The Alamance gleaner
Vol LXIV ? GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1938 No. 36
Weekly News Review
New World Crawls Into Shell
As Revitalized Reich Expands
By Joseph W. La Bine ?
International
The U. S. has long maintained
splendid trade relations with West
ern hemisphere nations, has more
over done this without resorting to
heavy armaments. Until five years
ago the U. S. was similarly strong
in China. Reason: European and
Asiatic nations have always been
busy at home, not daring to risk in
vasion of the Western hemisphere.
But since Japan became supreme
in the Far East, the U. S. has been
forced to expand her Pacific fleet.
If this was cause for worry, a much
greater cause is the Munich pact
which sheared friendly France and
Britain of their power. Dominant- in
Europe, anxious to increase their
foreign trade, Italy and Germany
BRAZIL'S PRESIDENT VARGAS
Hit door it closed to Germany.
can now be regarded as a serious
threat to U. S. commerce. Of the
two, Germany will be a greater
threat because she has adopted an
aggressive foreign expansion pro
gram, moreover because her new
*" Sudeten "territorial acquisitions
bring glassware, leather and tex
tiles into the Reich for export sale.
Focal point of German expansion
will be Latin America, which last
year gave the Reich 14 per cent of
its trade, compared with 34.7 per
"? cent to the U. S. In this trade war,
it has become apparent the U. S.
J-, will attempt to sell South Ameri
cans on democracy, while Germany
sells them Naziism. Today, as the
war gets under way, the U. S. ap
pears to hold an upper hand.
Long favored in South America
through her Monroe doctrine, the
U. S. has just helped preserve West
ern hemisphere peace by joining in
settlement of the 100-year-old Chaco
dispute between Paraguay and Bo
livia. Indirectly, the U. S. could
place another feather in her cap
when Brazil called home its ambas
sador to Berlin, apparently break
ing off diplomatic relatiohs with the
Reich. This is President Getulio
Vargas' answer to Chancellor Hit
ler's efforts, {or Brazilian Naziflca
tion.
Aiding the U. S. will be increased
. ?? domestic desire to woo South Amer
ica. Already a campaign is under
way to boost our consumption of
South American goods.
A natural result of this activity
has been growing American disin
clination to complete the long-pend
ing U. S. -British trade pact, a senti
ment resulting frdm the rebirth of
isolationism which followed Mu
nich's peace treaty. The greatest
stumbling block is that isolationism
calls for strengthened trade rela
tions with Canada, a plan blocked
by Great Britain's renewed efforts
to tighten her dominion bonds. A
U. S. -Canadian trade treaty is bound
to hurt American agriculture; a
U. S. -British treaty will hurt Amer
ican manufacture. Therefore econ
omists are betting the "most fa
vored option" agreements now
pending with Canada and Britain
wiH never be consummated.
War
A large part of China's war sup
plies for defending Hankow have
come up the railroad from rich,
southerly Canton. Moreover, Can
tonese troops have shown remark
able bravery, reportedly wiping out
10,000 Japs near Tehan early this
month. Although Canton has there
fore been a thorn in Japan's side,
Tokyo feared to move into South
China lest Griat Britain might ob
ject. But since Britain capitulated
in the, Czech crisis, Japan has be
come 'bolder. Result is the land
ing of 39,000 troop# near Canton for
any or all of three purposes: (i) to
force frightened Cantonese to with
draw troops from Hankow, making
that city's capture easier; (2) to cut
the Hankow-Canton railroad and
stop war supplies; (3) to force Can
ton into an independent peace with
Japan.
But if Japan hopes thereby to
force surrender of China's General
issimo Chiang Kai-shek, she will be
disappointed. Though 70 per cent of
China's war materials have come
through Canton, General Chiang has
foreseen that city's fall and devel
oped four alternative lines of entry.
Two railroads enter from Inde-China
and highways can carry supplies
from both Burma and Russia. ,
Far more likely than Chinese ca
pitulation is a breach between Great
Britain and Japan. Not since the
siege of Japan has the British lion
been so imperiled. Canton lies a
scant 75 miles from the crown col
ony of Hong Kong, whose prosperi
ty depends largely on trade with
Canton.
Races
During the World war Great Brit
ain helped liberate Palestine's
Arabs from the Turks, thereby win
ning Arabic support against Turkey.
