The Wilmington morning star., 1940-10-23
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
BY JACK STINNETT

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.-Politics is a
strange disease. It's like tropical fever. Once
it's in your blood, there is no telling when it's
going to crop out. And for an outsider, it is
pretty hard to see what the conditions are that
bring about it's recurrence.
For instance, in the Senate gallery the other
day. I witnessed this little legislative drama:
Senator Wheeler, the Montana Democrat,
who has been one Of the chief ramrods in cp-
position to administration foreign policy, stood
up before the Senate the other day and offered
his resolution to investigate foreign control or
partial ownership by foreign companies or in
dividuals of stock, patents, ETC., in American
firms which contribute to the national defense
program.
There was a preamble to the resolution
which started: Whereas authentic reports in
dictate that German and other foreign
corporations enjoy a measure of control
over some of our most important de-
tense industries; and whereas an American
corporation which supplies glass for instru-
ments and weapons for the Army and Navy
has been shown to have close relations with a
German concern involving disclosure of secret
processes; and whereas one of the most i'm
portant metals, invaluable in the manufacture
of airplanes, is controlled by a corporation
half of whose stock is reliably reported to be
owned by the German chemical trust. -"
Following some more whereases was the
resolution to investigate the situation and re-
port to the senate.
1t takes an army of reporters, working night
and day, just to skim the cream of the news
off this national defense program, and nobody
can say that he or she knows all about it. But
on the surface, this would look like a pretty
worthy investigation, wouldn't it If there
are financial fifth columnists working against
the defense program, one of the national legis-
lative bodies should know about it. If there
aren't, then all these rumors should be brand
ed as propaganda and silenced forever. BUT:
Senator Austin, Vermont Republican,
brought up the question of expediency and OBJ
jected to consideration of the resolution at
this time.
Senator Barley, leader of the Democratic
majority in the senate, put in this: Being a
member of the committee on interstate COM
merce. I am familiar with the facts connected
with this resolution and the statements before
the committee resulting in its report. 1 can
state to the Senator from Vermont that there
is no politics in the resolution. 1t is not a po-
litical matter at all. -"
Senator Austin-'Does it NOT occur to the
Senator from Kentucky CMr. Barkley) that
without any intention on the part of the Senate
in passing the resolution, nevertheless politics
might get into this matter"
Senator Barkley-'lt IS not contemplated
there shall be any hearings under the resolu.
tons at present. The facts may be devel.
oped in a quiet way There will probably
be no publicity about the matter. AS the Sen
ator from Montana Mr. Wheeler) says, in
January ="
Senator WheeIer-'There will not be any
politics after January anyway. Politics will be
over at that time, will be adjourned, we hope,
for four years What we want to do is
gather the information between now and Janu.
ary."
Senator Austin-'Al the learned senators
say supports my opinion that we would dc
well to put this off until after the first OF
January
There was more to it than that, a lot more,
but all in the same vein. The resolution
passed and the preamble passed and the sen
ate interstate commerce committee now is
presumably going into the matter of foreign
influence in companies which have to do with
national defense, but since both sides admitted
that it has something to do with politics., let
all nut our heads together and figure out
how.
There are millions of colored people all over
the world, and when they rouse themselves,
80, - l. H. ;,,rt foo hoJ ceJf Y..,-