The Alamance gleaner
VOL LXTV GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 1939
Weekly News Analysis V
Farley-Garner-Hull Alliance
Arises to Plague White House
By Joseph W. La Bine?
EDITOR'S NOTE?Whoa opinions arm
mxprmami in thorn columns thoj arm thoam
of tbm moors analyst ami mat mmcmasarily mi
White House
As chief of the Works Progress
administration Harry Hopkins has
spent more money than any pre
vious U. S. citizen, yet that was
precisely what Franklin Roosevelt
hired him to do. If this job as fed
eral Santa Claus gave Harry Hop
kins a bad name among conserva
tive Democrats and Republicans,
the bad name grew bigger during
1938's electioneering. But the cam
paign expenditures committee oi
Texas' Sen. Morris Shepard found
Harry Hopkins generally blameless
of using WPA funds for political
purposes.
Considered a spend thrifty scape
grace, Mr. Hopkins is to U. S. busi
ness what a public executioner is to
a pious churchman. With this rep
utation it is therefore considered
bad taste and bad political judg
ment for President Roosevelt to
name Mr. Hopkins secretary of
cammerce. Regardless of Gen.
"Ironpants" Hugh S. Johnson's opin
ion that -Mr. Hopkins will be the
best commerce secretary ever, po
litical observers think the appoint
ment foreshadows a serious, perma
nent rift between Rooseveltian
?Democrats (Hogkjns^ Solicitor Gen
eral Jackson, interior Secretary
Ickes, Brain Truster Corcoran) and
middle-of-the-road Democrats (Vice
President Garner, Postmaster Gen
eral Farley, Secretary of State
Hull). N.
A month ago, when Corner S.
Cummings retired as attorney gen
eral, Chairman Farley warned that
his potent political organization
would be swung to one side or an
other, depending on who was named
to succeed Mr. Cummings. By
choosing Solicitor General Bob Jack
son, President Roosevelt would
show left-wing tendencies and there- |
by lose Farley support. As it hap
pened, the commerce vacancy ap
peared and was filled before Mr.
Roosevelt got around to the attorney
generalship, so this post became
the weathervane. Mr. Farley's cur
rent opinion: That President Roose
velt, by naming Mr. Hopkins, is
boosting him for the presidency in
HMO; that Bob Jackson, the alter
native for 1940, will be named at
torney general; that some New
Dealer, like Michigan's ex-Gov.
Frank Murphy, may get a Supreme
court post. If this happens?and
the wind is now blowing in that di
rection, Farley, Hull, Garner, et al
will bolt from the New Deal.
If these men bolt, there is a possi
bility that either 09-year-old Mr.
Garner or 07-year-old Mr. Hull will
head a presidential ticket in 1940,
with Farley as running mate.
Transportation
Last autumn President Roose
velt's railroad fadt-BDSSg commit
tee ruled against a wage cut to help
sorely pressed carriers on the
ground that its benefits would be
only temporary. But this did not
minimize the problem of high oper
ating costs vs. low income, and the
President agreed to ask congres
sional consideration for any re
adjustment program- railway man
agement and labor might offer.
Ydertbore, just as congress pre
pared to open, a six-man committee
offered its plan, indirectly laying
part of the responsibility at the
President's own doorstep. Tbe com
mittee's explanation at rail trou
. bles: (1) government's favoritism
to competitors, such as barge lines;
(J) lack at centralized transporta
tion regulation.
POLITICIAN FABLET
He witched for ? wethervcne.
The remedy: Regulation of all
forms of transportation by (1) the
interstate commerce commission,
which would fix rates, regulate serv
ices, valuation and accounting; and
(2) an independent transportation
board which wduld handle all other
regulations. Also recommended is
1 a federal transportation court to
handle reorganization plans.
In addition, the committee offered
' four other complaints which could
be remedied by legislation. It asked
removal of restrictions on RFC
loans to carriers, repeal of the
long-and-short haul rate clauses
: (which prevents rails from charg
; ing a lower rate for a long haul
than for a short haul over the same
route in the same direction), elimi
nation of low rates for government
freight, and discontinuation of gov
ernment-operated barge lines.
