The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-11-23

WaSn1nSLOU-1u GlIO VI WIN
Christmas holidays will see the
second regular session Of the 10th
Congress buckling down to its
major job which, in the final an
alysis will be the election OF the
next President of the United
States.
The job of doing whatever
could be done by the statutory
legislation to keep the United
States out of the European war
was finished at the extra session.
The discussion of the Neptra-
lily proposals brought out such
overwhelming evidence that the
people of the United States are
100 percent against sending fight
ing men and ships to Europe, and
at the same time almost as
strongly in favor of doing every
thing we can do to help the Al
lies defeat Hitlersim short OF
lending them money, that only
some unforseeable incident can
revive discussion of American
neutrality on any important scale.
There may be, and probably
will be, some talk on the floor of
Congress about the plan of trans
ferring American ships to foreign
flags in order to evade the re-
strictions upon their traffic to be-
lligerent zones. Probably if the
facts about such transfers, which
are going on all the time and
which are duly reported in the
publications of the Bureau of Ma
vigation, had been brought out
while the special session was as
sembled, the law as passed might
have included a Tightening of re-
strictions upon such transfers.
But as there is nothing in the
present laws to prevent any
American ship owner from SELL
ing his ship to foreigners, even
though these foreigners may be
corporations whose stock is own
ed by Americans, it is not be-
lieved here that Congress will at
tempt to reopen the whole Neu-
trality dispute for the sake of
trying to prevent American citi-
ZenS from dispoSing of their own
property.
Eyes On Election
Therefore, the expectation is
that this coming session will be
focused upon domestic rather
than international questions, and
that the approach to all of them
will be with one eye upon their
probable effect upon the 1910
Presidential election, not to men
ton the Congressional elections,
which are more important to
many members than the question
of who will be the next President.
There is in prospect, for exam
pie, a great amount of new gov
eminent spending for national de-
tense purposes. The outlook is
such that Secretary Morgenthau
of the Treasury has taken occa-
sion to warn Congress that if they
spend as much as the Administra-
ton expects to ask for, they will
have to raise the debt limit. I'm
der the present laws, the United
States may not owe more than 81
billions at any one time.
The national debt is now close
to ~ billions, and the programs
for increasing the Navy, Army
and Air Force already revealed
will eat up more than three bill
lions. Besides that, the regular
running expenses of the Govern
ment now run to pretty nearly
six billion dollars year, and pre-
sent tax laws won't bring in that
much unless there is a much big
ger and more rapid growth in
business incomes than anybody
now expects.
So Congress faces a big econo-
mic problem, in fact a series Of
them. It must find ways to raise
enough money to carry out the
plans for national defense, upon
the necessity of which there is
substantial agreement, to carry
on the regular activities of gov
eminent, and at the same time
to pacify the important pressure
blocks which are planning to de.
.mand more spending for relief
and especially for the aid of agri,
culture The pressure to increase
taxes will be heavy, and the pres
sure from other groups to reduce
taxes may be even heavier.
Geographical Considerations
Every move that Congress
makes will have a bearing not
only upon the Presidential cleo
ton but Aupon the reelection OF
all the Representatives and a
third of the Senators. Whenever
l. IL oxooxo+ \ 80