The Alamance gleaner
* m- im
VoL LXV GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1939 No. 29
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS BY JOSEPH W. LaBINE
Second Season of 4Ism' Probe
Has Rough-Tumble Beginning;
Hundred Witnesses to Come
,i , * i .
(EDITOR'S NOTE?When opinions in expressed in these columns, they
ore those at the news analyst sad not necooosrily at this newspaper.)
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
DOMESTIC:
Un-Americanism
Dearly beloved by congressional
investigating committees are the hot
days of a Washington summer when
the slightest ruffle of news makes
national headlines. Into this Scene
last summer came a new figure,
Texas' Rep. Martin Diss.' With his
loud-but-nOt-accurste comuyttee in
vestigating un-Americanism.
This summer. Martin Dies came
back with a new committee and a
new appropriation. At its -first ses
sion the committee gava .reporters
a story u newsy as last year's ac
cusation mat Shirley Temple was a
Communist:
Up to the witness stand strode
German - American Bundmaster
"SSeSr*
BMfr* Urn,? * iii
Fritz Kuhn. After hearing his life
story, Alabama's Rep. Joe Starnes
made so bold as to ask Fuehrer
Kuhn if his organization wasn't in
tended to establish a Nazi govern
ment in the U. S.
"That's an absolute lie?a flat .
lie!" shouted Kuhn.
Flaming with anger, Joe Starnes
jumped to his feet. Shoving report
ers and photographers aside he
strode toward the witness crying:
"Don'tcall me a liar!"
When capitol policemen had put
an end to these fighting words, the
committee got down to more serious
work. With calm deliberation, Illi
nois Rep. Noah Mason drew enough
information from the witness to
make German-American bundistt)
distasteful. When faced with the ae- ?
cusation that his bund is "a money
making racket based on the' credu
lity of the American people," Kuhn
countered by listing these strange
objectives: (1) To unite the Ger
man-American element, (3) to flght
communism, (3) to give the German
element "political background."
The committee also learned
Fuehrer Kuhn had visited Hitler in
1936, had given him $3,000 for winter
relief and had worn a Nazi uniform
in a Berlin parade. His brother is
a Berlin supreme court justice. His
>0,000 bund followers (whose records
have been destroyed) are pledged
to defend the "good name of the
mother country?Germany."
Most Americans, reading about
Martin Dies' newest revelations,
agreed the committee had made a
good start. Still on the docket, how
ever, was a list of some 110 wit
nesses whom agents have rounded
up since last February. Observers
hoped this summer's investigation
wouldn't follow last year's pattern?
a forum for unburdening grudges.
RELIEF:
Wages Up
A key provision of this year's
$1,477,000,000 relief appropriation
was that WPA wages should be jug
gled to prevent any more geograph
ical variation than the difference in
living costs necessitated. For the
South, where labor is cheaper, this .
meant a raise. For the North it
meant wage cuts. For big cities it
meant elimination of the 10 per
cent differential up or down, which
was allowed for local conditions.
Cast into three regions, south,
north and west, new wage scales
were announced by WPA Commis
sioner F. C. Harrington:
Region No. 1 (wage range, $39.30 to $94.90
per month)?Connecticut, Delaware, Dis
trict of Columbia. Illinois, Indiana. Iowa,
Maine, Maryland, Kansas. Massachusetts.
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska.
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York.
North Dakota. Ohio, Pennsylvania. Rhode
Island, South Dakota. Vermont, West Vir
ginia, Wisconsin.
Region No. 2 (wage range. $44.20 to $94.90
per month)?-Arizona, California. Colorado,
Idaho, Montana, Nevada. New Mexico, Ore
gon, Utah, Washington. Wyoming.
Region No. 3 (wage range, $31.20 to $81.90
per month)?Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
Georgia. Kentucky, Louisiana, North Caro
lina. Oklahoma. South Carolina. Tennessee.
Texas, Virginia.