Briefly, carriers want less red
tape and more efficient government
regulation over their industry.
Against President Roosevelt's prob
able approval of the general pro
gram, observers stack Montana's
Sen. Burton K. Wheeler, interstate
commerce committee chairman.
Defense
The satisfaction of U. S. speech
makers from denouncing Nazi Ger
many is equalled only by Nazi Ger
many's satisfaction in making re
ply. Yet each outburst and retort
invites wider rupture of the already
strained German-American diplo
matic relations, started during No
vember when each nation withdrew
its ambassador over the Jewish per
secution issue. Returning from Eu
rope just as protests and replies
were charging from Berlin to Wash
ington and back, Illinois' Sen. J.
Hamilton Lewis commented that the
U. S. must stop its "hate wave"
against European dictatorship, must
instead substitute peace through
conciliation and conference.
What prompted Mr. Lewis' state
ment was the remark a week earlier
by Secretary of the Interior Harold
S. Ickes, to the effect that Henry
Ford and Col. Charles A. Lindbergh
should be ashamed to "accept a
decoration at the hand of a brutal
dictator (Hitler), who with the same
hand, is robbing and torturing thou
sands of human beings." Result was
a German protest, followed by the
state department's refusal to apolo
gize. This latter action was con
trasted with the hasty apology last
spring when New York's Mayor Fi
orella LaGuardia similarly cursed
Nazidom. Its significance: That the
U. S. has decided to handle Adolf
Hitler with boxing gloves, not kid
gloves.
Such a revolutionary diplomatic
stand requires military-naval back
ing. Last (all, when the European
threat first became imminent. Pres
ident Roosevelt hinted at the desir
ability of a two-ocean navy to five
our Eastern seacoast the protection
now enjoyed at our back door. At
the same time he suggested the
V. S. might enlarge its defense pro
gram to encompass the entire West
ern hemisphere.
Eastward from the Pacific came
the entire fleet (except a small sub
marine and destroyer squadron at
I Honolulu), led tfom the battleship
New Mexico by Admiral Claude O.
Block.
The announced purpose: "To af
ford the maximum amount of fleet
training, training of personnel and
tests of material." Added, un
announced purposes: (1) To focus
U. & attention on naval re
quirements while congress is de
bating armament appropriations;
(2) to stage a show for the benefit
of any ambitious European dictator
who might be watching; (2) to court
Latin-American friendship by show
ing how Uncle Sam's battlewaguus
would protect South America.
ADMIXAL BLOCH
Bafkans
Obviously Italy has resented Ger
many's economic invasion of the
Balkan states, for while the Rome
Berlin axis is her most important
alliance, Italy nevertheless has
long-standing ambitions in Yugo
slavia, Albania and Hungary. There
fore correspondents have watched,
with tongue in cheek while Italy's
Count Galeazzo Ciano, foreign min
ister and son-in-law of Premier Mus
solini, stresses his diplomatic rela
tions with Hungary. While appar
ently attempting to draw Hungary
into the Rone-Berlin axis and the
Italo-German-Japanese anti-commu
nist pact (at expense of the League
of Nations), Count Ciano is probably
more interested in making his Bal
kan neighbors ' dependencies "of
Italy.
Likewise, Rome has watched with
interest Yugoslavian Premier Mi
lan Stoyadinovitch's victory in the _
December general election, which
probably paves the way for a Yugo
slavian Fascist state. While Count
Ciano works on Stoyadinovitch, that
gentleman has crawled into his
shell to wait the outcome of Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain's Jan
uary conference with Premier Mus
solini If Mussolini emerges vic
torious, Yugo-Slavia will probably
lead the Balkans in a pro-Italian
movement; if he loses, the anxious
Balkarib will line up with Western
democracies.
