Newspapers / The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, … / Sept. 19, 1940, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
JP wp - ? . r T- '-"" . ?5 -r w ? - '. ^--S? r ^ ': ; -;TW- >" The Alamance Gleaner Vol LXVI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1940 Na 88 : ??? ? : ; ? - ? *? ?- ' < WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS By Edward C. Wayne House and Senate Set 21-35 Age Limit In Draft Bill, Volunteer Plan Propped; Total Air War' Blasts London Area; 32 Killed in Munitions Plant Explosion (KDITOK'I NOT*?When oplnioni an eagrsssM la thaw cohuans, tkey an thofe at tb? uwi analyst ul mat aaeanaittj at tkls newspaper.) fw.ia.Mss by Western Newspaper ? DRAFT: In November Prospects are that no American youth will be conscripted into army service until alter election. Just be fore the house passed the draft bill by a vote of 185 to 1SB, and an nouncement to this effect was mads by Representative Wadsworth (K., N. Y.) co-author of the bilL To make sure of this, however, the house inserted an amendment, Lieut. CoL Lewis B. Uershey, pictured here, new heed of the joint army and navy committee in charge of selective service plana, scho more then likely will ? become "the power behind the draft,' after the conscription machinery gets use ' aenoay. While e civilian may be named Isutler head of the draft. Col Henhay soiU contribute a major there of the work since he hat spent four years developing draft plans. sponsored by Representative Pish (R., N, Y.) to postpone peacetime draft tor 60 days while the Presi dent appealed tor volunteers. The house bill differed in two other essentials from the measure passed by the senate. The senate called for an age limit of 21 to 30, inclu sive. The house wanted registra tion extended to 40 yean, in order to get a greater number of trained mechanics. The house also modified the "draft industry" amendment so that factories where owners refused defense contracts would be taken over by the government on lease or rental. The senate called for seiz ure and operation. f Ironing out the differences, house and senate conferees agreed upon a bill that, (1) fixed the age limit at 21 to 3S years inclusive, (2) modi fied the plant seizure amendment, and <3) eliminated the 60-day volun teer plan. , . Wendell Willkie, G. a-P. presi dential nominee, added his opposi tion to that bf President Roosevelt on the 60-day delay amendment. MUNITIONS: Disaster la what was declared to be the worst disaster in the history of the American munitions industry, 32 persons were known dead, 22 miss ing (also believed to have perished) and 200 persons were injured in a series of earth-shaking explosions which destroyed the Hercules Pow der company's Kenvil, N. 3., plank While the cause of the blast was not immediately determined, feder al, state and local authorities began immediate investigations because the {riant was busy at work on Unit ed States defense orders. EGYPT: Offensive Italy'i long awaited offensive against English forces in Egypt got under way as artillery Are rumbled up end down the Egypt-Libya bor der. Fresh Italian troops moved up near the border as British and Ital ian flyers clashed in the first ex change of military blown an this front. Observers were of the opin ion that Italy was really beginning to play her role in the "Battle at Britain." This role consists mainly in diverting the attention of the Eng lish to some other quarter while Hit ler's attempt at an invasion at the British isles is carried out Egypt is an ally of Britain but as yet has not declared war with the axis pow ers. As soon as the Italian forces slash very deeply into Egyptian ter ritory this declaration is expected. \ THE WAR: London Battered In the fifty-third week of the war, Nazi air power began the long-pro claimed action which it declared would end in British surrender or the destruction of the world's largest city. Previous raids and previous bomb ings were as nothing. Keichmarshal Hermann W. Goering, from a safe seat in France, personally took charge of the Luftwaffe's operations. Thousands of gigantic bombers were sent across the channel in waves at 30 minute intervals. All were aimed at London, seat of the British em pire. Alarms continued from dusk until dawn. Even in daylight, while air precaution wardens were digging helpless from the debris left the night before, new planes arrived. They dropped incendiary bombs, which set great fires and led the night fliers to their targets through blackouts. Gone now was raiding only of de fense points and industries. Except for . German propaganda sources, ?one challenged the announcement that purely residential areas were being subjected to devastating ex plosions. In world-famous Fleet street, home of the greatest British newspapers, some of the largest buildings in the city were wrecked. Hospitals were wrecked, subways demoralized, gas mains broken and set afire. In a two-day period the British admitted 900 killed and 2,500 KINO GEORGE VI Straw ?