Net result of the changes, observ
ers figured, will be to raise the na
tional monthly average from $53 to
$55.50,
ARMY:
Before the Battle
At the second battle of Manassas
in )862, famed Stonewall Jackson
sen^ his men a-raiding General
Pope's headquarters. They re
turned with everything but the gen
eral himself. Manassas again made
headlines this month when the regu
lar U. S. army units duplicated
Stonewall Jackson's strategy, cap
tured a brigadier general's outpost
and advanced toward Washington
against defending national guards
men.
This was the first phase of spec
tacular military maneuvers un
matched in U. S. peacetime. The
second phase began at Plattsburg,
N. Y., where 36,000 national guards
men and regulars began their battle,
this invader piercing from the north.
Bigger than either battle, howev
er, was the realism of Plattsburg's
commander, Lieut. Gen. Hugh A.
Drum. Night before the war began,
stem-jawed General Drum assem
bled 3,000 officers on the parade
ground to present a few facts. Pub
licly scorned was the suggestion that
his troops fight at "paper strength,"
i. with imaginary armament the
army hopes some day to secure.
The general demanded a campaign
of reality, "to bring home the actu
alities of our state of preparedness."
Only in tanks, he said, is the army
up to strength. Other deficiencies:
manpower, 77 per cent; machine
guns, <7 per cent; trucks, 83; auto
matic rifles, 57.
EUROPE: v
War of Nerves
Last summer it was Britain's Vis
count Runciman who volunteered to
mediate the scrap between Czecho
slovakia and Germany. Mediation
?and Czecho-Slovakia's hopes
came to a sudden end when Vis
count Runciman turned pro-Nazi.
This month there arose a new po
tential Viscount Runciman named
Dr. Karl J. Burckhardt, internation
ally respected Swiss scholar appoint
ed by the League of Nations as
high commissioner of Danzig. Off
to Hitler's Berchtesgaden eyrie he
flew one day without notifying the
League. There, while he listened in
silence, Der Fuehrer lectured an
grily and at
length about
Danzig. Why
had he, as
high com
missioner, al
lowed "inci
dents" in Dan
zig? And why
should Danzig
not be returned
immediately to
the Reich?
Dr. Burck
howrlf harl nn
chance to di- *PBCKHARDT
vulgehissecret, A Rune,nun?
that Great Britain alone knew about
his mission and had empowered him
to bespeak her official attitude on
Danzig. Next day, back in Danzig,
the commissioner forwarded a high
ly confidential report of proceedings
to London.
Meanwhile, grasping at the
chance, the controlled German
press started another war of nerves,
pouring out rumors of British-spon
sored "peace plans." Veteran stu
dents of propaganda decided this
had two purposes: (1) To make Po
land think the British are ready to
desert them, and (2) to find out, via
the report-and-denial method, just
how far Britain will really go.
This latter point was indeed im
portant. High German circles con
fidently expected Danzig would be
returned to the Reich within a few
weeks, since there was little chance
Britain would aid Poland in rescuing
Danzig from an internally inspired
smrMim.
AGRICULTURE:
Rail Rebellion
Expiring August 1 were loans on
some 255,000,000 bushels of farm
sealed corn. Although the Commod
ity Credit corporation has offered to
extend these loans, the consensus
holds most farmers will turn their
old grain over to the government,
making room for the 1939 crop.
Last month the department of ag
riculture saw what was coming.
Bids were called on 33,000 storage
bins for defaulted corn. Topping
this problem came another?the
railroads.
First rebuff was the carriers' re
fusal to let the government erect its
bins without cost on railway prop
erty. Also denied was a reduced
rate and elimination of demurrage
charges on movement of the bins
to their destination. The railroads
thought they had good reason:
This autumn will see first practi
cal application of the "ever-normal
granary" program, designed to set
aside excess supplies of grain in
years of large production, to be held
for lean crop periods. As it affects
corn, this program will raise havoc
with the normal flow pf grain from
farm to market via railroads. By
buying its 33,000 bins, the U. S. will
make storage at the farm end.
Later, when finally moved, corn will
be hauled as government proper
ty and will thus bring additional loss
of revenue to railroads because
land-grant statutes call for reduced
(50 per cent) carrying charges.