For Great Britain and France, who
also covet Balkan friendship, a mes
siah has appeared in Grigore Ga
fencu, 47-year-old World war flier
named as Rumanian foreign min
ister. Once an influential Bucharest
newspaper man, Gafencu has long
advocated closer co-operation
among Yugo-Slavia, Hungary and
Bulgaria, thereby averting depend
ency on either Germany or Italy.
Germany
Since German policies began ar
tagonizing world democracies, tlx
obvious prediction has maintainec
that German foreign trade would
suffer. It then follows that Ger
many must increase her domestic
production to become independent
of foreign imports. The difficulty of
the task was first emphasized in
late November when Col. von Scbell
was named "general plenipotenti
ary" of the automobile industry to
speed production and standardiza
tion, and institute necessary eco
nomic measures. A few days later
Dr. Karl Lange was given similar
powers over Germany's machine in
dustry. Next came Dr. Fritz Todt
as "general plenipotentiary" in
charge of all road building.
Always closely supervised, Ger
man industry will now feel official
domination even more severely.
How an apparently communistic
method of industrial overlordahip
will work in a nation which still
supports private enterprise, remains
to be seen.
ITALY'S COUNT CIANO
For the cause, or for Italy?
Great Britain
A solidified empire is the United
Kingdom's goal since Nazi-Fascist
states began threatening her posi
tion Among the empire's weakest
features is the string of miscel
laneous possessions centering in the
Caribbean sea, who individually and
collectively have thus far received
too little attention from London.
One of them, Jamaica, recently
heard agitation for annexation by
the U. S Still more recently it was
suggested that Great Britain might
pay its $4,000,000,000 war debt by
ceding her 'Caribbean islands to
the U. S.
Belatedly recognizing some valu
able property, London now proposes
to group all the West Indies into a
new dominion. Its composite parts;
British Honduras, Bahamas, Jamai
ca, Leeward islands. Windward is
lands, Barbados, Trinidad, British
Guiana, Kingston, centrally located
capital of Jamaica, would be do
minion headquarters.
The United Kingdom's new em
pire would include 3-4PO.OPP people,
mostly descendants of one-time Ne
gro slaves, who depend chiefly on
agriculture Main trouble point the
past year has been Kingston, where
a royal investigating rommiasion
was recently welcomed by a strike
at gas workers, throwing the entire
city into ilsili>ssst
Brackarf t Washington Digest
Unusual Coincidence Attends
Visit of Governor of Nebraska
Executive of State Without Debt Appears at Moment
Treasury Announce Huge Federal Debt; Spend Less
When Income Drops, Cornhusker Formula.
By WILLIAM BRUCKART
WNU 8?rriee, Nation*! Fran Bldf., Waihtnftmi. D. C.
WASHINGTON'.?Gov. R. L. Coch
ran af Nebraska visited Washington
recently. Governors of states get
around to Washington visits every
now and then, but in the case of
Governor Cochran's visit, there was
a very unusual coincidence. On the
day of his arrival, the treasury de
partment happened to make public
its routine monthly statement of the
national debt and expenditures. It
was late in December, so the treas
ury statement served to mark half
of the federal government's fiscal
year.
There was, of course, nothing
spectacular about the fact that the
treasury issued a debt statement.
The government has lots of debt.
But it was spectacular, even sensa
tional, that the treasury statement
of that day should reveal a new high
record for the national debt on the
day of arrival of one of the state
governors, the chief executive of a
state that has no state debt. Not a
penny does the state of Nebraska
owe. It bound itself by its constitu
tion never to accumulate a state
debt and, further, it restricted its
counties and cities in the amount of
debt they can create.
Some may disagree with me but
I was very much impressed with
the facts in the case of these two
political jurisdictions. Our national
government now is in debt to the
staggering amount of $39,500,000,000
in direct obligations, and if one "adds
the outstanding bonds and notes of
agencies and government-owned
corporations which amount to about
$5,000,000,000, your Uncle Samuel
some way, some how, must pay
nearly $45,000,000,000. And this at
a time when one of ita states, Ne
braska, does not owe a thin dime!
