Newspapers / The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, … / Oct. 17, 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
The Alamance Gleaner , . ? ? ? , ? , , ? , . . ?- N J-" VoL LXVI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1940 No. 37 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS By Edward C. Wayne U. S.-Japan Relationship Is Strained; Americans in Far East Ordered Home; Naval Reserves Called Into Service As Army Makes Way for Conscripts (EDITOR'S NOTE?When opinions are expressed la these columns, they are those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.) (Released by Western Newspaper TT"<~* > CRISIS: Wor Ahead? Since Japan joined the Fascist Axis, attacks on America and Amer icans by the goverrnment-controlled Tokyo press have been exceeded only by the belligerent mouthings of the Mussolini-controlled newspa pers of Italy. When Japan signed the treaty of Berlin, Washington was inclined at first to make little of it, even though it was openly stated to be aimed at the United States because of aid given to Britain. But Japan did not take it as lightly. Prince Fumi maro Konoye, Japanese premier, said openly that if the United States persists in "challenging" the Axis powers, a war will follow. Later there was an official statement that if England opened the Burma road, lone gateway to China for muni tions, Japan would declare war. Many in Washington now believe that a clash with Japan is bound to come sooner or later and that it might as well be sooner, because if Britain should fall, the United States would be faced with aggressors on both oceans at the same time. Culmination was a state depart ment order to all Americans in the Near East to return home. Britain wili open the Burma road October 17. And in Shanghai, Japanese offi cials had another problem to worry them. For despite a heavy military guard placed around Fu Siao-en, their puppet ruler of that Chinese city, he was slashed to death by some unknown assailant. Enraged Japanese authorities de clared that the assassination was an "inside job." Shanghai police re ported that they had been asked by the Japanese to aid in a search for the slain man's personal servant, one Zung Tsu-en, who was absent from his master's house after the killing. Price of Peace Several unofficial offers have been made to the United States. All aim at involving this nation with Japan or so crippling U. S. armed forces so as to make the nation ineffective. The head of the Japanese press as sociation suggested the United States show its good will by aban doning the naval base at Pearl Har bor'. Hawaii; withdraw from Guam ana Midway islands. In Rome, Mussolini's newspaper held out another scheme. In polite terms it suggested that if America would stop giving help to England, ' the Axis powers would reward America by giving her Canada. Object is, of course, to so involve the U. S. that it will stop sending supplies to Britain. DEFENSE: Navy Called s Comparable to the army's mobili zation of the National Guard, the navy called out all men and officers and the naval reserve, boosting its Htm it Mitt Agnes C. Rosele, 24, grad ual* mm* of Washington, D. C, first Rod Cram aarsa callrd to actio* duty in tko Army Nun* corps in dm* expansion r? eentiy authoriseJ to kef pace with in creased manpower. She it the first of 4JH9 nurses to he added to the corps by July of neat year. strength 27,901 to a peacetime peak of 239.281. Navy Secretary Knox said the men were called to equip new light ing and auxiliary craft which were being launched six months ahead of schedule. He also warned that the nation was approaching "an hour' of decision, an hour of test" with the Axis powers and asserted "if a fight is forced on us, we shall be ready." Meanwhile the army was prepar ing at reception centers tor 700,000 of 18,500,000 men who were march ing to their voting, places to regis ter for the draft. The whole 700,000 likely will enter the service Novem ber 1$, but not all will go to camp at once. Most reception centers are being designed to "process" only 1,000 to 1,500 men. The drafted men may be held in their home communities anywhere from a week to ten days. Each day a quota will be sent to the reception centers. There they will be equipped, their army rec ords initiated and after a short stay most will be sent to regular army camps to fill out these units to full strength. Some new units will be created, of course. Not all the new soldiers will be equipped with the army's modern woolen "elastique" trouser and bl swing coats with sports-back. Many will be handed the old-style army woolen breeches with spiral leggings and the obsolete standing-collar blouse. Out of storage also came 105 U. S. army tanks. 'These were loaded on flatcars en route to Canada for train ing of Canadian troops. It was only AhOM toundphoto ihotca a row of mil for Canada being unloaded from flat cart at Camp Borden, Canada, after their ar rival from the United Stotea. a email part of equipment being turned over as a result of confer ences of the joint U. S.