UNITED STATES
<tilngrcssional Record.
PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF _THE_.76~ CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION:
.Appendix
Which of the New Deal Measures Should I Have
Voted Against?
EXTENSION OF REMARKS
OF
HON. JOHN A. MARTIN
OF COLORADO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, January· 3, 1939
ARTICLE FROM THE COLORADO SPRINGS NEWS OF MAY 13,
1938, AND RADIO ADDRESS BY HON. JOHN A. MARTIN, OF
COLORADO, ON NOVEMBER 4, 1938
Mr. MARTIN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, under leave
granted by the House, I submit for the RECORD a radio talk
made by me over station KVOR, Colorado Springs, Colo., in
my congressional district, on Friday evening, November 4,
1938, immediately following a national broadcast by the Presi-
dent, and repeated over station KGIW, Alamosa, Colo., in my
district, on November 5, 1938.
Under the same leave, I submit and prefa.ce my radio talk
with an editorial from the Colorado Springs News, in which
the editor, Mr. John M. Green, meets the charge that I was a
"rubber stamp" by showing that I was an advocate of the
social and economic philosophy of the New Deal years before
the term "New Deal" was coined.
MARTIN NO RUBBER STAMP
[From the Colorado Springs News of May 13, 1938)
JoHN A. MARTIN, of Pueblo, in recent years an attorney, but proud
of earlier affiliations with both the newspaper and the railroad
industries, in the latter of which he was a heavy-shoveling fireman,
will seek reelection as Congressman from the Third Congressional
District. We don't think there's any doubt of it.
Mr. MARTIN is a Democrat--a progressive Democrat, a Roosevelt
Democrat. Dispatches from Washington state that ''MARTIN has
indicated he will run as a '100 percent new dealer.'" His record,
he said, "is too completely on the side of the administration to do
anything else." We imagine that pretty well tells the story. For
Congressman JoHN A. MARTIN has been and is a new dealer.
In his representation in Congress of the people of his district-
southern and southeastern Colorado, including El Paso County-
he has been consistent in his support of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt and his policies. Some of his constituents don't like that.
·op · rAMERICA
Others do. But upon one thing all should be able to agree, whether
they are political friends or enemies of the Congressman. That is,
he has shot straight as he has seen it. And despite the consistency
of his support of administration policies, he is far from what is now
being charged to many of such consistency. In brief, he is no
rubber stamp. Not in any sense of the word. For JoHN A. MARTIN
always has stood on his own feet and always has done· his own
thinking. To that e'Xtent he is a rugged individualist.
If time and tide have found JoHN MARTIN supporting the New
Deal faithfully, consistently, it is because the plain-speaking, hard-
hitting Puebloan is a leader, not a follower in New Deal philosophy.
He is a New Dealer himself, has been for many a year past, will be
for many a year to come.
So, whether you like JoHN MARTIN and his political philosophies
or you don't, it is well to keep in mind one thing : They are his
very own. He is not compromising with himself when he supports
the New Deal. He is furthering his own convictions. And that
isn't rubber stamping in any possible interpretation of the phrase.
My radio address is as follows:
WHICH OF THE NEW DEAL MEASURES SHOULD I HAVE VOTED AGAINST?
Friends and fellow citizens in Colorado Springs and El Paso
County, it is a big assignment for a mere Congressman to follow
the President on the air; vastly more diffi.cult than following him
in Congress, for doing which an element in the Third Congressional
District is demanding my defeat next Tuesday.
They say this district should be represented by a man who will
assert his independence and exercise his own judgment, instead of
following the leadership of the President. Now, how would this be
done? The only way I know is by opposing the President, by fight-
~ng him. And in order to assert his independence and exercise his
judgment, what would he fight the President on? It has been a
big program with many major acts, the greatest in the history of
Congress. It has taken a big program to pull this country out of
the wreckage in which Franklin D. Roosevelt found it on March 4,
1933. It must have been on some of these measures, and on which
the President was wrong, that I should have asserted my independ-
ence and opposed my judgment to his and voted against him.
Surely they would not ask me to oppose him when he was right.
Now; let us take a run over the record and see where he was
wrong and when I should have opposed him:
Was it the legislation empowering the President to break the
strangle hold of the gold-standard dollar on the economic throat of
the Nation? I voted for that. The Supreme Court has sustained it.
