The Washington times., 1938-09-27
WAR MOTIF TO PLAY PART
IN CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN
Huntley Sees
Situation as
In 1916
By THEODORE HUNTLEY

" 4ACbAACA HAA WV eSNO w
not. washington believes the war
motif will play an increasingly i'm
portant part in coming Congress
sional campaigns.
1t sees a situation shaping, which
is not dissimilar to that which in
1916 led Woodrow Wilson to put
his final emphasis on the appeal
that He Kept us out of war" 1t
pulled the wartime President
through in his campaign for re-
election. but five months later
in spite of everything he could do
to prevent the United States from
becoming actively involved-this
country cast its lot with the Allies
to supply the balance Of power
needed for victory.
POLITICS SEEN
There are those who see in
President Roosevelt's tempera.
ment. if not war-mindednesS, an
issue which can be capitalized Tor
political purposes. 1t already has
been tested out in Maryland and
other States during the summer
primary season. Administration
critics. including Senator Tydings,
used it as an argument against
the election Of YeS-men to Con.
greSS.
It also has been discovered not
only in the current campaign but
in similar Soundings on the polit-
ical battlefront that when war is
discussed the "never-again idea
evokes a greater emotional re-
Sponse from campaign crowds
than anything else. The speaker
who raises his right hand and
pledges himself to see that Amer
lean youth is nevc-' again sent to
fight on foreign soil automatically
makes himself popular hero.
BIG NAVY POPULAR
As against the rather obvious
desire of a good many Americans
to keep out of Europe's quarrelS
and Europe'S bloodshed, however,
there is plenty Of support for ade-
quate national defense, including
q big Navy program, in all parts
of the country. Almost for the
first time in the country's history
there is a friendly feeling for the
Navy in the dust bowl and adjac-
ent farm States, where pacifiSt
sentiment in the past has been
a troublesome problem for Presi-
dents and congressional leaders
who regard a navy-Second-to-none,
to employ the current phrase of
big-navy champions, as a sine qua
non of national safety.
MIDWEST CONVINCED
'"The Navy can have any
thing it wants" was the report
brought to Washington as long
ago as last winter, after a trip
through the Middle West. And
subsequent congressional action
on naval appropriations tended
to confirm his estimate of the
state of public opinion in the
bible belt.
There also is a growing friendli-
ness toward the Army. particularly
since Americans can see that the
Army's idea Of defense Is not the
excessive expansion of the Regu.
lars, but rather the development
of an adequate trained reserve,
plus the mechanization of the
force we have and the acquisition
of the war material which would
be Immediately necessary If war
should come in spite of us. The
air force is the public pet, as al
ways, but the country is also be-
ing educated to the understand.
ing that aircraft and tanks can't
win a war, valuable though they
are as auxiliaries, and that in the
end it's the artillery and the man
on foot who smash the enemy s
lines and occupy enemy territory
ARMY VIEW CHANGES
This growing understanding OF
the needs Of national defense and
the attitude Of the Army itself has
been more than helpful to the mill
tary branch Of the Government
in getting most Of the things II
thinks it should have to guard
KH