-Canadian defense board. ' Five hundred volunteers, the first parachute battalion, were getting their first training. War Secretary Stimson said other battalions will be trained in the same operations. Visitors Twenty heads of armies from nine Latin American nations ? Bolivia, Columbia, Costa Rica, the Domini can Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay?com pleted a two-week tour around American defenses. As they neared the end of their journey, officers from 11 other neighboring countries arrived to make the same inspec tion. All were shown the new Amer ican streamlined motor divisions in operation and ended up at the Pana ma canaL TRAVELERS: At Brenner Pass At Brennero, pass In the Alps be tween Germany and Italy, Adolf Hit ler and Benito Mussolini held an other of their strange conferences. The meeting was in a railroad car, with blinds pulled down, guarded with foot soldiers, artillery arid anti aircraft guns. There was no announcement. Shortly afterward, however, Germa ny moved several divisions of troops into Rumania and seized the British owned oil Held/ there; Japan made more aggressive statements to the United States; and there were ru mors that the Nazi legions, waiting in French channel ports, would start the invasion of England. Air Struggle The duel in the skies continued with greater vigor. Nazi airmen smashed the center of London with explosive and incendiary bombs. The house of lords was damaged, great department stores were de stroyed sod millions at people spent many nights in subways and air raid shelters. 'Eagle Squadron' An "Eagle Squadron" of 34 American* who range from crop dusters to playboy* of New York society, are ready to take the air for England. In active command of this group of volunteers will be ffilliam E. G. Taylor, 35, pictured above. Taylor is a first lieutenant in the V. S. Marine corps reserve. POLITICS: All Out In the last month before election day, all candidates in the Presiden tial sweepstakes were out on the stump and dated to stay out until a few days before November 5. Wendell L. Willkie, the Republi can candidate, after a swing through the East and a week devoted to New England, headed back toward the Midwest, covering New York state, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. Defense and labor were the theme of his addresses in the East. He charged the New Deal had bungled America's defense during the seven years of Hitler's rise in Europe and cited speeches of the President to show that he was acquainted with the danger but did not press for a stronger army and navy. President Roosevelt swung through western Pennsylvania and Ohio, in specting steel plants and making the dedication address at Pittsburgh's Terrace Village, where the U. S. Housing authority's 100,000th unit was opened. Before leaving the White House, the President cited a Rome dispatch in that day's newspaper as proving the contention that the Axis powers were seeking his defeat. The dis patch read: "The Axis is out to defeat Presi dent Roosevelt not as a measure of interference in the internal policies of the United States but because of the President's foreign policy, and because of everything he stands for in the eyes of the Italians and Ger mans. The normal strategy of the Axis is to do something before No vember 5 that would have a great effect on the election campaign." < lbs vice presidential candidates also were on the stump. One day in Minnesota Henry A. Wallace's car was attached to the same train on which Charles A. McNsry rode. FREEDOM: At Columbia I/.' Or. Nicholas Murray Butler, 78 year-old president of Columbia uni versity, whose politics seldom have been tree from criticism, stirred up another hornet's nest when he spoke to the school's faculty on "The World Crisis." Discussing academ ic freedom?freedom of speech for teachers?he said that in this emer gency the right should be confined to "accomplished scholars." He def initely ruled out studenta. He told the faculty members that "behind the war at conflicting doctrines^ there is no doubt where Columbia stands." He Invited all who did not agree to withdraw. Some Columbia professors praised the stands, some were noncommit tal and others considered a formal protest. The student newspaper voiced objection. In congress Sen. Rush Holt (D., W. Va.) and Sen. Bennett Clark (D., Mo.) denounced the statement. MISCELLANY: C Not all the funniest things happen in Washington. But in one week: The Federal Works administration distributed an official's speech with a memorandum attached saying, "This speech was not delivered"; the navy submitted plans for a tem porary building designed to be ao ugly it would be replesed soon; con gress amended a law which gave the king of England jurisdiction in the District ot Columbia; the gov ernment reported officially that the Germans were not undermining the thumb tack industry, and a mother in-law wrote the draft board aaking that her son be sent "far, far away." Washington Digest Government Armament Program Presages Huge Business Boom Federal Spending Is on Scale Unprecedented in History; Senator Johnson May Swing California Vote From Roosevelt to Willkie. By CARTER FIELD gUh>Md by Western Newspaper