Although Arabs expected they would
be rewarded with complete domi
nation over Palestine, England's
Lord Balfour led a successful cam
paign to establish part of the Holy
Land as a haven for the wandering
Jew.
Since then world Jewry has sent
400,000 persecuted Hebrews to Pal
estine, investing $385,000,000 to build
a national home. But disgruntled
Arabs have protested with warfare,
keeping harried Britain busy polic
ing the land over which she was
given a mapdfite _ in 1923. While
blood ran freely through the streets
of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jaffa,
Colonial Secretary of State Malcolm
MacDonald has led a commission in
search of amicable settlement.
Meanwhile, Jew-hating Germany
and Italy have given restrained
cheers for the Arabic cause, cheers
that need no longer be restrained
since the Munich peace treaty has
placed Great Britain on the defen
sive. Faced with threats of Italo
German intervention unless Arabs
were given a square deal, Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain has
been reported ready to "sell out"
the Holy Land's Jews.
Themighly miserable, Prime Min
ister Chamberlain and Secretary
MacDonald (son of the late Prime
Minister Ramsay MacDonald) were
bombarded with protests the minute
their weakened position was ru
MALCOLM MAC DONALD
Palestine's Jews ore hit problem.
mored. To make matters worse,
Dr. Chaim Weizmann of London,
president of the Zionist federation,
has aroused U. S. Jewry to such an
extent that President Roosevelt has
been deluged with pleas to inter
vene. Thus Great Britain risks los
ing a measure of badly needed U. S.
sentiment if she capitulates to t
Arabic demands.
'Quotes'
MISS MARGUERITE WELLS of
the National League of Wom
en Voters, on aroused inter
est in world issues: "One of
the things about the dangers
facing the world today is that
it makes us in America real
ize how well off we are."
DR. WILLIAM L. LEAF of Bir
mingham (Ala.) university, on
divorce: "The remedy does not
lie in making divorces difficult
to obtain. The problem should
be met from the opposite di
rection ? by making marriage
requirements more stringent."
Politics
On Tuesday, November 8, the
United States will elect an entire
house of representatives, one-third
of its senate and a host of gover
nors. Since U. S. politics swings
back and forth from Republican to
Democratic domination, since the
Democratic swing which began in
1933 has reached and passed its
peak, the safest prediction is that
Republicanism will start swinging
back into power this year.
Obviously, it is Franklin Roose
velt's ambition to stymie a Repub
lican comeback. But his chief in
terest in last summer's primaries
was not Republicanism, but the con
struction of a coherent liberal party
through so-called "purgt" tactics.
Since "purge" failed, since preser
vation of New Deal gains already
made is now more important than
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
At election time , a peacemaker.
party purification, November's elec
tion has resumed normal political
color for the first time since 1930.
As in 1936, this year's Republican
candidates can base a strong cam
paign on New Deal failure. Unlike
1933 and 1936, this year's Democrat
ic campaign becomes essentially a
defensive proposition. But develop
ments of the past month show that
the New Deal's defense will not fea
ture such argumentative points as
AAA, relief and budget-balancing,
will attempt instead to shift public
interest on Franklin Roosevelt's ac
complishments as a peacemaker.
Three points of peace:
World Peace: The world may nev
er know if President Roosevelt
helped smooth over the Czech-Ger
man crisis, but his final message to
Adolf Hitler and simultaneous pleas
to every other world power came
only a few hours before the Reichs
fuehrer called his historic Munich
parley. But, coming when it did,
Roosevelt intercession looked 'tre
mendously successful. Thus, prais
ing the administration's foreign pol
icy as a safeguard to world peace,
Democrats hope the voting public
will overlook the fact that Munich's
meeting did nothing to help democ
racy's cause.
Business Peace: If the adminis
tration's foreign policy helped win
world peace, it also helped U. S.
business. Upshot has been a tre
mendous stock market upturn,
greater steel and automobile pro
duction, higher railroad carloadings.
But part of this upturn is also due
to governmental "pump priming,"
which is just beginning to show its
effect. Nevertheless these signs of
optimism came at a time when U. S.
business decided to quit warring on
the administration, choosing instead
to play ball until a Republican gov
ernment throws out New Deal meas
ures which it considers oppressive.
President Roosevelt has asked for
less "saber rattling" and more co
operation between government and
business. Charles Hook, president
of the National Association of Manu
facturers, has assured him that
business is eager for co-operation.
