The Wilmington morning star., 1943-08-30
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
NEW YORK.-When dressed-up, carriage
trade Republican goes to his knees between
the car tracks on Main street at high noon
and comes up rolling his eyes and his tongue
to confess to the neighbors that he has lived
in error but now aims TO get right with the
Lord, why friends, that amt just only news.
Friends, that there is history and history
happened this week when Mr.. Clarence Bud
dington Kelland came out with his personal
plan for the brave new world of the future
before the National Republican club.
Halelujah!
had a preview of Mr.. Kelland's plan sew
eral days before, long, hardreading script
that led off with a search of his soul and
purge of his innards that purified him of all
prejudice, preconception, rancor meanness
and bile. I laid it down at the end of this
preamble however with the thought that Mr..
K. was being comic but wasn't at his best.
For 1 have known Mr.. Kelland these many
years in his role of jester as president and
POSTMASTER of the Dutch Treat club and could
not picture this acid little imp, two pounds
lighter than a nickeIs worth of nothing and
with Mr.. Punch profile as the author of
world-plan.
Ray Clapper however, now salutes him and,
WIN an Implied dIuell, says lie Hdu always
had him rated as an isolationist. That's moth
ing have known him as humorist. 1t
isn't so hard to take an isolationist seriously
but to pay respectful attention to the Mr.. X.
of the Dutch Treat club you first have to tear
him all down. throw him away and build
you a new character. So l got out his text
again and studied it through all the while
watching for the gags and gimmlcks with
which he used to lacerate the vanity of the
Dutch Treats guests of honor and his fellow
members at the confidential luncheons under
our venerable and dustry cheese-cloth rose,
and concluded that our Mr.. K. was not the
novelist being precious nor the wit being
funny but an American, and Republican at
that, offering to go walking into the future
with Britain, China and even Stain; but in
sisting, for the first time in any such dis
cussion that, instead of renounclng all bene-
fits from the war in the name OF pure anna
teurism, this time we maintain our fighting
strength and hold the defensive outposts now
in our possession. All previous proposals that
know of had piously repudiated such de-
signs as unworthy of breed thrice armed be-
cause our cause is just and as though, In
growing great, we had never acquired an acre
by force or pressure or subject Wltnout the
written consent of the same. MI helland
wants to turn pro and he makes his plan
solid and specific by contrast with the shape
less dreams of men without the candor to say
European outposts near our shores, nor even
| to mean it if challenged.
He may not trust Russia but he yleldS 10
the practical fact that Russia will have to be
dealt in on the receivership Of the smashed
UP nations and treated as an associate or, IN
| time met as an enemy. He bows TO a con-
viction that the United States, as one OF the
four great victorious powers OF the world, can
remain great and hope to avoid further world
wars only by loyal collaboration with the
other three.
Now this Mr. K has been suspected of hav-
ing somber moods several times IN the past.
Usually at the annual Dutch Treat show,
somewhere after the ntermssion some his
| toric patriot such as Nathan Hale or Paul
Revere would appear in a green -Spotllght
and declaim a Fourth of July Grafton by MIR.
K. about the founding fathers, the sacred
heritage and the elusive joys OF honest Toll
at loom or plow But by that time the guests
and roenohers would be strayed all over the
Waldorf and calling up La Guardla 10 ask
him why he didn't stay on the JOB ana earn
his nav and we gave Bud the peneIlt OF lne
doubt. d.. ..,
Then, few years back, he threw IN with
! tho m1nch-drllnk regular Republicans IN ear
sins4 aaa;no men so badly mauled with cpl
+hets and shocks that they still thought Hard
mo was nresident; and still we figured that
our R,1d was lust studying amusing types
and would come up with material Aoi q hoVei.
| am now forced to believe, however, tnat
,a b.s a streak of senator in him all the
time for our little chairman mas G gwen the
,s Republicans much more taxable and salable
program than the Atlantic Charter M ana an tne
sneeches of Henry Wallace and the columns OF
~ T. is something that people can I'M
derstand dna debate and accept or reject in whole
oet 'a1+ IN it's merits, and it doesn't promise
food off our tables and shoes off our feet for
ever ever to peoples the world over VINO outnumber
us 10 to one. ba r,n,b hut -
IVY is testing now the gag eludes me.
If will become victory which not only dis
arms our enemies but discredlts what they
-.;..J ..a he1ieved Archibald MacIeish