Union.) WASHINGTON. ? A tremendous boom in all lines of business is ex pected by many far-sighted manu facturers. One of the best state ments of the situatlbn as viewed by some economists, as a result of the tremendous government spending only partially under way, is set forth in the following letter Eugene F. Mc Donald Jr., president of Zenith Ra dio corporation, has sent to all his dealers. "Never in history from Caesar to the present day has any nation pre pared a program qt armament and spending equal to that which exists right here in the United States to day. "Every dollar goes to labor and profit. Do not pass this statement off lightly. Iron ore, lumber, cotton, etc., is nothing but labor with a mi nor part to profit. "Please keep this fundamental in mind: of our government armament spending?over 90 per cent will go to labor and less than 10 per cent to profit. -- Half Billion Dollar* To Bo Spent Monthly "From July, 1940, to July, 1941, the government will spend 5,000,000, 000 defense dollars in the United States. "In August the government spent only $180,000,000 on this program. HIRAM W. JOHNSON which means the program must rise from now on to $500,000,000 per month to meet the year's total. "Figure out what'500,000,000 AD DITIONAL dollars each month means to business. Business spurt ed ahead and looked upon the spend ing of the soldiers' bonus as a god send at the time. Yet, this sol diers' bonus represented only two monthly installments of $500,000,000 each and from nqw on that amount will be spent each month. "The WPA in its heyday injected barely $140,000,000 a month into business. The AAA put in less than $75,000,000 a month on an average. "The farmers' income, independ ent at all the above this year, will be the second largest sinew 1030. Cham Staras Show Increased Retail Sales "The present defense program an ticipates over $36,000,000,000 expendi ture up to and including 1940, at which the $5,000,000,000 to be spent this year is only a small part. In August this year, when only $160, 000,000 of the $5,000,000,000 for this year was spent, the 30 leading store chains of the United States in creased their business from 3.1 per cent to 33.3 per cent over August, 1939. Not one of these store chains showed a decrease. Every one of these 30 leading chains showed an increase in the eight months at 1940 over 1939 up to August, and mind you, the spending had hardly start ed then. "In other words, all these defense billions that are to be spent this year are Idas expenditures which come on top of the already splendid increasing business. "The draft will increase business. The majority of men drafted will be single and certainly these men have not averaged $30 per month, net, to spend in civilian life after they have paid for lodging, board, and clothing. The aokiiers and the sail ors spend their money." Johnson May Swing California to Willkie One at the moat important per aonalitiea in this presidential cam paign may turn out to be Hiram W. Johnson, U. S. senator from Cali fornia for these many years. California has 22 electoral votes. When she had only IS, she decided the presidential election of 1916. Most of the figuring on electoral i votes this campaign?on the assump tion that the election may be fairly close?has given California unques tionably to Roosevelt Folks began wondering about Cal ifornia when President Roosevelt went out of his way to slap Hiram Johnson, Just on the eve of the Cali fornia primaries. Everybody who knew anything about politics in the state was writing to friends in Wash ington that Johnson was almost cer tain to capture both the Republi can and the Democratic nominations for re-election as senator. Yet the President was so annoyed with Johnson for various reasons that he permitted himself to be quot ed by the newspaper correspondents to the broad general effect that Johnson could no longer be consid ered a "liberal." Johnson didn't like that a bit. He regards himself as hsving been an outstanding liberal since long before Roosevelt knew bis way around in politics. Most commentors on this slap of Roosevelt at Johnson have based it j on Johnson's opposition to helping Britain. This is NOT the real rea son. Roosevelt's dislike of Johnson goes back to the time Roosevelt tried to pack the Supreme court. Johnson was one of the little group that fought this so bitterly that it was eventually defeated. Just as he was one of the group that fought Presi dent Wilson on the League of Na tions and other features of the Ver sailles treaty. It was not the failure of Johnson to change his policy on international questions that brought forth Roose velt's ire. It was bis battle against enlarging the Supreme court, Defeat of Johnson Is Now Impossible Every man who fought the Presi dent on that issue has been marked in the White House black book ever since. That of course was admit* tedly the chief motive in the unsuc cessful attempt to "purge" Demo cratic senators in 1936. This year the attempt to purge was renewed, and with more success. As a part of it. Sen. Edward R. Burke was defeated tor renomination in Ne braska. Sen. William H. King of Utah was also defeated for renomi nation as a part of it Defeat of Johnson is now impos sible. It was Impossible when the President slapped him, but the feel ing was so strong that the President would not be politic. Several observers believe that if Johnson is mad enough to denounce P. D. R. and support Willkie in a few speeches before election, Willkie will carry the state. But that does not mean that John son, though a Republican, is going to support Wendell Willkie. Nobody knows what ha is going to do. All we know is that he is very bitter against RSosevelt. Senator Johnson has been one of the outstanding isolationists in the senate. It is the act which bears his name that forbids any country in default to the United States on previous debts to borrow any more money in this country. tat An interesting sidelight on the de moralizing bombardment of London has developed in Washington. Re ports from Britain indicate that this constant bombing has tended to stiff en the resistance of the English peo ple. British sympathizers here are presenting another plan by which material aid can be extended to the defenders. This group has organ ized itself into the American Com mittee for Defense of British Homes. This committee was formed by a group of well-known sportsmen and explorers who, hearing of the Brit ish people's need for small arms, ammunition and binoculars, decided to do something about it The de cision has resulted in a nationwide drive for sporting rifles, shotguns, and pistols, ammunition and binoc ulars. New York headquarters of the group report that the public has re sponded to their plea by sending in a considerable selection of their fa vorite guns. Although shotguns pre dominate, old Springfield rifles used by the U. S. army a decade before the war, 1917 Springfields, and many pistols of varied calibers have been received. r SPEAKING OFI SPORTS By ROBERT McSHANE tatmamd by WmImi Newspaper IMm ? IT COULDN'T have happened to a 1 better guy. That was the unanimous opinion expressed around Detroit not long ago when Walter O. Briggs' Detroit Tigers won the American league pennant. For Walter Briggs is Mr. Baseball to the thousands of wild-eyed fans who assisted vocally in the scalping of the Cleveland Indians. Briggs is unique tat the annals ef big league baseball. He has pledged his word that be dees net want to make money out at the game. One at the nation's greatest sportsmen, he Is net financially dependent span his ban clnb. The easterners that keep the turnstiles elieking In Briggs stadfaun are net paying for his gro ceries and rent. AH the money that comes in the gate is tamed back to the elab treasury for the betterment at Detroit baseball. Born into a family of no more than average circumstances, Walter played baseball in the sandlots from the time he was big enough to wrap his hands around a bat Later on, when he was able to get away from work, he spent his afternoons in a 25-cent bleacher seat. Becomes Part Owner The acquisition of money didn't change Walter Briggs. His love for baseball never cooled. When Bin Yawkey and John Kelsey died, he took over their interest in the baU club. He didn't want to make mon ey out of it?he didn't need it?he merely wanted to be a part of base ball. FiaaUy Briggs and Frank N'avin were left as owners ef the elnb. Nav in depended on it for his livelihood. Then along came the IMS season when Navtn was so disgusted he was ready to fold?chances ef ever get ting together a winning combination seemed far tee remote for all prac tical purposes. Briggs offered the solution. They would hire Mickey Cochrane to take ever. Navtn vetoed the suggestion, de claring that it would be too expen sive. Connie Mack wanted more than $100,000 for him?and the club couldn't stand it. Then Walter gave Detroit baseball its biggest boost. He wrote a personal check for the full I amount. Pennant Winners Cochrane came to the Tigers, and the smartness of Briggs' move was demonstrated when they won the American league pennant in '34 and '35 and the World Series in '3S. Navin's death a Short time later left Briggs as president, sole owner and Number One fan of the Tigers. But If Briggs doesn't eare Is make mauey sut of the Tigers, he does want a winning team. There's a cu rious story behind his greater than ordinary desire for winners, and that story was related recently by "My." n veteran Detroit sports writer. Tiger officials, that writer says, have been criticized because they have bought ao many ball players with established records?players who are no'longer improving. Not enough attention has been paid to up and coming youngsters?lads who need three or four years of season ing. The re seen, according to "Iffy," is that Walter Brlggs is a sick man. He feels that he may not he aresad lestg snsegh to watch yoeng, ?triad players dcvelsp Me championship material. That*s why Brlggs wants Manager Del Bakar to hay players who are established?men whs can he depended ? when the chips are down and whs have been te the wars so often that the Mg ieagne dght holds ae tenets far them. The Big Reason? Maybe that's the reason why the Tigers came through this year. Cer tainly