THE DANBURY REPORTER
Established 1872
The Passing Show Of '43
i A REED SHAKING IN THE WIND
r ~
If you can alter the ego of Old Man Jim Reed,
you have reached the borderline of the millen
ium.
We are referring, not disrespectfully, to the
Hon. James A. Reed of Missouri, formerly U. S.
Senator and a fine type of that perverse species
who when convinced against their will are of the
same opinion still.
When Woodrcvv Wilson was President proba
bly his bitterest hater in the Seriate was Jim
Reed. Just like Senator Wheeler is Franklin
Roosevelt's chief hater now.
Why these senseless hates, whether based on
human envy or just plain animal malice, we do
not attempt to analyze. Ask the hyena and the
jackal why they show their yellow teeth at the
lion.
One of the world's greatest ideas was the plan
for a League of Nations. It was fought cease
lessly and furiously by the little group of ob
structionists and isolationists in the Senate led
by Reed, Lodge and LaFollette. They defeated it
and sent its author probably to a premature
grave disappointed and heartbroken.
The greatest minds in America and Europe
now concede that Wilson's dream would doubt
less have saved the present tragedy and chaos
. j thiat sweep-the nations of the world. The power
and influence of America at the court of interna
tional justice would have tipped the beam for
world peace, stability and order.
The other day Old Man Jim, who lives quietly
on his little 20,000-acre farm in Missouri, blew
up with his old-time rancour and spleen over the
report that some of the leaders of the Admin
istration had been talking about a "glorious,
peaceful, postwar brotherhood of man."
It was like shaking a red flag in the face of a
bull.
"I am more than ever convinced I was right
about staying out of foreign entanglements,"
said Old Jim.
His reasoning reminds one of the fellow who
was imprisoned and was visited by his lawyer,
who said:
v "Why, they can't put you in jail for that."
Quoth the prisoner: "Well, tell me where in
the hell I'm at now ?"
j Woodrow Wilson is dead but with each passing
year the memory of this great statesman grows
brighter and the strength of his philosophy is
more apparent. Truth in its clear far-off light
ever beaming nearer, throws over him a halo of
splendid beauty and wisdom.
His detractors are remembered only because
they lived in the day of W T ilson to bark at his
heels.
The day has never been that America could
stay out of the councils of the nations or hold it
self a stranger to the responsibilities that are
\ Democracy's.
Before 1917 we lived as we thought splendidly
aloof. But we went in to the fray nevertheless.
'Before Dec. 7,1941, we lived—as Wheeler, Nye,
Reynolds, Vandenburg, etc., emblazoned it—
safely isolated. But we are in.
America has never been isolated. Never can
be. Our interests are too large. The oceans are
100 narrow. We are the citadel of Democracy
Volume 71
Danbury, N. C., Thursday, February 4, 1943
THE RIDDLE OF RUSSIA
Can anybody explain the riddle of Russia —
vast imponderable unconquerable Russia, wrap
ped in ice and mystery.
History records no instance where an invader
lived to enjoy the limitless wastes of cold, cruel,
indomitable Russia.
Napoleon tried to conquer Russia. Failing, this
most brilliant of the world's military leaders lied
back to France with a handful of soldiers leav
ing a half million corpses to rot on the frozen
| steppes.
Hitler. Napoleon's ape, tried it. At the head of
'the greatest army all time ever saw, after near
ly two years, of frightful battle, the Fuehrer is
headed back with the flower of his gigantic host
dead at the hands of the defenders of Russia.
During the last 10 weeks 330,000 Nazis have paid
the price of their hazardous undertaking.
In World War No. 1 before the Bolshevist rev
olution stopped the Reds from fighting, many
hundred thousands of dead Germans on Russian
soil seriously weakened the manpower of the
Kaiser.
Now before America and England have well
begun to fight, Germany has lost millions of her
best troops in the crazy attempt to conquer un
conquerable Russia.
It does look as if Almighty God has in his in
scrutable wisdom established the Rock of Rus
jsia on which the foes of freedom may shatter
ithemselves to destruction.
