The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-03-14

e treasury has no evidence
Lord Lothian, the British am
bassador, and Sir Herbert Self.
who has replaced Arthur Purvis
as London's chief plane purchas-
er (Purvis viii henceforth have
charge of buying industrial ma
terials. not military stuff. Lord
Lothian was told that the scheme
would antagonize powerful in
terests here, weaken Americas
attempt to aid the Allies with
aviation reinforcement, and he
belstely saw the point.
The movement to discard
headliner candidates for the G.
o. P. presidential nomination in
favor of Supreme Court Justice
Owen J. Roberts has been re-
vived seriously in inner C. o. P.
circles. Despite his reported re-
fusal to run even If nominated,
he figures in private discussions
more strongly than ever before.
The demand for the Philadel-
phian springs from the growing
feeling that none of the leading
G. o. Peers measure up to
White House qualifications,
especially If F. d. r. should run
again. All the topnotch Republic
can hopefuls-Messrs. Taft,
Vandenberg and Dewey - fall
short Of matching Mr.. Roosevelt
in experience, oratory or popu-
larity. More important still,
they don't seem to command
public confidence. Roberts, on
the other hand, has steadily in
creased in stature on the Court,
he became well known as Tea
pot Dome prosecutor, and as a
speaker he would not suffer in
comparison with the President.
He has several liabilities, how
ever, which the Republicans are
weighing. His nomination might
revive the old issue of the White
House versus the Court, and it
might appear to be a personal
feud. Moreover, he delivered the
opinion outlawing the original
A.A.A., which was not pleasing
to thousands of normally Re-
publican farm voters. Neverthe-
less, don't cross off the Roberts
name from your winter political
books.
The canny Joe Martin, on the
basis of Republican COMPRESSION
al victories in Ohio and Iowa
special elections, has already
mapped the kind of campaign
the G. o. P. will wage in order
to regain the House next Novem-
Der. The Bay State politico's in
terest is understandable because
he will become Speaker if the
G. o. P. dominates the lower
chamber.
The republicans need only
about 40 additional seats for
control, provided they retain the
1863 they now possess. He fig
ures that only a five per cent
shift in these 40 districts will
give him the advantage he needs.
Therefore, he is spotting these
areas with a political micros-
cope, and he will flood them
with money, literature and first
flight speakers, to the neglect Of
districts where the Party has no
or at best a remote chance of
winning. The areas most amena-
bic to this kind of Republican
persuasion lie chiefly IN the mid
die west.
In some respects capture Of
the House is more important to
the G. o. p. than winning the
presidency. In view of domestic
and world problems looming up
for the next four years, the in
coming OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
can or Democratic-will proba-
bly, be a one-term affair. But
If the G. o. p. controls the
House, 1t will have time to for
mulate a national program on
the basis Of a new set of cir
cumstances, and be in q better
position 10 sweep the country
N 1914. And II Joe has made
q good record rs speaker, he
might be the 1914 candidate. At
the moment his real ambition
rs to be speaker, not president.