Evening star., 1946-06-23


only SO members of the House out of
total 435, and continued it in 1910 and
1914, is on the march this year. Unless
the Truman administration is able to
regain lot of lost ground the next
Congress will have more Republican
members in both the House and Senate
from the West than at present.
Not only are the Republicans confi1
dent in the so-called great open spaces,
but they are going about the business of
nominating and electing their candi-
dates in thoroughly businesslike way.
The national, State and local organiza-
tons are o-operating-and presumably
they will have ample funds for carrying
on the campaign.
One of the big conundrums for a
traveller in the Midwest today is the
extent of the resurgence of the nation
alistic sentiment-which in the l920s
and 1930s was called "isolationism." The
people of the Midwest are no more blind
than those of other sections of the
country. They realize that in this
atomic age, an age of tremendous speed
in the air, a third world war would be
disastrous. In the main they are willing
to cooperate with other nations for the
maintenance of peace. They are willing
to do their utmost to help the starving
peoples of Europe and Asia and Africa,
their need growing out of the wreck of
the war now ended.
Object to Loan Plans.
At the same time they are restive
over proposals to loan Britain $780,
100000, and to loan huge sums to Rus
sla, France and other countries. And
they wish as far as possible not to be
involved in the troubles of Europe. De-
spite the fact they are in the midst of a
period OF marked prosperity, they feel
the heavy burden of taxation with small
chance in the near futura> to shift this
burden. They feel that the United
States has done its full share in aiding
its allies with war materials, men and
money. They want to put America
first from here on
1t was this British loan proposal
which helped to renominate Senator
Butler OF Nebraska, who frowned upon
Government loan, while his opponent,
Gov. Griswold, favored it. Supporters
OF Butler said they believed that fully
80 per cent of the Nebraska voters did
not like the loan-and presumably their
feeling was reflected in the vote cast in
the primary 10 days ago.
Whether this constitutes isolation
ism"-vhich has generally been inter-
preted As desire to have this country
attend TO its own business and let the
rest. of the world wag itself along-is
another matter. Midwesterners have a
sincere desire for world peace-as well
as desire to have this country remain
at peace. Some of them differ, how
ever, over the best way of having peace.
While they look with hope toward the
United Nations, they have been disap-
pointed with the results obtained
through that organization to date. Ex-
cept for the extremists, they are will
ing to give their support. The extrem-
lists, for their part, like Senator Ship
stead of Minnesota, insist that the
Butler Backed by Bloc.
In this Midwest country there are
huge blocs of citizens of German.
Scandinavian, and Polish blood. They
are good and loyal citizens of this coun-
try. They are not unmindful, however,
OF the conditions existing in the coun-
tries from which they or their forebears
came. And where you find big bloc of
German n-Americans-as for example in
Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin,
you will find also sentiment verging on
the old isolationism which was rampant
at the close of the first world war.
Senator Butler, in his victory over the
Stassen supported Gov. Griswold, had
the full benefit of the German-Ameri-
can bloc-the largest single group of
voters in the State. There was more to
1t, however, than the international is
sue. Butler is highly respected citi-
zen in Nebraska. He was seeking the
senatorial nomination for second term.
and he had the support of most of the
Republican organization and wheel
horses in the State.
Minnesota, on July 8, will supply
second and more clearly cut test on
the issue of international collaboration
versus nationalism. There the veteran
Senator Shipstead is seeking the Re-
publican nomination for fifth term.
He is one of two Senators-the other was
LANCER of North Dakota-who cast votes
against the ratification of the United
Nations Charter. His opponent is popu-
lar Gov. Thye, like Shipstead, of Nor
wegian descent. Thye is a Stassen man,
first last and all time. He was put for
ward for the senatorial nomination when
former Gov. Stassen decided he would
not run himself. But in this primary
race, the conditions are reversed, in
some respects, from those in the Ne
braska contest. Thye has the support
of practically the entire Republican
State organization. A visit to Republi-
can State headquarters is in reality a
visit to Thye headquarters.
Victory Vital to Stassen.
It is well understood in Minnesota
that defeat for Thye would 60 far
toward eliminating stassen from con-
sideration on major scale-for the Re
publican presidential nomination in
1948. Stassen, who was three times
elected Governor of Minnesota, has a
large following in the State, a follow
ing that understands he is principal
proponent of international collabora-
tion for the maintenance of peace and
the improvement OF world conditions.