The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-11-22

defense, the command Of the two
defense services Is mired In well
tiers of bureaucracy, Anticipated
method and personal jealousies.
The Republicans plan to probe
Roosevelt's continued failure to
give the Navy a definite head, the
cat.and.dog fight In the War De-
partment. and the sensational dis
closures regarding the newly built
top-heavy destroyers.
The Republicans plan to probe
Roosevelt's continued failure TO
give the Navy q definite head, the
cat-and-dog fight In the War De-
partment, and the sensational dis
closures regarding the newly built
top-heayy destroyers.
The Republicans privately calcu-
late that they can kill two birds
with one shot. .Ytt
FIRST, they aim TO force an
urgently needed rehabilitation Of
the Army and Nays commando
both civilian and military.
SECOND, they hope to empha-
size the Republican contention
that the New Deal can't run the
government competently and a
change Is needed.
VICTIM
For Assistant Secretary Charles
Edison, oyerworked acting head
OF the Navy, there is bitter irony
In all this. A Navy probe, with
It's certain revelations Of obstruc-
tive bureaucracy and resistance TO
resistance to modernization, may
cost him his well-deserved chance
to be made a full member OF the
cabinet. ...
Edison has striven to cut
through red tape and weed out an
tiquated practices and brasshats,
but the Job Is too much for one
man and he has worked himself
near collapse trying to cope with
1t. Despite his blamelessness, the
splatter of disclosures Is sure to
fall on his head.
Why Roosevelt has not named
Edison, or someone else, to the
long vacant secretaryship remains
mystery. Best inside explana-
ton Is that the President enjoys
being his own Secretary Of the
Navy. .....
SUPREME COURT ROMEO
To the casual observer, Justice
James Clark McReynolds seems
to keep his health despite rs sum-
mers. However, those who saw
him with lovely Mrs. Lionel Atwill
think he has lost hts punch.
Mrs. Atwill returned from Holly
wood TO Washington recently,
causing friends TO reminisce about
the days, when as Louise Brooks
and later as Mrs. Douglas Mac
Arthur, she was the most popular
woman in Washington. One Of
her great admirers was General
John Pershing, her constant escort
at social functions.
At one OF these Justice Nc
Reynolds, always with an eye to
feminine beauty, planted a lusty
kiss publicly on the lips Of Louise.
Then, much embarrassed, he
apologized profusely to General
Pershing.
When Louise Atwill returned to
Washington the other day, she
lunched at the Supreme Court and
again she saw McReynolds.
"But this time," laughed Mrs.
Atwill, che looked at me as II
he was surveying the devastated
areas"
WAR ORDERS
Paul Van iceland, ex-Premier
of Belgium, has been spreading
some quiet words of caution re-
garding the amount of war orders
to be expected or rather not
to be expected - from France and
Great Britain.
Few people realize, he points
out, how much the productive ca
pacity of the Allies has increased.
1t is far greater than in 1914, and
except for a few specialized pro-
ducts the Allies can produce most
Of what they need under their
own steam.
Furthermore, Van iceland EN-
phasizes. the British are going
to switch all war orders possible
TO Canada. in an attempt TO build
up its industry on a permanent
basis. perhaps even with the idea
of shifting much OF the United
Kingdoms industry TO the Do
minion where 1t viii be safe from
future wars.
Van iceland reports that Hit
ler's finances are worse than