The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1940-01-04

government was slashing veterans
compensation, wages of clerks and
everything else, the government was
naturally plunging into debt. 1t dis.
! liked the contrast with the nine
years of Mellon in the treasury. dur
ing which nearly Sfe, 660, 909, 600 of
national debt was paid off. =ss=
At the present moment the adj
/ ministration is under fire, particu-
larly from Senator Taft, for the con-
tinued spending by Washington OF
+ more than it takes in in taxes, and
it is growing more and more sensi-
tive about it. II fears that the coun-
i try is getting concerned, that con-
/ gress is getting concerned in turn,
and that the result may affect not
only appropriations by congress IN
] the session to open in January, but
the Presidential election.
Governor Brokers main claim to
prominence is that in the third big
gest state in the Union-a state
which it is vitality essential that a
presidential candidate be able to
carry-he has balanced the budget.
Governor Who Balances
State Budget 4rouses Ire
Any statement that governor has
succeeded in balancing budget al
ways rouses ire in Washington from
the national administration if the
federal government at the time is
not balancing its budget. 1t invites
odious comparisons. 1t carries the
implication, at least, that the gov
ernor in question, if be had been
president, might have done bet
ter job, at least from the fiscal
standpoint, than the President.
So it's no wonder that Bricker's
record should start the New Deal
ers, and especially the ones who
want Roosevelt to ruin for third
term, to yelping. And it's no Won
der that Roosevelt himself, regard
less of whether he wants to run
again or not, should be angry. 1t
simply would be against human ma
ture for things to be different.
So it is not surprising that there
were loud cries, and it is not sur
prising that the Republican national
committee, seeing how much pain
was being experienced in the inner
circle, should 60 to bat. 1t SO hap
pens that Fulton Lewis Jr., a radio
commentator, went out to Cleveland
and talked to a lot of officials and
others about the situation. His
broadcast exonerated Governor
Bricker from blame, hung little
blame on Mayor Harold Fl. Burton,
but tossed most of the responsibility
back on the federal government,
which had cut relief appropriations
62 per cent in Cleveland as against
an average of SO per cent for the
whole country.
Graf Specs Battle Shouting
Bolsfers Vie,us Of Experts
Much has been said in the last
few weeks as. to the fact that the
British navy has only three ships
capable of catching and sinking
German pocket battleship, and that
the United States navy does not
have one.
This government started to build
two battle cruisers, but they were
changed into airplane carriers-the
Saratoga and the Lexington-long
before they we're completed.
The answer to that is interesting,
if not convincing to all naval ex-
perts. But our admirals have long
been great believers in armor. In
fact, their belief in armor is the
essence of their stubborn insistance,
during the attacks of Gen. William
Mitchell and others, that the battle
ship was the heart and soul of sea
power.
When Billy Mitchell was insisting
that he could sink any battleship
afoat by bombing from aircraft, the
admirals merely shifted. Their ar
gument was that battleship might
be torpedoed and bombed from the
air, and even hit by other battle
ships, but it would still remain
afioat, and be able to infict pun
ishment until every other type of
craft in the battle had been de-
stroyed.
They Studied Records OF
W0rld War Naval Battles
The admirals never made a very
good case, SO far as the public was
concerned. For example, they new
er mentioned specific instances,
which they very well could have