The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-07-28
Down To Serious Business

president Kennedy Tuesday night
talked serious business. He appear
ed serious as he spoke, although he
gave us an impression Of unfamiliarity
with the text He turned no catchy
phrases a la Franklin Roosevelt. In
stead his address was thought provok-
ing and factual. He promised to give
more detail in subsequent messages to
the Congress.
Manpower increase from $4,000 to
a million men in the Army to fill out
present army divisions; increase of
$4,000 in the navy, $4,000 in the air
force, and $4,000 inthe marines; total
increase of 217,0OO was proposed
Additional appropriations of about
$3,247 100000 will be asked Congress
for the military establishment and
$207, 100000 more for civilian defense.
Draft calls are to be doubled or tri-
pied in the months to come
We believe he President has stirred
the nation to the crisis which we may
have to face in the mouths ahead
This nation has been at war ~ cold
war - for number of years Russia
has continued to foment discomfort,
throughout the world, and in Korea
dragged the United Nations, principal
ly the United States, into shooting war
which we failed to win because of our
own political policy The United States
was fighting a war with American mill
tary forces. The Russians intrigued Red
China into sacrificing millions of men,
but not a single Russian soldier was
lost in this unfortunate war The United
States can not afford to repeat this ex-
perience.
If we are not prepared, and obviously
we are not, to meet the threat of about
conflict whenever it does come it is
foolhardy not to build our strength
now when the emergency is not at our
very doors.
We would believe that certain steps
ton. For too long we have toyed with
Fidel Castro and his hi-jacking Cuban
government This week an American
commercial plane was hi-jacked in ter
ritorial United States. Bound from
Miami for Texas, the plane landed in
Havana, as pirate held loaded gun
at the head of the pilot. Castro immedi-
ately confiscated the plane He did re-
turn the passengers and crew safely to
the United States, for which we are
thankful. In our opinion this is pure
piracy, and should be dealt with by this
government as such.
Let President Kennedy also use some
judgment in the control of Americans
as WE'LL The fiasco of the prominent
persons, Mrs. Roosevelt, Milton Eisen-
hover & Company, offering tractors as
ransom of Cuban insurgents who were
captured in the ill-fated attempt to
overthrow Castro, is not in keeping with
activity of great nation. They had the
Presidents approval we understand, if
not, he certainly could have ordered
dDdHuOIlIIleHL OIL lnlS 1Il-dQVlSoQ actlOn
by private citizens. Let not such a mis-
take be made again. If we are to be
great nation, let's act like it.
If we understand the President cor
rectly, we believe he would be wise in
asking an immediate curtail in domestic
programs. Advocate program of aus
terity on the homefront in order that
proper preparedness can be achieved.
Business as usual is not practical if
we are deadly serious in preparing for
whatever attack might be made on our
country. Make the sacrifice general and
not demanded Of any one group of peo-
pie.
What the people of the United States
need is the truth and they will be sure
to respond. Above all they need leader
ship : and they must look to the Presi-
dent and his administration for that
leadership.
Premier Khrushchev has been over
built in the minds Of the people - so