The Wilmington morning star., 1940-01-04
ROOSEVELT URGES
STRONGER DEFENSE
Continued From Page One)

ner. The President was smiling
broadly and Gamers blue eyes
twinkled.
It was an audience sensitive to
the slightest political implications
which the speech might contain.
such as a passage in which the
President defended the New Deal
program against charges Of de.
featism''- charges which had been
uttered for one by Thomas E. Dew
ey, prominent candidate for the re.
publican presidential nomination.
8 Cheers And Laughter
And there were cheers and laugh.
ter from the democrats when Mr..
Roosevelt called for a realistic"
bulwarking of the national defense
and said that the increase should
not be as small as some Claiming
superior private information would
demand" The thrust was generally
believed to be directed at SENATOR
Borah (R.Idaho), who was reported
to have told a White House confer
ence last summer that his private
advices indicated there would be no
war in Europe. He has since said
he was opposed to any unreasonable
increases in the national defense.
But the thing for which the au-
dience listened most eagerly, some
indication of the Presidents third
term plans, was not there. Try as
they might, eager political observ-
ers could find nothing which would
throw any light on Americas fore
most riddle.
The address itself was generally
considered a personal application on
the part of the President of his
own plea for national unity. BY
comparison with his previous an
nual messages to congress, it was
mild. It sounded no battie.calls
against his foes in either the demo-
cratic or republican parties.
With ironic emphasis, some of the
latter expressed qualification that
he had asked for an abandonment
of doctrines which set grcup
against group They charged that
such had been the attitude and
practice of the administration in
previous years.
Vandenberg Comments
Senator Vandenberg (R-Mich). q
presidential candidate, said the
President had adopted "a suffi
GENTLY temperate and conciliatory
tone to prove an awareness that a
national election is approaching"
On the other hand, Senator Bark
ley (D-Ky), the democratic leader
was emphatic in his praise of the
speech, calling it Sound and Tex
~cellent." Senator McNary (R-Ore),
the republican leader, considered
that the Presidents patriotic utter
ances were commendable, his foreign
trade policy fanciful." Rep. Ray.
burn (D-Tex), party floor leader ir
the house, called it a "masterful
presentation" while Rep. Martin
(R-Mass). republican house lesder
was disappointed that the Presiden1
did not come to grips with domestic
problems"
Although hardly minimizing the
importance of domestic problems
especially that OF chronological un
employment, the President led int
them through a discussion of foreign
policy and the problems presented
by the war.
Il can understand" he said, "tht
feelings Of those who warn the ma
ton they will never consent to thu
sending of American youth to figh'
on the soil Of Europe. But, as
remember, nobody has asked then
to consent, for nobody expects sucl
an undertaking."
Isolation Impossible
The war had proved, he said. tina
the United States cannot isolat,
itself from the rest Of the world
The shock abroad, he asserted, hal