the early-season dopesters didn't pick the elderly gentlemen from Detroit as a team to watch. Baker started the present season with no 01 us ions. He expected no flip-flop in the flag race. The Yanks, in his book, were supreme. When the Tigers were in training at Lake land, Fla., in March, Manager Ba ker was quoted as saying: "The Yankees have a chance this year to prove they are ? even greater elsb than they were last year. They may have been penalised a bit by the Ieagne for winning too many pennants, hat they'll take a M af beating in this soe tee." To Detroit fans it was more than just another victory. A club figured no better than third or fourth place came through at the right time. It was a Frapk Merriwell finish?just the kind that would delight the heart of Mr. Baseball. GENERAL HUGH S. JOHNSON Jcwr: ***** '? ii - W NNVftnt* Wishtngtoa, D. C. WAS BASIS FOB DiDTOIBYT Some of my columnar war crying colleagues say that American indus try ought to be put oo a war basis right now. Their argument is that one reason why France fell eras that, under a peace structure, she could not mobilize her industry for ' war production, had to declare war to pep up the nation and did it all leisurely and far too late. They say also that "business as usual" kept England from getting ready aoan enough end, finally, they point to the snail-like slowness at our |Tmm ent rearmament program. With all that about France, Eng land and our alow progress, I agree. Perhaps 1 could agree also with the conclusion about putting oar hiitoe try on a "war basis," if I knew what the words mean?or if they did. Of that 1 am in doubt. If it means that American indue try should now be put under indus trial amateurs, I know of no mora certain way to alow or even para lyze war production. If it mesne that we should get some dynamic and experienced leadership of the industrial war effort and give it ap propriate authority, no naimteiit was ever more significant?or more correct. That kind of leadership and ad ministration would not, however, as some of this comment suggests, be obliged just to set all peace-time production aside hi a kind of ad journment to make way tar ou*.war needs. There is plenty of irnhwir ial capacity in this cuuutiy far both needs. Our industry needs an imi Is ill a leader with a real baton who can keep it in harmony and iliyllim tor the new tune?but it doesn't need to be chained to the benches of any slave galley with a sort of nsnan ized Simon Legree to iiuiiuee the stroke with a cat-o'-nine tails ? ? ? Our trivial World war experience may be informing. Our ipi i iligi of shipbuilding, both of merchant and warcraft, approached the miracu lous. Charlie Schwab had charge of part of it. In a plant where al Iparts of a fabricated ship were being aa sembled and the engine department was far ahead of the co-ordinated schedule for it and other depart ments, he took time out for a short picnic for the workers in the yards. There were no iptvdws but, when the time for them came, Charlie pulled a surprise?the complete en gine, mounted on truck wheels, gay with Sags and preceded by a band came rolling out under e large transparency which read, "All dressed up and no place to go." That plant speeded up production imme diately. Of course, we can't do this job with ballyhoo, but ballyhoo la part at it. We need every incentive and pressure of "go-get-it," unified, ex perienced and inspired leadership to get speed without confusion and waste. We have one at this kind of leadership, only political lenlviship which insists on retaining personal ized control of everything. ? ? ? REARMAMENT Is the rearmament program pro ceeding rapidly? Sidney Hiltman of the national defease aJslamj commission "advises that no manu tacturer who violates the labor laws can be 'awarded' a contract far work on the defense program aad that the National Labor Relations board will decide, for this pur puss, whether or not an employer Is 'vio lating.' " There are now only two members of NLRB, Leiserson aad Smith. The term of Chairman Madden has as pired. Due to protests based en charges of his bias and unfairness the President has not reappointed him. The vacancy has existed for weeks. Some observers guess that the President wants to wait until after the election and then reappoint Madden. Smith and Leiserson agree on very few disputed points. Smith is an extreme left-winger?like Mad den. Leiserson is middle-of-the road. What they can't agree on is put on ice until appointment of a third member with the deciding vote. Over in the selective service draft system, although tbie new organiza tion is under way, no administrator has been appointed. Some myste rious inner pressures?probably the senile war-minded Stimson?pre vented e solution of this problem which was perfection?the experi enced and judicious veteran of the World war draft, Gulhon, for ad ministrator?the young, expert and vigorous Hershey as its chief execu tive. Either alone would have been satisfactory. The teem couldn't have been bettered.
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 17, 1940, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75