The Alamance gleaner
VoL LXV . GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1939
-?Weekly News Analysis
Nazi, Argentine Trade Plans
Threaten American Program
By Joseph W. La Bine?
EDITOR'S NOTE?When opinions art
expressed la ttmaa oohtmm. tbej at? tboaa
at tba news analyst. and mat necessarily
Trade
Today's high pressure internation
al salesmanship runs counter to tile
reciprocal trade program of U. S.
Secretary of Statf Cordell Hull. De
voted to the cause of low tariffs
and "most-favored-nation" pacts.
Secretary Hull's idealistic and hon
est efforts fnuat compete .With such
devices as the German barter plan
and a series of mi^ti-csplored trade
ideas which emerge a'rtrfually from
congress' halls. This month Mr.
Hull saw his beloved program
threatened on several fronts:
Argentine. Of all South American
governments, that at Buenos Aires
is least friendly with the U. S. At
Lima's Pan-American conference
Argentina spoiled- President "Roose
velt's. "continental solidarity" dec
laration by. charging that the dis
graceful poticy of "dollar imperial
ism" was still rampant, wt Be
real roots of this dislike are com
monplace things like hOof-and
mouth disease, drouth and depres
sion.
An Agreement was reached in 1935
providing for U. S. import of cattle
from Argentine sections not infect
ed with hoof-and-mouth disease.
But congress failed to ratify it.
In 1937 drouth and temporary JJ. S.
prosperity forced heavy imports
from Argentina. This business
dropped With a thud in 1938's re
cession, far faster than Argentina
ARMOUR'S PRESIDENT CABELL
Urn didn't want Ctma hmrmontctx.
curtailed her imports from the U.
S. Result has been a trade imbal
ance and subsequent strengthen
ing of Argentine exchange control
against the U. S., encouraged by
Germany's increasing willingness to
swap machinery for Argentine food
stuffs. This sentiment reached a
climax with Argentina's declara
tion that Imports from the U. S.
must be reduced to the level of
193S-36. Faced with a 40 per cent
slash in exports. Secretary Bull
may be forced to dangle juicy trade
plums before Argentina's eyes, se
riously endangering the rest of his
reciprocal program.
Germany. Barter trade like Nazi
Germany's is allowed in the U. S.
provided it does not interfere with
the "moat-favored-nation" plan. But
artificial currency devices like Ger
man payment for D. S. goods with
"trade marks" (good only for pur
chase of Nazi goods) are taboo.
Mi^-Febftary found U. S. lard
prices low and likely to drop still
more when the ?priilg hog run
starts. Meanwhile Germany hun
gered for fats. Putting two and two
together, German trade experts be
gan contacting midwest packers to
swap lard for machinery.
Thought the Reich apparently pro
gressed oil. two deals, most packers
turned their, backs, uninterested.
Recalled sfas the experience of one
firm which 'arranged a ewap deal
with Germany etiual years ago,
only to find itself btndencd .with sev
eral thousand Nazi hSrmdnicas.
Typical was the comment of R. H.
Cabell, presMenL of Aamoar and
Company, wtvdttadaNdthS bid tft
simply stating that "the big peak
ing houses ape net interested in ban
tering, but itt. the sale of products
at market rates.** Next day pack
ers were pleased to adtt that lard
futures weiV selling up, tftlt Mr.
Hull could not fail to not* that the
Nazi program has made progress.
Agriculture. Crux ef the "cedt
of production" farm bill now bnim
congress is- that domestically earn
sumed products shall have a -*d
aiasa-at'-siax
would bring. Whatever the bill's
merits, Mr. Hull presumably re
gards it as an artificial trade bar
rier in the field at agricultural
trade, which would be reflected in
other branches of commerce. If
"cost-of-producth?" fails, the state
department must still hurdle a sec
ond new farm measure which would
extend governmental loans on three
major crops (cotton, wheat, corn)
equivalent to three-fohfihs the
"parity price"?an amount higher
than the current market price.
Farmers would then be expected to
turn their crops over to the gov
ernment for the loan price. Do
mestically consumed products
would sell at'not less than the loan
price. With surpluses the U. S.
would attempt to recapture its lost
foreign markets.
