The Alamance Gleaner
?
VoL LXVI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1940 No. 36
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS By Edward C. Wayne
Japan and Axis Powers Sign Pact;
Britain's Navy Backs 'Free French'
In Attack on Dakar, West Africa;
77 English Refugee Children Drown
(BDITOft'8 NOTE?When opinions am expressed In the is columns, they
ere thee# of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
bj Western Newspaper Union.
"Eventually, why not now," items to be the slogan of these men of
military are that recently swamped the New York city U. S. army recruit
ing offices. This line el would-be dourbboys, desirous of retting into the
army before the draft blows them in, reached away around a city block.
Crowds like this have been applying for enlistment for the past few weeks
and officials are of the opinionUhat volunteers maf make up the first quota
of 409,000 men required under the conscription law, without resort to the
nationwide draft.
(For further news of the draft see: DEFENSE. Conscription.!
THE WAR:
Netv Fronts
A united front of Germany, Italy
and Japan became a reality as these
three nations signed a pact in Ber
lin in which they proclaimed to the
world a new political, economic and
military treaty providing for an in
- terchange of assistance in case any
other nation enters the European
war.
Military experts were quick to say
that this pact was aimed at the
United States tor it is believed by
many that this country's policy of
aid to Great Britain has disturbed
the axis powers and Japan is none
too pleased with the friendly Amer
ican attitude toward China.
Under terms of the treaty signed
in the presence of Adolf Hitler,
Germany and Italy are recognised
as the powers of the "new order"
in Europe and Japan is to be the
leader of a "new order" in "Greater
Asia." ,
Day before this pact was signed
the United States government had
cut off scrap iron shipments to
Japan.
?W ? m f I '
trencti i rouoie
Battle broke out In two new sec
tors and France was engaged in
both. Technically it is not war.
But to the soldiers and sailors killed
. it made little difference. ?
Gen. Charles de Gaulle, leader
of the "Free French Committee"
which, from offices in London, is op
posing the Petals- cabinet, led an
expedition against Dakar, Senegal,
in French West Africa. Many Af
rican states contrtlled by France
already had pledged allegiance to
' De Gaulle. In Senegal. De Gaulle
said, there had been infiltration of
Germans and Italians who sought
to seize the air station. The air
station is important ItJs the hop
ping off place for Brazil, 1,700 miles
across the south Atlantic?much
closer to Latin America than New
York.
De Gaulle expected quick victory.
French warships under his com
mand, however, were beaten off by
Petain warships already in the port
But British naval forces backed up
the French and a first class battle
ensued: The British indicated they
will land troops to bold the country.
In reprisal Petain planes bombed
Gibraltar.
Indo-China
French Indo-China also eras under
assault?in this scene by Japanese.
The Tokyo government sought mili
tary privileges ostensibly to attack
China through the back door, but in
reality to extend their Asian influ
ence. An ultimatum brought them
results.' But the Japanese Canton
army attacked nevertheless, and be
gan an invasion.
In Europe
German radios continued to thixt
der that Nazi legions would invade
England "We are coming," said
the broadcasts aimed at the British
Isles.
Louder .than the radios, however,
was the rumble of bombs over Lon
don as well as other interior towns.
Night after nijjht Messerschmidts
dropped 500-pound thermite bombs
that wrecked tows of homes, stores
and factories. The British museum
was hit. Shell splinters pitted Big
Ben. A famous church designed by
Sir Christopher Wren was destroyed.
Londoners, slept in subway stations
and shelters, if at all.
There was demand for retaliation,
for the royal air corps to smash
Berlin.
At Sea
The British admitted loss of their
seventeenth submarine and on the
same day announced sinking of four
Nazi boats in the channel. Most
shocking of all, however, was loss
of a merchantman sent to the bot
tom 600 miles at sea allegedly by a
German torpedo. The ship was
bringing English refugee children to
America. Among the 246 dead were
77 children. Also lost with the ship
was Rudolf Olden, former publisher
of the Berliner. Taget?latt. Olden
was a thorn in the sine of Adolf Hit
ler when the fuehrer was struggling
for power. The brown-ahirted lead
er had voiced threats of vengeance
on him.
DEFENSE:
Conscription
Two volumes of rules and regula
tions which have been compiled
during years of study by the army
were signed by President Roosevelt
to govern the draft of manpower.
The regulations cover everything
from the physical requirements of
enrollees to the amount and type of
furniture neqded in draft board of
fices. Whereas the regular army
rejects applicants under 64 inches,
the draft will accept men of 60
inches. The draftee must have
three upper and lower biting teeth
that meet and three upper and three
lower cheering teeth. Conscripts
needing minor dental care will re
ceive it in camp.