On March 4, 1933, the dollar was worth $1.75 in all other commodi-
ties. A dollar could buy $1.75 worth of anything else. Under the
authority given him by Congress the President cut it 40 percent.
As a part of the process he raised gold from $22 .67 per ounce to $35,
and silver from 27 to 77 cents, pulling the mining camps of the
West out of the graveyard. It was predicted that the devaluation
of the dollar would result in ruinous inflation and destroy the value
of the American dollar. Six years have passed and it is the soundest
dollar in the world. Why not? We have twelve billions in gold,
more than half the monetary gold of the world, and it is ours, and
nearly three billions in silver. That ought to make a good backlog
3
I 1- ;
 APPENDIX TO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
I have received this week over 25,000 letters and telegrams regard-
ing the lifting of the Spanish embargo. It is physically impossible
tor me to reply to all of these communications. Several weeks ago
I took a definite position against lifting the Spanish embargo,
because I feel the policy declared 2 years ago is impartial .and more
likely to keep us out of war than any different policy which we
might adopt at this time.
Congress was wise in passing the neutrality btll, which prohibits
the shipment of arms, ammunition, and implements of war to bel-
ligerent states. I believe the President should long ago have found
a state of war to exist between China and Japan, which he had full
power to do, so that :Qlunitions might not be shipped either to Japan
or China. The neutrality law intends that we shall not manufac-
ture munitions for foreign wars. It provides, further, that in case
of war, nations must come to this country and pay for all articles
other th.an munitions to be shipped abroad before they are shipped.
Its purpose is to reduce the chances of our becoming involved, and
I believe it will assist greatly the accomplishment of that purpose.
It is in accord in spirit with the whole policy of American neu-
trality for 150 years.
But now it is suggested that the whole world is different. It is
said that distances are so short we cannot possibly a void being
involved in a general war. I don't believe it. I think if we are suf-
ficiently determined not to become involved, we can stay out. We
learned our lesson in 1917. We learned that modern war defeats its
own purposes. A war to preserve democracy resulted in the de-
struction of more democracies than it preserved. We may go in on
the side of France and England because they are democracies and
find before we are through that they are CommUnist or Fascist.
Not only that, a war, whether to preserve democracy or otherwise.
would almost certainly destroy democracy in the United States. We
have moved far toward totalitarian government already. The addi-
tional powers sought by the President in case of war, the nationali-
zation of all industry and all capital and all labor, already proposed
in bills before Congress, would create a Socialist dictatorship which
it would be impossible to dissolve when the war ended. .
The United States is in. a fortunate position, a se~fishly fortunate
position, if you please. In Europe races are so mingled that no one
can draw boundaries without leaving minorities which are a per-
i>etual source of friction. In the end a war seems unfortunately
probable-a war likely to destroy in a few short years the civiliza-
tion which Europe has taken centuries to build. In that war the
United States need not and sh.all not be involved. We have an
isolated location, and it is still isolated in spite of all the improve-
ments in air transportation. The best military authorities say that
we can defend ourselves, and the Caribbean Sea south of us, if we
maintain an adequate navy and an attendant air force. During
any war we can be self-su.tficient. This very position makes it less
likely that any nation would wish to attack us.
There Js a general illusion that we see in Germany and Italy
forceS which threaten to overwhelm England and France and march
on to attack the United States. But this is surely an imaginary
fear at the present time. There is no reason to believe that Ger-
many and Italy could defeat England and France in any protracted
war. It is hard to see what they would gain even after a successful
war by an attack on- the United States. Certainly the physical
strength of our position would make any nations hesitate, no mat-
ter how strong they might be. The picture presented this eve-
ning by Senator PITTMAN simply will not bear the analysis of calm
examination. . .
It is natural that the sympathy of our people should be strongly
aroused when they see what is going - on under the totalitarian
governments. Perhaps the President should tell them what we
think of them, especially as the day seems to have passed when
nations go to war because others call them unpleasant names. But
the great majority of the people are determined that those sym-
pathies do not lead us into overt acts of embargo, blockade, or
economic sanctions.
Considering the attitude which the President has taken, it seems
essential that Congress shall strengthen the neutrality bill rather
than repeal it. It seems essential that the President shall not have
discretion to take sides in foreign wars, or impose sanctions
against those n.ations which he might find to be aggressor nations.