? Significance. Though world eco
nomic satisfaetfch rhkst be - a pre
lude to permanent world peace (an
important principle in the Hull pro
gram), each nation seeks to further
its own admittedly selfish interest
with self-preservation as a justifica
tion. Still to come is the showdown
in which nations will decide whether
world problems will be settled via
economic treaties, at the expense
of selfish aims, or via force, at an
other kind of expense.
Defense
-hast- Decembai President Ttuuue
velt's arms expansion program had
more foes than friends in the still
to-convene seventy-sixth congress.
Two months later it had more
friends, thanks to clever White
House publicity maneuvers and a
lot of saber-rattling in Europe. The
house passed 367 to IS an adminis
tration bill to spend $376,000,000 ex
tra on defense the next two years.
(Same day. Great Britain voted
about $1,000,000,000 more for arms.)
Chief features are boosting the
army's aviation force to 5,300 first
line planes and making the Pan
ama canal impregnable. Certain of
passage was the Vinson naval ex
pansion bill to spend $68,000,000 an
naval air and submarine bases.
But there was little unity in this
new strength. CloSely allied to re
armament is the problem of U. S.
military alliances with other de
mocracies, since the threat that in
spired American rearmament is the
same threat that makes France and
Britain jittery. After a California
air crash revealed U. S. manufac
turers were selling military planes
to France, after President Roose
velt denied telling a senate nHlitary
affairs committee that U. S. "fron
tiers are in France," the White
House-congress foreign policy de
bate came out in full bloom. Ques
tions: (1) Shall the U. S. keep its
foreign policy secret? (2) Is Pres
ident Roosevelt risking involvement
in war through secret international
deals?
After a week's debate there pre
sumably were no longer any secrets
about either the French deal or the
administration's foreign policy. Ac
SENATOR JOHNSON
He ntmnud WUtt Horn? r?tntmeM.
tual cause of the rumpus was ap
parently removed, but not congres
sional resentment
Thundered California's Sen. Hi
ram Johnson: "No epithets applied
to senators or newspapers will re
lieve the situation pf its secrecy
. . There is: resentment among
the administration that anybody
should- sole the facts. But if there
comes a war it wifl not be idaght
by the PreSidant alone ..."
Facts themselves are startling.
Faced with D. S. 'military orders
under the new defense bill; plane
manufacturers already have their
ing Wtth t25.000.0n0 in 183fl. plane
???,3k5S
France and Britain have ordered
1,300 ships.
Europe
In modem Europe no month to
complete without its crisis. Janu
ary's crisis was Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain's visit to
Rome. February's was the fall of
Barcelona and its decisive implica
tions. In March the crisis will again
center on Spain if three signs mean
anything:
(1) Germany and Italy have
helped Spain's Insurgents win their
battle thus far, France and Eng
land siding with Loyalists because
they were anti-Fascist. Today, with
Loyalists on the run, Britain has
granted de facto recognition to
Gen. Francisco Franco's Insur
gents, encouraging France to fall
in line. Obviously a policy of ex
pediency, the Anglo-French overture
to accompanied by financial offers
to help rebuild Spain. In wooing
Franco, Paris and London will posi
tively arouse the Rome-Berlin axis
to new wrath.
(2) Combined British home fleets
will maneuver around Gibraltar in
March, just as Germany completes
its most thorough mobilization since
last autumn's much-feared troop
concentration. Meanwhile Italy to
GEN. JOSE MIAJA
Bii SOOflOO againsi 1 ftOOftOO.
doubling its garrison in Libya (ad
joining France's African Tunisia) as
an admitted step in retaliation
against reputedly increased Tuni
sian garrisons.
(2) Closer conformation of Anglo
French policy is seen in London's
declaration to help Paris in event
of war, also in Britain's de facto
recognition of Insurgent Spain while
awaiting official French action.
Such parallel policies, coupled with
the bold British decision to spend
91,000,000,000 more on armament,
illustrate how Europe's two de
mocracies are drawing closer togeth
er and preparing to meet the next
totalitarian demands. Probably
these demands will be Italian terri
torial claims against France, com
ing immediately after the Spanish
war.