CAMPAIGN:
The WiUkie Swing
Wendell WiUkie ended in Madison,
Wis., his first soring around the coun
try, which was expected to set the
pace for the Republican campaign.
Everywhere be spoke to great
crowds, though not always to friend
ly ones. In Speech after speech Mr.
WiUkie attacked New Deal spend
ing, the third term. Democratic city
machines. He said be had a three
point program: 1, Rehabilitation of
American industry as a means of
ending unemployment; 1, a strong
national defense; S, preservation of
democracy and national unity. His
next tour wfll be eastward.
F. D. U. D.
In the Philadelphia kail where
WendeU WiUkie received the Re
publican nomination. President
Roosevelt, dresaed in a purple gown,
received the degree of doctor of laws
from the University of Pennsylvania
at its SOOth anniversary celebration.
He had fault to find with the uni
versity's founding date. He told the
crowd, which laughed at the re
mark, that it embarrassed him that
"the SOOth anniversary should fall
an an election year."
New Leader
Here it Rep. John If. McCor
mack of Boston, Mass., just
elected to the position of Demo
cratic floor leader of the house
of representatives. An ardent
New Dealer, he succeeds Rep.
Sam Rayburn, recently elevated
to speaker of the house, follow
ing the death of William B.
Bankhead.
CENSUS:
Smallest Gain
Besides you there are 131,409,880
of us in the United States, as of
April 1. You have the word of the
United States census bureau for it,
and they counted noses. But the
rise in population during the last 10
years was only 7 per cent, the low
est on record. In the decade be
tween 1920 and 1930, the percent
age of increase was 18.1.
Decline in the birth rate and a
virtual stoppage of immigration is
given as the reason. William L.
Austin, director of the census,
viewed the situation with concern,
as did students of population trends.
Some have figured that by 1970 there
will be 150,000,000 in the United
States and after that, unless some
thing unforseen occurs, the drift will
be downward.
RADIO:
New Numbers
The Federal Communications com
mission announced that 777 out of
863 radio stations in the U. S. will
change frequencies on or about De
cember 1. The rearrangement
comes through agreement entered
Into by the United States, Cuba,
Mexico and Canada, in order to
eliminate international interference.
Radio receivers of the push button
type will need adjustment to the
new numbers. For the metropolitan
centers the reception will not be
altered'greatly, but it will make
quite an improvement-in the rural
areas, FCC officials claim.
In the new setup, United States
stations now operating between 740
and' 780 kilocycles will move up 10
kilocycles; stations between 790 and
870 will move up 30; stations be
tween 880 and 1,490 will move up
30; clear-channel stations will shift
from 1,400-1,490 to 1,900-1,530; local
stations now on 1,900 will move down
to 1,490. Stations now between 990
and 730 will remain unchanged.
PIE IN THE SKY:
But No Automobiles
Two years ago. Dr. Robert Lay,
head of the German labor front,
promised to put an automobile in
every worker's garage. - Some 300,-.
000 workers began contributing 82
weekly toward the 8396 purchase
price, which later was raised to
$487. But there will be no automo
biles. Both unfinished factories and
contributions have been turned over
to war use.
Ley now is offering a new plan.
After the war, he told German work
ers, wages for 10 years will be di
vided into "free" and "tied" parts.
The "tied" parts will revert to the
government and workers will get
not only automobiles, but homes and
other things the government thinks
is good for them. He also said
there will be no more forced labor
and everyone will have a weekly
vacation from Saturday noon to
.Monday morning.
SCIENCE:
?r r%
new rrocess
John Henry Walthall, 40-year-old
scientist with the TV A, has discov
ered a method of abstracting alumi
num from common clay. Alumi
num is now derived from bauxite,
found domestically chiefly in Ar
kansas, but imported in huge quan
tities from Dutch Guiana. The TV A
said the discovery will make the
U. S. virtually independent of for
eign sources.
, MISCELLANY:
C Mrs. Stanley Beggs, 46, of Lynd
hurst, N. J., was arrested by FBI
agents charged with demanding $60,
000 from Miss Helen Clay Frick,
heiress of the late steel millionaire.
C A bill fixing penalties for peace
time sabotage in defense industries
has been passed by the senate and
Washington Digest
Wasted Campaign Funds Result
. From Limitations of Hatch Act
National Committees Lose Control Over Expenditures;
Willkie's Voice Holds Key to Success in
His Presidential Campaign.