In Paris . . .
AKT?Watteau's famous "L'lndif
fsrent," stolen from the Louvre June
11, was unexpectedly returned to
Parisian police by 25-year-old Serge
Bogouslarsky, an artist who admit
ted he took the $200,000 painting to
"bring back it* original glory." Slap
ping the thief in Jail, police called
experts who found young Bogouslav
sky's retouching had not only re
stored the picture, but "actually im
proved it."
- - * ' *
? .; v.
In Tennessee . . .
UTILITIES ? Wendell Wilkie'i
Commonwealth h Southern power
corporation aaid good-fay to Tennes
aee, where iu lines bad been pur
chased by TVA. Said a full-page
newspaper ad: "We still believe that
the interests of the public are better.
served by privately operated utili
ties . . We could not stay in busi
ness and compete with virtually tax
free . . . plants." Next day TVA
gave Mr. Wilkie $78,800,000.
In All U. S. . . .
THANKSGIVING?Cartoonist* and
columnists had a field day because
President Roosevelt said he would
proclaim Thanksgiving November
23, not November 30. While calen
dar makers moaned and college
football officials complained that
their schedules would be upset, the
state department finally announced
Mr. Roosevelt's proclamation af
fects only the District of Columbia.
Each state sets its own.
%
Bruckarfa Washing ton Digest
See Less Favorable Reaction to
FDR's Remarks Than Formerly
Once Labeled Superman, It Is Now Realized President Is
Human and Can Make Mistakes; His Will No'
Longer Completely Dominant.
By WILLIAM BRUCKART'
WNU Service, National Press Bldg., Washington, D. C. .
WASHINGTON.?There has been
much conversation around here late
ly concerning the changed reception
given President Roosevelt's acts or
statements. It can not be doubted
that there has been an absence of
that buoyancy which characterized
his shots of earlier days in the White
House; but lately, if one may judge
from the observations of many per
sons, he has been missing the tar
get as often as he has been hitting.
The result obviously is that a good
many persons have noted less favor
able reaction to Mr. Roosevelt's re
marks than formerly was the case.
It is hardly necessary to recall
how through some five or six years
the President's remarks made his
opposition wriggle and squirm. His
statements seemed to have that nec
essary punch which quelled out
bursts from those who disagreed
with him. The press corps of Wash
ington, or a large percentage of its
membership, always hankered for a
fresh Rooseveltian volley. It was
good copy, in a news way.
Having noted the changed condi
tion, myself, I sought a canvass of
others. Nearly all of them eventu
ally came to the conclusion that the
lack of fire now often displayed in
Mr. Roosevelt's remarks and their
failure to arouse the same fervor
among his followers are a natural
result of events. He has been found
by many people to be just human.
Like his predecessor in the White
House, Mr. Hoover, President
Roosevelt was overbuilt or oversold
by his ardent admirers. He was la
belled as superman, and that is one
of the worst things that can happen
to a politician; it is the worst thing
that can happen to a President be
cause no man can be President un
less he is a politician.
In saying that the Roosevelt cir
cle ballyhooed their man too much,
I hope I am not detracting from the
good qualities. The point of this
story is, after all, that millions of
persons were led to believe that
President Roosevelt could not make
mistakes?mistakes were out his
ken. But the job of President of the
United States has a way of disclos
ing the true fiber.
Build-Up Gave Rooeevelt
Falte Idea of HU Power*
I believe it a fair statement that
the success which met Mr. Roose
velt's every turn during the period
of his tenure?until perhaps 18
months ago?was due to this illusion
that had been created. To repeat:
his publicity backers seized on a col
orful figure and built up that man
to the point where more was expect
ed of him than should be expected
from any human being.
It is entirely possible that Mr.
Roosevelt suffered personally from
the intense fervor of the admiration
that was given him. I do not say, of
course, that he felt that he was a
superman. Yet, the combination of
a willing congress and the over
whelming support he had from the
country possibly gave him a false
idea of the power vested in him. In
any event, he used that power up
to the hilt.