Meanwhile that war has gone
merrily on its way as Gen. Jose
Miaja finds himself practically the
boss of Loyalist Spain's civil and
military branches. With an esti
mated 900,000 unenthusiastic sol
diers under his command. General
Miaja recently heard that his friend
General Franco was about to
charge against Valencia and Ma
drid with 1,000,000 men.
Labor
In Washington John L. Lewis
could peek at the calendar for
March realizing it probably held the
fate of his Congress for Industrial
Organization. At the core of trou
ble is United Automobile Workers j
of America, torn during January
when President Homer Martin
simultaneously resigned and was
booted from C. I. O.'s executive !
board. Reason: U. A. W. under- j
lings thought Mr. Martin was con
niving for personal control of Ford
Motor company's heretofore inde
pendent labor vote, while Mr. Mar
tin thought C. I. O. was turning
communistic. Now split in two
factions, U. A. W. opens a pro
Martin convention in Detroit during
early March, and an anti-Martin
parley in Cleveland March 2ft
First victory was scored by the
Martin faction when property of U.
A. W.'s Plymouth local (Detroit)
was pulled from court custody and
returned to Martin cohorts.
"fo rumors that he might lead U.
A. W. into alliance with William
Green's American Federation of
Lab sr. Mr. Martin answered with
an' emphatic negative. Daily win
ning public support from such Lew
is liehchmcn, as Sidney Hillman
and Philip Murray, Mr. Martin
stands a good chance of emerging
not only Mr undttpMBd head at V.
A. W;. but as leader in a C. L O.
conservative movement.
People
LdMbscow, Secretary Earl Braw
der of the American Communist
Cefek'a Col. Fulgencio 1Batista ?d
Mexico's President^ LamroCar
Brackarf t Washington Digest
Age-Old Fight Between President
And Senate in Vicious Revival
Current Squabble, Involving Senators Glass and Byrd,
Invited by President Himself; Mr. Roosevelt's Attempt
To Discipline Senate Serious Political Mistake.
By WILLIAM BRUCKART
WNC Service, National Press Bid*., Washington, D. C.
WASHINGTON. ? Through nearly
all of our nation's history, there
has been a continuing controversy
concerning the respective rights and
prerogatives of the President of the
United States and the senate. It
has alternately smouldered and
burst into flame. It has been char
acterized by vicious outbursts from
one side or the other at various
times and it has made or destroyed
the political fortunes of a great
many men.
Washington has been regaled with
a fresh revival of the controversy in
the last several weeks. The funda
mental differences are the same as
they always have been. There are,
however, new names and new faces
and obviously the political fortunes
of individuals who have entered
upon the public stage in recent years
arc bound up in the boiling kettle.
Like the earlier embitterments over
these rights, this one will prove
nothing in the way of a tangible
solution.
The current fight must be said to
have been invited by President
Roosevelt. Perhaps, his course of
action was urged by some of the
"inner circle," which so often has
wrongly advised him lately, men
who do not know politics and who
ignore political history?but the fact
remains that the President carried
the fight to the senate, and there
are more than a few observers who
expect that he will come off a bad
loser.
Mr. Roosevelt, as I have reported
in these columns earlier, was insist
ing upon his own selection for po
litical appointments where the sena
tors from a particular state were
not receiving his smiles. The pro
cedure was not pleasant but there
was no sensational outcry from the
senators concerned until the nomi
nation of Judge Floyd Roberts, to a
United States district judgeship, was
sent to the senate. Mr. Roberts
was picked without consultation?
even over others recommended?
with Senators Glass and Byrd of
Virginia. It proved to be the signal
for a riot.
Advisers neck one a not
With Senatorial Courtesy
Alter the manner of senate pro
cedure. Senators Glass and Byrd
rose in their places in the senate
and pronounced Judge Roberts
"personally offensive" to them.
That was enough. The senate, as it
has done so many times before,
promptly rejected the Roberts nom
ination by the terrific jolt of 73 to 9.
