The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-09-21

RY POST STAFF WRITER

WASH1NG1ON
what they-all would be dom II
we really was in de war" That
remark, dropped by a veteran
colored messenger in one OF the
Government departments, express
ses tersely the condition OF tev-
erish activity which pervades ev.
ery branch of Government. II
we were actually at war the FED
eral offices could hardly be more
busy.
To every observer here who re-
members Washington's activities
in 1917 and '18, when we were
# war. conditions in the nation
capital seem strangely familiar.
So far as public reactions have
been analysed by Washington OBJ
servers, however, there IS nc
more widespread indignation OF
wsrlike desire on the part OF the
American people now than there
was in 1916 when Mr.. Wilson was
reelected President on the Slo-
gan He kept us out of war.
Seeks Neutrality Amendment
Nevertheless, the President has
not abandoned his purpose OF
asking Congress to amend the
Neutrality Act so as to give HIM
wider authority to permit the sale
of war supplies to nations which
are able to pay cash and carry
them away in their own ships.
The impression observers here
get from Senators and RepreSen-
tatives who have been consult
ed, is that there is a better
chance of getting the whole
1887 Neutrality Act repealed tina
to amend it.
Under an unprepared war sta
tute of 1917, however, the Pres
ident has authority to declare a
state of national emergency, and
he has acted on this to the extent
of declaring that limited
emergency exists now. With that
authority back of him, the Pres
ident has ordered the increase OF
the armed forces of the nation
the army, the navy, the marine
corps and the national guard-by
the addition of 100000 men.
In addition, the Federal ma
chinery for curbing foreign pro-
paganda and preventing sabotage
has been strengthened. All peace
officers, from rural sheriffs to
city police forces, have been or
dered to cooperate with the
Criminal Investigation Bureau
the "G-men"-in a nationwide
spy-hunt. An entire brigade of
additional troops and large
number of additional airplaneS
have been sent to Panama, and
the Canal Zone has been placed
under complete military control.
The naval air base at Puerto
Rico is already being used,
though not completed, and the
Government has placed orders
for 5000 additional fighting
planes. One hundred and sixteen
World War fighting craft des-
troyers laid up at the Philadel-
phia navy yard, have been order
ed reconditioned for service, and
extra crews working in three
shifts are rushing work on five
big battleships, the largest ever
designed.
Passports Restricted
Under the emergency powers
granted the President by the 1917
law, all passports of American
citizens for foreign travel are be-
ing called in, and no more will be
issued for travel to any Euro
pean country without proof of
the urgent necessity of the trip.
Every ship under the Ameri-
can flag sailing from now on
must carry the ships name and
home port painted on the side in
ten-foot letters, and besides a
huge painted reproduction of the
American flag on each side of
the bow. All ships entering or
leaving any American port are
being searched for possible con-
traband or war.
There are more than a hundred
telephone sWitchboards in Gov
eminent offices, with more than
$4,000 inside telephone connec-
tons and about 5000 trunk lines
Every switchboard is now on "a
hour service, with $4,000 or more
calls a day between the offices
here and with other parts of the
country.
Telephone service to Europe
has been curtailed, but is now be-
ing routed through Italy. Wash
ington believes in Mussolini's
neutrality, which is partly dem
s4na4a-l LIZ a