CALL FOR A GUN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 109, 10 May 1941, Page 8

CALL FOR A GUN

REMARKABLE LETTER

BRITISH NAVY SAVES U.S.A

In Washington February 24, Senator Frederick Van Nuys, of Indiana, made public a letter from one of his constituents, states the American magazine "Life." Among thousands that have avalanched on Senators' desks since the debate on the Lease-or Lend bill began many weeks ago, this particular communication was distinguished by the, quality of its prose, the clarity of its thought and the signature of its sender. Mr. Van Nuys' correspondent was Booth Tarkington. auMi'-r of "The Gentleman from Indi-u.a" and other works, native and '.inter resident of Indianapolis. !n 1.

A fortni",'m -arlier Mr. Tarkington had entere" the Spanish-styled studio in his Indianapolis home and, sitting in a brocaded -■> beneath an oil portrait called "Tin.- Tragedian" (not W. C. Fields) by a L'.S. artist named

Ernest Blumenschein. had dictated to Secretary Elizabeth Trotter his thoughts on Bill No. 1776. In his letter he adduced a significant fact that had somehow been lost in the fog of Lease-or-Lend debate: e.g., that every Senator who now vociferously denied that America's security depended on Britain's Fleet had scurried with panicky haste to vote billions for a two-ocean navy last June when it appeared Britain and her ships might go under. Said Senator Van Nuys, who since coming out in favour of Bill 1776 has received his share of isolationist invective: "I gave Mr. Tarkington's letter more than usual attention because it was a succinct, unique and unusual appeal . . . courteous, nice and reasonable."

INDIANA. February !), 1941. Dear Senator Van Nuys,— In common with all ycur constituents I know that your vote upon the critically , important measure now before the Senate will be based upon your conscientious investigations into the truths ami rights of the matter; and I don't expect, either! by persuasion or by argument, to alter your convictions. I should like, however, j to add to the mass of material upon which you will base your vote a thought, somewhat historical in nature, that may be suggestive: Last spring quite suddenly all over the Lnited Mates, ea-l ami west and .south and north, within the space of a lew weeks, there swept a universal and virtually unanimous demand. The country demanded what it hadn't dreamed pie-! yiotislv of wanting and would bitterly! have denounced anybodv for recommend- ; lnpr—to be armed on a scale that hadn't 'been contemplated before except in actual! wan are. That is. the country was like a man worried over business, obstinately absorbed in his business, who suddenly hears in lis othce of somethinj: that scares the life out of him: he screams for a gun. Jhe Lnited States was frightened clear through because everybody with either intelligence or intuition knew that the countiy was in danger. •Tn „ (lan £ Pl : .°f ">' r - I'i danger of losing the British .Navy. That is the fact and there s no getting awav from it This country was scared because it knew it was in danger of losing the defence of the British Navy. The country suddenly woke up to the s-trange fact that it was an unarmed country relying on the British Navy tor protection, even possibly for existence. The conn try's information or intuition told it this, clearly, at the time when apparently the British Navy with the whole British Empire was in'danger of being swept into the hands of the enemy: and therefore the country screamed. "Give me a gun and quieklv!" Now in the months since then the Britwh Navy which, with the R.A.F . defends the British Empire, has demonstrated that it is still alive and pretty capable. Gradually, on that account (and pleas* note the significance of the fact that it is on that account) we're less scared: we ve become more confident and a great many people, lulled bv a lull in •the Rtorm. so to speak, have largely recovered from the jitters. Instead of screaming-Give me a gun." they're now saying. "I think I'd bettor spend a lot of money having a gun made: but really 1 don t depend on anybody. I'm strongIm f independent. My life and business don t hang on the courage, power and equipment of anybody else. i don't «ee why we want to risk anything by helping Britain much. ' e That's all. Senator. I'm merely suggesting that we haven't yet got a very good gun ourselves. The sore can come" again and with it will come the truth that was evident to our informed minds and to our intuitions las>t spring- that our protection (and perhaps our existence as a free people) does depend on the British wall against the barbarian. Faithfully yours. BOOTH TARKINGTON".