/ almost constant air raids an England arc tolling on Iha boyish face of Britain's -monarch, pictured here as he chatted with a workman at aircraft factory which ha visited recently. maimed. Even aa they made the announcement the bombardments grew worse. Morale A delayed action bomb struck a section of Buckingham palace, the royal residence. No one was in jured. Objective of the terror was to un dermine the morale of the ordinary citizen. Berlin said when this was accomplished, the Churchill cabinet would fall and a new cabinet will ing to deal with the Reich would take its place. In the battered, shell-torn city, however, the first day af the raids showed no loss of determination to bold out. The king visited a slum section where bombs bad ripped great craters in the street, where homes of hundreds had been torn to bits. Out of the wipdow of a bouse still standing, a woman shouted: "Are we downhearted?" And the crowd gathered around the king cried, "No." The king smiled. That night there were worse bomb ings. Retaliation British fliers, reported by the Ger man air arm to be reduced to in effective operation, were still able to get into the air and fight More over they went visiting on their own. Docks at Hamburg, ports along the channel coast, in Denmark and Nor way were given a treatment of aerial bombardments. The British air ministry said the retaliation was So severe Oat the areas could not be used by the Germans to launch a land invasion. Nightly there were air raid alarms in Berlin, too. At least one bomb was dropped on the Reichstag build ing, stat of Hitler's rubber-stamp parliament TREND how the wind is blowing Congress ? A recess of several weeks beginning before October 1 is expected in Washington; Vatican?All attacks on the Reich have been halted by the pope, now that hope for a quick peace are lost, in a campaign to help Catholics in the conquered areas.; Plasties?Bausch and Lomb, lead ing optical manufacturers, are test ing a new eye-glass lens of trans parent plastics. Rayon?Japan may be dislodged as the leading rayon manufacturing country with development of a U. S. process using rayon with woolen and worsted fabrics. Labor?Unemployment is estimat ed at the lowest since 1929, by an American Federation of Labor sur- - ?ey. Volume is set at 4,500,000. Last year it was 9,050,000. All time top was 13,270,000 in 1933. The 1929 fig ure was 1,804,000, but the natural growth of population has increased several million since then andthere fore more people actually have jobs. Education?The federal office of education estimates that one-foiurth of the nation will be in school by October 1. The various classifica tions add up to 32,000,000 persons. This includes 2,000,000 adults in night or part-time schools. VMJJiY: Battle for Empire Hurried changes in the line-up of the Petain cabinet sent Gen. Max ima Weygand to the French Afri can colonies. It is hoped his pres ence will halt the growing shift of allegiance of France's outlying col onies away from the Vichy govern ment and toward the "Free France" committee headed by General de Galle, now in London. General Weygand was relieved of the post of secretary of war and Gen. Charles Huntziger named in his place. General Huntziger was one of the signers of the armistice terms with Adolf Hitler. The Petain government also or dered detention of more wartime cabinet leaders, including former Premiers Edouard Daladier and Paul Reyhaud, and Gen. Maurice Gamelin. All are being held in a chateau near Riom, where the "war. guilt" trials are now in progress. Former Air Ministers Pierre Cot and Guy La Chambre also were ordered arrested. Both are in the United States. 'Seizure of the fortunes of 19 bank ers, writers and industrialists was revealed. Heading the list was a group of the leaders of the House of Rothschild, many of whom fled France ahead of Hitler. Some of the industrialists shipped millions of francs ahead of them, but all leave behind vast holdings in French rail roads and factories which now be come property of the state. In New York arrived M. Henry Haye, newly appointed ambassador AMBASSADOR HATE Hit mkilt skirt it efaaa. to the United States. He was met at the pier by pickets who carried 'signs reading "Made in Germany." M. Henry-Haye protested in English without trace of an accent: "I wear no shirt but a white one, as white as I can keep it." MISCELLANY: C As an estimated 100,000 American Legionnaires converged on Boston, Mass., for their twenty-Arst national convention, the war and U. S peace time conscription cast a serious light over the sessions Plenty of the usual Legion merrymaking was in store too, however, with a program including a concert by Boston's famed Symphony orchestra, a gala "Cavalcade of Stars" to be shown before 40,00* at Braves Held, pnder sponsorship of Schenley post. No. 11N, and the big parade at 400 bends, drum and bugle corps. Among ^*"1 candidates for na tional commander are Ray Fields, Guthrie, Okla., and Lynn Stam baugh, Fargo, N. D. .ieL-f; .1 ? ?