It seems wise not to repeal the Johnson Act, as is now being sug-
gested, and to maintain a policy of lending as little money as
possible abroad, for foreign loans today are certainly made precar-
ious by the possib111ty of war and likely to stimulate tempora-rily a
production of exportable goods which cannot be sustained. Con-
gress is the body upon which is conferred by the Constitution power
to declare war, It should not permit the Executive to go so far
toward war, without consulting Congress, that Congress and the
people no longer have the power to prevent war.
I do not say that some special situation may not arise 1n the
future under which it may seem desirable to go to war as the first
step in an effective defense. But if such a situation ever arises it
should be undertaken deliberately, after a thorough public discus-
sion by the people and by Congress as the representatives chosen
by the people.
Many justifiable criticisms can be made of the Neutrality Act,
and of any special type of neutrality. But the horrors of modern
war are so great, its futility is so evident, its effect on democracy
itself so destructive, that almost any alternative is more to be
desired. The J>e9ple of the United States are overwhelmingly in
favor of keeping out of other people's affairs, no matter what their
individual sympathies may be for or against those· people. They
will not support armaments required to carry out any such policy
as that suggested in the President's message and supported by
Senator PrrrMAN.
263
Foreign Relations
EXTENSION OF REMARKS
OF
HON. ROBERT R. REYNOLDS
OF NORTH CAROLINA
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
Tuesday, January 24 (legislative day of Tuesday, January 17).
1939
RADIO ADDRESS BY HON. ROBERT R. REYNOLDS, OF
NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. President, today at the Carlton
Hotel was held the annual meeting of the Coalition of the
Patriotic Societies representing about 123 patriqtic American
societies. At today's meeting I delivered an address and was
afforded the use of a Nation-Wide hook-up on the National
Broadcasting Co. The title of my address was "Uncle Sam
Should Keep His Nose Out of the Internal Affairs of Other
Nations."- I ask unanimous consent that that address be
printed in its complete form in the Appendix of the REcoRD.
There being no objection, the address was ordered to be
printed in the RECORD, as follows:
Ladies and gentlemen of · the radio audience, President Roosevelt
~as repeatedly stated that he hates war.
We all hate war.
You hate war and I hate war. The American people are un-
questionably · against the United States participating in another
world war, or any war. -
The question before us today is ho·w to stay out of war. I am
very happy indeed to be provided the opportunity of asserting
that the best and only means by which we may successfully avert
war and stay out of war is to keep our skirts clear of any foreign
entanglements and participate in no foreign embroilments
In other words, the best way for us to insure ourselves against
becoming again involved in another world war is to keep our nose
out ·o f other nations' business.
· The illustrious Father of his Country"; George Washington, ex-
pressed this- idea in the form of one of the greatest questions
ever asked the Nation: "Why leave our own to stand on foreign
ground?" That really is the best advice that I can give to you,
the American people.
I. am happy to be able to advise you that in my opinion the
great majority of the American people know that I am right when
I say that it is none of our business what sort of governments the
peoples of Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan, or the peoples of any
other nations of the world choose for themselves. What right h:ave
we to tell the German people, or any peoples, under what sort of
government they should live? What right have we to criticize the
people · of Italy for the sort of government they choose to live
under? Or what right have we to demand that this or that coun-
try have the sort of government that we would choose for them.
Why that holier-than-thou attitude which would superimpose our
governmental dress on the nations of the world?
We are all against war because we recognize that our brief
participation in the World War, which lasted from April 6, 1917,
to November 11, 1918, has to date cost the American taxpayers
more than $69,000,000,000, and before we will have finished liqui-
dating the debts incurred as a result of that brief participation
in the World War the American taxpayers Will have paid out
more than $100,000,000,000.
We went into the World War with the idea of saving Christian-
ity and democracy. Have we accomplished either?
We went into the World War with the idea of ending all wars.
Have we been successful?
We went into the World War with the idea of saving Great
Britain and France and her allies from annihilation at the hands
of the Central Powers. We went into the World War believing at
the time that if we did lend a helping hand to those nations that
were on the brink of defeat that they, Great Britain and France
particularly, would be grateful for our aid. Have they shown any
appreciation? Appreciation, my friends. is pretty much limited to
anticipation of favors.