By CARTER FIELD
HUklMd by Western Newspaper Union.I
WASHINGTON.?The original idea
of the Hatch act waa magnificent.
There can be no doubt about it. All
the arguments against it at the time
of its passage were lame?obviously
so. For example, the plea of Sen.
Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky that
if federal employees could not be
used by federal candidates, whereas
state employees were not restrained,
it would be tough on the federal
candidates!
Barkley was the target of cartoon
ists and editorial writers all over
the country regardless of party.
What was bothering the Kentucky
senator, of course, was that he was
in a tough fight for rehomination at \
the time in the Democratic sena- ?
torial primary. His opponent was '
the then governor of Kentucky,
"Happy" A. B. Chandler.
Barkley was renominated and re- 1
elected, and Chandler later got into ]
the senate also, following the death
of Senator Logan, so that particular 1
ALBEN W. BABBLET
crisis nas passea. inciaeniaiiy
Chandler and Barkley are now good
friends. Neither one has anything
to lose by being friendly with the
other.
But when congress came along
this spring and amended the Hatch
act by its various limitations, it
really opened the door to the crazi
est sort of presidential campaign in
the country's history, so far as the
fbiancing on both sides is concerned.
'Necessary Expenditure*'
Raise Many Questions
For instance, the limitation on the
national committee of each party is
$3,000,000 of expenditures. That
sounds like a lot of money. It is. But
then bobs up the old notion of the
politicians that certain expenditures
simply must be made.
Literature, for example?pam
phlets and leaflets, streamers, wind
shield stickers and buttons. Does
the distribution of any one of these,
or all of them, change any votesf
Nobody really knows, but the aver
age politician thinks it would be
simply murder to stop furnishing
them.
Then there is the question of ad
vertising, not only in regular news
papers, but in magazines, special
programs of groups which think they
merit recognition, billboards, street
car ads, etc.
One of the big committees has not
allowed a nickel of its budget for
any one of the above I No commit
tee of any party ever thought it
had one-tenth as much money as
should be spent on every one of these
items.
Then there is the foreign language
presa, and the Negro press. Both
parties in the past have always sub
sidized them to a perfectly absurd
degree.
Money Spent Ontmde
Scope of Hatch Act
So far one might think, studying
this situation, that tha Hatch act
limitation, with a few possible ex
ceptions, such as honest advertis
ing, is a Messing in disguise. Inci
dentally, for some reason which has
always been a mystery to the writ
er, the country seemed to take the
position, some years back, that
spending a lot of money on news
paper advertising for political pur
poses was a tricked thing.
Remember Truman H Newbury
ai Michigan who was elected to the
senate, and then pilloried because
more than $900,000 had been spent
to nominate and elect himf He
was almost expelled from the sen
ate, and felt so chagrined at the
result that he subsequently resigned.
Incidentally every senator who voted
?gainst expelling him found himself
lie target on that issue next time
te came up for re-election.
Well, the fact is that most of the
noney spent for Newbury was spent
m newspaper advertising!
But the Joker of the whole situa
ition at present is (he way both
najor parties are benefiting from
luge expenditures OUTSIDE the
?cope of the national committees,
ind beyond the reach of the Hatch
tct. Probably, oc the whole, more
noney is being wasted this year
in foolish campaign spending than
sver before because there is no
>ne power which can control ALL
the spending on either side.
Willk&t Bad Throat
Threatens Campaign ,
Leaving out the possibility that
President Roosevelt may make
?ome move in connection with the
?var; which wot^d turn everything
in the presidential campaign topsy
turvy, the most important thing to
watch is Wendell Willkie's voice.
The big question is whether that bad
throat of his can stand the ordeal
he had planned.
If Willkie can make the sort of
campaign those who knew him had
visualized, he might be able to work
wonders. The man has magnetism.
He has the faculty of winning any
small group to whom he talks, and
this goes for crowds up to 500 and
600, to a degree possessed by few
political figures.
No one had thought, much less
Willkie himself, that he would not
be able to stand the physical strain
of the campaign. Willkie has been
making two or three speeches a
week for a long time, especially in
the period immediately preceding
the Philadelphia convention.
But making one speech a day,
even, to a crowd of 900 to 1,000, is
one thing. Making TEN speeches a
day from the rear end of a rail
road train, with a monster meeting
every few days, probably on a na
tional hookup for radio, is quite an
other. There are mighty few men
who can do that. There are lots of
men who think they could do it, but ,
would not be able to talk above a
whisper a week or two after they
started.
The big possibility in tnis cam
paign, always leaving out war move
eventualities, is whether Willkie
can do it.