- -y , tr. *'? : Washington Digett Armament Manufacturers Realize Plant Expansion Carries Risks Reduced Military Appropriations Would Spell Ruin; U. S. Foreign Policy Unparalleled; German War Claims Appear Unsound. v By CARTER FIELD (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) WASHINGTON.?It Is fairly sim ple for the government to comman deer any existing plant which it may deem necessary for the nation al defense program and the owners of which are unwilling to co-operate. But it is a bit difficult for the gov ernment to commandeer a plant for which the blueprints have not even been drawn. Yet the ONLY fact behind the amazing public misconception of this whole picture of the alleged bog ging down of the national defense program, which is blamed on greedy would-be war profiteers, concerns. PROPOSED plants, not EXISTING plants. ' And the truth even about that is that there is very Uttle delaying on the part of concerns which the government wants to take war con tracts. Dozens of big concerns are risking the shirts of their stockhold ers by constructing new plants for the manufacture of airplane en gines, airplane propellers and what not without knowing what the prices will be, without knowing what profits they will be allowed, and at the risk of having stark and idle plants on their hands two or three years hence. Right now there seems to be dan ger. The public is aroused to it, and is behind the appropriating of bil lions for national defense. War rages in Europe, and there is eager de mand for all sorts of war supplies. But who can tell what the picture will be even next summer, much lees three years from now? Disarmament Might Follow Peace in Europe For example, there might be not only peace, but the sort of disarma ment agreement for which the statesmen of the early 1920's were striving, a situation in which no na tion would build another lighting ship or lighting plane, a tank or a big gun, for a considerable period <5 years. At the moment this seems far fetched, but consider the arguments which those who will be advocating this course will have, should there be peace a couple of years from now. Every nation in the world will be so deeply in debt that there win be serious doubt that they can ever pay the interest on itt A mo ment's thought about the present British debt and the rate at which it is being increased win show that this is not a totally impossible pic wre. Taxation will be grinding, not only in Europe, but in the United State*, whether we get into the war or not. For we are rapidly reaching a total of debt which will require heavy taxation merely to pay the govern ment's annual interest bill. Expanaion of Pitit, Roqtroo Roal Norvo So beyond any question, whan peace does come, there is going to be a tremendous demand on the part of Hie taxpayers to cut down on military appropriations, if this can be dons safely, and it will appeal to a number of statesmen then, as it did in 1811, to bring about disarm ament by treaties. Boiled down, that is why manu facturers OUGHT to be worried about amortisation. And that Is why the public should really be appre ciating the nerve of those compa nies which are building new plants because the government wants them to do it, without waiting to find out about profits, and whether the tax collectors wiD lesve them anything with which to pay for the new plants. Put another way, without knowing whether they will ever get back 10 cents on the dollar of their new in TMtmcOt*. Incidentally, President Roosevelt to NOT responsible tor these at tacks an business But certain sen ators and represents tires hare Keen showing either eery poor logic, or rather contemptible politics. U. S. Foreign Policy Is Vmqmo m History There may be some parallel in history for the course now being followed by the United States gov ernment, and the open expressions of so many nonofllcial American speakers, and editors, but research ers seam unable to And it For example, the various moves which have been made in defiance of neutrality, moves which very ob viously have the approval of a con siderable majority?some of the polls estimate it as more than AD per cent?of the American people, e and yet which run absolutely coun ter to the supposed desire at a very large majority of the people to keep out of war. Putting it bluntly, and undiplo matically, it would appear that noth ing this country may do is likely either to get it into the war or keep it out That decision, it would ap pear from all the known facts, will be made for us, not by us. It will be made by Adolf Hitler. To put it another way, this coun try has already done so many things obviously hostile to Germany, and designed to aid her enemies, that if there were any purpose to be served, Hitler might feel himself justified in declaring war against the United States. On the other hand, Denmark, Nor way, Belgium, Holland and Luxem bourg never did the slightest thing to irritate the Germans, yet they were crushed without warning and in violation of the most solemn trea ty promises. So it would seem that Hitler de cides what countries he will fight. The other countries either fight or do not fight, as he determines. 