of coun-
try gentleman at Hyde Park on January
81, 1941. Nevertheless and notwith.
standing, enthusiasts are already en-
countered who predict that If the new
order" is in full stride three years hence
and the President remains the buoyant
personality that he is today, he will at
least find himself under pressure to run
again. In quarters where this long
range contingency is wishfully dis
cussed, people say its strongest likeh-
hood is the fact that there's no Demo.
crat in sight today who can take Mr..
Rocsevelt,s place. The President has
given plenty Of proof that he's no in
flexible worshiper Of political precedent.
= = =
Critical comment Is aroused In Cana.
dian-American circles by the proposal Of
Senator Ellender, Democrat. Of Louisi.
ana, who inherited Huey Longs seat,
that Canada should be barred from
floating loans in the United States. The
Senator is evidently of opinion that
Canada, - = subdivision Of thu British