It was such a slap that eren the
Virginia senators were surprised at
its overwhelming character. It
surely made the fact abundantly
clear that Mr. Roosevelt could not
get away with his theory namely,
that a President can pick nominees
without "the advice and consent of
the senate" as the Constitution spec
ifies. But it did not have that effect.
And here was where the President
made a great political mistake. He
sought to discipline the senate by
publication of a letter to Judge Rob
erts in explanation of the senate's
action. He scored Senator Glass and
he tarred Senator Byrd. They were
almost guilty of conduct unbecoming
gentlemen.
It was rumored that the strategy
of the "inner circle" was to have
Mr. Roosevelt smear the two sena
tors and thus create a serious defec
tion in their own political machines
in their native Virginia?which any
one acquainted with Virginia poli
tics will tell you is much easier
said than done.
But the President and his un
trained political advisers reckoned
not with senatorial courtesy. Now,
senatorial courtesy is an intangible
thing. No one ever has been able
to define or describe it. One simply
has to say that it exists and let time
prove the statement. The proof al
ways can be found, and the action
of the senate on the Roberts nomi
nation, and since, certainly seems to
demonstrate that the senators will
fight for their rights, or what they
believe to be their rights, on a col
lective basis. Each sticks by the
others; none knows when he may
need the same kind of help.
Smm(? /? Thoroughly
Embittered at Roeeevelt
Thus, after several weeks of this
bade and forth because
Senators Glass and Byrd did not fail
;i
to tell the country whet they thought
of Mr. Rooseveit'e action?we find
the senate thoroughly embittered at
Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Roosevelt
saying,- repeatedly, that the senate
is trying te usurp the powers of the
Chief Executive. As I said, that
fundamental difference has existed
since the formation of ouf govern
ment. It is going to continue to ex
ist because of the form of our gov
ernment, its system of checks and
balances, and K will exist as long
as our system of political parties ob
tains.
Coldly and without bias, it must
be said that each side to the battle
predicates its conclusions and con
ception of its rights upon a thirst for
more power. Mr. Roosevelt, as
President, conceives that he should
be boss; the senators, as representa
tives of sovereign states, conceive
that they are the elected represent
atives and they are not going to
have- a single lraHvlflual," evin
though it be the President of the
United States, dehorn them of the
strength that an election by popular
vote gives them.
Moreover, the President must do
political knitting. He must keep the
weave as free of knots as is possi
ble. In the case of the present in
cumbent, it is quite apparent that he
desires to be complete boss of his
political structure. He had a taste
?indeed, a full meal?of.it for Bve
years tphen a subservient congress
vastly earned the sobriquet of rub
ber stamps. I imagine that he liked
it; anyone would, if that person is
really human.
Old luit Democrat* Sock
To Regain Party Control
Nor are the senators, not Just
Glass and Byrd alone, but all of
them, blameless, if one desires to
turn purist. The senators have their
political machines. They seek al
ways to keep those machines well
oiled, smooth running. Upon the
functioning of the machines depends
whether the senators can be re
elected time after time; upon that
machine depends the retention or
the loss of the power which every
politician loves. I imagine they can
not be blamed for that, any more
than the President can be blamed
for wanting to keep his hand on the
throttle, niat is politics.
Selection of the men to judicial
Jobs, or to any other political post
in the nature of a plum, is vital to
maintenance of machines. Politic
cians continue as leaders only so'
long as they can dominate the scene
and get for their followers the things
their followers want
But in the current battle there is
somewhat deeper disagreement be
tween the senate and the President
It is too well known to warrant more
than mere reference here that old
line Democrats are determined to
regain control of the Democratic
party label. They have had more
than enough unpractical direction
from the regiment of college pro
fessors, crack-pots and long haired
dreamers without political training.
Many of them will tell you unhesi
tatingly that continuation of Demo
cratic party control in the hands of
such men will be destruction of the
party and its conversion into a ve
hicle guided by socialists, commu
nists and a complete rainbow of
colors. Naturally, they want to ad
here to Democratic doctrines and
Democratic principles. And that is
the line of cleavage.
The result? I doubt that Mr.
Roosevelt can win over the senate.