11 i-J. u w u? n via iinvv Approval of Majority All of which would seem to make the arguments of the isolationists rather technical. We are commit ting acts which in other times would be branded as acts of war. For ex ample, the original idea at a "neu trality patrol." which justified the recommissioning of the World war destroyers. For example, the re peal of the arms embargo while a war was actually in progress. For example, the more recent virtual alliance with Canada, which la at war with Germany. And this is topped off with the de livery to the British of the SO de stroyers, with gune-and ammuni tion aboard, which Baa long been predicted in these dispatches. Con sider also the fact that a joint Brit ish and American committee will select the precise sites for the new military and air bases in British possessions! And all this in the midst of a presidential campaign, with the can didates of both major parties actu ally approving the results accom plished?even if the opposition ob jects to the manner in which they are done?and with minorities in both parties very unhappy, but un able politically to do anything. German War Claims Require Discounting Nearly every new* commentator 1* constantly telling the public that there is no way at being sure what is happening in Europe behind the veil at censorship. Naturally there Is no denying the truth of this fre quently repeated statement, but there are certain things which sim ply MUST be so. Tbe main point is, as this is writ tan, that the Nazis have not yet conquered Britain. No censorship could hida that, if it were already an accomplished fact. It is a matter of simple arith metic, now that so much time has elapsed since the heavy air lighting over Britain began, that the Ger man claims simply could not have been gnythiag life accurate because their exaggeration is obvious. This does not mean that the Brit ish are winning. Certainly the Brit ish censorship prevents our getting an accurate picture at that. Por example, it may well be that the Nasi bombing of Britain is succeed ing in destroy lug British airplane and munitions works. We do not know. We only know that the Brit ish contend that so tar the bomb ings have not accomplished any thing in slowing down the British war production. Prim# Minister Winston Churchill tokh the- house of commons nwiI weeks ago that British airplane pro duction, plus what they were bring ing in, was now equal to German airplane production. Ha did not de ny that the Germans still had great superiority in number of fighting and bombing planes, but predicted that this superiority would decline from then on. This of course will depend on sev eral factors. One is whether the German raider* are able to destroy British airplane plants. Another is whether submarines, mines and Ger man planet can curb British imports of airplanes. Aa long as the British can keep on fighting in the air, it is obvious that the Germans are not" accom plishing their real objective SPEAKING OF | SPORTS By ROBERT McSHANE CLAMMIN' SAMMY SNEAD, the ^ luckless pro from White Sulphur Springs, W. Vs., woo a lot of new friends recently when be lost the Professional Golfers' association championship to Byron Nelson. It wasn't that Sam lost the tourna ment. Fans are quite accustomed to that. It was the way in which he lost it. Snead has been accused of a lot of things. The most popular accusa tion being that he is a front runner ?that he can't come up from behind to win tournaments, or at least to make a good showing. In the P. G. A. tournament at Hershey, Pa., he gave the lie to that charge, even though be failed to win first money. Snead's Putter Cold geons fight can be gleaned from the fast that he was as mash as S down to Nelson during the morning round of the 36-hole final match. Ho didn't square the match until the thirtieth and went ahead for the first time on the thirty-second Through sH of this, he had the edge in tee and fairway play. Nelson had been SAM 8NEAD hooking moat at the lay. Bat at least six at Bnead's potts either ringed or hepped oat at the cape. Nelson's comeback on the thirty third was (ought off with Spead's stymie. Then came Nelson's turn. He made three successive iron shots that spectators will talk about all winter. He fired a No. 7 iron tour feet from the thirty-fourth flag for a birdie, blasted s piblick shot to within six feet of the thirty-fifth cup, and laid a No. 3 iron six feet above the cup at the 190-yard thirty sixth. His putt hung on the lip, but all he needed was a par three to match Snead and end the tourna ment. Bat It was ens tournament that 8aead was not ashamed to lees. Be didn't blew. He merely ran op against a competitor who was play ing inspired golf. Greatest of Stylists Saead ti u much at aa enigma as amy modern player. Abneet w ery (alter anoai the eleet win tell yaw that be has the flnest aD-arooad rwtmf (olf has yet sees. Sam can (et tremendous distances With less effort than any other of today's kingpins. His great distance is featured by fine direction. His hands, arms and body synchronize into a smooth, fluid motion which gets amazing results. Tat Snead has never won a Na tional Open or a P. O. A. tourna to dog his footstepT'i&en be is In sight of one of golfs major crowns. It is difficult to ascribe his failure to any one reason, but Francis Oui met, the old