?m.__ .... ?> i ? .# ?-?ww m.
i lieii cmnc ?i|iu wi uvuuw. oil
advisors and possibly the President,
as well, felt that congress could be
made to do his bidding. Republican
opposition and the chiding of mem
bers of congress that they were rub
ber stamps began to have an ef
fect. A test was coming and most
politicians realized it. Through the
session of congress last year and
that which only recently ended, Mr,
Roosevelt followed the same tactics
as before?but the change had come
and the course was blocked. It was
no longer a period in which the will
of the President was wholly and
completely dominant.
All of which brings to mind the
real facta in the case insofar as the
causes of the President's current in
effectiveness are concerned. It is
the old story. Any ball team looks
good when it is in the lead, when it
is winning. Any race horse is a
wonder only so long as it continues
to win. It can be said, therefore,
that having slipped considerably
beth in political prestige inside his
own party and outside of it, and
having allowed some of the wide
public endorsement to get away from
him, Mr. Roosevelt is now being re
garded as a human being who can
make mistakes. Any mistakes that
he may have made while he re
mained the winner were discounted
or ignored. It teems likely, howev
er, that all of them will be dug from
their graves now and he must an
swer for them. ,
t .
Makes Bad Brook in Digging
Up Supreme Court Skeleton
Nor is Mr. ltoosevelt'willing to let
some of them die unnoticed. For
instance, everyone recalls the heat
that was engendered by the Presi
dent's attempt to get congressional
an>roval of his own pet government
reorganization bill. His-terrific fight
for a reorganization of the Supreme
court with the new appointments
that would come to him is -easily
recalled. But the President dug up
the court skeleton, jhe other day. It
struck me as terribly foolish be
cause the country had forgotten
much about that mistake. Mr.
Roosevelt recalled it in all of its
fury, however, by issuing a state
ment, almost without notice, saying
that he had obtained his court fight
objectives with enactment finally of
a minor bill that sets up a court ad
ministrator.
In the same statement, Mr. Roose
[ velt made a bad breal[. He an
nounced that besides the passage
of the administrator bill, the last
session of congress had created five
additional judgeships in district
court?which he wanted. Well, it
happened that the senate passed the
judgeship bill, but the house never
did, and Mr. Roosevelt was incor
rectly informed. Thfe result was the
same: it made the President look
rather sour for the moment.
Along with Mr, Roosevelt"* state
ment about Argentine canned beef
being of a better flualtty' than our
own beef,'' I thiftk we ought to rank
the President's statement about the
refusal of congress to pass the
spending-lending bill and the hous
ing bill. It struck me as being very
bad politics for the President to
climb 'way out dn a limb and say
that "the congress gambled with
the welfare of 1,500,000,000 people
when it failed to enact the adminis
tration's neutrality bill; it gambled
with the welfare of 20,000,000 when
it refused to pass the lending bill
and the housing bill." He implied, of
course, that refusal of congress to
accept the President's Judgment on
the neutrality measure would cast
the world into war, and that the
action on the lending and housing
bills would mean there could be no
economic recovery.
Preeident Sinew* About
Spending and Hooting Billt
So, evidently the two or three de
feats that were clustered together
made the President appear differ
ently than when be bad been on the
winning side. There were even some
of the President's enemies charging
' him with qualities of a poor loeer. I
do not believe that is the case. There
is evidence that the President sin
cerely believed his lending meas
ure and the bousing program would
do the Job of restoring a prosperous
condition to the country. He has
played the game of polities too long
not to know how to lose.
On the other hand, there have
been many harah statements con
cerning the President's accusations
that congress wss gambling. From
among Democrats who voted
against him on the major bills, I
heard declarations of belief that
their judgment was as good as that
possessed by the Chief Executive.
Those Democrats saw no reason to
concede a monopoly of brain power
to Mr. Roosevelt. When he flred at
them he obviously invited "back
talk" of the worst order. He has
received it, too. *
Take another incident. Only a
week ago, the President sent a lat
ter 'to the Young Democrats of
America, meeting in Pittsburgh, to
the effect that unless the Democrat
ic party nominates his kind of a lib
eral, he will take no active part in
electing that nominee. In other
words, he said actually that hs
would bolt the party.
