The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1938-04-07

States fit out a warship-just lit
lie gunboat or an obsolete destroyer
the Chinese?"
Vigorously denying that B.
If the kind would be te' -.ything
official pointed out ..aerated, an
he neutrality the rigidity of |
tents pre- laws, and the Presi-
'tate@ <ciamation SO recently re-
by Secretary of State Cor
Ell Hull, and then slyly added:
That's Different
..Of course, if the Chinese should
succeed in doing anything OF the
sort from any other country's ports,
it would be none of our business.
Virtually we have recognized state
of belligerency, and even if japan
should argue that the commerce
raider was in truth a pirate, II
seems TO me we have been both
cred, in the very recent past, with
so called pirate submarines IN the
Mediterranean"
81 don't think such thing would
annoy the Russians any, another
official commented slyly. 1T just
might be that they would lend a lit
tie help
This last, so far as is known
here, is not in the picture at all,
though use of adventuresome young
Americans is said to be distinctly
a part of #. For the scheme, the
Chinese would need men expert
enced in handling small naval guns,
though they need not be anything
like as expert in their line as the
American aviators already aiding
the Chinese.
The idea of a submarine, 1t IS
said, has been considered but re-
luctantly abandoned. Unless the
Russians would actually supply an
experienced crew, it was consid-
cred impossible, it is understood,
to obtain men capable of operating
such a craft, even assuming the
Chinese could get possession OF an
undersea boat.
But even little gunboat, 1t IS
contended, could cause japanese
commerce a lot of grief before It
was finally run down.
Reorganization
President Roosevelt has succeed
ed better than any but the most
optimistic of his advisers had
dreamed, a couple of months back,
in his drive for reorganization OF
the government. It is due to one
of those strange political factors,
) and is directly connected with the
Presidents technical defeat on the
Supreme court enlargement battle.
Unfortunately for those who dis
agree with the President on his re-
organization proposals and pri-
, vately the measure has very few
friends even among the most loya
administration Democrats on Capt.
tol hill-the men who took the lead
) ership in the fight to hamstring i
were the same men who led the
) fight against packing the Supreme
J court.
. At first blush this might appear
: an advantage. They were the vic
, tors in that more spectacular bat
t tie. Victory should be like snow
: ball, growing as it rolls. As will
; Napoleon up until Russia. AS will
4 Hitler up- until heaven knows when
0 But this is politics, not war, ant
G while there are some similarities
there are somes sharp differences
: Any fight on Capitol Hill can b.
e won only with the aid Of yer.
it large number of Democrats, me
if who are elected by the Democrat
S organizations back in their states
o II so happens that the Democrat
IT have almost unprecedented major
y ties in both house and senate.
r Now a Democratic senator, fgul
ing both on his renominatfsfN an
Il reelection fight, has to walk care
&c fully.
: Watch Their Step
is A great many of the senators VIII
5. made the victory of the anti-cour
e packing leaders possible were nc
). so spectacular as Sen. Burton K
J, Wheeler in that fight Now they ar
e unwilling TO side with Wheele
o again, lest to them be attributed a
the hostility to the administrator
G. that is connected with Senate
a Wheeler's motives.
a In short, if there had been n
e court fight, the President woul
, have less strength in his preser
i fight to win more power for tn
chief executive in the conduct (
the government.
Beyond the shadow OF a doub
:. had there been no court fight, Sc
= ator Wheeler's amendment, whic
. would have required the approx
= of congress to any change in II
. government the President migl
o make, would have carried instes
:. of losing by vote so close TIL
= the change Of three senators wou
"a have reversed it.
. Had there been no court figh
!, the amendment Of Sen. David
=, Walsh of Massachusetts, to exem