Governor Explain* How
Hi, Statc Kept Oat of Dobt
I had quite a conversation with
Governor Cochran who was elected
for the third successive term only
last November?being one of two
Democratic governors in northern
j states to be re-elected?about how
j the state had come through the de
pression with taxes low and no state
debt.
I reminded him that most every
: other state had added to its debt;
that taxes were higher and new
taxes were added in even' direc
tion, and yet Nebraska, with many
; of the same problems, had kept its
record clear. So, exactly what is
the answer?
"The answer is very simple," the
governor replied. "It is so. simple
that there is hardly a news story in
it.
"It has been the policy of my
administrstion to cut the cloth to
j fit?cut it to what we could pay for.
If our state income was due to be
less. I insisted that we spend less.
After all, I guess that is your an
swer?spend leas when you have less
income."
How about thoae taxes?
"Well, it's much the same story,"
Mr. Cochran went on. "We (eel
that agriculture and manufacturing,
retailing and service, every kind of
industry, has a right to survive. I
believe those engaged in it have a
right to a reasonable profit, a
reward tor their work and efficiency
in that work. Every time a new tax
is added it comes out of the whole
people. This statement that taxes
can be shifted around is an the
bunk. The whole people is going
to pay and it ia unfair for a state
government to take everything. The
state exists for the people; not the
people for a state."
Shoes* Result* of Minority
Pressure Prom Massy Angles
1 called the governor's attention
that in the current fiscal year, the
national government is scheduled to
spend something like $9,000,000,000
whereas its income, at the most,
win hardly exceed Ave billions. The
observation struck fire.
"That's what you get for letting
government go into fields where it
does not belong," he shot back.
"There you have the results of mi
nority pressure from many angles.
In my campaign last fall, I told
every audience tfeat I had been
taught it was wrong for a candidate
to buy votes with his own money
and I think it is worse to buy votes
with other people's money or tax
payers' money.
"And here is something for you
to think about; as long as you plan
on pensions or aids or security or
whatever name the thing la?if you
plan on Used amounts to pay peo
ple?however deserving they may
be, you are going to have pressure
for more and more. What must be
done is the nation must face the
facts?call this stuff what it is call
it charity, and make it unpopular.
Unless you do, the thing that facae
this country is a huge population of
panhandlers."
Within a few days after Governor
Cochran's visit, word was given out
at the White House that President
Roosevelt will send a special mes
sage to congress early in the new
session, asking that the social aa-*
curity act be broadened te cover
more people. The act, as it stands,
was described as having many in
equities, many injustices, and it
might have been added safely that
it contains many impossibilities.
Senator Vandenberg, Michigan Re
publican, long has complained about
some of these and he has urgently
called for amendment of the law's
provision that would set up a "re
serve fund/' This reserve fund, cal
culated to reach the fantastic figure
of $47,000,000,000, eventually, is sup
posed to be invested and the interest
from that investment is supposed
to be enough to pay the old age
pensions, etc.
Social Security Money Coee
Into Treaeury General Fund
The Michigan aenator repeatedly
has sought information from the so
called experts as to how this money
could be invested in government se
curities, and has had no answer.
The truth is that there has been no
cash reserve set up at all. The
money paid in for social security
tax has gone into the treasury's
general funds to be appropriated
and spent like any other dollars.
And the further truth is that if
there had to be full payment now,
congress would have to appropriate
other money to pay it.
There is no way to forecast what
is going to come out of the congress
on the President's projected propos
al. In some quarters, one hears
declarations that congressional in
vestigation of the whole cobwebby
situation is the only way to arrive
at a Arm foundation. Other places
are sources for observations to the
effect that the federal government
can not handle charity or pensions
or assistance matters of any kind
without stinking fumes coming
therefrom.
Adverting again to what may
come from the all of the discussion
concerning social security, one can
not ignore the possibility of a whole
sale revision of the law so that a
fixed monthly sum will be paid to
persons attaining some stated ad
vanced age. There were too many
members of the house and too many
members of the senate elected last
November after having hinted they
were favorable to such a course
when they were hunting for votes.