Immediately, he got a reaction to
that statement that just did him no
good at all. Now, H is one thing
to lead the party which is united; it
is quite another horse to be lad when
the part is split; and the Democratic
party is split The declaration to the
Young Democrats, therefore, was
received by a good many Democrats
as an open invitation for warfare.
OtelsaseS bjr Western Newspaper Units. I
Speaking of SportM
Old Man Grove,
39, Still King in
Portside Ranks
By ROBERT McSHANE
ROBERT MOSES GROVE, who
came out of the hills of Lona
coning, Md., back in.1920, is pitch
ing his fifteenth season of major
league baseball.
Lefty was 29 years old when he
joined the Martinsburg team of the
Bine Ridge league. In 1921 he went
to Baltimore, where he won 1M
games in fire years. In 1929, when
he was 29 years old, he went to
Philadelphia, where in his first two
years he won 23 games and lost 29
for the Athletics?an unimpressive
record, but one which taught him
how to pitch with his bead as well
as his portside arm.
The Lonaconing lancer's life-time
major league record, brought up to
date, is likely to stand for many a
year. At this writing Grove has
pitched 3,392 innings in 969 games
He has won 282 of those games as
against 126 losses for a percent
age of .691. On May 3, 1938, he
joined the list of pitchers who struck
ROBERT MOSES GROVE
out 1,000 or more batters. His pres
ent strike-out total is 2,111. In that
time he has given up 3,474 hits and
1,080 bases on balls.
In a four-year stretch, 1928-1931,
Grove won 103 games and lost 23
for an average of .838. In 1931 be
won 31 games and lost only four.
This is the best single season pitch
ing record in modern baseball.
la a seven-year spaa, 1927-1833,
be area 172 games sad lost M for a
perceatage of .781. Grove's record
Is oae of the greatest of aO time,
aad Is especially impressive ia view
of the fact that Ms pitehiag was
dene with a lively ball.
Speed Ball Artist
Lefty started out as a lire ball
pitcher. No other southpaw could
touch his fast ball, and he depended
largely upon it He was strictly a
speed ball artist. But even the great
est pitchers can't go on forever
smoking them over, and he finally
felt his speed slipping. Grove then
developed a curve ball and a change
of pace. He studied his batters,
learned their weaknesses, and out
smarted them.
Tom Xawfcey, owner ef the Boston
Red Sex, bought Grove (rem Connie
Mack In 1M, paring slightly more
than SIM,MS tor him. Lefty had re
ported at Mo training camp with a
dead arm, and the exports wore
eoogratslating Maeh far a smart
operator. Grove waaa't maeh help
to the Sox that drat season, Ma arm
failed to respond. He dalahod the
soasoa with a record of eight waa
aad eight loot.
The following year Mack wasn't so
sure he had put over a good deal.
Lefty waa back in form, winning SO
games for Boston and losing 12.
His career seeped ended again
last year when his aim want dead
while he waa pitching against De
troit. But once more he returned
to form, and through the early part
of August this year, had won 11
games and lost two. Noh. at all
bad considering that the crepe-hang
ers saw the end of his big league
pitching days back in 1934.
paw famine. Right aosHt looks as
If Robert Moses Grove, the 36-year
old Sunday pitcher, will bo the only
owe to win more than li games.
Other left banders In both loagnes
are having more than their share of
difficulties. Gomes, Vender Meer,
Lee, HabbeB, Erakanakas, Melton.
Whitehill?In fact, all of them, are
running far below expeeisttons.
So chances are that the Lonacon
ing lancer, who has been pitching on
borrowed time for Ave years, wUl be
the only southpaw to come through
with a creditable record when the
1936 season is ended.
