Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1940-06-06
WHAT DOES LINDBERGH MEAN?

"For some reason or other, Colonel Charles A,
Lindbergh has taken it upon himself to offer ad-
vice to the American people. In his recent ma
tionwide radio talk, he has told all OF us to stop
this hysterical chatter of calamity year or so
ago, he spoke similarly, airily dsmissing the con-
vulsions Of the world as something that was none
of our business. aat-
Colonel Lindbergh is young man who made
name for himself by flying alone in an airplane
across the Atlantic. That feat magnificent
one, and he rightly became hero because of it,
but he did not become an oracle or expert on
foreign affairs. For when you fly the Atlantic
alone in an airplane, that does not mean that you
suddenly and automatically endowed with
superior wisdom. It means merely that you are
good hier. And that's about all Lindbergh is, ex-
cept that he is also something of a scientist be-
cause of his experiments with an artificial heart.
Colonel Lindberghs recent radio speech is ev-
idence enough that he is not equipped to advise
the American people one way the other about
the meanings of the current world criss-no
more than Wrong-Way Corrigan. From start
to hnish that speech is confusion of ideas con-
tradicting each other not unlike the essay OF a
bright schoolboy whose mind still needs aging in
the rules of logic. Everybody will of course agree
that Americans should not be hysterical. That
is one thing, but it is another thing to minimize
Americas present dangers, and to imply that
President Roosevelt is talking through his hat.
If we to judge by the past record-which
should be as clear to Colonel Lindbergh to
anybody else-President Roosevelt just does not
talk through his hat when he talks about foreign
affairs.
And it is another thing, too, when Colonel
Lindbergh darkly suggests that the chatter OF
calamity is the work of a little group of Ameri-
cans anxious to push the nation into war; He
says: The only reason that in danger OF
becoming involved in this is because there
powerful elements in America who desire us
to take part They represent a small minority Of
the American people, but they control much of
the machinery of influence and propaganda.
They seize every opportunity to push us closer
to the edge.
That is a strange remark for like Colonel
Lindbergh to make, and he should be challenged
to explain and justify it. Just what does he
mean? To whom does he refer when he speaks
of powerful elements and a small minority? /?
He charges that something sinister is going on,
and he makes it appear that he knows exactly
what it is.
Now it would be unnecessary to comment eth
this remark the whole character OF
the Colones recent speech if it not for the
fact that he is still hero in many eyes and that
his words therefore still carry weight That be-
ing so, the Colonel owes it to the American peo
pie to be more specific. He makes the bald state
ment that "a small minority is conspiring to drag
the United States into Well, why isn't he
fortnight about it? If he has knowledge of con-
spracy, let him come out with the identifcatlons
Colonel Lindbergh's flight to Paris did not
sanctify him give him any right to fling such
loose and serious charges through the free med
ium of nationwide radio hookup. If he cannot
substantiate what he says, if he has nothing
to offer than vague and mischievous generaliza-
tons, then let him be silent from now The
American people are in need of advice from no
such source"-The foregoing is taken from the
Pathfinder which has never been accused of being
over friendly to President Roosevelt