Askov American., 1942-06-11
ssCitizens For Victory"
Organized to Elect and Defeat
Congressman
BY Frederick J. Libby in
"Peace Action"

by FreQerlck y. LlDDy IN
'Peace Action"
The New York Times on March
25 carried on page Is full-page
advertisement of new organiza-
ton, "Citizens for Victory" spon-
sored and officered by names that
have become familiar in what was
called before Pearl Harbor "inter-
ventionist'' literature NJ.
Eichelberger, Frank Kingdom, Will
liam Allen White, Ernest Angel,
Hugh Moore, Raymond Gram Swing,
Walter Mills and others.
The committees immediate pro-
gram is to elect effective Senators
and Representatives, regardless of
political affiliations, whose record
demonstrates an understanding of the
role which this country must play in
the world, who have supported pre-
paredness, and who support the Wig
orous prosecution of the war; and,
conversely, the defeat in the pri-
maries and in the elections of can
didates for office who follow a con-
trary policy"
Chapters in every Congressional
District are to carry out this pro-
gram. The program will be observed
to 60 back to the 'record" of Con-
gressmen and Senators, presumably
before Pearl Harbor, on such issues
as the League of Women Voters of
Wisconsin listed in a recently pub
lished roll CALI of Wisconsin mem
bers of Congress. They were ten in
number, of which six dealt with for
eign policy:
(D Vote June 80, 1889, on retain
ing the mandatory arms embargo
provisions of the Neutrality Act;
(2) vote November 2, 1889, on the
same policy; (3) vote February %,
1910, on the three-year extension of
the reciprocal trade agreements; az
vote February 6, 1941, on passage of
the Lend-Lease Act; (5) vote Novem-
ber 13, 1941, on further modification
of the Neutrality Act; (6) vote Au-
gust II, 1941, on extension of the
draft act.
The President last February in a
press conference, in which he re-
vised the recommendation of Edward
j. Flynn, chairman of the National
Democratic Committee, who had ad-
vocated electing only Democrats to
the next Congress, called for nom
partisan choices but also on the basis
of their records" as indicating
whether or not they would support
their government in an emergency"
This has been generally taken to
mean support of the President in
his foreign policy.
No Apology Needed for Loyalty.
Roughly 1875 Republicans as well
as 40 Democrats in the House of
Representatives have opposed with
reasonable consistency every meas
ure like those named above which
they felt was taking our country
closer to the brink of war. These
Congressman need not be numer-
ated here at present. The Citizens
for Victory, the League of Women
Voters and especially the rival can
didates can be relied on to make
known the anti-war records of these
Congressman to their constituents
during the election campaign.
The Republican National Commit
tee, at its meeting on April 20 in
Chicago, seems to have assumed that
the votes on war issues since Pearl
Harbor had wiped the slate clean. 1t
adopted the following all-out war
program: "(1) We demand the pro-
secution of an offensive war, relent-
lessly and without reservation, what
ever it may cost in wealth, energy
or human life, until the United
States and it's allies have won a COM
plete victory over their enemies.
(2) We will recognize no peace with
those enemies except peace with vic
tory and we will never entertain any
proposals of peace until such victory
be won. There shall be no appease-
ment or compromise"
But it is already evident that the
slate is not to be wiped clean for
Congressman with anti-war records.
They are not to be permitted to run,
as the Republican National Commit
tee, judging by other planks, hopes,
on the issue of whether or not the
war is being conducted efficiently
or on the merits or demerits of the
New Deal. On the basis of their
anti-war records they are to be un-
fairly dubbed "isolationists" and de-
feated if possible on the suspicion
that they cannot be trusted to carry
out the platform of the Republican
National Committee and fight the
war through to the bitter end.
Now, it may be possible to con-
vince the independent voters of the