THE QUESTION OF SOMETHING
TO EAT
As America goes more and more every day to
all-out war, food rationing begins to clamp
down tighter. Many people have not heretofore
regarded the question of food seriously, but they
pre going to regard it with real seriousness soon
if the signs mean anything.
This great nation has a job ahead to feed our
selves, to feed our great armies, and to help feed
our allies, "all at the time when manpower on the
farms is steadily and ever dwindling. As Dean
Schaub remarked, somebody may go hungry.
The government is urging the farmers as nev
er before to grow something for man and beast
to subsist on while we are winning the war.
There are vast and rich acres in Stokes county.
Put them to work Mr. Farmer. Every ounce of
food will be in demand.
THE VAST ARMIES BUILDING
It is now pretty generally agreed by Congress
and the leaders of the military forces that the
size of the army, navy and air forces will be 10,-
000,000 men.
Such a mighty army will doubtless require the
drafting of the teen-age boys as well as many
married men, even those with dependents.
Uncle Sam does not mean maybe in his prep
arations to see this fight through to the finish.
As the manpower of the Axis becomes more de
pleted, ours will expand.
And "thrice is he armed who feels his quarrel
just."
and must defend ft or die.
Old Jim Reed has lived a long time, up in his
80's, but he has not lived long enough to learn.
He is of his same opinion still. > s
EDITORIALS
Published Thursdays
WHY LEGISLATORS GROW BALI)
I
The old, old battle between the drys and the
wets is looming in the legislature and already
many legislators feel the seat under them grow
ing hot.
I
A State-wide liquor bill is wanted to dry up the
26 wet counties, and to smash beer bottles in the
dry counties.
The fight will doubtless be bitter. It always
has been between these two opposing laiths.
The drys point to the enormous liquoi and beer
consumption of the State, say beer is learning
;the boys to drink. Places of sale are joints of in
•iquity and bestiality, and so forth.
The wets are descended from old Man Noah,
who was the first man in history to pull a drunk.
Now his descendants try to justify their appe
lates with their Biblical lineage. They also fur
jther presume on scripture by quoting from the
jlast chapter of Proverbs.
I The drys reply that old Noah was a sot, - very
much like some of our beer guzzlers who drink
1 35 bottles a day and then claim they can walk
I home. As to the writer in Proverbs, he did not
| mean it exactly that way, or at least the verses
jhave to be taken with other sections of scripture
to make dry sense.
The drys are divided into the following classi
fications: Fanatics, moderates and doubtfuls.
The fanatics believe that liquor is a rank poi
son, to drink one drink is a sin, putting you on
the straight highway to hell and damnation. Its
manufacturers should be hanged, its consumers
I put where they can't get it. The moderate is not
quite so violent, he recognizes the evil and wants
it stopped or regulated in some way. The doubt"
ful is a political sphinx. On the side, saving his
constituents, he will take a drink if it is good.
Liquor like Mark Twain's weather has long
been a subject for observation, with few perma
nent things done about it.
Once in a while the lid is put on tight and screw
ed down. Later the lid is unscrewed and thrown
away.
The problem of the greatest evil in the world
has never been solved. Like the poor, it has al
ways been, and probably will ever be, with us,,
(we of course, mean the problem).
Joe Caldwell, North Carolina's greatest editor
two decades ago, called the drinkers the morally
stunted. He admitted he was one of them.
But he said that you. can't legislate morals into
people, or enforce righteousness. Pen up little
Johnny Sunday afternoons, and when he gets
I big ofttimes he will get out and shoot up the
town. ■
CANDLEMAS
Tuesday was Groundhog Day when according
to the belief of many people the groundhog
arouses himself from his winter hibernation and
issues forth from his hole in the ground to look
over the weather. .
If the sun shines and he sees his shadow, he
scurries back for another six weeks during
which period the weather is sure to be bad.
Now there is no question that the next six
weeks will be bad if the superstition holds good,
as Tuesday was a lovely day with the sun shin*
ing like spring. L r
* * * * Number 5,689