Thus, Franklin Roosevelt looms as
a peacemaker with business.
Industrial Peace : When the Amer
ican Federation of Labor convened
in Houston, Texas, the President
messaged his desire for a settle
ment of the factional war between
A. F. of L. and John Lewis' Com
mittee for Industrial Organization.
Obviously ? solid labor front, thor
oughly New Deal, would be a potent
vote getter. How it could exercise
this, solidified strength against em
ployers is an unpleasant thought,
bbt the average business man is in
clined to hope a patch-up will bring
more conservatism to labor. Al
ready the Rooseveltian business up
turn has brought men back to work,
resulting in fewer disputes between
labor and capital. Though the Presi
dent's efforts for peace between C. I.
O. and A. F. of L. have been unsuc
cessful, the nation may well appre
ciate his gesture.
Despite the political connotations
these peace efforts must certainly
carry during election season, the
President's self -chosen role of arbi
ter wins favor with a war-weary
U. S. populace. Whether this popu
lar appeal will overshadow Republi
can criticism on November 8 is any
body's guess.
Brmekarf* WdUiflM Dlqeat
Old Trickery Again Being Used
In Writing Views of a President
That Intangible Personality&fee 'White House Spokesman,*
Is Back on the Job; Makes Coats of Writers; Taxes
Blamed for Added Burden Business Carries.
By WILLIAM BRUCKART
WNC Service, National Press Bide., Washington, D. C.
WASHINGTON. ? The "White
House Spokesman" Is back! That
ghostly, shy and sometimes playful
figure has been resurrected from
tbe grave where President Roose
velt interred his intangible person
ality early in March, 1S33. He was
placed there with proper ceremo
nies by Mr. Roosevelt after his
witchlike voice had served during
the administrations of Presidents
Coolidge and Hoover, and after he
had served valiantly as the source
of one inspired new* story after
another. Mr. Roosevelt unmasked
the "White House Spokesman" as
just the President of the United
States, speaking behind his hand.
But lo! Here is that man again.
I could not help laughing a bit
the other day when the "White
House Spokesman" reappeared on
the front pages of metropolitan daily
newspapers, in the work-a-day
clothes of "authoritative White
House sources." Grieving as most
writers did that this trickery had to
be employed in order to write a
President's views, I enjoyed the hu
mor of the situation, nevertheless.
If the White House Spokesman was
going to be reborn, what more prop
er place could there be than Hyde
Park, N. Y., the President's sum
mer home. That delightful home on
the banks of the Hudson river is
only about the length of an air
plane runway from the fiction
scenes of nightly riding by "the
headless horseman of Sleepy Hol
low."
Bat restoratioa of the "White
House Spokesman''" to -his place of
eminence is a serious matter. Use
of tuch a disguise, inch a mask,
has no place in American life. Many
a time In the period when Calvin
Coolidge and Herbert Hoover occu
pied the White House, there were
stories sent to all parts of the na
tion that came from the "White
House Spokesman." It was a silly
procedure. It was both silly and
cheap. The head of the government
was simply nsing the correspond
ents as vehicles to carry the respon
sibility which the then occupant of
the White Honse should have as
sumed.
Some stories were trial balloons;
some were expressions of a person
al opinion by the President which
he was not quite ready to espouse
j publicly, and others were pieces of
just plain trickery, given out with
the understanding that the Presi
dent should not be directly quoted.
The course was adopted, so it was
claimed, as a means of giving the
; writers all of the available facts
l right up to the minute.
Just Kidding and Fooling
Readcrt of Newspaper*
Well, without questioning the sin
1 cerity of purpose, the fact remains
that the writers were the goats. And
here they are being made the goats
again, and the public, the readers
of newspapers, are to be kidded and
fooled some more. What's the ex
cuse? There is none. It is the same
old ostrich and the same old sand in
which he is hiding his head; so why
do it?
The present, and rejuvenated,
"White House Spokesman" had a
good deal to say, behind this shad
owy veil, about the desirability of a
truce between business and labor, a
truce with the administration in
Washington. The bitterness between
industry and government was made
almost into a parallel with Euro
pean conditions, and the "Spokes
man" went further to suggest that
some method of getting together,
comparable to the European "settle
ment," should be used here.