It he cannot, he will lose the big
gest vote-getting magnet in his bag
of tricks. It is the personal touch
of tha smaller meetings that is WU1
kie's magic. It is not the big for
mal speeches that are broadcast
over the land.
Stump Speeches
Hard on Votes
Both are vital, but it is UNTHINK
ABLE that he should not make the
big speeches. So if one or the other
Ibis of attack must be given up be
cause of throat trouble, it will be
the little rear end of the train
speeches that must be sacrificed.
There is nothing new about this
development, except that for some
reason none of his friends thought
Willkie's throat could not stand any
amount of use. For example, in the
1924 campaign John W. Davie was
the nominee of the Democrats for
the presidency, and he attempted a
nation-wide stumping tour. Davis
had been in congress. He had been
solicitor general of the United
States. He had been and still is
regarded as one of the really great
orators of the country.
But how his throat did crack! He
was obliged to get a throat special
ist to travel with him, but even with
expert medical aid be was unable
to do anything like the Job he had
mapped out for himself, a Job he
had been confident of his ability to
perform.
Soma people think that the am
plifier! solved the problem of this
strain on the throat. Most emphat
ically they hare not. Any one who
listened to the broadcast of the two
national conventions, where the am
plifiers were magnificent, knows
that some voices were clear and
loud, some muffled and hard to un
derstand. A man speaking into a
microphone for amplifiers in a big
hall, where the audience must hear,
is almost forced to strain his voice,
although a man speaking into a
microphone In a radio studio can
read along in a perfectly natural
voice, without straining.
Speaking in the open air, as rear
end train speechers must, is even
harder on the voice than speaking
in a convention hall.
SPEAKING OF
SPORTS
1 By ROBERT McSHANE
| Unadk)W?nNn*w?IMM
WHEN the 1*W gridiron ware
have ended, tans of the Big
Ten conference will be able to look
back on a season as thrilling as any
in the history of the Western circuits
That prophecy doesn't require the
services of a soothsayer. It's as in
evitable as a hangover. There are
too many evenly matched teams to
afford anything bnt a ma rim am of
excitement, npset dope and rained
calculations. The decision of the
University of Chicago to forsake
football has led to a better balance
within the conference. No team this
year will romp over Chicago for a
pathetically easy victory and anoth
er meaningless mark in the win col
umn. They'll dght for every victory.
Early season dope has Ohio in
first place, closely followed by Indi
ana, Michigan and Minnesota.
Northwestern and Iowa may double
cross the experts, Illinois can cause
plenty of trouble and Purdue and
Wisconsin have their quqta of bowl
ing adherents.
Buckeyes Well Balanced
The Buckeyes from Ohio State
hare excellent balance?a veteran,
well-oiled, smooth performing back
field and a rugged, wall-like line. In
addition, they have an individual
star who ranks with the nation's
greatest ? Don Scott, rangy 210
pound quarterback who can kick,
paaa, run and block. Last year Scott
was teamed with left half Jim
Strausbaugh, right half Prank Zed
TOMMY HARMON
worney and fullback Jim Langhurst.
The combination easily was the best
in the Middle West.
Ceacfa Be MeMUlin's Indiana team
is a definite championship threat.
Ia Harlln- Hal Harsh the Hoosiers
have one of the ablest forward pose
era la the business. They also have
II other experienced backs, tsar vet
eran cads, five experienced tackles
and six guards and two centers who
won their spars la ISM. However,
Indians faces Nebraska, Iowa,
Northwestern and Ohio State an sen
ses attva week ends. That schedule
may Uek the Boosters.
The Two-Man Gang
Tommy Harmon and Forest Eva
shevski, Michigan's Two-Man Gang,
are the mainstays in the Wolverines'
bid for conference laurels. Their
schedule calls for conference games
with Illinois, Minnesota, Northwest
era and Ohio State. One thing in
Michigan's favor is the veteran tal
ent available for both ends, both
guards and center. John Nicholson
and Ed Fruitig will be on the Hanks,
Bob Fritz and Milo Sukup at guards
and Bob Ingalls at center.
