The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1940-09-06
Warrington Digest
Britain Likely to Get Destroyers;
Both Parties Disown IsOlationists
Roosevelt-Willkie Debate Any Issue Improbable;
Ickes Speech Ignores Conditions at Time
OF Munich Conference.

far as Austria is concerned, he had
made no pretense that he had any
intention Of paying heed to the terms
Of the Versailles treaty.
So when Chamberlain went to Mu-
Mich, there was no reason to doubt
that whatever terms to preserve
peace might be obtained would be
lived up to.
Far more important, Britain was
in no position to fight at the moment.
Britain was woefully unprepared.
This might have been partly the
responsibility Of Chamberlain, but
obviously 1t was much more the
fault Of the preceding administra-
tons. headed among others by STAN
ley Baldwin and Ramsay Mcdonald.
So Chamberlain knew he HAD to
appease.
But more important, from the
standpoint of Mr.. Ickes' slurring at
the former premier, is the fact that
President Roosevelt appealed to both
Hitler and Chamberlain, urging that
the differences be adjusted without
war. He also appealed to Mussolini
to use his good offices to bring about
the same result.
At least, during the years which
preceded Munich, Britain kept up
its navy. 1t was under the delusion.
just as were military experts in vir-
tually every other government in
Guiding our own, that the French
had 1.-THE best army in the world"
Meanwhile the United States had
not completed new battleship since
1920, and was actually without an
adequate supply of ammunition.
Nearly two years ago Bernard M.
Baruch. on the appeal Of Louis John
son, then Roosevelt's assistant sec
rotary OF war, personally guaran-
teed q 5000, 900 contract for pow
der-making machinery Tor which not
only congress had not appropriated,
but the need for which had not been
revealed to congress by the admin
istration.
Franklin Roosevelt and Wendell
Willkie on the same platform-at
the same time-answering each 9TH
erl Can you imagine III Yes, but
you don't expect it, and neither
does anyone else. But 1t was q good
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there were any chance Of FDR's tax
ing Willkie up on his challenge.
But the facts are that President
Roosevelt does not want any part
Of debate with Willkie on ANY
issue. Least Of all, curiously enough,
on the electric power issue which
Roosevelt has made so important,
and which he hopes will prove a
great handicap to Willkie.
The truth is that the New Dealers
are just a little bit shell-shocked
whenever they think of ANY debate
with Willkie since that time the then
Commonwea lth & Southern president
polished of Robert II. Jackson in
q debate on the New Deal, before
the Town Hall in New York city.
To appreciate this, one must know
what the New Dealers in general,
and Roosevelt in particular, think of
jackson. Even FDR thinks jackson
Is the second best statesman In the
world today, and there are q good
many New Dealers reasonable
enough to think that jackson Is real
ly No. /.
So when Willkie virtually knocked
the No. champion (certainly after
FDR himself) of the New Dealers
into q cooked hat in a public de-
bate, and on issues not 80 dissimilar
from those to be argued In this cam
paign, the impression was pretty
nearly indelible. Certainly II Is still
clearly legible. And IL says: Don't
let Wflkie get you into q debate
even II you name the judges. He'll
steal 'em from you"
Remember how tirnid Dave LiIien-
thai was when WilllSie offered to let
the SEC itself referee his company's
dispute with TVA7 And there are
New Dealers who think Dave was
gypped when Willkie virtually let
Lilienthal himself referee the neRo-
tiationsl
But even il FDR were willing TO
debate with Willkie on other sub
jects, he would not debate with him
on the public ownership thesis. Not
this fall There are several signs
that the New Dealers do not want
any more referenda on that subject,
particularly In politically strategic
locations.
For instance, there Is San Fran
cisco. The city has given q good
many indications of getting fed up
on the New Deals public power
ideas. Back in 1913, congress ap-
proved the Hetch Hetchy project.
with a proviso that never should this
power be distributed by privately
owned agencies. San Francisco paid
no attention TO this. It sold the
power TO the old private company.
took a nice profit on the sale. and
| Let the cnmnanV sell To iia niki-nna