Evening star., 1940-08-30
Congress Example
Urged for Soldiers
Reader PIeods for Courage
And for Unity
Against Danger
To the Editor of The Star.

To the Editor of The Star.
Congress obviously, by its actions, is
causing delay in the preparation of this
country for national defense. But the
greatest harm being done by some mem
bers of Congress does not lie in this
delay. 1t lies, rather, in the sabotage
of American fighting spirit. In press
reports and radio news the headlines
are repeatedly gained by such stand
patters as Senator Taft and Senator
Vandenburg, and such rabble rousers as
Senators Wheeler and Holt. Most OF
what the public hears is made up of their
views because they are the most vocal
and most frequently quoted.
The steps required for national secur-
ity are properly debatable. But the
existence of the need of immediate,
rapid expansion of national defense is
not debatable before any group of in
telligent persons. IT is not within the
power of Congress to determine the
urgency of that need. Its urgency will
be determined by the capacity of gov
ernments other than our own to carry
out their announced intentions.
We know that if we prepare quickly,
we can decide what we shall do. We
also know that if we do not prepare
quickly some one else may be able to
make that decision for us to their advan-
tage, not ours. That issue exists, and all
thinking people know that it does.
The dull groupings of members of Con-
gress who try to pretend that the issue
does not exist, and the noisy diversions
OF members who try to make it an oc-
casion for an isolationist circus cannot
obliterate the issue. They can accom-
plish only one end. They can hamper
the efforts of thinking people and be-
fuddle the ideas of unthinking people.
II American troops were to face an
enemy in the way that the vocal men,
bers of Congress face an issue. some
of them would be hiding behind trees
and the rest would be heading for the
Rocky Mountains shouting epithets over
their shoulders. Do the American peo-
pie believe that soldiers can fight effect
ually when they have behind them a
Government which is afraid to face Its
responsibilities? The fighting spirit of
the men who may one day have to de-
fend the shores of this country is now
being sabotaged by the hesitations, va
citations and evasions of members of
Congress.
Something is needed to infuse spirit
of unity into the people of this country.
Nothing would do that better than 70
hear that 20 members of the United
States Senate had gotten to their feet
and faced the issue with the same cour-
age and resolution that would be ex-
pected from American troops facing sn
enemy in battle. There are brave men
in the Senate. When will they set an
example to the armed forces of this
country, present and potential? They
cannot do it by allowing the standpattelS
and isolationists to monopolize the head
lines selective service system estab-
lished by a majority of timorous and
hesitating votes over minority of loudly
vocal opposing votes is ruined before 1t
starts. 1t will only get the physical
bodies of men; it will not get their
fighting spirit.
If this country is worth fighting for
in the field, on the sea and in the air
it is also worth fighting for on the floor
of the Senate and the House of Repre-
sentatives. Let those who recognize the
facts get up and state them vigorously
and courageously, not by ones and .wos,
but by tens and twenties. A good SOL
dier is not supposed to be afraid Of
bullets. Good soldiers will fight when
they have behind them members of Con-
gress who are not afraid of ballots. 1t
may become the duty of American SOL
diers to defend this country against
physical destruction of its cities. 1t is
today the duty of legislators to defend
this country against the moral destruc-
ton Of Its fighting spirit. For if that
is first destroyed, s1O0, 600, 900 900 worth
of armament would not avert the physi-
cal destruction. G. B. STUDLEY,
Del Mar, Calf.
Auo1Ict Of