The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1940-12-26
BELL wNu Service. !

NAoiiiING ols - Efet ftiiiile iiOW
depends on the very point that Wen
dell Willkie tried so hard to put over
during the neutrality-suspicious..
Particularly. of course, production
OF planes, munitions, ships and 9th
er war supplies for Britain.
President. Roosevelt is being told
by several of his advisers that his
place in history will depend very
largely on what happens to Britain
in the remainder of the war II
Britain goes down. he has been told,
there will always be historians who
will blame Americas failure to sup
ply Britain with the necessities OF
war. II she survives, America will
be given the credit for having saved
her by furnishing these necessaries.
This advice is not being given the
President with a view to overcoming
any reluctance on his part to help
Britain. There is no doubt about the
Presidents desire to do that.
INCREASE PRODUCTION
Nevertheless there are various
theories about what could be done
to increase production of the things
Britain so vitality needs. Some of
these ways are very distasteful to
important figures in the administra-
ton Some of them are. to put it
mildly, distasteful to the President
himself.
There are people In the admins
tration, on the other extreme, who
would like to abolish the national
defense commission. These include
people with widely varying reasons
for wanting to get rid Of it. Some OF
the more radical resent the occa-
siona outbursts from individuals In
the commission which seem to curb
freedom for labor to fight for inn
provements. Others disagree with
this criticism. but would like to see
the whole process of procurement
revert to the war and navy depart
ments. These departments do the
buying for our own national defense
now. Of course, but there are those
who would like to see the advisory
function OF the defense commission
eliminated.
There is also the question of more
power for the defense commission,
whether it should have a chairman
who could function without running
to the President every whipstitch.
On this point the President has CIV
en- nc sign of yielding his present
tight control.
ADJOURNMENT DEFEATED
The most significant thing about
the refusal of the house of repre-
sentatlves to adjourn, when every
body knew that President Roosevelt
wanted congress to go home, is not
the majority of 43 against the ad-
journment resolution, but the fact
that As Democrats voted with the
Republicans. And this despite the
impassioned appeal of one Demo-
cratic member, in the discussion be-
fore the motion was put, that it was
an Insult" to the President to OPP
pose adjournment.
II that gentleman was right then
As Democratic members of the house
voted to insult the President.
OF course, their votes did not
mean anything of the sort. Very
few of them would want to Insult"
the President, even if one studied
their private views. But these As
we're perfectly willing to oppose
something the President wanted. and
to do SO in public. Most Of them, for
that matter, were perfectly willing
later to subscribe to the Presidents
own comment that If congress want
ed to stay in session it was all right
with him.
Coming SO soon after Roosevelt's
tremendous electoral vote victory,