The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-02-23
Observations
from Washington
History Repeats Itself
BY CONGRESSMAN Knutson


House, by a vote of 367 to Is pass
ed the appropriation bill calling for
376 million dollars for additional
defense. The measure calls for:
1. 5000 additional planes
2. Increased Panama defenses
8. An ALLEGATION of S34,50O for
educational" orders to be placed
by the War Department with pri-
vate concerns to familiarize them
with products for war needs.
4. Training 10000 pilots annually
5. Increasing the regular army
by about $4,000.
Ere this appears in print addition
al requests for preparedness APP
preparations will be made by the
War and Navy departments, includ-
ing an item of S million dollars
for the deepening of the harbor in
Guam preliminary to establishing
air and submarine bases there.
Guam is 1900 miles from Japan and
naturally the Japanese strongly
object to our having an outpost so
near to their country.
1 am afraid that we are travel
ing the same road that we did dur
ing the two or three years imme-
diately prior to our entrance into
the World war. Last year Congress
appropriated, over my protest,
nearly 2 thousand million dollars
for preparedness and it now ap-
pears probable that an amount
equally large will be made avail
able for the same purpose this
year.
Against whom are we arming!
That is a pertinent question that
the American people would like to
have answered.
1t seems that we are pursuing
an unwise and dangerous foreign
policy that may ultimately lead us
to war. We have served notice on
the world that no foreign country
will be permitted to gain foot
hold on this hemisphere, and those
countries that now have possess
ions here will not be allowed to in
crease their holdings. So far, so
good. It means America for Ameri-
cans. Are we not just little in
consistent when we insist on main
tanning soldiers and marines in
China and a fleet in Chinese wa
tiers, which is in opposition to the
Japanese policy of Asia for the
Asiatics? Both policies are equally
defensible. And both will, I fear
in time lead to war.
Some days ago I received from
Berlin a translation of the speech
delivered by Hitler before the Ger
man Reichstag on January 3Oth. l
desire to incorporate in this letter
one paragraph from that speech.
He said, 'The question, for in
stance, as to whether Germany
maintains economic relations and
does business with the countries of
South and Central America, con-
Germs nobody but them and our
selves. Germany, at any rate, Is a
great and sovereign country, and
is not subject to the supervision of
American politicians. Quite apart
from that, however, I feel that all
states today have so many domes-
tic problems to solve, that it would
be a piece of good fortune for the
nations if responsible statesmen
were to confine their attentions to
their own problems"
Would it not be a fine thing If
all governments were to follow this
principle-the doctrine that all ma
tions should stay at home and at
tend to their own affairs? Certain
ly, we have enough problems at
home to occupy our full time.
Committee Hears DR.. Townsend
On Friday, last, the Ways and
Means Committee devoted the en-
tire day to hearing DR.. Townsend