Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-18
Conduct Your
Own Poll on
u. S. in War
Critic Says Lease Lend
Bill Is Disguise
(The opinions expressed by
General johnson are not neees-
sarily those Of The Detroit
Times.)
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

iii~ hib iNNSi vi IL
= dollar credits may be a
reason for Fastening some kind
of provisions for granting credits
or even gifts to England. so
that her placing of orders here
may not be delayed. thus delay
ing deliveries a year from now.
But that is no reason for
bum's-rushing the "lease-lend'
monstrosity through Congress
without ample debate.
That bill is very much more
than an aid-to-Britain bill. 1t
is an abdication of congress
Sional war powers TO the Presl-
dent and authorizes in him TO
engage in economic and partial
military and naval war, for or
in behalf of any nation any
where in the world.
That is not at all necessary
for aid-to-Britain which could
be given to the full of whatever
has been asked by her in a much
simpler bill and without surren-
dering our constitutional form
of government in favor of a one
man commanderIjn-chief of all
our destinies.
There is no POPULAR demand
for any such revolutionary ac-
ton. There is popular demand
for aid-to- Britain. Advantage
has been taken of this 10 write
a bill for a military dictatorship
and then say: This is aid-to-
Britain-in the only way"
That simply is not true. II is
a cruel misleading of the public
and a misuse of public opinion.
as are many other aspects of
this bill.
IN THIS remark. our tendency
to government by Gallup polls
is somewhat responsible, Dur
ing five days in bed"with flu. |
have had a chance to check up
on my fan mail.
II is full OF sentiment for aid
to-Brltain 1t is overwhelmingly
against our rushing into this
war. As the points made in this
column are beginning To he
Understood. - II increasingly
against this bill
! believe If the bill is debated
long enough to make clear what
is going on here. II can never
pass without amendments re-
stricting ii to the real popular
purpose-aid-to-Brita
No Gallup polls have brought
out these distinctions. The ques-
lions, especially recently. have
been increasingly phrased in
such a way as to lead to answers
looking 10 Q4r greater and
greater unnecessary involvement
in war.
Yet every poll posing the stark
question of involvement results
IN reSoundlng nos, in over
whelming majority.
Here is an experiment that
every American bewildcred by
these sinister developments can
make for himself. Conduct your
own Gallup poll
When YOU hear from Wash
ington las you will because that
il part of the pro-war propa-
ganda) that the people over
whelmingly want this bill or
something vastly more than aid
to-Britain. set aside a part OF
every day. to ask not only
friends. but strangers, whether
they want to go further than
aid-to-Britain
I CAN'T guarantee the result.
L but from my mail most OF
our people don't want TO 90 a
step further than the prepare
ton of an impregnable American
defense and such help TO be-
leaguered Britain as can be
given without getting us into
bloody war.
Try il yourself. If you find
the facts as my mail indicates,
make yourself heard in Wash
ington by exercising your consti-
tutional right of informing your
representatives in Congress what
their constituents think.
These are critical days in the
battle of America. 1t is your
battle for. the future of your
self. your children and your
country.
The recent sensational predic-
tionS of invasion of America. by
air or otherwise. as an argument
for bum S-ruShing this bill are
not frank. This bill will add
nothing TO speed that could not
be done in safer and better
ways.
The gentlemen who howl
about delay are among the very
ones responsible for whatever
delay there is today. They are
responsible bee cause. back
through the years when prepara-
ton should have been made and
this column and many others
were calling attention to all
these delays and dangers and the
necessity for the present action,
they were asleep at the switch.
That doesn't prevent them
now from calling us "appeasers."
They have been the true APP
peasers.