Evening star., 1940-07-14
Maverick Hits Ford,
WilIkie, Calls for
Strong Defense
BY JOHN c. HENRY,
Star Stan Correspondent.

and cons Of national defense woven
inextricably into Virtually every bit
of testimony. the Resolutions and
Platform Committee of the Demo-
cratic convention fought its way
through seven hours and thousands
of words of advice today.
Some of it, surely small portion,
will be reflected in the campaign
document to be drafted early in the
coming week.
Actually, 1t is reliably assumed
that major pronouncements in the
platform were charted and perhaps
completed to the last comma be-
fore open hearings even began yes
terday. Some of the others prob
ably will be shaped in whole or in
part at an executive session of the
committee called for II o'clock to-
morrow. However, for the purposes
of the record, If nothing more, the
hearings will be continued Mon
day.
While political considerations and
the operating methods of this par
ticular convention may combine to
accord relatively little weight to
the special pleadings before this
committee, the tenor of most of
the testimony and the temper of
the platform drafters amounted to-
day to a seemingly true dress re-
hearsal of American public opinion.
Maverick Urges Preparedness.
With futility that was most
obvious, extreme isolationists, foes
of conscription and even those who
hedged ever so slightly on the
theme of total preparedness" bat
tered their way to no avail against
a hostile committee. Even members
of the clergy and conscientious OBJ
jectors were accorded only tactit in
dulgence when they proposed any
qualifications to a clear-cut decla-
ration of complete national mopli-
Zation and readiness to defend The
Western Hemisphere by force of
arms if necessary.
And when Maury Maverick. May
or of San Antonio and one time
member of the House of Represent
atives, appeared to deliver a few
hundred words of defiance at Adolf
Hitler-with postscript of disap-
probation for Wendell Willkie and
Henry Ford--the committee broke
into rash of congratulations.
AS a matter of fact, Mr.. Maverick
put on his usual good show, and
there was no doubling his sincerity.
During his years in Congress he
confessed he had been one of the
so-called isolationist group, a be-
lever in the theory that a casual
surveillance of our own borders
would keep the Nation safe.
Calls for Aggressive Spirit.
Today he warned that If the Ma
ton listens to its pacifists it will be
destroyed.
"The American people and the
Democratic party must develop an
aggressive spirit" the Texan eau
toned while waving a fist at the
committee. We've become fat and
lazy. We need some of the spirit
of the Tennessee grandparents who
moved over the hills reading the
Bible out of one hand and shoot
ing Indians with the other. I be-
lieve the American people are in
imminent danger"
To combat it San Antonio's Nav
or offered point program:
/. Universal military service-not
only for man power but for industry.
2. Establishment of Reserve On-
GERS Training Corps in every COL
lege-with enrolment mandatory.
3. Militarization of the Civilian
Conservation Corps.
4. Immediate and complete mo-
bilization of the National Guard
for intensive training.
Willkie = Flash in the PAN"
The American Army, he added.
should be the worlds most highly
mechanized, with the best possible
system of radio communications and
with the Nations police and fire de-
partments integrated into its defens-
i've machinery.
AlAo dCVdIA dkdlllSt tIlC
menace of Hitler, Mr.. Maverick sud-
denly took on Mr.. Willkie, presiden-
tial nominee of the Republican
party.
"The Democratic party and the
American people ought not listen
to the claptrap of Mr.. Willkie," the
Mayor pleaded earnestly.
Hes a flash in the pan. He's
catering to the hate Roosevelt ele-
ment, to the German
Bund, to the Fascists."
Henry Ford was next on Mr..
Mavericks list.
He cancelled his contract to make
airplanes for this Government one
morning. I cancelled San Antonio's
contract to buy trucks from him the
(See PLATFORM, Page A-2)