Wanta J ad go, Who Witt
Be Friendly to New Deal
The other phase of the difference*
is less clear. I can report it only
as the belief of quite a few sena
tors. Some of them believe it, defi
nitely. I give it here simply as ?
subject for thought.
By insisting upon his own choice
of nominees for judgeships in the
federal courts, Mr. Roosevelt is at
tempting to place men in the ju
diciary who will be friendly to all i
of the New Deal laws, or so some
members of the senate and the
house firmly believe. That is to say,
the belief is held that Mr. Roosevelt
is seeking to do by use of the ap
pointive power that which the con
gress refused him the power to do i
when it killed off his scheme to
pack the Supreme court.
Speakin/j of Sports
Varied Sports ,
Show Planned j
For Exposition
By ROBERT McSHANE !
IN THE distant future, when the [
1 curtain rings down on San Fran- (
Cisco's Golden Gate exposition, Cal- ,
ifornia will have staged a sports (
program huge enough to exhaust
the high powered adjectives of even
the most fluent publicist of the Gold
en state. The western World's fair
sports show will be nothing short
of colossal.
Modest natives admit that as ex
position ever thought sports so im
portant, and none ever lavished
one-third as much money and ef
fort on an athletic program.
"But this is California, where
sport is more important than any
where else in the world," shyly ad
mits Major Art McChrystal, direc
tor of the program. "We won't
have any world champion prize
fights, and no All-Star baseball
game as will the New York fair,
but 90 per cent of our events will
be in the exposition grounds, not
off over town somewhere."
The so-called minor sports will be
staged in a swift sneeession of
events, and will include everything
from yacht racing to the National
Open championship for horseshoe
pitchers. And perhaps fair diree- i
tors are smart in opt running a
championship priso-Aght ? Unless
contenders show remarkable im
provement the horseshoe pitchers
would easily provide more excite
ment
Indoor polo will be housed in a
coliseum seating 9,000 people
around a ring 230 feet long and 100
feet wide. In this coliseum, too,
will be seen box lacrosse, the ama
teur rage of Canada.
The N. C. A- A. basketball cham
pionship for west of the Mississippi
river will be held in the coliseum,
as will an indoor track champion
ship.
The International champions hip
six-day bicycle races will he held
March U to U, the National indoor
championship in fencing will he
beid in tarn, the National singles
and doubles in handball May 1H9.
the lawn bowling championship
September I9-1S and the volley ball
championship May 1S-M.
There are other championships to
be determined, but they are too
numerous to mention. The good
major has gone to the trouble of in
venting new sports so that additional
championships can be awarded.
Darned unselfish, these Californians.
Dodger rurchase
A NNEXATION of three Yankee
** chain baseball players by the
Dodgers was announced recently by
Larry McPhail, general manager of
the Brooklyn club, who stated that
Pitchers Kemp Wicker and Jack La
Rocca and Catcher
Chria Hartje cost
them the tidy little
turn of 180,000?
with no discount
Wicker, M years
aid, la the only
member ef the re
cently pnrehased
trie whe possesses
a Mf learne record.
He was with the
Yankees for a white
In ltd, winning
seven and losing
three fames. The
lint year be wan seven sad test
tore far the Newark Bean, member
el the Yankee striae- Darin* the
past pear he was with Kansas City,
another Yankee anit, finishing with
nine victories and an equal anas
bcr of dcfttU.
Hartje and La Rocca also are
Kansas City grads. A lame arm
hampered La Rocca last season,
getting him off to a late start His
final record was six wins and five
defeats. Hartje batted .289 for the
Blues.
A rumor that Branch Rickey,
general manager of the St Louis
Cardinals, would sever his present
connections and hook up with Mc
Phail in the purchase of the Brook
lyn club was effectively spiked
when Rickey termed the rumor
"wild talk with no element of
truth."
Larry
McPhall
Sport Shorts
Shortstop Hurray Franklin bat
ted .439 in the Mountain State i
league. North Carolina, to win the
Louisville Slugger trophy . . . Hunt
ing licenses numbering 8,860,010 and
costing $11,348,006 were issued in
the United States and Canada dur
ing 1931 . . . The Green Bay Pack
ers will play a team of southern
college all-stars next tall if the pro
circuit approves . . . Paul Wearly
of Muncie, Ind., set a world's rec
ord for Class A outboard motor
boats of 44.117 miles per hour at
Lakeland, Fla.
