Evening star., 1942-02-03

and it was my firm belief that the
Republican party would make a
sincere effort to forget petty politics
in the great effort which must be
made to win this great conflict.
Americans were lulled to political
slumber by that promise, but how
ever sincere at the time that 1t was
made, that promise was not kept.
On January of this year, Mr..
Martin, the chairman of the Re-
publican National Committee, an
| nounced that the distinguished
American author, Clarence Buding-
ton Kelland, had been named G. O.
P. publicity director. Mr.. Kelland
is the Republican national commit
teeman from Arizona and is widely
known by reason of his highly
entertaining fiction I like Mr. Kel-
lands work and my liking Is based
upon the most outstanding charac-
teristic Of his literary productions.
That characteristic is a subtle form
of expression. 1t seems to me that
between his work as an author end
his work as publicity director,
there is a distinct difference in his
style and language.
On January 8, speaking at the
45th annual convention of the
American National Livestock Asso-
citation, Mr.. Kelland delivered an
address entitled, Our Second Duty"
There was nothing subtle about that
address. It was deliberate and
very open bid to bring politics back
into the American picture. Seeking
to make wartime politics appear
patriotic, he used that great Demo-
cratic President Wilson'S words when
he said, I'VE do not need less criti-
cism in time of war, but more. 1t
is hoped that criticism will be con-
structive, but better unfair attack
than autocratic repression. Honesty
and competence require no shield
of secrecy" agree with everything
President Wilson tsAid at that time
and certainly all of the country
agrees with it. However, criticism
and politics are two different things,
Martins Quotatien Significant. =.
It is not peculiar that on January
IL Mr. Martin, the chairman of the
Republican National Committee, in
addressing the Nation, used the same
quotation from this great Demo-
cratic President. This is significant
1t is significant because it brings
out into the open the motives be-
hind Mr.. Kelland's speech and Mr.
Martins speech. 1t is indicative be-
cause it now is plain to every one
that the Republican party is not as
much interested in winning the war
as it is interested in controlling the
House of Representatives. Other Re-
publican leaders have preserved the
sequence of this campaign of polit-
ical criticism by using portions of
Mr. Martins speech in speeches and
articles.
Let us not be fooled by this sud-
den burst of patriotism on the part
of Mr.. Kelland. 1t is we'll to re-
member where Mr.. Kelland stood
before Pearl Harbor. 1t is well to
remember that at that time he was
violently opposed to all OF the prep
arations that President Roosevelt
and the Democratic administration
were making to safeguard this
country.
Let me quote from that staunch
Republican newspaper, the New
York Herald Tribune, in discussing
the qualifications and performances
up to date of Mr.. Kelland. MIR
Kelland," editorializes the Herald
Tribune, was so busy being a Re-
publican in the last year that he
could not seem to get excited about
the German menace or the japanese
menace or any other national issue
While Mr.. Willkie was pleading fol
a truce in politics with respect te
foreign affairs, Mr. Kelland wa: