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. ' The Alamance Gleaner Vol. LXVI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1940 Na 10 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS BY JOSEPH W. LaBINE Dewey Campaign Griins Steam With N. Y., W isconsin Victories* ' ?> Third Term Grows Less Likely (EDITOR'S NOTE?When opinions ore expressed In these columns, they ore those of the news anslyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.) Released by Western Newspaper Union. POLITICS: In the Spring From coast to coast in early AprO the grass roots were turning green. For politicians more than anyone else, the fresh spring air was filled with anticipation. Congress grew restless, prompting Senate Majority Leader Alben Berkley to forecast adjournment in June just before the national conventions. More pointed harbingers of an election year were primaries in New York and Wisconsin, which sent youthful Tom Dewey's star a-soar ing and left Cactus Jack Garner's supporters hanging on the ropes. In the Empire state, whose delegates will be uninstructed, G. O. P. Hope MHHHHIHHHBHHHIIIMMIIMBK'. MICHIGAN'S VANDENBERG Dawey alto boat RooteveU. fid Frank Gannett was nevertheless pigeon-holed in the public mind. In America's Dairy land, Tom Dewey not only outpointed Michigan's Sen. Arthur Vandenberg for G. O. P. del egates but also got more votes than Franklin Roosevelt got in the Dem ocratic primary. If third termites thought the Pres ident's Wisconsin victory over Jack Garner was a favorable sign, they also saw signs to the contrary. In Los Angeles Eleanor Roosevelt spoke her personal opinion; she was against a third term "except in ex traordinary circumstances." If Eu rope's war was such a circum stance, Sumner Welles had proba bly convinced the President that the White House can never bring the Allies and Germany to peace. At Monongah, W. Va., meanwhile, C. I. O.'s John Lewis threatened to start his own third party unless the Democrats choose a platform and candidates suitable to him. Defi nitely not acceptable, C. I. O. has already intimated, is Franklin Roosevelt. And Montana's Sen. Bur ton K. Wheeler, whom John Lewis would like to see President, made it plain at San Francisco that he does not expect the President to run, that he himself is not a third party candidate, but that he would become Democratic candidate should the party invite him. CONGRESS: Fraud? Mad as hornets were New York's Rep. Ham Fish and North Caro lina's Sen. Bob Reynolds. By bundling Ambassador Bill Bullitt back to France aboard the clipper. Secretary of State Hull had cheated them out of an investigation. Sub ject: The German "white book" charges, intimating Bullitt had promised Jerzy. Potocki, Polish am bassador to the U. S., that America would tight along with France and Britain against Germany. Meanwhile the enterprising New 1 York News branded as frauds the papers which Germany claimed to have taken from Polish archives when Warsaw was seized. Basis for the Newt' charge was the testi mony of three translators who indi cated that "the German propa ganda ministry has slipped some new words into the Polish lan guage." Two translators "com mented that the report was written in such poor Polish that no states man could have been guilty of its authorship." Two words, they said, were not even in the Polish lan guage; a third was archaic. Also in congress: <L By limiting debate, the senate expedited approval of a house reso lution to extend for three years the administration's reciprocal trade program. Biggest stumbling block was the attempt to retain senate ratification power over such trea ties. C Economy, already blasted by a $300,000,000 boost in the farm bill, went by the boards again when the senate appropriations subcommittee added $44,000,000 for civil functions of the war department. Still ahead was the relief bill, which spending forces hoped to boost $500,000,000 above the President's $1,000,000,000 request. C The farm credit administration got a going-over in both houses. In the senate, National Grange Master L. J. Taber appealed for a bill to make FCA independent again, re moving it from the agriculture de partment where it was placed by governmental reorganization last year. In the house, farm leaders opposed a bill to liberalize FCA loans to farmers. Reason: It might stand in the way of parity prices. The treasury, which saw interest rates going up, opposed a flat 3 per cent rate on FCA loans. TREND How the wind is blowing CHAIN STOKES?Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace raised opposition to the ruinous chain store tax bill introduced by Texas' Rep. Wright Patman. Said Wallace: The bill would "discourage and prevent" efficient methods of marketing by driving larger, interstate chains out of business. LABOR?Consenting to consider another phase of the question over whether U. S. anti-trust laws apply to labor unions, the Supreme court agreed to review an A. F. of L. protest against an anti-picketing in junction which restrained Chicago milk wagon drivers for alleged vio lation of anti-trust statutes WHITE HOUSE: Week's Work From Grangeville, Idaho, 67-year old Mrs. Elva Canfield set out on horseback for a six-week job, count ing noses among the hardy souls who live in a 1,000-square-mile area in the Seven Devils mountains. Throughout the rest of the nation 120,000 other canvassers did like wise. In Washington, Sen. Charles Tobey of New Hampshire ushered in the sixteenth decennial census with a radio address urging Ameri NO. 1 AND NO. 1 A mortff* ?? <*? Whit* Houtt* cans not to answer questions which "violate the constitutional right of privacy." The day it started. No. 1 Census Taker William L. Austin counted the nose of America's No. 1 Citizen, Franklin Roosevelt <? photo). While photographers blazed away, the President asked and was as sured that his census form was con fidential. Skipped over lightly was the question on whether he held a mortgage on his residence, the White House. Pet project of the week, however, was Franklin Roosevelt's third gov ernment reorganization order, to be come effective in 60 days unless spe cifically rejected by either house or senate. Main aims: (1) Creation of a federal fiscal offi cer, a permanent civil service em ployee with rank of assistant treas ury secretary, who would rule the public debt service, commissioner of accounts and deposits, and U. S. treasurer. (2) Assumption by the treasury of jurisdiction over the quasi-independ ent federal alcohol administration. (2) Creation of a "surplus mar keting administration," composed of the AAA's division of marketing and the federal surplus commodities cor poration. NEWS QUIZl Knoto your newt? One hundred points if you answer all the following questions. Deduct 20 for each ques tion you miss. Score of 60 to 100 it good to perfect. HXa-I ( Jut; Potookl I v or B. P. I 1. What controversy did the above signature arouse? j 2. True or False: The earl.of Athlone has been selected gover nor general of Australia. 3. Has the D. S. recognized the new Chinese regime just estab lished at Nanking by Wang Ching-wei? 4. True or False: Women's- s new spring fashions accentuate \ the hips. 5. Choice: According to testi mony of a WPA timekeeper at San Francisco, 13 cabinet mak ers' helpers, S cabinet makers, 2 carpenters and S painters re paired two high chairs. It took them: (a) 2 bonrs; (b) 46 hours; (c) 194 hours. * News Quiz Answers 1. Potocki, Polish ambassador to the U. S.. was alleged by German sources to have placed this signature over an account of his conversation with William Bullitt. U. S. ambassador to France, in which Bullitt allegedly promised U. S. aid to the allies. Some experts call the signature a forgery. 2. False. Governor general of Can ada. not Australia. 3. No, and the Wang-government is consequently angry. 4. False. Carmen Snow, editor of Harper's Bazaar, says of the new skirts: "Your hips melt away." 5. (C) is correct. The Job cost 9190. EUROPE: Czar Churchill In the World war a British land ing at Gallipoli was turned into bloody defeat. Whipping boy for > this catastrophe was Winston Churchill, then as now first lord of the admiralty^ In defense. Minister Churchill has always maintained the Gallipoli attack would have suc ceeded if he had been running both army and navy. By early April Adolf Hitler's spring offensive was getting under way. Hermann Goering boasted his air force was ready for a decisive blow "in tl]e west" while at sea his planes bombed Scapa Flow and British convoys. To offset these at -tacks the allies tightened their trade noose around Germany, calling home envoys to neutral nations for conferences designed to block Nazi commerce channels. The show down was obviously near. Dramatically, Prime Minister Chamberlain suddenly satisfied both the British people and Winston Churchill J>y naming him head of a three-man inner "war cabinet." Others: Sir Kingsley Wood and Sir John Simon, lord privy seal and ex chequer, respectively. Next day, while Czar Churchill polished his brass knuckles. Pre mier Chamberlain, boasted he was "10 times as confident" of victory now as when the war began be cause Adolf Hitler "missed the bus" by failing to use Germany's arms superiority last autumn. This confidence was contagious. At Paris, Premier Paul Reynaud left a conference of his inner cab inet and military leaders to speak via radio to America. Said he: "France will sign no 'phony' peace." UN AMERICANISM: DOROTHY WARING King Pelley 1 Head of the pro-Fascist, anti Jewish Silver Legion is goateed Wil liam Dudley Pelley. At Washing ton, when the Dies un-American ism committee opened its latest series of hearings, Fascist Pelley found himself well smeared by a blonde named Dorothy Waring. A secret agent, formerly with the McCor mack committee, Miss Waring told the Dies investigators that Pelley once came to her New York apart ment dressed in uniform, black boots, shoulder strap and pistol. What he ?ranted, she said, was financial support for the Legion. On one fu ture day he promised to lead a march on Washing ton which would make him U. S. dictator. Jfuif-wracfccr. ?the C0UD. try's white kins." Meanwhile Dies agents were con centrating on Communism. At Philadelphia they raided party headquarters and got away with a truckload of membership list* and sUtCOmtl. Bruckartu Washington Digeat Government Ownership of Land Creates Serious Taxing Problem Revenue Formerly Collected From Private Property Now Unavailable to Local Units Because of Extensive Federal Holdings. ? By WILLIAM BRUCKART WNU Service, National Press Bldg., Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON. ? Through some six weeks, the house committee on military affairs has been holding hearings on a question that is vital to the entire nation, but yet it has attracted little attention outside of the areas directly concerned. The problem is one of taxes which six sdutnern Atates are not collecting, ijfeat is, taxes which they used to collect from private property but are not available?to those states now because the federal government has taken over the property. To be more specific, these taxes once were a fine source of revenue for running the state and county and city governments and the schools and the policing and the building of highways and such like in the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Ken tucky. North Carolina, Mississippi and Georgia. But along came the idealism of Sen. George Norris of Nebraska, who wanted the govern ment to drive out ail private owner ship of electric power, and along came TVA, the Tennessee Valley authority that has grown like stom ach ulcers within the economic body of the southland. When it came, it took over millions upon millions of dollars of property that had been taxed by the state and local gov ernments. So, after some seven or eight years, the governments of : those states and cities and counties want money with which to pay the cost of legitimate government. The original TVA laws provided | that this gigantic government-owned octopus should contribute to those state governments?certain sums in lieu of taxes, but this was directed only in the case of Tennessee and Alabama. The others were not men tioned. Those states were to re ceive 3 per cent of the gross pro ceeds of the sale of power by TVA. As stated, the money was to be paid to the state governments, alone. Nothing was said about the counties or the cities or smaller towns that must have tax revenue upon which to live. Operation of TV A Program Would Set Baaie Power Rates But the omission of the counties in Alabama and Tennessee was only one phase of the trouble that was to come. You see, the TV A boys and the dreams of the government-own ership crowd wanted to expand the functions and the capacity and the scope of TV A. It was to be, in the words of President Roosevelt, a great yardstick by which the coun try was to be able to measure the cost of electric power. From the TV A were to come basic rates by which you and I were to know whether private electric companies were charging you and me and the rest of us too much for lighting our homes, etc. So, it was only natural that the TV A and its backers soon were pro moting something bigger and better in the way of its operations. Like some dread disease, the pressure of TV A on privately owned power companies became too heavy to bear, and they were swallowed up. In one gulp, for instance, the gov ernment-owned TV A took over the vast properties of the Tennessee Electric Power company for $100, 000,000. I understand that TV A got quite a bargain, but the sale of the property to TV A was no bargain tor the taxpayers in the areas it served and, moreover, it was a terrible blow to the state and county and city governments in those regions. They had been receiving vast sums each year as taxes on these prop erties. In one scratch of a pen, the TV A almost put the local govern ments on relief, for all of the mil lions of taxable property became non-taxable when the federal agen cy?the TV A?took title to the prop erty. The government ownership crowd which is driving hard now for gov , eminent ownership of a lot of other things were as happy as a kid with a new toy train. But like that same youngster, they did not stop to figure out just where their train was going. Certainly, the honeyed words of the TV A promoters in the southland did 'not disclose to the taxpayers of those areas what the deal was going to cost them, ulti mately. Taxable Property Reduced In Areas Served by TV A It took several years of operation, actual practical experience, tor those taxpayers and the officials of their state and county and city gov ernments to get hold of the horrible facts that are now being faced? the same facts that have brought scores of officials and others be fore the house committee on mili tary affairs, seeking relief. The cold facts are that scores of those counties in the six states mentioned have had their taxable property so reduced in quantity by the continued expansion of TV A that they are almost undergoing tax star vation. The committee record is replete with testimony showing tax rate increases in almost every area served by TVA, and evidence of expectation of further tax increases. It is a simple statement, in most instances. The witnesses ? gover nors, county judges, mayors, spokes men for groups of citizens?told al most identical stories. TVA had taken over so much taxable prop erty that there was nothing left to tax for use of those local govern ments. The governments had to have running expenses. Thus, the tax rates were increased. Members of the committee on mil itary affairs are quite well aware of the job that confronts them In try ing to write legislation that will solve the tax problem for the vari ous areas. The states want the money paid to them; the counties want a share paid direct to them, and the cities are squealing, too. But there is much more to the problem than just the TVA area. You see, the government ownership gang has fought for and brought about construction of scores of other publicly owned dams and power projects. On the West coast, in the inter-mounjtain ares, in Nebraska, where Senator Norris lives, in the eastern and southern sections?ex actly the same tax problem con fronts those taxpayers or will come up to haunt them, soon. Whatever the committee does, it is present ing to the house of representatives a precedent-making legislative pro posal. No one can envision its far reaching possibilities. Legislation Will Proeide Compensation for Tax Losses There will be a bill of aorne kind, undoubtedly, that will provide that TV A pay more money to the re gions where it operates. They ought to have It. But the thing that makes my blood boil is that the people of those areas have been lied to and propagandized so thoroughly that they were not able to understand how a scheming group was selling them down the river. That is, they did not see it until too late. Right now, they are in the posi tion where they cannot run their own affairs. They must come to congress and beg on bended knee for help which they ought to be able to give themselves from their own resources which are their own no longer. They have surrendered again to the federal government which, in the nature of things, is very difficult for them to reach for expression of their needs and an ex planation of their own wishes. There was included in the com mittee a set of figures which I am going to lift here. The figures show that 441 of the principal, privately owned power and light companies paid $317,742,200 in taxes in 1939. This tax, the record showed, amounted to*15 3 per cent of the to tal revenue of those companies. Hare are the amounts, by states, that these companies paid: Maine, $2,188,000; New Hampshire, $2,484, 300; Vermont, $1,228,500; Massachu setts, $17,017,400; Rhode Island, $1, 824,200; Connecticut, $5,324,000; New York, $81,090,900; New Jersey, $17. 404,900; Pennsylvania, $25,002,100; Ohio, $18,900,200; Indiana. $7,988, 100; Illinois, $28,422,000; Michigan, $10,824,000; Wisconsin. $8,817,000; Minnesota, $4,904,700; Iowa. $1,892, 900; Missouri, $5,859,900; North Da kota, $721,400; South Dakota. $509, 500; Nebraska, $1,731,600; Kansas, $1,862,700; Delaware, Maryland and District of Columbia, $7,120,500; Vir ginia, $3,152,200; West Virginia. $4, 294,200; North and South Carolina, $8,971,000; Georgia, $2,892,800; Flor ida. $2,461,000; Kentucky, $3,093,200; Tennessee, $4,374,400; Alabama, $3, 734,800; Mississippi, $1,212,600; Ar kansas, $1,353,500; Louisiana, $$, 557,300; Oklahoma, $3,311,000; Tex as, $8,237,300; Montana, $2,009,900; Idaho and Utah. $3,383,500; Wyom ing. $283,100; Colorado, $2,419,300; New Mexico, $154,800; Arizona, $878,300; Nevada, $285,300; Washing ton, $3,880,900; Oregon, $3,443,800; California, $21,134,000. General HUGH s. johnson Jour: IMtaM W wmumm 'DONALD DUCK' IN CALIFORNIA Several letters have come in ask ing: "How about reports of Mr. I ekes" highly successful peace mis sion in California?" I didn't know. It seems a marvel to me, but I have no leg-man who legs that far and later press re ports have been scant and incon clusive. However, a volunteer scout has just air-mailed me the following which is better than I could do?so I quote it almost verbatim: "Your sparring partner, 'Donald Duck" Ickes has had little luck in playing the pigeon of peace in the Democratic dovecote in California. "High in the fog, at the Mark Hopkins hotel on Nob hill, he gath ered the lads together, the Olsonites and the McAdoodles. Much to ev eryone's surprise?it was announced that the waddling one had been sue SECRETARY ICKES?" -Donald Duck' hoi had little luck in playing the pigeon of peace . . ?" cessful, that the liberals and the conservatives had agreed to lie down together like Isaiah's lamb and lion. "Ickes departed. The fog lifted. The fun began. Feathers began to fall from discontented doves. Man chester Boddy, Los Angeles publish er, was the first to have himself in cluded out. Too much Washington influence, declared the liberal An geleno. J. Frank Burke, California radio station owner and political commentator, who was the gover nor's campaign manager, was the next to go. C. I. O. and Workers' Alliance members next prevailed upon California's lieutenant gover nor, Elli E. Patterson, to get off the 'harmony ticket.' "Popular Patterson is now head ing a slate of his own and the ticket could not have been redder if the names were illuminated with crim son neon. With Patterson now thumbing his nose at the Ickes list of harmony loving lads, it is ex pected that Cong. Lee E. Guyer will be the next to take a walk. (He has already done so since this was writ ten.) Finally, word had come from McAdoo himself. 