THE DANBURY REPORTER
Established 1872 Volume 66
Sidelights On The Passing Show
" Editorial ■> .h *■ -»
WHO LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG ?
The great "telegram" mystery of the Philadel
phia convention that nominated Willkie for
President seems to be solved.
And at the same moment there is another in
teresting discovery: That Mr. Willkie does not
owe his nomination to Republicans, but to "Dem
ocrats."
Now is this so?
We are frank to say that we do not know, but
it is left to you to decide that the signs are at
least uncanny in their indications.
You know, it is this way: (We go back to get
up a little history.)
C. T. Joyce, a former Stokes boy of comfortable
fortune, fine character and excellent judgment,
went to Winston-Salem a few years ago and en
gaged in business. He was successful. He be
came richer. He took the head of a tobacco com
pany, a leaf handling concern. The company
prospered, especially during the New Deal, after
the depression had so sorely crippled the busi
ness men of Winston as well as other cities.
Mr. Joyce is now up in the money, and belongs
in that rarefied stratum where the brackets are
scrutinized closely for taxes to meet the exigen
cies of government. Indeed he estimates him
self in that exclusive zone where dwell big shots
like John W. Hanes and other Roosevelt haters.
"Now, with this little digression, we return you
to the glamorous Philadelphia convention.
It was generally understood, you remember,
' that the delegates were nearly all pledged to
Dewey, Taft, Vandenburg, etc. Mr. Willkie en
joyed only a smattering of support, as the bal
lots were beginning to be taken.
Then suddenly something happened: Tele
grams began pouring in by dozens, by hundreds
and then by thousands. They read:
"Give us Willkie/' "We want Willkie," "Vote
for the People's Choice, Willkie," etc.
It was significant that each wire was about the
same in length, and of practically the same
phraseology.
The managers for the other candidates were
at first surprised, then nonplussed, then amazed.
• Possibly in their memories they then visualized
the meaning of that carefully prepared propa -
ganda that had crowded the columns of the big
newspapers before the convention, which proph
esied: Watch out for the dark horse to win.
Willkie will begin with small support, then rap
idly his star will rise like Mars at early dawn,
and he will be nominated as the "People's
Choice."
Now State after State began falling for the
Indiana man, as the telegrams began to circu
late in the systems of the delegates.
The ground swell for Willkie took away the
breath of the country.
There were thousands of the wires calling for
Willkie—one authority estimates more than
40,000. i' i
The news leaks out in a story from Washington
j that one of the highest pressure advertising
agencies of the country handled the coup.
Now the question naturally bobs up: Who paid
this big advertising concern, and why?
Was it the rank and file Republicans who were
"(lying for Willkie?"
Nay, nay, Pauline, we hardly think so. The
j Republicans wanted Dewey or Taft or Vanden
burg. They were not sold on the "late Democrat"
TV
Danbury, N. C., Thurs' ay, August 22,1940.
CLAUDE PEPPER "HANGED ON A
SOUR APPLE TREE."
Senator Claude Pepper of Florida, who has
taken an active part in the preparedness legis
lation now before congress, was hanged in effi
gy by 100 women in Washington protesting
against the conscription bill The inscription
read: "Claude (Benedict Arnold) Pepper."
After a policeman cut down the effigy, the
ladies marched to the capitol singing "We'll
hang Claude Pepper on a sour apple tree."
Conscription is the only way to raise the huge
army that will be necessary when and if Hitler
comes. It looks now more like "when" than "if."
And then one can imagine the still wrier faces
of these dames when their men folks, rather than
stuffed dummies, dangle at the end of Gestapo
hemp.
Was the tornado of telegrams a blitzkrieg of big
corporate interests that determined to put over
"Our Man" by starting a "spontaneous demand "
from the "Voice of the People?" Was the Liber
ty League again in action?
Else it is wondered if the sentiment "Give us
Willkie or give us death" was so strong in the
country, why in the hell didn't it evolve before
the convention, so that Dewey, Taft, Vanden
burg, Hoover, etc., could gracefully retire in
deference to the nation's overwhelming prefer
ence and without being embarassed.
Now don't ask us these questions—ask the
shade of Sherlock Holmes, or, closer home, ask
Mr. C. T. Joyce who is helping sponsor the tele
gram "blitz" with its sequel—the chain letter
system.
To find out who is the "Voice of the People,"
maybe Mr. Joyce's cat, which has jumped out of
the bag, can mew a clue.