As a matter of fact, there are prob
ably about 100 house members who
pledged themselves outright to vote
some type of Towneeud plan or who
said they would support a modifica
tion of the present law to provide
early and large cash payments.
Amd Loans to Europoon
Commit iot Romaxn Unpaid
At I bear these various plana dis
cussed and as I bear other wsyi of
spending money projected, I am
mora and more impressed with the
sound thinking of Nebraska's Gov
ernor Cochran. Where is all of this
money coming from? I have neither
the mooey, nor the answer.
la the midst of all of this, what
should be catapulted upon the scene
but a proposal to loan money to the
Central and South Americans. The
idea is to loan them money and
help them buy products of the Unit
ed States?and thus keep the Euro
peans out of our neighbor countries.
I do not know enough about the pro
gram to analyze it because it is a
far-fetched and intricate scheme.
Probably, we ought to do something
to keep the Americas for the Amer
icans. but it was only December 18
that we were reminded again that
the United States loaned something
tike 8ti^Ci.?0,000 to a flock of Eu
ropean nations to help make the
world safe for democracy.
On December 18, according to the
treasury figures, than was a little
over $2,000.000.000 of that moosr
48
Speaking of Sports
Winter Sports
Show Healthy
Growth in U. S.
By ROBERT McSHANE
NJ OT many year* ago the average
A American's program of winter
?ports was confined to the closest
vacant-lot skating rink, or to the
more adventuresome, an evening of
dare-devil tobogganing oc a gently
graded slope down which a circus
fat woman could navigate safely.
AH that has changed. No longer
does the well-bundled witness of a
high school ski meet look upon
himself as a rough and ready ath
lete. No, indeed. Today he dons a
pair of skis or skates and partici
pates almost as actively in winter
sports as in golf or tennis. v.
Millions of Americana now forsake
the fireside in favor of the skating
poods and aid slopes. And they
don't go merely to watch. They take
an active part.
Ski Enthusiasts Increase"
The steady growth in the popular
ity of elding is an example of this
trend. A bulletin issued by the Na
tional Sports Council of Chicago
ghrea an interesting survey of this
increased popularity. It states:
"Mere than SM.Mt people wffl
take part la the sport this winter
throng bout the snow belt that covers
two-thirds of the United States from
Mates to California.
"The major' reason behind this
phenomenal growth of popular in
terest in skiing is that .it has been
made easier for the beginner. For
the overage participant, there has
been e shift from the spectacular
sport of ski-jumping to the more
popular sport of down-hill aid run
ning on slopes and trails."
This, however, doesn't mean that
ski-jumping is losing the public's
favor. On the contrary, more peo
ple than ever are interested in
watching the experts demonstrate
their prowess. It does mean that
it is possible tor the average per
son of both sexes to enjoy them
selves on skis without being com
pletely skilled in the art of jumping.
Facilities Improved
Another important factor is that
more areas and facilities far skiing
to safe and practical aiding eqeip
ment and lighter, warmer and mare
serviceable winter clothing ere be
Snowshoeing. coasting and tobog
gnning are holding their traditional
popularity, and are adding new en
thusiasts all the time as people turn
more and more to the outdoors.
Their simplicity makes them ideal
for tha beginning winter sportsman.
Tha campaign promoted by the
National Sports Council encourages
people to take part personally in
some sport or recreation as an
antidote to the American habit of
taking sports vicariously by sitting
at a radio or by getting a second
hand view at tha movies.