Sport Shorts * II
A BASEBALL umpire not only
can throw a player out of the
park, but has the power to pot spec
tators out, too . . . Designer George
Pocock built all 19 of the racing
shells used in the Poughkeepsie re
gatta , . . Hugh Duffy, whose Ul
batting average is still an aC-thne
major league record, often wonders
what his average would have been
if he had batted against the rabbit
ban . . . Lrftw Co. .... -11
mez recently ex
pressed the senti
ment of the Yanks
regarding the Na
tions! league race:
"The pennant wont
be cinched in that
league until the club
in first place has a
seven - game lead
with only six games
left to play." . . .
Bob Pastor says he
M EAA LI.
uei U* MJB uwu ~ ' r,
money that he'll beat JfeLouia . . .
Light barDCM racing devotees of
New Jersey are discussing the possi
bility of pari-mutuel machines at
county fairs, but special legislative
action will be necessary . . . Hetre
Dame's football team will open with
Purdue at Notre Dame' September
30 in what shapes op as theeut
standing first-day game . . Tom
Yawkey, Boston Red Sox owner, has
spiked rumors that his club will
train next spring in Hawaii. The ,
club will return, he says, to Sara
sota, Fla. ... If Maxie Baer at
tempts a comeback it wfll be against
his wife's wishes. She wants him
to quit the ring . . . Max Bchmeling
has signed to defend Us ?nsapoan
crown in a 15-round bout .against
Walter Neusel October 1 at Dort
mund stadium in Berlin.
Billiard Champs
T^HE National Billiard association,
1 now busy on plans sriBch call for
national amateur. tournaments in
pocket billiards, straight-rail and
three-cushion, recently announced
its recognized world's champions in
those three fields of billiard, play.
Welker Cochran of Saa Francis?e,
Calif., is recognised as the king at
the balkline billiard slayers. Ac
cording to Clyde A. Storer, pa as I
dent of the very attire N. P. A..
Cochran wen the last wseU's haft
line tournament sponsored by the
association and still is regarded as
champion by that o 111 rial grasp.
The N. B. A. places the pocket bil
liard crown on the brow at Jimmy
Car as of Wilmington, Del., whOd the
three-cushion title belongs to Joe
Chamaco of Mexico. Ohataaco won
the angle game title lasf winter,
finishing far ahead of nine other
billiard masters in a round robin
tournament played in nine cities.
In addition to die proposed na
tional amateur meets, the N. B. A.
plans world's title professional cam
petition in pocket billiards and three
cushion this coining season. Storer
expects 75,000 simon pure amateur
cuemen will compete in the pocket,
straight-rail and three-cushiw bil
liard tournaments, working their
way up through local, state ehdissc
tional play to the national playoffs.
Diamond Hero . -
? J
THE courage of Tom SunkeL,
rookie Cardinal southpaw pitch
er, has thousands of St Louis fans
cheering for him every time be
makes a mound appearance.
Sunkei is practically Mlad Jn Iris
left eye, the result af an iajafy suf
fered 23 years age when be was Isar
years eld. His aye was saved, tori
be was left widi Mftls bettor ttna
Showing his courage, be did not
allow this to interfere wdhhis fu
ture. He went ahead and thjal
good enough baseball to h?i mne a
member of 0m Cardinal organiza
tion. Last year he ended a succaae
ful career da 0m minora tag winning
21 games and losing lee with At
lanta.
In Atlanta his condition 'became
much worse. Cardinal officials,
knowing the situation, recalled him
and had him examined by eye spe
cialists. They advised against oper
ating on the egm stating that such
a move would be fruitless. Sunkei
accepted their verdict philosophical
ly, and returned to the diamond, tsi
dauntcd by the news which would'
have meant 0m and to most players.
Despite Us affliction, seakel re
cently pitched a taataffl game and *
has a ereditsMta.JMg reeard wMfc
the Cards. Be admits his isntisl la
a hit bothered, sad that he has te
gwaas where ^ the ^plst^Ui ^whaa he
ally bother hhn la same extent, hnt
if hs faBs Is ma tham with Ms a>
Sunkei expects no quarter firms
opposition. And would not welcome,
it.
Ha s a haB player, grst, last and
always.
(BaiaaaaS tar Waataaa MawwaparUMaeJ
- ' J