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The Alamance Gleaner 1
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VoL LXV GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1939 No. 12 I
Weekly News Analysis
U. S. Seeks Peace Safeguards
As Bulwark in Case of War
By Jeseph W. La Bine?
SENATOR JOHNSON, STATESMAN LONG, SENATOR POTMAN
Be didn't like? ... but he did like .. . his propotaL
(See CONGRESS)
EDITOR'S NOTE?When opinions art
expressed in these columns, they are those
of the news analyst, and not necessarily
of the newspaper.
Europe
Without waiting for Adolf Hitler's
speech on April 28, President Roose
velt knew what reply to expect from
his peace appeal. Benito Vfussolini
had already given the Rome-Berlin
axis' answer in a speech at Italy's
1942 world fair ground. Though II
Duce publicly spurned Mr. Roose
velt's "Messiah-like message," he
reminded listeners that Italy would
not be sinking millions into a world
fair if she planned war. This sound
ed hopeful, but each day brings less
diplomatic leeway to an already
tense Europe:
Mediterranean. Internationalized
Tangier lies opposite Gibraltar. Ob
servers fear trouble because 40 Ger
man warships are now making un
precedented maneuvers in this area,
also because Spanish Moroccan
troops are massed nearby and thou
sands of fresh Italian troops are
landing in Spain. Cruising nearby
are French and British warships,
causing Europe to talk about the
"greatest naval battle of all times"
off Spain's coast.
Another possibility: Powerful Por
tuguese Fascists are rumored work
ing for internal blowup of Dr. Olivi
era de Salazar's regime, uniting the
entire Spanish peninsula under Nazi
Fascist domination without risking
any international repercussions
from an invasion. Thus would Ger
many get Portuguese colonies in Af
rica and the East Indies.
With the western Mediterranean
in such powder-keg shape, the stage
is set .for another Munich.
Balkans. Chief public German ac
tivity nowadays is to recoup eastern
?
ever it may be accomplished, John
Public wants (W to keep out of for
eign wa^s, (2) to be prepared if he
gets into <n>e. Hence, despite op
timism over the President's peace
appeal to dictators, congressmen,
defense chiefs and tradesmen find
themselves sizing up America's po
litical, economic and military pre
paredness for a European war:
Political. Under the neutrality act
as finally amended, congress hopes
to keep peace with the world. To
the senate foreign relations commit
tee, Bryn Mawr college's Professor
Charles Fen wick uttered one of the
month's most sagacious remarks:
"I do not think there is any such
thing as neutrality."
But plans persist, chief of which
are: (1) Sen. Key Pittman's "cash
and-carry" principle under which
any belligerent could buy all the
war materials it wanted, provided
it paid cash and hauled them away
in its own ahipf; and (2) Sen. Elbert
Thomas' sanctions plan whereby the
President could designate treaty vio
lators and cut off commercial rela
tions with them.
After a week's testimony, jittery
committee members were less opti
mistic about a Utopian neutrality.
On the Thomas plan, Utah's wizened
Sen. William E. Borah commented
it would lead us into war, in fact,
was a war in itself. Reasoning:
Its "obvious purpose" is to cut off
trade and starve a nation into sub
mission, which is a choice trick of
modem war makers. On the Pitt
man plan, Cattfomia's equally wiz
ened Sen. Hiram Johnson comment
ed H would make the U. S. an ally
of such strange bedfellows as Great
Britain and Japan. Reasoning: In
wartime, only these two nations
could reach U. S. ports for cash
and-carry purchases.
In the end, cash-and-carry held
most favor. Testified Breckenridge
Long, former ambassador to Italy
and World war undersecretary of
state: "I am thinking of what would
be best for the U. S., not what would
help any other country . . . Cash
and-carry . . . entails no sense of
discrimination by positive act . . ."
Economic. Assistant War Secre
tary Louis Johnson outlined instan
taneous mobilization of manufactur
ing resources in case of war. Pres
ent status: Of 7,000 industrial items
needed by a marching army, con
verted private factories could pro
duce all but SS within six months,
the remainder in another six
months. Present goal: To cache
supplies to last a 400,000-man army
six months. Biggest problem: To
build reserves of 21 essential na
tional-defense raw materials which
the U. S. lacks, including aluminum,
antimony, coffee, mica, manganese
and tin.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State
Cordell Hull reviewed four yean of
0. S. reciprocal trade in contrast
to Germany's unorthodox barter
system. His conclusion: From IBM
through 1938 the U. S. boosted com
merce with trade-agreement coun
tries by 30.8 per cent; Nazi trade
with the same nations rose only 1.8
per cent. As an instrument of for
eign policy, reciprocal trade has
been successful. Not so thrilling,
however, were simultaneous reports
on the first two months (January,
February) of the U. S.-British recip
rocal pact, showing 0. 8. purchases
of British goods had increased while
U. S. exports to Britain dropped un
der last year. Explanation: U. S.
exports in early 1938 were above
normal.
MBltarpr. Publicly booked to tes
tify before the house foreign af
fairs subcommittee, exiled CoL
Charles 4- Lindbergh sprang a sur
prise by Jumping from his steam
ship to a desk in the war depart
ment, there to survey all aviation
research facilities available.
AAIAZAR AND HOMELAND
(Mmp ikn Iberim duet being viand
by Cm wenhigt in current mystery
maneuvers. Alto Tangier, international
tone which the Axtt moy try to teitej
European losses suffered at Anglo
French hands. With Turkey, Greece
and Rumania apparently under dem
ocratic protection. Hitler has unsuc
cessfully invited Rumania to join the
Axis powers. Shrewd Franz von
Papen, last Nazi envoy to Austria
be forg anschlusa, has been named
ambassador to Turkey. Meanwhile,
Italy has won a reiteration of friend
ship from Hungary ?Vieuiier Paul
Teleky and begun bringing Yugo
slavia into the Rome orbit.
Triple Entente. Countering these
moves is a new effort to perfect
an Anglo-French-Russian mutual as
sistance aid, stymied only by Polish
and Rumanian refusal to let Soviet
troops cross their soil. As a direct
result of the new triple entente, em
boldened France has threatened to
march if Germany seizes the Free
City of Danzig by force.
Congrest
Self defense is a more basic tenet
of U. S. foreign policy than either
President Roosevelt's international
ism or congress' isolationism. How
Science *
In 1934 General Motors dedicated
its Chicago World lair exhibit at a
banquet where great industrial ad
vances were prophesied, many of
which came true. This year Gen
eral Motors has another exhibit at
New York's World fair. Giving an
other "prophecy banquet," Board
Chairman Alfred P. Sloan Jr. culled
statements from big U. S. corpora
tion executives, forecasting every
thing from cities lighted by artificial
suns to fool-proof, self-parking auto
mobiles. Other features of tomor
row:
Truck crops produced in soilless
"bathtubs"; television as vital as
radio; chemically produced fuels
and foods, with raw materials com
ing from farms; clothing so inex
pensive it could be discarded when
soiled; automatic machinery to per
form routine jobs; dustless, air-con
ditioned homes; daily plane service
from the U. S. to Europe at 500 to
000 miles per hour.
Most vital prophecy: Chemical
advances which will postpone old
age.
Labor
Broadly speaking, proposed revi
sions in the Wagner labor act would
cut the national labor relations
board's power'and give judicial col
or to decisions involving employer
employee disputes. No. 1 reason
for such amendments is that em
ployers charge NLRB has not only
discriminated against capital, but
against the more conservative
American Federation of Labor in
favor of the newer Congress of In
dustrial Organizations.
Called to testify before the senate
labor committee, NLRB Chairman
-J. Warren Madden protested so ve
hemently against employer charges
that committee members were gath
er certain he favored labor instead
of sitting on the fence like most
judges. Yet he gave figures to back
up NLRB's fairness claim. Exam
NLBB'S MADDEN
boot sltrt, questionable ending.
pies: A. F. of L. and C. I. O. broke
even on cases which NLRB dis
missed or were otherwise settled
without the board's aid; of M per
cent of cases adjusted without
NLRB hearings, 42 per cent were
won by employers.
(Simultaneously. Secretary of Leber
Perkins released figures sheering 1939 hod
feseer strikes than wry year since 1933.
Figures: In 1939 there mere 2.771 strikes
involving 6S9J300 markers, costing 9flOO.
009 individual working days: in 1937
there were 4J40 strikes, lJUOjlOO workers
end Z9.*2i.noo day* idleness.)
Madden sentiments: "Employers
and employees are learning to live
together within the framework of
industrial democracy." But the next
day he spoiled a good impartial
start by inferentiaUy defending C.
L O. in a statement charging em
ployers favor A. F. of L. Again
plumping for pinkish C. I. O., he
held an employer may not legally
call a union leader a "communist"
because, in turn, courts have often
(but not as a general rule) re
strained unions from advertising
that an employer is unfair to or
ganized labor. ?
QUIZ
If yum ruud Weekly Nan Anulytit,
ikeue quotums toil! be eery:
Identify: Breckenridge Long;
Paul Teleky, Oliviera de Saiazar,
Franz von Papen.