At the close of the World War the United States had under
arms and in uniform more than 4,400,000 men, established at tre-
mendous expenditure of energy and money. At the end of that
war the Allies were indebted to Uncle Sam to the extent of about
$22,000,000,000. Uncle Sam, being the big-hearted man that we
bave always found him to be, forthwith cut that indebtedness
in half and virtually gave to the Allies $11 ,000,000,000. Of the
$11,000,000,000 remaining they have never liquidated the interest.
much less the principal, and perhaps never will. Nor have they,
the Allies, in the slightest degree evidenced any appreciation of
our having saved their hides. Gratitude is no virtue among
nations.
We know that the World War. which we had hoped would end all
wars. has not been successful in ending war. Within the past 3
264 APPENDIX TO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
years more than 3,000,000 combatants and noncombatants, inno-
cent children, defenseless women, and frail old men have been
slaughtered in Spain, Ethiopia, and China. In addition thereto, we
know that the persecution of the minorities in Russia alone has
brought about the death, the murder of anywhere from four to
seven million Ukrainians in that portion of the Soviet Union lying
east of Ppland and north of. Odessa, on the Black Sea. As for saving
Christianity, we know that the churches in Russia have been closed,
that religious ceremonies are forbidden, that thousands of priests
and followers of the gospel have been brutally murdered; that in
Mexico, our sister Republic to the south of us beyond the banks of
the Rio Grande, communism likewise has run rampant, that priests
have been murdered, that nuns have been attacked, and that the
places of worship have been closed. Turning to the peninsula of
Europe, in Spain we find that the same religious persecution, the
same destruction of churches, the same murder of priests, and the
same attack upon nuns has taken place as likewise -transpired in
both Russia and Mexico.
I am against war.
You are against war.
The 130,000,000 people of America do not want war . .
I repeat that the best way for us to stay out of war is to keep our people of the world until we have at least had time to wash
nose out of other nation's business.
I condemn, I do not condone, I view with horror the persecution
of .t he minorities which the press reports is being carried on in Ger- the ground and ascertain the changes which are taking place
many. My heart is in sympathy with the minorities of any country
upon which persecution is being practiced: I look with horror upon
the slaughters in Spain, where more than 1,000,000 people have been
killed since the outbreak of the revolution there in July of 1936.
I am appalled and horrified when I bring myself into realization
of the fact that almost 2,000,000 people, Chinese and Japanese,
have been killed during the present undeclared war in Asia, and
I am particularly sorry for the women and the children and the
aged. . .
But my first thoughts .are for the American people and my first
sympathies are with the American people. Yes, my sympathies, . ress in her trade penetrations, nor will it do us any good to hate
my deepest sympathies are with the persecuted minorities of Ger-
many, and the persecuted mi11orities of other countries, but I am
not willing to have the Unite_d States go to war over the minor-:-
ities of any country of the -world. ' ' many and those nations that are providing us with the greatest
We must reflect upon this. You must decide.
If the minorities in Germany are being persecuted and I have
no doubt but what they are being persecuted, that is not sum.:.
cient cause for the United States to break off its diplomatic rela-
tions or to go to war, becatise those constituting the minorities in
Germany are not American citizens. So if they are not American
citizens then why should we imperil the safety of the 130,000,000
people of the United States of America by incurring the enmity of
the 80,000,000 people of Germany and crystallizing their hatred
of us?
Say what you please, there is a radical distinction between the
peoples of Germany and the Government of Germany.
I ask what have the people of Germany done to the people of
the United States that should warrant resentment, and after all,
what has the Government of Germany done to warrant our sever-
ing diplomatic relations with them?
It must be admitted that we have virtually severed diplomatic
relations with Germany on account of their treatment of minor-
ities and on that account alone.
Now, if we are going to be consistent we must of necessity sever
relations with Mexico.
As a matter of fact, there is more reason why we should sever
our diplomatic relations with Mexico than there was for our sev-
ering diplomatic relations with Germany. Below the Rio Grande
there reside 20,000,000 of our neighpors, constituting the popula-
tion of Mexico, and there anarchy rules.
It is a government of anarchy. They :fly the red and black :flag
of revolution. The workers international is a hymn of hate against
all foreigners, including Americans.
They teach hatred in _their schools. They broadcast it. They
print it in their press. Fact of the matter is neither private prop-
erty nor individual investment is safe. Human life is worthless.