Minnesota relies en power again
this fan with two new beys regarded
; as mere than helpful additions. They
ate Dick Wlldumr HI pa^ml^ackte,
j hUamesete's "teiMsnT ta'dmi
shape. George Eras eh and Bruce
Tough Schedule for Iowa
Iowa's touch schedule tests the
ability of Coach Eddie Anderead's
three stalwarts. Right Tackle Mike
Bnich, Quarterback A1 Couppee and
Fullbaf^ Ray Murphy. Murphy ia
expected to be the offensive sensa
tion of a Hawkeye team which will
meet Indiana. Wisconsin, Purdue,
Illinois, Minnesota, Notre Dame and
Nebraska. It to improbable that
Iowa will duplicate last year's allow
ing of six victories, a tie and a de
feat?the schedule is against it
Northwesters may be the confer
eaee dark horse. Loaded with bark
teld power, the offense likely wtd be
effsat by lack of experience Is the
Una. Here, toe. there to the matter
of a tough schedule. In addition to
six Big Tan games, the Wildcats
clash with Syracuse and Notre
Dam?.
Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois
were hard hit by graduation. Much
of their success depends upon the
development of reserves. However,
if s safe to say that they trill am
bush mote than one of the first divi
sion teams.
GENERAL
HUGH S.
JOHNSON
JcujJlL
Washington, B.C.
ARMY AND BUS LINES
In speaking to and with the Na
tional Association of Motor Bun Op
erators, I learned something to add
to the many things I do not know.
This country is now a gridiron at
motor roads. A considerable part
of its passengers and freight trans
portation moves over these mads in
automotive vehicles.
Whatever may be the fair jess to
the railroad networks at the low tax
and roadbed costs to these competi
tors of theirs, this system is a vary
necessary part of our national ma
chinery for transportation in both
peace and war.
Hitler has shown the necessity for
the highest perfection in swift, mo
torized movements of army "?*"?
Our government has belatedly rec
ognized it. We are getting ready ta
spend vast sums to motorize our
army. Doubtless we soon will be
adding to our public highway sys
tem a new network of "strategic
roads"?feeder highways into areas
thst may be threatened and ere not
now well etjuipped for quick trans
plies.
Our new and only partly motorized
army is writing a terrible record of
delays and breakdowns das to half
trained drivers and repair and serv
ice departments. This is to be ex
? pected in any beginning, bat it
should be cured.
? ? ?
The record at experienced civil
ian bus and track systems to econo
my, efficiency and mnintonanes
shows remarkable performance?av
erages of 79,000 to 100,000 mfles at
highways operation without mechan
ical delay. Recently, a motorized
artillery battalion on a super-high
way averaged 10 miles per hoar on
a march at 139 mites?due to me
chanical troubles. This is jnst ana
of dozens of recent rrsmplss Ton
can't make an efficient motor last
overnight.
vjur pians I or a new swin moving
motorized army, capable at striking
like lightning anywhere an cither
coast of our country, *??" be inte
grated closely with our niir inlbl ex
isting civilian system of motor trans
port. It would be foolish to attempt
to parallel it completely lor flw
army with another complete sjstsm
of government-owned and operated
motor vehicles.
? ? ?
Genera] Marshall made clear re
cently that his plans do not ?nntaii>
plate a military motor float cspahla
of carrying all. his troops at ana
time. He suggested a "shuttle sys
tem" whereby the army metor
transport Is to take pert at ah army
forward and then go back for the
rest.
If H only took half on a trip that
would cut army speed by two^hirda.
Why should there not be added to
the plan, wherever pomible, com
plete utilization in both peace and
war of our splendid existing cfvO- -
ian motor transport system?not
merely for carriage, but for m stats
nance of service? lb da that re
quires experimental experience,
while in an emergency all each
transport would sorely be sudflmly
commandeered and used p helter
skelter fashion, it is as important to
get a smoothly working operation by
peacetime practice as it la to hneo
experimental maneuvers with the
National Guard.
Is anything like that being dae?
On the contrary, bacauaa the qanr
termaater general of the amy ha*
ft "Joint military piMO|cr ftgnt*
roent" with the railroads which to
practically exclusive at the ues af
automotive transport, it is only ha
very rare cases that the civilian au
tomotive systems can be used for
the transportation at troops.
One reason advanced by the quar
termaster general tor refusal to
change that bone-headed seaOify is
that the "Joint military panesnger
agreements have been in effect be
tween the railroads and the war
and navy departments tor sear a
quarter of n century."
So had the French military meth
ods, which toe German swift moving
motorized attack smashed in n tew
weeks, been used for over a "quar
ter of s century." This reason re
veals the typical dry rot of toe Crus
tacean bureaucracy which is as dan
gerous in this swiftly moving war
like world.
We must have our railroad net
work tor military efficiency and you
can't keep it up without giving it
business. But we also need our au
tomotive network and we can't rec
oncile that with a railroad monopoly.
Something ought to ba done about
this tomorrow.
i aft J;. ? t4 Li, <-??