Evening star., 1940-08-19


welt said to the American electo-
rate:
IF our own Government passes to
other hands next January-untrieG
hands, inexperienced hands-we can
merely hope and pray that they
will not substitute appeasement
and compromise with those who seek
to destroy all democracy every
where"
Such an innuendo, such an i'm
plication that Mr.. Willkie was less
a champion of democracy than Mr..
Roosevelt could not go unanswered.
Hence the Republican nominee de-
voted much of his acceptance speech
to making clear that he believed
Hitlerism should and could be
beaten. He said:
II promise, by returning to those
same principles that overcame Ger
man autocraCy once before, both
in business and in war, to outdis-
tance Hitler in any contest he
chooses in 1910 or after. And l
promise that when we beat him
we shall beat him on our own terms,
IN our own American way. The
promises of the present admlnistra-
ton cannot lead you to victory
against Hitler, or any one else.
This administration stands for prin-
ciples exactly opposite to mine. 1t
does not preach the doctrine of
growth. 1t breaches the doctrine
of division. .. Why that is exactly
the course France followed to her
destruction"
Turns to Major Issue.
Having thus eliminated the basic
oblectives Of foreign policy from
the campaign as issues, Mr.. Willkie
turned to what apparently will be-
come the major issue-whether ef-
fective organization of American
resources can ever be obtained by
an administration which is distrust-
ed and suspected by the producers
and manufacturers Of America as
not so much interested in defense
as in Transforming the whole eco
nomic system into a form of COL
lectivism, called New Dealism, but
resembling in its operations the to-
talitarianism of Europe. Who can
best mobilize industry and organize
Americas defense? To what are
the delays in defense due since
May 10, when total war; in Europe
started? This is the paramount is
sue. The administration is already
planning to attack American busi-
nessmen as unpatriotic. Certain
'left-wing" publications have al
ready begun to publish propaganda
handed them by the administration
charging American businessmen
with lack of patriotism and with
major interest in profits only. This
sort Of Smearlng tactics is expected
to throw up a Smokescreen to cover
up the tragic blunders and delays
that have already encompassed the
defense program in the last 80 days.
Coming as these charges 90 from
an administration which by it's
legislation and its arbitrary rulings
has done more to break down the
profit t-and-loss system than any
other single force in the whole eco
nomic history of America, it will
be interesting to see whether this
form of attack will get by the voters,
whether attributing greedy motives
to Americas manufacturers will
stand up upon disclosure of the facts
and explain away our lack of air.
planes today. For nobody in the
administration has yet offered to
60 out and start airplane factories
and plants with his own money to
cover risks, though there has been
plenty of readiness to lend the tax
payers money without assurance of
its return to the Treasury.
Must Earn Wages.
AS long as there is a profit-and-
loss system, it will be necessary for
money to earn wages or else inVes-
tors will not risk their savings. And
If the administration is endeavoring
to use the war and national defense
to bring about the collapse of the
profit system and to substitute pub
lie ownership together with the So
called service motive under the
guise of patriotic call, then it
will be evident that the war emer-
gency is being used to further a
system of collectivism which no
administration would dare to offer
frankly in political campaign.
Mr.. WILKES challenge to Mr..
Roosevelt to meet him face to face
in debate was no ordinary challenge.
It was an attempt to do a little
debunking and to meet the innuen-
does which have come from the
administration that there is some
thing wrong in having a political
campaign at this time or in talking
politics. There is surely nothing
wrong in asking the man who hap