The Alamance Gleaner
VOL. LXII. GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1936 No. 47
News Review of Current
Events the World Over
President Back in Washington Preparing for Inauguration
? Hopkins May Get New Cabinet Post ? Wallace
Urges Permanent Crop Control.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
<$ Western Newspaper Union.
RETURNING to Washington In
fine health and spirits after his
trip to Buenos Aires, President
Roosevelt plunged into a great
mass 01 worK that
had accumulated on
his desk. There
were numerous re
ports on govern
ment activities to be
read, plans for the
inaugural on Janu
ary 20 to be made,
outlining of his inau
gural address, and
consultation with
the full cabinet con
cerning the pro
gram for his second
President
Roosevelt
term, still more immediate was the
task of writing his annual message
on the state of the nation and his
budget message for the coming fis
cal year. Then, too, he is expected
to devote considerable time to con
sideration of the revamping of the
cabinet and to plans for reorganiz
ing the government machinery in
various departments.
The inaugural ceremonies will be
simple in accordance with Mr.
Roosevelt's wishes, and the tradi
tional ball will be omitted. After
consultation with Rear Admiral
Cary T. Grayson, chairman of the
inaugural committee and Vice
President Garner, it was decided
that the parade should be limited
to units from the army, navy and
marine corps and from the West
Point and Annapolis academies.
Governors of all the states will be
invited but they will be limited to
three motor cars apiece. There will
be no civilian organizations in the
parade. Grand stands are being
constructed on both sides of Penn
sylvania avenue at the White House,
and on the steps of the Capitol.
One of Mr. Roosevelt's first duties
was a sad one ? that of attending
the funeral services for August Gen
nerich, his close friend and body
guard who died suddenly in Buenos
Aires. The services were held in
the White House and with the Presi
dent were Mrs. Roosevelt, Vice
President and Mrs. Gamer and cab
inet members. A delegation of
New York City policemen was pres
ent to pay the respects of the "fin
est" to one who had served with
distinction on the force for twenty
five years.
The President and his household
were cheered by news from Boston
that Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., ill
in a hospital with a streptococcus
infection and sinusitis, was recover
ing rapidly, that an operation prob
ably would not be necessary and
that the young Harvard senior has
a good chance of spending Christ
mas in the White House.
TOACHIM VON RIBBENTROP,
J German ambassador to England,
addressing an English audience in
London, told the world plainly that
liermany intends to
scrap "the discrimi
nating part of the
Versailles treaty"
and that Adolf Hit
ler is determined to
regain colonies for
his country.
"One thing is cer
tain," he said, "and
this I cannot help
stating: Germany
has made up her
mind to get rid of
that discriminating
Joachim von
Ribbentrop
pari ui ioc versaiues treaty wnicn
no great nation could have tolerated
forever.
"To attain this aim by agree
ment, der fuehrer and chancellor
made his offer to the world, but the
world, still blind and wrapped up
in the mentality which is generally
known today as 'the spirit of Ver
sailles,' did not respond.
"But der fuehrer sees now, as
before, in the possession of col
onies desired for supply of raw ma
terials only, on one side, and in
world trade on the other, two most
essential means of raising the
standard of life of his people from
the present subsistence level.
"A reasonable solution to the
colonial question, therefore, is most
desirable and to my mind to the
interest of all in the long run."
T T WAS announced in London that
Great Britain and Italy had al
most agreed on the terms for a mu
tual declaration of interests in the
Mediterranean. At the same time
Foreign Secretary Eden told the
house of commons that on Septem
ber 12 the British government
warned Mussolini that he must keep
his hands off the Spanish Balearic
islands. He said there was now
reason to believe Italy would not
enter into negotiations with Gen
eral Franco, the Spanish Fascist
leader, for a change in the Medi
terranean status quo. Eden added
that Great Britain had not recog
nized Italy's annexation of Ethiopia
and did not intend to do so.
\XT AR clouds again gathered over
* * the Far East when Generalis
simo Chiang Kai-shek, dictator of
of China, was kidnaped at Sianfu,
bhensi province, by
troops commanded
by Marshal Chang
Hsueh-Kang, former
war lord of Man
churia. The muti
nous marshal de
manded immediate
declaration of war
against Japan; a
pledge from the
Nanking govern
ment to recover all
lost territory, in
cluding Manchuria.
Gen. Chianff
Kai-shek
and reorganization of the Chinese
Nationalist party, the Kuomintang,
so that Chinese communists might
be admitted to membership.