Well, I imagine there is none In
our country who do not hope for,
and believe in the need of, a lasting
peace between business and govern
ment. As the shadowy form said,
as it floated over Hyde Park, there
has been too much name calling,
too many charges and recrimina
tions. The condition has slowed up
general business; it has made the
relief rolls full to overflowing. But
when the "White House Spokesman"
seeks a "settlement" like that at
Munich, Germany, where Dictator
Hitler grabbed everything he want
ed?well, let me observe that it was
a swell subject as an illustration
why the "White House Spokesman"
should remain in his gravel
There was another phase of the
"Spokesman's" backfence snarling
that la bound to disturb the neigh
bor's sleep. It was tantamount to ?
demand that business stop misrep
resenting the government's attitude
?this being the New Deal attitude ?
toward business. That is to say,
there was a veiled charge that busi
ness, which is to say, "the economic
royalists," have been lying about
the government's programs and ob
jectives, no mention being made of
some of the abortive results.
Blcmte T axet for Added
Burden Bonne? Carries
The news dispatches from Hyde
Park made reference to unfair sto
ries about taxes. The "Spokesman"
specifically asserted that business
interests were all wet when they as
serted that federal taxes are heav
ier now than one, three or five years
ago. It struck me as being a queer
complaint, because federal taxes
are higher; there are more of them
in number and the rates on nearly
all the old ones are higher. Treas
ury figures show that the federal
government collected $3,113,000,000
in taxes five years ago. The same
official figures show collections of
more than $4,100,000,000 three years
ago, and in the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1937, the collections were
announced as $5,290,000,000. Then,
on June 30, this year, the official
figures recorded collections of
$6,240,000,000. To be absolutely fair,
it must be considered that business
was at its lowest ebb five years
ago. Hence, tax payments were at
the lowest.
It is important, also, in connec
tion withthe consideration of taxes
to call attention to the federal gov
ernment's budget condition. At the
end of September, when the first
quarter of the fiscal year w&s com
pleted, there was a deficit of more
than $700,000,000. The Treasury had
been called upon to pay out $700,
000,000 more than it had taken in
by way of taxes. If my country
school multiplication still serves
me, there is a deficit indicated for
the current fiscal year of approxi
mately $2,800,000,000 since there are
four quarters in each year. It may
be less ? or it may be more.
No 'Breathing Spell'
Ever Hat Taken Place
In the matter of a truce between
the government and industry, I be
lieve I recall accurately the famous
"breathing spell" of several years
agfe. Roy Howard, the Pittsburgh
and New York newspaper publish
er, wrote a letter in which he told
the President of the need for co
operation between the government
and business and suggested at the
same time how encouraging it
would be if business could be as
sured that government harass
ment of business was at an end. It
I remember, Mr. Roosevelt said in
his reply that the major portion of
his New Deal reforms was complet
ed and there would be a "breathing
spell." It was about that time, too,
that Vice President Garner was re
ported to have said it was time to
let the cattle get fat; that tbey had
been chased around until they were
just skin and bones. He meant, of
course, that if business was going to
expand and re-employ workers, then
on relief, the government must quit
taking everything the employers re
ceived. Well, neither the "breath
ing spell" nor the fattening process
ever has taken place.
Needt tmcouragement r rom
Leader * in Public Life
The "White House Spokesman's"
suggestion about a truce and co
operative effort between business
and government brought a response
from Charles M. Hook, president of
the National Association ol Manu
facturers, who assured the Presi
dent that "there will be no rattling
of sabers as far as the manufac
turers are concerned." He said
there would be an upward surge in
business "if there is encouragement
from leaders in public life." I am
not able to say what is meant by
the "no saber rattling" beyond the
obvious meaning of a willingness
to keep the collective business
mouth shut.
Actually, it appears the crux of
the whole problem is to be found in
the fact that throughout the Roose
velt administration there an many
officials who blab and blab.and hare
little or no idea of the matter they
are discussing, while on the business
side of the fence the fellows who
pop off most are incapable of far
vision.
? W??>rn Unioa.
MEXICO ? Marvel of History
? Long before Columbus, Aztec Indians
lived under a mixed monarchy-democracy
in which might i cat not always right .
Prepared by National Geographic Society,
Washington. D. C.? WNU Service.
