The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1940-10-03
(By Staff Writer)

long Dr6dLIlS. Unless SOIAlS IAS-
mendous, vital emergency comes
up to warrant their being called
back into session, their work will
be done. A new Congress, the
77th, will meet in Washington on
January 8, 1941. Seventeen days
later, on January 20, the next
President of the United States
will be sworn in.
Until that day in January, Mr..
Roosevelt will still be President,
but whether he will be on his
way back for third term or Mr..
Willkie will be making his prep
arations to move into the White
House, nobody will know for sure
until the day after election which
is only a few weeks ahead now.
Almost anything can happen
between now and election; al
most anything can happen after
election and before the new Adj
ministration and Congress are in
their seats. Events have moved
with such rapidity in the past
four months, and have taken
such unexpected turns, that no.
body in Washington is willing to
make an unqualified prediction
of what will happen at the polls
on November 5, or in national at
fairs thereafter.
Ready To Adjourn
Early in June the 18th Con-
gress was about ready to adjourn.
In fact, the date of adjournment
had been decided upon, June 70,
Just before the Republican Ma
tional Convention date. When
newspaper men asked President
Roosevelt what he thought about
adjournment he replied that he
saw no reason why Senators and
Representative should remain IN
session any longer unless they
wanted to make speeches.
Yet the four months since ear
ly June have been the most dra-
matte, one might say the most
momentous, in recent American
history. The Republican party
nominated for President man
who had never held public office
and who had been a Democrat
I'D to three years ago. They
picked Mr.. Willkie in response to
an overwhelming popular de-
mand for the strongest possible
man they could choose to head
their party. Mr.. Roosevelt decld-
ed that a situation had arisen
which called for all of the ex-
perience he had gained IN the
Presidency and sought and
gained a denomination. And Con-
gress, instead of adjourning, not
only remained in session but en-
acted more portentous and far
reaching laws than had ever be-
fore been put on the statute
books and appropriated more mo-
ney than any single session had
ever before appropriated.
All of that in four months,
practically out Of a clear sky.
One man alone was RESPONSE
BILE. His name is Adolf Hitler.
Unanimous Belief
Up to the middle of May the
American people-and the Amer
lean Congress-had held an al
most unanimous belief that the
war in Europe was none of our
business. It couldn't possibly
touch us. France, with its impreg-
nable Maginot Line and the finest
army in the world; Britain with
the worlds most invincible navy
they would hold Hitler if he
tried to advance toward the At
lantic. And even if he did gain
the Atlantic coast, the ocean
stood between us and anything
he could do. Why should we wor-
ry?
The State Department and the
President may have known, pro-
baby did know, more than they
told the public about the way
things were moving in Europe.
It came to the American people
out of a clear sky-the conquest
of Denmark, of Holland, then OF
Belgium, then the utter collapse
of France, stabbed in the back
by Italy, as the President said in
his speech at Charlottesville on
June II.
England was left alone with
her back to the wall, and for the
first time the people of the Uni
ted States realized that if Eng
land went, and England's navy,
nothing stood between us and the
Nazi powers but an ocean for
which we had not fighting ships
enough to prevent Hitler from
crossing and establishing his air
bases at our front doors.
The President went to Con-
=