? There were (more) (fewer)
labor strikes in 1938 than in 1937.
0 What nation plana a world fair
in 19427
0 Name three atrategic raw ma
terials which the IT. S. lacks.
? How may cities be lighted in
the future?
0 What famous transatlantic flier ,
now works in the If. S. War de
partment?
0 U. S. exports to Britain in
January and February, 1939,
were (higher) (lower) than U. S.
imports from Britain?
0 What European nation's inde
pendence is being threatened un
expectedly by Italy and Ger
many?
0 What country owna Tangier?
i
Bruckarft Washington Digest
Signs of Impending Trouble foir
National Labor Relations Board
Advocates of Amendment of Wagner Act Crow More
Vociferous; Law Itself and Its Administration Cause
Widespread Criticism; Some Expert Stalling. #
By WILLIAM BRUCKART
WNO Service, National Preaa EUdf., WaahlBftoo, D. C.
WASHINGTON.?It was only a
few years ago that any politician,
seeking a harvest of votes, would
rather have cut off his right arm
than offend organized labor. In a
close fight, the labor vote held the
balance of power. Labor unions
forged ahead with remarkable force.
But labor started fighting within
its own ranks and there came the
C. I. O. Rather, John Lewis, the
leader of the mine workers, got am
bitious and broke away from the
old established and respected Amer
ican Federation of Labor and gave
birth to the Congress of Industrial
Organizations.
So, many politicians, including
President Roosevelt, turned to C. I.
O., because it was modern, stream
lined, aggressive. It appeared, for
a time, that C. I. O. was going to
be the big power among the work
ers. Having that advantage, C. L O.
went to town, as the football players
say. Its strength was manifest in
congress and under the impetus of
C. I. O. force, Senator Wagner, the
New York Democrat, brought forth
the national labor relations act, un
der which the national labor rela
tions board was appointed and be
gan functioning.
That much is history.
But now there are signs of im
pending trouble for the national la
bor relations board. With its main
support, the C. I. O., having its trou
bles in collecting dues, and with
the peace efforts of President Roose
velt who sought to get union men
of the United States back in one
organization having failed dismally,
the labor board is up against it In
fact, to summarize the situation in
the homely expression of my boy
hood home: it looks like the swash
buckling, defiant calf is just about
ready to choke itself because at too
much rope. It may not happen in
this session of congress, but it will
happen before long. Why? The an
swer is that organized labor, as rep
resented by the Lewis faction, made
the same mistake as greedy big
business frequently makes. It be
came arrogant; it bit off more than
it could chew. The reaction has
now set in.
tion. In any event, there are now
senators and representatives spon
soring a hatful! of amendments to
the law, and a large number of these
amendments are being promoted by
the A. F. of L. lobby at the capitol.
There is one amendment, for in
stance, that proposes to disband the
present three-man board and sup
plant it with a five-man board. That,
of course, is the political maneuver
to get rid of people with whom con
gress is disgusted. The amendment
is by Senator Walsh, Massachusetts
Democrat.
Senator Walsh also has introduced
several other amemhnents, one of
which, in particular, is worth noting.
It would attempt, at least, to elimi
nate "prejudicial delays." That
sounds rather academic. It is, how
ever, important becasse, according j
to the A. F. of L. explanation, de
lays by the board have worked, or
have been used, to the advantage of
C. I. O. If the C. I. O. was not sure
that it had a majority, according to
the other union, rather thinly dis
guised reasons for delays were
brought up. Then, C. I. O. organis
ers would start their drives.
Whether the A. F. at L. charges
are true and whether the criticisms
of employers have been justified, it
remains as fact that C. I. O. is
now opposing amendment to the act.
Demands for Amendment of
Labor Act Crow Noisier .
Advocate* of amendment of the
Wagner labor act have been knock
ing at the door a long time. Re
cently, the knocking has resembled
sledge hammer pounding. A very
large number of senators and repre
sentatives have heard it.
As a matter of fact, it was Mr.
Roosevelt's efforts to get A. F. of L.
and C. 1. O. back into a single na
tional union that has delayed the
moves in congress looking to amend
ment of the labor law. C. I. O.,
having stood by the President when
he was a candidate and having
fought for his cause time after time,
was entitled io the President's serv
ices as a peace negotiator. Many
persons thought there would be a
happy reunion, but there was no
chance at all from the very outset
of the negotiations, and the affair
did nothing to lift Mr. Roosevelt's
prestige, especially in the rural
areas where C. I. O. and sit-down
strikes have much the same mean
ing.