master, thinks he has the reason. Concentration the Answer? t?i wtriHw Is ths ktrM Ikhf hi gatf It isn't diSeaM to asaos* irate a* ? taw shsts. Bet to thtak da, 4a? illwSt heEfsftaTheta, ?Mi altar NM, la fta Mat tat SaaM assignment ia tB sperte. Ota af iille, aaak as baseball, ((Shan, tanta pii^w Snaad can't be blamed if ha la ?till wondering how ha loet the Her shay meet The West Virginia dag ger had dropped a lot of big tourna ments before by folding up at criti cal moments, but this time it was different. Sammy threw a laal rsssi af ? -5 under par?at Nates*, ad It ?Ma*t da fates say geed. Ml Baa sadly: "I deal kasw what I hare to da to crash hi then. I guess I'll Just never win a Mg eue." A lot of people would argue that last remark, for Snead proved in that final 36-hole match that ha ia championship material. . .' I' - General HUGH ?. JOHNSON Jaah: CAMPAIGN WEAKNESSES WASHINGTON. ? You certainly have to hand K to the old mas tar is the White House for his ability to keep the show gains all by himself and to conduct a brilliant political campaign without even aw m nig to know that one is going on. He is doing it in scintillating fash ion. He is getting away with it. He isn't even being seriously chal- - longed by what shooldbe his oppoei tng up, but he is taking a paiafuHy long time about it Public enthusiasm is a tickle Jade. Mr. Willkie's performance in taking the nomination away (rota the pro fessionals at Philadelphia was as spectacular a show as Ik. Roose velt's getting the naval and air bases. It captivated tfaa country, but, a* the President knows so wed, a popular figure had got to kaep the glass balls dancing. Mr. wmkie, himself, apparently relies more on Orrin Root's ama teur WfflUe clubs than on th# Re publican party organizations in the several states. That ia a mistake that Mr. Roosevelt never mad*. He had all kinds of amateur rInfra, too. Businessmen's Roosevelt for Presi dent clubs, the Oao* Neighbor league and as many others ae could be thrown together. These don't have to putter around depending on emergency organiza tion end manufactured enthusiasm. They depend en dough and. Hatch act or no Hatch act, manay stiD talks. Mr. Roosevelt has 10 Mlima to spend. Yet, with all mat intri- ? cate pattern of decentralized region el organization, Mr. Ruueeielt never neglected the good old Democratic political organization. On the con trary, he relied on it, rewarded M, reorganized it, and built if up to a greater strength and an a wider range than any Democratic organi zation had ever known before. Mr. Willkie may have been nominated in spite of the profeeaion sis, bet he certainly cannot be alactell without them. He can't be elected without mak ing election, issues either, the am munition is there by the tm rata sons bursting with it. But no Aril is worth its cost without a gun to shoot it. I always thought the Presi dent was wrong to <tsMistiming "Yes-But" men m off-term debate of issues but .you cant net any where in a political campaign K aril you have learned to say if "Yae But." You have got to learn to say "Ifo Sir!" and make it emphatic and convincing enough to be beard and cany conviction. I didn't expect that any candidate or any party would ever again.make the terrific blunders of the Alt Lon don campaign, but so far this Re publican campaign looks enough like it to be its twin. The high command of both the po ll litical armies appear reaaonably confident and tranquil, but the greet general staff at each is in a dither. | For the Democrats, the loan at Jim Farley on the eve at the battle of the third term was aouia audi catastrophe as would ha the lose at Hitler to the Nazis before a decision in the Battle of Britain, lfr. Ftynn. make no mistake about it, is a rery able man with a better basts brain, I think, than his great purtaraaanr. But Mr. Flynn's field command has been restricted to the Battle o< the Bronx aad this great America* ; terrain is fi ?cry differ eat matter. : Even on his own ground, Mr. Flyna will have to watt aatfl %a great boas . buster, Tom Dewog, gets through with him. Mr. Flynn's Bronx tmpfca mm Tammany. I don't know what bones are buried in (hat raalm bid may be Mr. Dewey doe*. On the Republican side, campaign manager Joe Martin ia as active as a night prowling tom-cat oh a tia roof 4 -.ging missile# aad talking back, but Opt la in congress- not cal general staff is therefore, leader less aad accordingly disorganised. There Isn't even a a-.ee.-b factory. There is no strategy board of alder SdM^Mi^m^S'ftmdaatea'evI erybody who aeea him or hears him chair or platform, but there ara 1J8, 000,000 people in this country sod be can't see them all. There la the radio, but he is not coached to dick there and in apite at the wailing of several such speech experts as Haines Falconer that ba has a natural equipment with which he could promptly be made the greatest radio orator at our time, a combination at diffidence and rug ged individualism prevents that A great opportunity seems to ha trem bling la the balance.
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 19, 1940, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75