The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1938-05-26

6ulY Ut G4peIlGuI III DE- lllllollt4- ~
time to make its weight felt before
hostilities were concluded.
Reason for Haste
The real reason for the Presi-
dents haste on battleship construc-
ton is not preparedness but econom-
les. He wants to get men working
on this job as speedily as possible
in the mines, the steel mills, the
factories and the shipyards. Liter
ally it is part of the pump-priming
plan.
This does not mean that the build
ing of battleships is a species of
made work. On the contrary, the
Presidents feeling is that the need
for the additional ships is very vital
indeed. But not for the immediate
future.
The answer to all this is Japan.
The majority opinion among naval
and military experts studying the
situation, and advising the Presi-
dent, is that Japan has no intention
of provoking a war with the United
States in the immediate future. But
the same experts believe that ia
pan is counting on a war with this
country eventually, maybe five
years from now. maybe ten.
The theory behind these fine new
battleships is that each one con-
structed tends to make that war less
! likely. The experts in question note
with extraordinary interest the COM
ment in Japan on the construction
of these ships. Japanese neWspa-
pefs which usually print just what
the high army and navy officers of
that country want the people to
know are rather bitter about these
battleships which congress has been
authorizing and appropriating for in
the last few months.
When it is considered that these
ships will not be completed for FROM
three 10 five years, at the earliest,
this resentment is very interesting.
Curious Puzzles
Some very curious and intricate
puzzles are presented by the recent
Florida Democratic primary. One
of them is accentuated, curiously
enough, by none other than Chair
man James A. Farley, of the Demo-
cratic national committee, in
statement rushed out even before all
the returns were in to claim a
sweeping victory for the New Deal.
Said Chairman Farley.
1.-THE signal victory of Sen. Claude
Pepper of Florida, staunch New
Deal advocate, over Rep. J. Mark
Wilcox, campaigning for the senate
seat on the straight-out issue of OPP
position to the New Deal" etc.
Now the interesting point raised
by Chairman Farley, inadvertently,
| revolves around his own denuneia-
ton Of Wilcox. For it would seem
to be a logical deduction that ev-
cry voter who marked his ballot for
Wilcox is an anti-NeW Dealer.
| Viewed as contest between two
party factions, or between two cam
didates, Peppers victory was over
whelming. He had lead of more
than two to one over Wilcox.
But if viewed that the men and
women who voted for Wilcox were
anti-New Deal, then it would appear
! that one-third of the Democrats in
Florida are against the present
Democratic administration in Wash
ington.
That is not enough to make any
difference, probably, in the Florida
election. No one expects any South
ern state to elect Republican to
the senate.
The Pepper Problem
But in Northern and Western
states such loss would spell inevi-
table disaster in November. 1t is
an axiom in politics that no party
can afford to lose 10 per cent of its
voters. The Florida primary would
seem to indicate loss of more than
80 per cent.
Another, and entirely different,
problem is presented by the fact
that Senator Pepper, in his cam
paign, laid a great deal of emphasis
on old age pensions.
1t was this campaign by Pepper
which led Sen. Arthur H. Vanden-
berg, of Michigan, to comment that
President Roosevelt and DR.. Town
send would have to roll dice to
see who was really the victor in
Florida.
Now the question is whether Flor
ida is merely like California, in that
tremendous number of old people
have moved there to avoid the more
rigorous winters Of their native
states, or whether this sentiment OF
the old for security and of the young
to be relieved Of their obligations to
their own old folks is merely typical
of all states.
In short: Was DR.. Townsend right
in his assumption that there is SC
much sentiment for his plan that il
put to any real test it would sweep
the country7
1t is almost impossible, at the