While the administration's plans
for a union reunion were slipping,
there came that sensational verdict
by a federal court jury in Philadel
phia which asseaaed $700,000 dam
ages against the sit-down strikers
in a hosiery plant The damages
were assessed directly against the
men who did the Job, and thus for
the first time a responsibility, as
well as a right was given to labor.
The right to strike long has been es
tablished and labor must guard it;
never before, however, had there
been a court determination that lia
bility also exists if damage is done.
Act and Its Administration
Causes Widespread Criticism
It is, perhaps, as much because of
the terrible administration of the
law as from the inequities of the
loosely drawn law itself that the
criticism has been so widespread.
Hundreds of cases, coming before
the board, have left employers with
personal losses as a result of one
sided determinations. Labor unions,
affiliated with the American Federa
tion of Labor, have repeatedly as
serted they could net obtain Justice
if the C. L O. figured in the situs
Hearingt Are Delayed by
Various Stalling Maneuvers
Supporters at the law in its pres
ent form and defenders of the board
as it is now made up succeeded for
example in delaying hearings on
amendments to the act for more
than a month. They urged Senator
Thomas of Utah, committee chair
man, not to hold bearings while
peace negotiations were in prog
ress. They insisted that it was un-'
fair to embarrass the President in
his attempts to restore unity in the
labor movement, and argued that
bearings would bring bitter state
ments into print. Mr. Thomas yield
ed to the plea for delay, but eventu
ally the pressure for action became
too strong even for the Utah senator
to resist.
And the friends of the law were
right when they anticipated bitter
words. Senator Wagner in his testi
mony spoke rather blatantly about
critics being unacquainted with the
purposes of the law. He felt, too,
that there was no need for haste
about changes. He rather hinted
that there were some Ethiopian gen
tlemen in the woodpile, but failed to
put his linger on them. He simply
was standing pat about the whole
thing.
A little later, however, the C. I O.
people named the terrible "conspir
ators" who wanted the act changed.
The American Federation of Labor
had "conspired" with the Chamber
of Commerce of the United States.
There was the line unseen hand, the
Chamber of Commerce, big busi
ness, personified. It was the guilty
party; it was speaking for the em
ployers who want to grind poor
workmen into the dust.
Say Chang? Would Benefit
Neither Labor Nor Indaetry
Finally, the labor board itself ap
peared before the senate commit
tee and announced it had an "open
mind." Ita mind waa so open that
it aubmitted a document of 360 type- :
written pages, analyzing the pro
posala for changea and arriving gen
erally at the conclusion that the pro
poaed changea were no good. In
aubstance, the board said that the
bulk of the changea being presaed
"would benefit neither labor group,
nor would they be of help to indus
try." Most of all, in the labor
board's mind, the amendments I
would "conflict with the basic pur- 1
poses of the act."
Thus, as the hearings were con
cluded and the committee seeks to
do some deliberating on ita own ae
count, labor finds itself still fight
ing within itself, lacking direction
and one could almost say, jacking
purpose. It is too bad thai there
must be the same greed, the same
thirst for power within theyranks
of workers as there is among politi
cal leaders and heads of govern
ments. Those fellows who play the
game of politics can lose their Jobs
and the country is none the worse.
But when political labor leaders
play their games and loac, the pawns
are the workers who have no means
at protection.
? Wwtaca Sisees Mw
Speaking of Sports
Boston Red Sox
Seen as Threat
To Yank Regime
By ROBERT McSHANE
\Xf HEN the New York Yankees
** clinched their third straight
American league pennant last year
?to say nothing of the world se
ries?the worry boys started work
ing overtime. Moans of pure, un
adulterated anguish could be heard
distinctly from East Cape, J*la., to
Tatoosh, Wash.
"Break up them Damyanks" be
came the rallying ery for thousands
of viewers-with-alarm. The Yankees
were too good. They were throttling
baseball because they had a corner
en an the talent. No one would be
Interested In a sure thing. Etc., etc.
Only one club ever won tour
straight pennants since the begin
LOU GEHRIG
ning of organized major league
baseball in 1876. The New York
Giants, headed by John McGraw,
annexed four National league pen
nants in a row from 1921 through
1924.
Howeter, all good things come to
an end sooner or later. The law of
averages can't be repealed, and has
just as much force today as it had
before the Yanks started their
rampage. One more thing?the lus
ter of Lou Gehrig, one of the great
est first basemen in diamond his
tory, is almost certain to be dimmed
to the vanishing point this year.
Granted that the loss of one max
won't break np the Yaakee elub.
Bat If will be a serious psychologi
cal loss?almost as great as if Man
ager Joe McCarthy decided to re
tire.
In 192S "Columbia Lou" started
one of the most remarkable sporting
feats in history, a streak of 2,123 con
secutive games at the close at the
1938 season. During the past two
seasons he played in 157 games each.