The Nanking government prompt
ly declared war on Chang and his
army and a large body of troops was
sent toward Sianfu to besiege the
city. But it was reported in Shanghai
that Chiang Kai-shek, clinging to his
ideal of a united China, sent word
to Nanking by Gen. Chiang Ting
wen forbidding hostilities. Mean
while agents of Chang and the kid
naped generalissimo were passing
to and fro trying to open negotia
tions for the release of Chiang Kai
shek.
Japan professed to believe that
Chang'* action was promoted by
Russia, and officials in Tokyo said
forceful steps by Japan might be
necessary.
The soviet news agency Tass In
Moscow issued an official denial of
reports that Russia had conspired
in the Chinese crisis, but diplomats
in the Far East were of opinion
that Moscow would intervene if war
should break out between China and
Japan. Japanese action would be
based on the reported setting up of
an independent government at Si
anfu by Marshal Chang with the
support of soviet Russia.
T> EPRESENTATIVES of the 21
, ^ American republics gathered in
the conference at Buenos Aires all
signed two measures designed to
maintain peace, security and non
intervention in the Western world.
These projects are:
A plan for maintenance of peace
and security which provides for con
sulfation in the event of war within
the American continents or war
abroad which menaces American
peace.
A reiteration of the resolution of
the 1933 Pan-American conference,
for nonintervention by one nation in
another's affairs. This carried also a
Mexican amendment for consulta
tion if intervention appears neces
sary.
Great Britain again defaults
on its war debt to the United
States, but intimates it would like
to re-open negotiations for reduc
tion of the debt. This time the
British government does not state
it has found no new reason to war
rant a resumption of payments. All
the other debtor nations also de
faulted except Finland, which as
usual proudly paid the installment
due.
MEMBERS of the electoral col
lege met in the capitals of
their respective states and went
through the empty formality of cast
ing uieir vines iur
Presidential candi
dates ? 523 for
Franklin D. Roose
velt and 8 lor All
M. Landon. About
the same time it
was announced in
Washington that a
move to abolish the
antiquated electoral
college system had
been started and
would have the ap
Sen. NorrU
provBi 01 many memDera ot born
houses of congress.
Leaders of this plan are Senator
George W. Norris, Independent, of
Nebraska, and Representative Clar
ence Lea, Democrat, of California,
both of whom have previously ad
vocated a constitutional amendment
making the change, substituting a
system whereby state electoral
votes would be divided among pres
idential candidates on the basis of
their relative popular vote strength
in the state.
Under the present system Presi
dent Roosevelt, polling approxi
mately 27,750,000 votes, received 523
electoral votes. Governor Landon,
polling approximately 16,680,000
votes received 8 votes. Each Roose
velt electoral vote represents the
desires of 53,000 voters. Each Lan
don vote represents the wishes of
2,085,000 voters.
JOHN HAMILTON is still chalr
" man of the Republican national
committee. A t a meeting in Chi
cago 74 of the 76 members in at
tendance rejected his resignation,
and he responded: "I'm gratified,
and I'll keep right on working."
The opposition to Hamilton was led
by Hamilton Fish of New York, but
it dwindled rapidly during the de
bate.
Before adjournment Hamilton was
empowered to appoint a group of
Republicans soon to formulate a
plan to bring the party funds out of
the red. Treasurer C. B. Goodspeed
reported that the campaign expendi
tures were $6,546,776, and that the
deficit was $901,501.
"O ECRETARY OF PUBLIC WEL
FARE" may be the title of a
new member of the President's
cabinet, and it may be held by
TJT T TT !.:
narrjr u nupjuns,
WPA administrator.
The creation of this
department has
been under consid
eration (or some
time and becomes
probable with the
plans for consolida
tion of several gov
ernmental agencies
and activities per
taining to public
welfare, from the
mm mm
H. L. Hopkins
social security program and the in
dependent office of education to
the children's bureau now in the
Department ot Labor.
There has been talk that the new
department might be given to Miss
Perkins, who is slated to retire from
the labor secretaryship, but general
opinion is that Hopkins, favorite
money dispenser of the adminis
tration, will get the job.
J\ Holidau
for Two *
bi) Luella B. Lqoiu
'v
I "*H1S being with the family
on Christmas is the bunk
so I won't mind parking
myself down there in Martin ville,
Mr. Howard," Paul Boyd told his
employer. That's how he found
himself spending the holidays in a
lonely little room in a boarding
and rooming house. His landlady
had gone out to church services,
he knew, but he determined to pass
the lonely hours by reading, hav
ing prepared himself with a flock
of new detective Action before leav
ing the city.