If Mr. Joyce did not want the people to make
embarassing guesses, in his letter addressed to
a carefully selected list, he should not have let his
expression the "Voice of the People" be a quota
tion, which makes it sound like a shibboleth in
the "scheme," as this is the same tune the wires
to the convention played. Nor should he have
acknowledged that "As we did in Philadelphia,"
etc.
Mr. Joyce's letter fallows:
Winston-Salem, N. G
August 16, 1940.
"Dear
"This letter concerns OUR next job: Chain letters such as this
are now following convention chain telegrams to "GIVE US WILL
KIE."
"Let's review the situation as it now stands- The "VOICE OF THE
PEOPLE" nominated WILLKIE at Philadelphia. Immediately fol
lowing Mr. Willkie stated he was in favor of tfie Hatch Bill . . . that
he wanted SMALL contributions for his campaign, but lots of them,
pnd remarked half-humorously and half seriously that if everybody
v/ho sent telegrams urging his nomination would contribute the cost
of such a telegram, the Republicans would have enough money to fi
nance his race. That's a PRACTICAL suggestion and typical "WILL
KIE-"
"Now, then, the Hatch Bill proposes prohibiting contributions over
$5,000. "WE, THE PEOPLE" through past experience understand
its purpose only too well. So let us now prove, as we did in Philadel
phia, that WE can provide ample funds required to finance the
WILLKIE campaign by contributing the COST OF ONE TELEGRAM
in place of BLANK CHECKS. Let the "VOICE OF THE PEOPLE'
again be heard- Let's each of ua again do our part by:
"1. Sending 25c to $1.20 to Stanley Resor, Treasurer Willkie Cam
paign, Roosevelt Hotel, 45th St., and Madison Avenue, New York
City.
"2. Sending this letter over your signature to 10 other good
AMERICAN CITIZENS.
"Let's meet today's challenge by acting NOW.
**Sincerely yours,
STOKES COUNTY'S SPLENDID TEMPLE
OF JUSTICE.
Every citizen of Stokes county is proud of our
splendid court house that has recently been
greatly enlarged and reconditioned.
Stokes county—so said a gentleman here Mon
day who has seen a large number of like build
ing's in the counties of the State—can now boast
of the best court house in North Carolina, in pro
portion to our wealth and population.
And the phasing and outstanding feature of
the proposition is that our court house has been
completed with its large and new addition of
room and appointments, without raising- the tax
rate or issuing bonds. The expense has been en
tirely met without further debt.
All citizens, men and women, when visiting
Danbury are cordially invited to inspect the
building-. A great deal more floor space is af
forded, more extensive rooms for the con
venience of the public and the public officers,
and for the necessary accommdations of the State
and federal agencies now so largely required.
There are more toilet facilities for the use of the
crowds attending court, both white and colored,
or on business with the county, State or federal
officials.
In addition, the outside walks and spaces sur
rounding the house and the square have been
paved. It is now a place of beauty, of safety, of
convenience and pleasure for those who use it.
The board of county commissioners, the county
officials, the public spirited citizens of the coun
ty who endorsed and sponsored the improve
ments, and the tax-payers who own it, are to be
heartily congratulated for their modern temple
of justice.
SYMPATHY.
In the continued illness of Mrs. Carson, Prof.
J. C. Carson, superintendent of our schools, has
the sincere and deepest sympathy of the school
personnel and patrons of Stokes county, of his
host of friends and of the public in genei^il.
It requires a religious fortitude v patience and
comforting faith to witness the steady languish
ing of our loved ones. Mrs. Carson has been an
invalid for sixteen years. For ten years ske has
not been of strength to take nourishment of her
own efforts. For several days now she has not
been equal in her failing vitality to even receive
nourishment. - «•*
Only those who have been through these things
can quite appreciate the poignant mental and
heartfelt grief of those who must sustain them.
BORDER BELT OPENS
The Border Belt, composed of markets of
South Carolina and Eastern North Carolina,
opened Tuesday at an average of upwards from
20 cents.
In view of the bad export situation resulting
from the European war, and last year's tremen
dous overproduction, a 20-cent average is quite
encouraging to the farmers.
The reports indicate they were generally well
pleased.
The war rages on with continuous bombing.
England not yet invaded. The British Seem to
be taking the offensive. Italy and Greece about
to go to war. Greece as pro-English. The
Italians have heavily bombed Gibraltar. Th'e
T> 1 • i 1 I *» 1• I 1 • «
i - v •-t. : " c „ ; now.
Number 3,554