There they are purging the country of all foreign capital by
assassinations and by wholesale confiscations. They have closed.
their churches, murdered priests, assassinated nuns, confiscated
farm lands belonging to Americans, and stolen oil wells dug by
American capital. When th~ Mexicans confiscated the oil fields
belonging to Britain, John Bull immediately severed diplomatic
relations with them. When the Mexicans confiscated oil lands
belonging to Uncle Sam we closed our eyes to these confiscations,
murders, and assassinations. If we are to be consistent, it follows
that we should sever diplomatic relations with Mexico, Spain,
Japan, Russia, and Italy, as well as with Germany. Why? Be-
cause in Spain the churches have been closed and murder is
everywhere~ In Asia the Japanese are _ carrying on an unholy
conquest and murdering millions; in Italy the minorities are being
persecuted, and they are the same racial minorities that are being
persecuted in Germany, while in addition thereto the Italians in
their unholy conquest of Ethiopia murdered hundreds of thousands
of defenseless Abyssinians, and last but not least-there is Russia.
Russia owes the American Government, according to my recol-
lection, around $600,000,000. They have· closed the churches, mur-
dered priests, assaulted nuns. They are sending propagandists to
this country to destroy our form of government. They murdered
millions in the Ukraine in 1933 and 1934. If diplomatic relations
are to be severed with any country, it should be wit h Mexico an d
Russia, and if diplomatic relations are to be severed with Germany
they should certainly be severed with Italy, because Italy is per-
secuting the same racial minorities as are being persecuted iri
Germany.
So let's be consistent, but above all, let's stay out of war.
My friends, the spirit of hate is sweeping the world. L~t us not
become enmeshed in this spirit of hate. Why should we be
taught to hate our fellow man? What Christian doctrine can
induce hate? Does it not usually arise from ignorance?
I wish to say again that in order to stay out of war we must
keep our nose out of other nations' businesses.
Let's attend to our own business.
Let's put our own house in order before we tell ot her nations
of the world that theirs need dusting.
. Let us abandon the attempt to clothe other peoples with our
political dress and habiliments, for democracy was tailor-made for
the American people.
- Let us abandon attempting to pass Sunday blue laws policing
the political morals of the governments qf the world.
Let us stop criticizing the political habits of the 2,000,000,000
behind our own ears.
What we should do is to open our eyes and put our ears to
so rapidly over the face of the earth.
Germany is making tremendous headway economically by way -
of trade penetrations throughout the world, and particularly in
the Balkans. She has made strides across. the Atlantic in her
penetrations of Latin-American countries, notably in Brazil, Gua-
temala, and Salvador.
· We must meet the world problems with which we are confronted
today, particularly as relates to world trade. It won't do us any
_ good to hate, particularly as it relates to trade. It won't do us
any good to h ate Germany, who is making such prenomenal prog-
any other country that is making efforts to outstride us in this
direction. What we must do is to ascertain ·the ·best manner and
~eans by which we can outstride and outdo commercially Ger-
competition in world trade.
~ Instead of meddling with the internal affairs of other nations, I
think from now on we should attend to our own business, keep to
bur own "knitting," and attempt to prpvide employment for the
ten to twelve million God-fearing men and women who are walk-
ing the streets ill-fed, ill-clothed, and Ul-sheltered.
Recently it was reported by an international committee that
70 percent of the world's unemployment is to be found here in our
own United States.
My friends, tomorrow, with all its great promises and poor per-
formances, would not hold one-half the heartaches for these, our
unemployed and indigent, if . you, the American people, with your
profound sympathy and understanding, start the the slogan "Our
people and our country first."
The Government and Banking
EXTENSION OF REMARKS
OF
HON. SHERMAN MINTON
OF INDIANA
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
Tuesday, January 24 <legiSlative day of Tuesday, January 17>.
1939 .
ADDRESS BY MARRINER S. ECCLES, DECEMBER 1, 1938
Mr. MINTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to
have printed in the Appendix of the RECORD an address on
the Government and Banking, delivered by Marriner S.
Eccles, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System, before the New York Chapter of the Ameri-
can Institute of Banking in New York City, December 1, 1938.
There being no objection, the address was ordered to be
printed in the RECORD, as follows:
We are accustomed to hearing so much criticism of our economic
and. political system that we sometimes forget what has been
accomplished under it. Yet no other form of human association
and endeavor has produced .the benefits to all classes of people
that have resulted from this system of representative government
and of private enterprise under which individual initiative, in the
creation of new inventions and the production of new material
comforts and all of the countless things that go to make life