Sport Shorts
DIG TEN officials are convinced
u that the camera falls short as a
solution of football disputes or fouls
, . . . Both the New York Yanks and
Giants refuse to play ball under
lights next season . . . More than
1,000 prep teams played six-man
football last season ... Pie Traynor
agree* with sport*
writers who picked
hi* Pittsburgh Pi
rate* as tha biggest
disappointment of
tha. year. Tha Pi
rates kicked away
the National league
pennant in the teal
weak of the season
. . . Bob Grade and
Bill Thorns, mem
ber* at the Chicago
Blackhawka hockey
team, are brother*
in-law . . . uaouy nuaen Hectares
tha Chicago Cuba are stronger now
than they were when ha took over
managerial reins . . . Jack Tid
ball is teaming with Gene Ifako to
replace Don Budge . . . the 1819
Senior Professional Golfer's associa
tion tournament will be held in Sara
sota, Fla When Lou Nova meets
Joe Louis he'll box, not fight, the
champion . . . Archie Compston, fa
mous British golfer, is making the
tournament rounds again after a
two-year layoff because of illness
. . . England's golfers believe 1818
saw the end of the era of great club
swingers from the United States ...
No. 1 sport trend of the year was in
creased attendance at professional
football games . . . Sports writers
of the nation dislike post season bowl
football... Phil If flier, French Lick,
Ind., was North America's highest
average trap shooter in 18*.
, ... ** : d'tzMm
PVi Tray?r
I . .
Heavyweight Threat
"Though ^ MoTm> California's
outstanding contribution to tha
boxing world, clearly deserved his
recent ill-round victory over Tommy
Put, it is quite evident that ha is
not yet ready tor the bis boas?
Heavyweight Champion Joe Inula.
eool?Va8u?"liis faetwesfc and aver
flght with the" rnuStOawwTWr??
and ha didn't get his saeaaA wind
dnriy that antraveiad rants ants
criticized Ray Car
lin, Nova'i manager
for nuhing the kid
against Parr, de
clared after the Aght
that Lou la muscle
bound, and Oat al
though he is a food
fighter, maybe a
great one, his fight
ing days are num
bered.
The Los Angeles
heavyweight has im
Gene Taney
proved ? great deal since he fought
Gunnar Barhind. His punching is
sharper, his accuracy has improved,
and he keeps his head. Even his
footwork is better, though it still
leaves something to be desired.
Boxing critics in general blasted
Carlin for rushing his white hops.
But they were all pleasantly sur
prised with Nova's recent showing,
and expressed surprise at Referee
Eddie Joseph's calling the bout a
draw.
It may be that Nova is the fighter
with Joe Louis' number. He has
the heart, and with a tew more 16
rouTVibouts in the "win" column he
will be^even more dangerous.
Tennis Prophet
THE dark, murky curtain at
* gloom surrounding foe tennis
world was penetrated by a tew rays
of shining light recently when Bobby
Riggs, America's top-ranking ama
teur tennis player since Don Budge
turned pro, declared that the U. 8.
has a fifty-fifty chance of keeping
the Davis cup.
Ha sajs the cup
will remain in our
poaaession if the
first-flight candidates
tor the team "get
into perfect condi
tion and make every
effort to reach their
peak for the inter
national matches."
The United States
will unquestionably
have a goad team.
Thoafh Bodje will
b? missiac, pUjers
of the caliber of Goh Hike, Bltay
Grant, Sid Wood, Joo Boat, Elwood
Cooke and Frank Eeraes piaitde
material foe a atroag, and maybe
unbeatable, team. UfP Hats them
all aa definite cop pooaibtbtlea la
the ainclee.
"In the doublea," be ate ted, "the
only thing to do ia give all teratoma
a chance to ahow their atuff, then
pick the one with the best record.
? Western Nwwapapcr Union.
1 ,LL- ?I...
DOODJ
Pocket Billiards
By CHARLES C. PETERSON
President. Ksttooal BfflUrd Assoctatfsa
of Aaxrtcs and World's Trick
pEE
N
? ???? ???? ' ? ?
y> Lpj. .
Linn No. U
Thto diagram Am a hr?nk- ,
break iM
Here we have a very treacherous
break. If the player la not cautious
he will likely is a majority at cases
cause his cue ball to CO into thu
corner pocket. To prevent this, spe
cial care should be tdken to strike
the object ball as designated. In
this particular shot the atiuklng at
the cue ball is of great importance.
Hold the cue asje^^poaajbia end