AZTEC warriors generally
/-A wore armor made from
*? * quilted cotton, three
fourths to an inch and a half
thick, soaked in brine. Some
times the legs also were en
cased in quilted armor and
the outside of the entire suit
was frequently covered with
feathers, plates of gold, or of
silver, The feathers played
an important part in that they
formed an elastic layer on the
outside of the quilted cotton and
made it even more effective protec
tion.
The protection offered by such ap
parel was so effective against ar
rows and javelins that the Span
iards adopted and wore it The use
of feathers also made possible a
differentiation of costume that in
dicated various subdivisions and
companies in the military forces.
Some uniforms had white and red
feathers, others blue and yellow;
some were green, and others simu
lated actual birds.
Some groups wore animal skins
over their armor or painted it to
resemble animals. Warriors of
merit wore headdresses, half mask,
half helmet, many of which imi
tated the beads of jaguars, moun
tain lions, wolves, snakes, birds, and
other creatures. The principal lead
ers and war chiefs were distin
guished by the cut of their hair, by
lip and nose plugs, by their wide
and flowing mantles, and by tower
ing plumes of green feathers.
Many of the houses were erected
on piles because of the swampy
condition of the city and the fre
quent floods. The walls of the struc
tures in Tenochtitlan and other
towns around the lake were covered
with white plaster or were colored
a dull, rich red.
barly American Beauty
From all accounts it was indeed a
beautiful place. The green of its
numerous trees, the sparkling blue
waters of the surrounding lake and
many canals, the gay splashes of
color from flower beds on the roof
tops and in the gardens, the multi
tude of canoes loaded with products
from the field and garden, and the
brightly hued garments of the popu
lace, all contrasted with the white
and dull red of the buildings.
The daily life of the people was a
busy one. Women were occupied
with numerous household duties.
The rooms and courtyards were
carefully swept and cleaned. Corn,
or maize, was ground to make meal
for the tortillas, even as it is ground
today in many parts of Mexico.
There were rich sauces and other
foods to prepare. -%?*
The older men taught the young
boys. When they became older they
were sent to schools and prepared
for either the priesthood or the
military service, or were appren
ticed to merchants or artisans.
There were schools for girls as well,
but unless they went into one of the
religious orders their education was
not so rigorous as that of the boys.
Girls were married between the
ages of 11 and It, all arrangements
being made by their parents or
priests.
Democratic Government
Whether the entire organization
was a monarchy or a democracy is
largely a matter of definition. Even
after the inheritance of office be
came established, men wtre nom
inally elected to their positions and
when not satisfactory were ousted.
Relies of a civilisation tchich
antedated the coming of tko
Spaniards are shown here. The
pyramids of the sun and the
moon oj San Juan Teotihuacan,
photographed from the air, give
imposing evidence of the indmt
try and ability of the ancient
builders.
There were slaves, but they were
not slaves in the present accepted
sense o f the word. The labor at
people in this group belonged to an
other, but their persons did not, and
it was entirely possible for a (lav*
to have slaves of his own. The
owner of a slave's labor could not
sell it to another person without the
consent of the laborer.
The organization of the city waa
elaborate. After settling on the is
lands the Aztecs separated the area
into four quarters. In each of theaa
was a phratry composed at kindred
peoples or those of common descent.
There were 20 Kin to a phratry.
At the head of each phratry waa
a war captain. These four captains
served on the great council of the
tribe in company with one repre
sentative from each Kin, Elder
Brothers, and certain of the temple
priests. There was a smaller coun
cil, composed of one speaker from
each Kin, which met every 20 days
in a directing and judicial capacity.
Crime and Punishment
There were two major divisions
of crime among the Aztecs. One
was the crime against a person's
own group, the other an offense
against another group. The group
to which an offender belonged waa
obligated to see that he was brought
to justice. Murder was punishable
by death. Intemperance, except for
With carefully carved kmve a
lika these, the domineering
priest s of AUec timet cml out the
hearts of sacrificial victim*.
those who had attained to the age
of 70 years, also carried the death
decree. Theft had varying degrees
of punishment, according to the
amount or nature of the stolen goods
and the number of offenses charged
against the individual. The stealing
of gold or silver was a major crime
and offenders were flayed.
A priest who broke the law was
put to death. Slanderers were pun
ished by their own Kin. They had
their lips cut off.
The legislative power was vested
in the ruler. He laid down the law*
and stipulated the penalties for
violations of his edicts. Each
phratry had a magistrate, elected