The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-06-13
OUR CONGRESSMAN
News Letter Written The Ely Miner by
WILLIAM A. PITTENGER
Member of Congress, Eighth Minnesota District

PREPAREDNESS is and has been the
topic of the day. World War develop
ments have made it a paramount
question. 1t is not a political one.
Witness the passage by the House of
Representatives of the bill to strength
en- the national defense. This was nj
troduced by Congressman May, chair
man of the Military Affairs committee
on May 21St, referred to the Military
Affairs committee on the same day, re-
ported out of the committee on May o.,
and passed by the House on May "a,
with a single dissenting vote. This is
lesson in speed and shows what can
be done when the party leaders really
want something done. So, until adj
journment of Congress, a legislative
program of adequate National Defense
has had and will have the right of way
During the time I have been priv
LEGGED to represent the Eighth Con-
gresSional District, many bills for the
Army and for the Navy have been be-
fore Congress for action. I want you
to know that I have always voted for
National Defense legislation, and at
times when it was unpopular to do so.
AS I have indicated in the past, eX-
penditures to build up the army and
navy, and provide more airplanes is an
insurance policy against this country
becoming involved in foreign wars.
We hear much about the FIFTH
COLUMN Or Trojan Horse these days.
These phrases are just another name
for diSloyalty. 1t is now evident that
the committee to investigate Un-
American Activities, also known as the
Dies Committee, has been combating
the FIFTH COLUMN, or DISLOYAL
elements in the United States, and
these elements of course include the
Russian Communistic Party of Earl
Browder. The Dies Committee has had
my active support and encouragement,
and I believe that the field of its &C
tivities is becoming more enlarged and
important.
PARTY CONVENTIONS Domestic
and foreign problems make all the
more important the Party conventions
days of the Republic we have had a
two party system of government in this
country. 1t ought not to be destroyed.
GOVERNOR HAROLD E. STASSEN
was singled out for great honor when
he was selected to deliver the key note
speech at the Republican Convention
at Philadelphia on June oath. This
selection is no news. But, it is more
than news to note that Governor
Stassen has achieved a success at his
age which comes to only few. If I
am correctly informed he was not born
with a silver spoon in his mouth. His
parents were people in ordinary cir
cumStanceS and he engaged in the
business of hard work for wages in
order to 60 to school. All of this means
to the average young man that the
doors of opportunity under our form of
government are still open. It is true
that during the past seven years the
New Dealers have done nothing to
remedy unemployment conditions. Un-
doubtedly, Governor Stassen will point
out in his keynote speech the fact that
waste of public funds, a crushing debt
burden, confiscatory taxes, and other
New Deal experiments have contributed
to rather than relieved unemployment
What will he say about European af-
fairs?
One of the Governors constituents
has already made suggestions to me
as to some of the things he thinks the
party leaders should consider. I COM
mend his suggestions to the governor.
He says:
THAT the Republican party, if in
power, will care for the unemployed
and do it properly Gnstead of grudg-
ingly and dishonesty as now is the
case) just as long as the necessity for
relief exists, but that a good old
fashioned Republican protective tariff
will take up the unemployed and do
away with the necessity for relief"
THAT the Republican party will dis
continue buying Mexican silver at two
and one-half times its price, just to
keep the Communistic Government of
Mexico from falling"
THAT the Republican party will dis
continue the gold buying policy of the