Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-22
War and Third Term
Dwarf All Other Issues
In Illinois Campaign
Election Outcome Still
Rests in Lap Of Gods
And Adolf Hitler
BY LAURIN H. HEALY.
Special Correspondent Of The Star

CHICAGO, Sept. 21-Two major
issues-War and the third term
dwarfed all concern with Repubh-
can promises or New Deal economic
policies this week as Republican
and Democratic nominees toured
the rural districts of Illinois in their
campaign for votes.
But the outcome of the November
election still rested in the lap OF
the gods and Adolph Hitler, as the
States voters failed to rise to the
bait or oratory spread by a dozen
candidates of both parties up and
down the State.
Voters and politicians alike agreed
that the course of war in Europe
would have a bigger effect on votes
than would the speeches Of Wen
dell Willkie, New Dealers or the
Democratic State ticket. Conse-
quently Illinois remains a doubtful
State. with a stable Republican
majority fairly certain outside Chi
cago and big Democratic majority
conceded in Chicago.
G.. o. p. Recalls 1916.
Republicans, however, drew the
battle lines tighter this week in
their speeches, emphasizing the
constitutional and traditional OBJ
jectiohs to a third term. and en-
deavoring in every speech to COM
pare the 1910 campaign with that
of 1916, when Woodrow Wilson was
elected on the slogan He Kept Us
Out of War" and the country de-
clared war shortly afterward.
c. Wayland Brooks, the Republi-
cans isolationist. nominee for the
Senate. toured the State predicting
President Roosevelt would have the
country at war if reelected. The
prospects Of declaring war on Ger
many seem less near in the Middle
West than they do to Fasteners,
their utmost to warn voters OF their
proximity.
Mr.. Wilkes charges that Presi-
dent Roosevelt telephoned Hitler
and Premier Mussolini to engineer
the Munich sellout of Czecho-Slo-
vakia were lamented by Republic
cans in f-the-record condolences
They feared the effects of hasty
talk. But at the same time they
drew encouragement from the belief
that voters will vote against"
Roosevelt and not for" Willkie.
Cite Early Leaders.
To further this latter trend, G.
0. P. chieftains utilized Constitu-
ton Day for a running broadside
against the third term. Citing the
theories expressed in the Federalist
papers, conjuring up the ghosts of
Washington, Jefferson. jackson and
Lincoln, Republicans pounded at
the third term issue.
On the Democratic side activity
was almost nil, as Kelly-Nash lead
ers planned to let their campaign
slide for couple of weeks before
turning on the big guns.
Surrounded in complete privacy
at the State capital of Springfield,
Assistant Attorney General John
Rogge was conducting a Federal
grand jury probe that may have
more than anything else to do with
the outcome in Illinois. Dozens of
prominent State legislators have
been subpoenaed to the hearings.
Their names have been safeguarded
by gag rule But it was reported
that the jury is probing connections
between Illinois public utilities COM
panies and the State Legislature.
1t was not forgotten that Wen
dell Wilkes Commonwealth and
Southern Utilities Corp. has two
subsidiary utility companies in ILL
nois. The question was: Is the in
vestigation a time bomb or a dud?