'I'm out of poli tics and am unwilling to re-enter.' "The self-elimination of McAdoo from the Olson-McAdoo slate now leaves the ticket headed by Gover nor Olson and Olson is headed for political oblivion what with a recall staring him in the face: more than 200,000 signatures of the necessary 900,000 have been secured on recall petitions demanding a new guberna torial election. With leading Demo crats and Republicans secretly backing the movement, the election will be coming along?aboat July. "In other words, the old quack wack-Ickie, has waddled himself into about the worst situation imag inable. He has left at the head of his Roosevelt-for-third-term-ticket a governor whom more than 300,000 registered voters have expressed a desire to yank out of office before his term expires. "As if that were not enough, two million ham and eggers, seeing a chance for more nationwide atten tion, have entered their own slate to contest the nomination. "When Horrendous Harold first came to California, there was a pos sibility of only two slates, the Gar ner delegation and the proposed Roosevelt ticket. Now there are four: Garner, Olson, Patterson and ham and eggs." ? ? ? 'LITTLE OftFBAN ANNIE' Unlets the country becomes more alert, congress Is going to cut the heart out of the appropriations to modernise the army. That could re sult in national tragedy, but the army Is a sort of combination Cin derella and little Orphan Annie in our house. The navy gets what- it asks for. The army takes what it can get - . ? - Speaking of Sports Terry men Are Question Mark In 1940 Race 'By ROBERT McSHANE * (Released bjr Western Newspaper Union.) A MS MEMPHIS BILL TERRY leads his New York Giants into the 1940 baseball wars he is faced with his biggest task since taking over the managerial reins back in June, 1932. The Giants, who once dominates baseball in New York, have sagged badly. The Yanks, wsrid's cham pions, are stronger than ever, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, ones rated rank above the Giants both In league standings and pipalor ap peal. All of which makes the Giants the city's "third club," a position which causes Terry no end oi fried and sorrow. To make things worse, the team dofg not look httty to day than it did at the dose at last season. Since Terry became manager the Giants have won one world's cham pionship, in 1933, and three National league pennants, in 1933, 1939 and 1937. The club that limped home in fifth place last year, was the fourth second division Giant ball club since 1902. Under the Terry regime the club has been far first place three times, second place once, and third place three times. Critics of Terry?and they am plentiful print out a goad share of his success has been due to (ho very capable week of holdovers MEMPHIS BILL TOBY from the MeGraw dyaasty. net a My Cart BnbbcU, Mel Ott, Hal Schn auehor art Jo* Moan. Ott, Hub bell Key Men Hubbell and Ott aro the two key men Hubbell came up under the lata MeGraw in 1828. and Ott in 1929. Year after year they hen been performing much-needed mir acles tor the Giants, Ott driving in runs and even doubling as a third baseman and right fielder, and Hub bell pitching his heart out in srha ning, Ave years in succession, more than 20 games a season. rti^ars^erTIub"ta?l?ki only 11 and last ? games. Ike year before he van only 12 and dropped [ 1*. The Giants van whipped be* ; years. A year and a had ape Cart was farced is submit to an arm operation, and last year he nrtt ready to pitch until Jrty. 1Mb year be tgaree he wID he el right. Se do the Giants. Mel Ott'e powerful bat has bean a determining factor in Gtont pan nant battles ever aince ha Joiaad the club. A dependable hitter, he wan responsible tor many a game chalked up in the win side of the column. The most optimistic note emanat ing from the Giants is that Hubbell is already as good as ever. He baa been under Are In early seanon games, and had demonstrated his old skilL So has Ott. At least that gives Manager Terry some cause tor jubilation. la a reseat statement Terry re marked thut **H I ouatdwta T1 games laaf year^Tdaa't'eee^aay^BafMMa predicting less than M victories Ode year?end that wid put mu Mgh up we be a better team? We're better at second, third, have a chance of improving la the entbeid, and have a better drst baseman." It may be that Terry is whistling i tor the sake of courage. At least ha I appears to be overrating his team. He has a better infield than last year, at least defensively. The out field is good, providing Joe Moore does not collapse. Moore is no stripling, and it may be that young John Rocker wfll see plenty of action this year. Rucker has stood up wefi. He is a good hit ter and a good fielder, and is very fast.
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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April 11, 1940, edition 1
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