Evening star., 1942-10-14
BY GOULD LINCOLN,
Star Stan Writer.

CHICAGO, Oct. 14.-Demo-
Gratis have nailed to their mast
the issue of pre-Pearl Harbor
isolationism in their present
campaign to defeat Senator
Brooks, Republican, for re-elec-
ton. They are, apparently,
willing to sink or swim on this
Issue, despite the fact thousands
OF voters in the State were as
strongly opposed to the entry of
this country in the war before
Pearl Harbor as was Senator
Brooks.
Linked in the Democratic cam
paign on the isolationist issue is
the attack on Representative Day,
Republican. who also is seeking re-
election. The attack by the Demo-
Gratis on Mr.. Day goes at length into
the record made during the trial of
George Sylvester Viereck, Nazi prop
aganda agent in this country, now in
Jail. Mr.. Day was the author of a
book published by Flanders Hall
used by Viereck for printing propa-
ganda, ant Mr.. Days frank was used
to send out anti-war speeches and
literature approved by Viereck and
Flanders Hall.
For Senator, the Democrats have
In the field as their candidate Rep
resentative McKeough Of the I'd
congressional district, and against
Representative Day they have NOM
mated Benjamin s. Adamowski.
In their attacks on Mr.. Brooks
and Mr.. Day, the Democrats stop
little short of calling them fifth
columnists. They charge them both,
too, with being blind to what was
happening in the world and with
voting against all the administra-
tlon's national defense measures
after they entered Congress as a
result of the 1910 elections. They
cite Mr.. McKeough's record in sup
port Of this legislation. The Repub-
llcans retort, however, that there
was one measure on which Mr.. Nc
Keough did not go along with the
administration-the act to extend
the military draft beyond its orig
1nal one-year period for the draftees.
Calls IsoIationism Dead.
Without apologizing for his votes
on these defense measures, Senator
Brooks has declared that, with the
attack by Japan and the entry of
this country into war, isolationism
has become dead issue He has
supported all war measures since
then. Also Senator Brooks is a
veteran Of the World War, in which
he was wounded seven times fight
ing overseas, and was decorated for
service and gallantry in action.
Although giving its electoral votes
to President Roosevelt in the 1910
election. Illinois swung sharply back
to The COP in that year, a swing
which had started in 1898. The
President carried the State against
Wendell L. Willkie by only $4,000
votes. although .he had won here
by 675,00o votes four years earlier.
The Republicans elected Governor,
a Senator, Mr. Brooks, all but one
of the State ticket, and Is Of the
House delegation of 27, including
both Representatives at large.
Obviously, the Democrats must re-
verse this swing If they are to de-
feat Senator Brooks and Represent
ative Day in the coming elections.
They are relying for success In these
efforts on the war issue-or rather,
the isolationism issue-and on the
support of organized labor and the
soldier vote. The campaign, now
getting fully under way, is full of
fire and bitterness. with appeals to
racial groups by both sides. There
are large blocs of Polish, Jewish.
C1echs, Irish and German American
voters in Illinois. In some measure
they will offset each other in the
election. so far as the pre-war iso-
lationism issue is concerned.
Three Papers Against Brooks.
Adding fuel to the flames is the
rabid opposition to Senator Brooks
Of three of the metropolitan daily
newspapers. the Chicago Daily News.
of which Secretary of the Navy
Knox is publisher on leave of alb
sence; the Chicago Sun and the
Chicago Times. For Senator Brooks
the Chicago Tribune is fighting just
as vigorously, with no holds barred.
Like the Tribune, the Daily News
Is generally Republican-but it has
turned thumbs down on Mr.. Brooks
and Mr.. Day. The Sun. Marshall
Fields new morning paper, is
strongly pro-New Deal. The old
feud between the Mccormick owned
Tribune and the News, and the
new feud between the Tribune and
the Sun. have intensified the battle
over these elections.
AS of today the edge is with Mr.
Brooks in the senatorial contest.
Representative Day. whose renom-
ination was bitterly contested in
the Republican primary, is not rated
as having so good chance to win
But the fact that he was able to
win denomination and the tendency
of the voters to vote a straight"
ticket. especially when political
swing is on. may pull him through.
His opponent. Mr.. Adamowski. is
brilliant campaigner. His Polish
descent will help him in populous
Chicago if 1t does not down State
Revolt of the farmers in down.
State Illinois against the New Deal
administration. which set in four
years ago and was continued in
1910, is still strong. Like the farm
ers in other States Of the Midwest.
those in Illinois have been aroused
by the lack of farm labor. They
have been more and more convinced
that the administration was selling
them down the river in favor of
industrial labor. All of this is help
ful to Republican candidates this
year, including Senator Brooks and
Representative Day.
COP Organized Down State.
The Republicans have the better
organizations down-State, which for
the most part has been traditionally
Republican, while the Democrats
have the Kelly-Nash organization in
Chicago-so called because 1t is
headed by Mayor Kelly and Patrick