His inevitable loss to the Yanks
will be a serious blow to pennant
hopes.
May Upset tanks
Who cu spset the Tanks? Host
anthortties are of the opinion that
It oaa't bo done this season. Bat
there are a few who are willing to
concede the Boston Bed Sex an oat
side chanee. And well they might,
far the Sox hare a lot of what Is
needed to tan oxer a well-stocked
Appto cut.
The Red Sox have the best spirit
of any team in the league, and
they're going out to win with a team
entirely capable of annexing that
coveted banner. The Boeax an a
young, hard-flghting outfit. They
have one of the brightest assem
blages of rookies in either league.
Including Ted Williams, the 20-year
old American Association batting
king from the Minneapolis Milleri,
who will be itattooed In right Add,
and Jim Tabor, a .330 clubber with
the Millers a year ago. Tabor is
being groomed tor second base. An
other?Woodrow Rich?is being tout
ed as a real find. With Little Rock
last year, he won 19 and lost 10 and
yielded only 2.47 earned runs a
game.
Though then is considerable
doubt about Lefty Grove, whose arm
went "dead" last season, their pitch
ing staff will be sufficient, even if
the ancient Lefty does fade out.
The Tasks, whe have eat three
straight world series melons, aren't
as hungry for the honors as the Bad
Sox. Three straight titles dolls to
some degree the nrge to wta, and
that spells dynamite for any elab.
And it won't be the biggest sur
prise of the year, alarmists to the
contrary, if the Boston Red Sox wind
up the season about 10 games ahead
of the Yankees. And the "break 'ana
iq>" boys would have to find some
thing else to worry about, ^
That Man Again
Conversationally mu bmt -
has already flattened Loo Nora,
disposed of Heavyweight Champion
J oe Louis, and is in possession of I
ringdom's crown of supremity.
Actually the eaigraatic Mail* is
on the comeback trail, lulatwg for 9
a bout with Nova aw Jane 1. and
I onia?a match that he has not thws
far earned.
He claims if Lou Nova beats him SS
he will quit the ring for good be- H
cause no Baer is "gettin' himself fj
slapped happy."
In training quarters Maxie looks "
like the world-beater he really pj
should be. A fine physical speci
men, the wide shouldered, rugged
Hercules seems to have all the at
tributes of another Dempsey. He
struts and swaggers for the benefit
of gymnasium customers. He isn't
at all shy, and seizes every oppar- ,
tunity to tell how dangerous he is l
when aroused. The wise boys pay
no attention. The uninitiated get a
thrill out of it It doesn't do much
barm.
One of the severest beatings at 1
Baer's career was administered by t
Joe Louis, and today Max Is talking 5
his way to revenge. He swears that ?
he is ready?that he is determined >:
to win out?that he will whip Joe
Louie when he gets to him.
Maxie ottered the remark recent
ly that he'd like to make a tot of
gays holler "Uncle" for some ef the
things they said ahead Ids tost fight
with Louis. Baer's eawrage was
that hart, la fa^Ls'kaechswt by
the Braww Bomber perhaps hart htm
etotoudiet to!' iltfe'awd
little Baer have reformed him, hava
Ib^ha^s'^fh^meNw baud
similar statements from Max la the
past.
One thing can be said in his fa
vor. Ha started training early, :
MAX BASS
gradually working into shape tm
atead of depending oo his usual
month of feverish preparation. Ba
has quit smoking, and, unlika Two
Ton Tony Galanto, will even drink
a glass of milk without the forceful
aid of his manager and a coupls at
roustabouts.
Turnabout
\JI/H ETHER or not FT!sum 111
vv Vines, who has forsaken pro
tennis to concentrate an an amateur
golf career, can ever become a suc
cessful golfer is a much-debated
question.
Vines himself is quite optimistic,
believing he will do more than all
right for himself Others, particu
larly golf experts, are not so smw> ?
The former tennis notable quali
fied for the National amateur golf
tournament last year, but went out
early. He is of the opinion that if
he devotes all his time to the links
game he maw advance further.
Perry peiats ant, very legieaNy,
that EDsweeth Vines, the tennis star,
playing
sively the golfer he's merely me ant
same Uad ?f gelf. _
eiea ever te his gsH debut he wfl '
raa late treable. Vises has always
Msdje Md up when thrrswas
rihm'heli to a VroeUl
His f?""? game went to pieces hi I
National championship and Davis I
cup testa, and as a pro it crum
bled in matches against TOdan. Par
ry and Budge.
So Ellsworthjnv *? b*k to
-t .r ^