Before another half hour had
passed, Paul tossed the book aside
and began pacing the floor. Here
he was alone at last on one Christ
mas eve, far from too-concerned
relatives and friends.
As the crowning insult, without ?
moment's warning, the little light
WUW - t/Tif
Paul Toiied the Book Aside and
Began Pacing the Floor.
that hung on a aingle cord from
the ceiling, flickered and went out.
"Great day, this is the end! I
wonder what they do here when the
lights go out? go to bed, I sup
pose!" he muttered disgustedly.
But just the same he began
scratching matches to hunt for a
possible kerosene lamp he might
have overlooked. Five matches lat
er, he found a candle and lost no
time lighting that. "At least I can
find my way about while getting
ready to retire," he grumbled.
But as he jerked at his tie, the
unmistakable sound of a smothered
sob came to him through the hot
air register. Paul wanted to be
alone, but sobs did things to him
and it took him just three minutes
to locate the door from behind
which was darkness and those sobs.
All because a thoughtless land
lady had failed to provide the love
ly and lonely girl with an extra bit
of lighting in case the rather unre
liable power company service dis
continued without notice, wasn't
the only reason for the sobs.
"Being in a noisy city where
folks are celebrating, asking all
kinds of favors of you at the holi
day time, doing the same old par
ties, family dinners and all that ? I
thought it would be nice to escape
it for a change," she explained.
Jean Hathaway, she said was her
name.
"Jean, I said the same thing and
maybe we were both right only
that ? that," and suddenly he be
came embarrassed but struggled
on, "that it is all okeh if you don't
have to escape alone. Just one for
company and for celebrating is
about the right number. What do
you think, Jean?"
"Alone together! It doesn't make
sense as for English, but it does
Christmas-edly speaking!" and the
light of the candle burned high
and proud on that holiday for just
two.
A House Built
Christmas Day
? ? ? t/ ? ? a
Frances Grinstead
A HOME that was built on a
Christmas day stood for a
long time on the old Santa
Fe trail where it passed near Ar
row Rock, Mo., on the Missouri
river. Though not quite completed
in a single day, with the help of
his neighbors on that "holiday"
about a hundred years ago, Henry
Nave got his cabin ready (or his
family and the day after Christ
mas took them into his shelter.
Of course the house was built of
undressed lumber, felled right on
his farm. When he had selected the
location this pioneer cut down
round poles for the walls, rafters
and joists ? the framework.
Mr. Nave had found some large.
New Year's
Resolution
HERE'S a Www Yaafa i ?aoioti?
...Amy aaa earn aaaka ami kaap:
It win katp aaa'a caaadtutiaa.
Ami amabla ama ta aJaap.
"1 will try tm kaap tram trattiag
Wham I eaamat aaa tha mm:
I will try ta kaap tram gattiag
lata ?u arrata I may akna
"I will try ta kaap tram griariag
Orar traublaa that ara paat:
I wilt try ta kaap kaliariag
Tkiaga witt all eaam right at laaL
mi wW try ta kaap ham atgkiag
Wham I amgkt ta amUa. tmakaait
1 will try ta kaap am tryimg
Ta iamrra ta gat akaai
? Mamtraal Earali.
nai stones, anu in the arternoon
they dragged these into place for
the hearth. Then of other suitable
rocks, by much pulling and pulling
they built a fireplace ? one at those
great practical ones which served
to heat the home and to cook ven
ison, buffalo meat, com pone and
other "victuals." The exterior of
this fireplace was wood, the stones
providing a fireproof lining.
The mortar to bind the (tones
was chiefly mud; to obtain even
this simple ingredient it was nec
essary to build a Ore in the
While the Little N*re Chitdrea
Wished for Things.
of the half-constructed cabin and
thaw the ground.
But, writes this hardy woodsman,
"It was not many days until we
were living snugly in our cabin
and in good health and with fin*
appetites."
Holidays among our ancestors,
were made occasions for such cel
ebrations as this, but they never
witnessed the cessation from la
bor ours afford. There was always
need for immediate shelter, crop
harvesting, or game killing. Hence
log-raisings, corn-husk in gs, and
gun-shoots were made social oc
casions. But do you suppose we
ever have more fun than Henry
Nave's family and friends had
building a house on Christmas day?