.
Promoter King
When C. C. (Cash and Carry) ?
* * Pyls, most spectacular pro
moter of the final years of epos la*
golden decade, died at his Los An
geles home recently, he left h-hertt
age of fantastic ventures telly as
exciting as the wildest dime noveL
Pyle's fertile ta>a?testiaa led Mai ?
te see the possibilities if cashing la
on Harold (Bed) Grange's gridiron I
ability. He first achieved uSnk
wide attention when he toah the '?
asrs
career in professional footbafi.
During the winter of IDS, with
Grange as the teain attract
ryie and the Chica
go Bears launched a
highly successful
tour. Grange gal
loped up and down
football fields in an
parts of the coun
try. When they re-,
turned to Chicago in
February, 1938, Pyle
and Grange had
harvested more
than $100,000.
His most unusual
promotion was the
famous "Banian
Derby or 1838, in which atmostr, j
100 runners, yOung and old, started' jj
out on a transcontinental run from r,
Los Angeles to JJew York, with Pyle
riding comfortably alongside. -- '
This first darby. Wis* as a 9M>
attraction, with a W.M parse la
Ill tethc winner, led to anmeroos
law salts, which reputedly east Pyle
IM.OW. However, friends of Pyla
maintain that of all his schemes,
the Bunion Derby was eloeeel to lis
heart, that he thoroughly eajsyed
the antics st his runners. A second
race was held in 1919, and the der
bies universally were nWi Che
strangest events la sperts history.
Pyle was also the first to s^e the
possibilities in professional tennis
On October 9, 1928, be presented
the late Suzanne Lengien, Mary K.
Browne, Vincent Richards and other
stars in Madison Square garden an
his initial effort in this field of ac
tivity. The gate receipts were an
nounced as $40,000.
"He was the greatest promater a*
aD time," Grange said at the man
who started him en hie prMmdmsl
career. "Ike greatest paemstee
hot not the greatest business mam
He had mare ideas than any man
I ever knew."
Grange estimated that during the
three years?M28-'28-'27?he was
managed by Pyle, the two attracted i
81,000,000 at the gate, half of which
went to them. They split the profits,
which would place Grange's earn
ings under Pyle at $250,000.
In 1928 Grange and Pyle formed
the American Professional Football
league. It was formed after the
National league had refused to
grant the pair permission to spon
sor another dub in New York. It
was a failure, however, as the
league never really gut todetway.
Both men lost considerable money
on the venture.
Pyle, with the addition at a little
business sense, would hard easily
been the equal at Tex Richard as a
promoter. He was, however, the
most colorful individual in an are of
unusual men. If anything appealed
to his sense at humor he was sfflhng
to take a chance.
'
They Do Come Back
DON'T take too aeriotato the old
saw that "champions never
come back."
Away from the turf for three
years. Jockey Don Meade is now
being sought by owners of the most
pretentious racing stables in Amer
ica. He is the lad who mads the
most sensational comeback to turf
history at Hialeah Park, Miami f
Banned by the Florida State Eas
ing commission to wagering on
the ooee he rode.
Meade was thought
to be through. Meet
horsemen felt that
the S-yea*-bia jock
ey would never get
into the limelight
again. ~*|
^Now Meade has
bwfr wa^hfawTS
la the SIMM* added Bute Aaifa
Handicap, which win be raa off ?a J
the Ceast March 4, the oae flhah'i
aa the WMeaer race at HhQeeh. '
the yoong rider has laiajBT 0i?
that he waa^gotag to rifcl>jg> |
George Odea, trainer.
Meade has been a ceoiMat^H
ner?race after race.
Trainer Odom haa a borne la a |
Hialeah race, Don pilots it If nofSS
then Don may ride any maa'riggj
horse. That*a why there ia a fight,
among; horsemen to get
ewLienij>ii?n11 OaSea.
Dm