The Alamance Gleaner
VoL LXVI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1941 No. 60
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WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS 'By Edward C. Wayne
Defense Funds Constitute Largest Item
In 171/2 Billion Dollar National Budget;
Blockade on Food for France Is Lifted;
British Win New Victories Over Italians
(EDITOR'S NOTE?When opinions are expressed la (km column*, they
aro those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
by Western Newspaper TT"<'V" >
FIRM WORDS:
President Speaks
President Roosevelt spoke to the
new congress. There were no weasel
words. The President was grave.
His speech was frank, and fighting.
He said he would call on congress
to give authority to provide "billions
of dollars" worth of weapons needed
by the embattled democracies of
the world. He warned appeasers
and subversive elements that the
government would use its sovereign
ty to save the government. He ad
mitted that the defense effort is lag
ging in some quarters and demand
ed sacrifices from business, labor
and agriculture.
England has been criticized at
home and abroad for not making
earlier a statement of its war aims.
President Roosevelt covered this de
tail as far as the American effort
goes. He said America was seek
ing to protect the fundamentals on
which this government was founded
?free speech, a free press, the right
to worship as a person's conscience
dictates; and, lastly "freedom from
want and freedom from fear."
The President made no light mat
ter of the danger. He said secret
troops of the dictators already are
among us. He said as long as the
aggressor nations maintain the ini
tiative, America is not safe. He de
clared whatever stands in the way
of speed must give way to the na
tional security.
It was the most unique message
ever delivered to a new congress.
Usually President's messages to
new bodies go into lengthy and de
tailed recitals on a multitudinous
amount of administrative complexi
ties. This message dwelt on one sub
ject?defense and speed in defense.
Two days later came the Presi
dent's new budget message. It
called for a total expenditure of
$17,485,526,049 during the 1942 fiscal
year beginning July 1, 1941. This is
the highest budget in history except
the war year 1918-19. Over 10 billions
of this amount is to be used for U. S.
defense spending. The balance of
non-defense spending came to well
over six billions, a little less than
this year.
More taxes will be needed, said
the President's message, to pay
SENATOR ALVA B. ADAMS of Colo
rado m pictured her* trying to "balance
the budget" which mi read by clerkt be
fore the Houte and Senate. A member of
the Senate appropriation! committee. Sen
ator Adam! ho.! a direct intereu in i 7V4
billion dollar document.
these bills. The public debt will
pass the $49,000,000,000 limit by June
30 this year, and the President sug
gested removal of the debt limit.
Almost $2,000,000,000 was included
to maintain agricultural aid at pres
ent level. The WPA item was cut
to $995,000,000, a drop of $400,000,000
from this year.
PROPAGANDA:
New Style
Before France fell, the civil popu
lation was lulled into a false sense
of security by assurances of the in
vincibility of the Maginot line. When
Germans cracked the lines, the
whole French nation went jittery
and fled?from anywhere to any
where. They believed all had been
lost, and in the resulting confusion
all was lost.
European propaganda staffs, quick
to sense public reactions, took a les
son. The British immediately be
gan giving their people the ugly
facts. People's minds were "con
ditioned" to expect the worst.
When what happened wasn't half as
bad as expected, public morale rose.
When Australian troops battered
their way into Bardia, Italian Libya,
and took the first fortified town cap
tured by British troops in the war,
1 : ?
Mussolini could have silenced the
bad news, since all the Italian press
is controlled by him. But even be
fore British broadcasters could tell
of their troops successes, Italian an
nouncers were breaking the news to
their own people, and no effort was
made to deny the loss was ser.ious.
In fact, for days Italian minds had
been "conditioned" to expect the
loss. There is belief in some excel
lent quarters that 15,000 Italian
troops in Bardia, cut off from re
treat and with little food and water,
were ordered to hold out at the sac
rifice of their lives while this radio
propaganda could be carried out at
home.
Boys From Down Under
Conversely there was no celebra
tion in England, although the British
figuratively lifted their hats in ap
preciation to the Anzacs who
fought amid heat and sand in Egypt.
Anzacs are Australian and New
When Ihe British tones entered Bardie
alter routing that Italian stronghold. Air
Gunner H. T. Brundidge, 15, (above),
was the lone American its their ranks. He
holds a civilian pilot's license end has
been recommended for an Air Force com
mission.
Zealand troops who came half way
round the world to answer England's
call, just as their fathers had done
in the World war. Officially they
are members of the Australian and
New Zealand army corps.
The Anzacs are one of the oddest
armies in the world, knowing little
of the discipline quirks that govern
many other bodies of troops. The
Anzacs do not salute the officers of
their own army, and certainly not
the officers of any other, including
the British. Colonels are likely to
be called by their first names even
when addressed by privates; cap
tains and sergeants mingle with the
utmost freedom. All troops eat at
the same table and wear the same
uniform, the only difference being
insignia of rank.
But any World war veteran will
tell you that the Anzacs are one of
the fightin'est bunch of men ever to
raise a gun.
For 20 days they had to stand out
side the gates of Bardia, waiting
the word to attack, and growing
more impatient by the hour. When
the signal came the city fell in less
than 48 hours.
FOOD FOR EUROPE:
Britain Relents
American governmental pressure
upon London has brought a change
in blockade policy and will result
in some food shipments being made
to Spain, unoccupied France and
Finland.
U. S. authorities have been ne
gotiating with the British for months
to obtain a reversal of the order.
The British were afraid that any
food reaching Europe soon would be
in the hands of the Germans, whom
they accuse of stripping occupied
territory so as to increase rations
at home. The story told in France
was repeated to American diplo
mats. In France, it is said, there is
a German waiting every time a
chicken lays an egg.
Besides, it was pointed out to the
U. S. agents, that it is the duty of
the conquering nation to feed the
conquered, and it was recalled that
American and British sacrifices
were necessary after the Armistice
in 1918 in order to get food into
Germany, both occupied and unoc
cupied territory.
But American pressure continued,
and London unwilling to be stub
born with the nation to whom it is
looking to supply much of its muni
j tions, finally relented.
New Commander
Secretary of the Navy Frank
Knox, by direction of the Presi
dent, has announced that Rear
Admiral Husband E. Kimmel
(above), has been appointed com
mander-in-chief of the entire Unit
ed States navy and personal com
mander of the Pacific fleet.
SEA WOLVES:
History Repeats
The German quota of three British
ships sunk daily was raised to Ave
as a sea raider appeared in the Pa
cific to war on the British trade
lines. Prisoners taken by the raid
er and later released said the cap
tain of the German ship is Count
Felix von Luckner. Count Von Luck
ner led the British a merry chase
in 1916. Then he was supplied with
an old sailing vessel by the German
navy, ran the blockade and left be
hind him a trail of sinking ships
from the west coast of Ireland to the
South Seas.
After the war, Count Von Luckner
came to the United States. He lec
tured to audiences that were daz
zled with his good-natured raillery.
He leased a sailing ship apd took
the sons of wealthy parents on sum
mer cruises for large fees. He
expressed disgust with the Nazi gov
ernment.
But the count's present audiences |
are not being dazzled. They say he
sank their ships without warning,
killing women and children, that he
huddled what prisoners he took in
evil quarters with little food. Ever
the gallant, however, he gave them
a complaint book in which they en
tered all the complaints they wished
to make about the ship. He prom
ised them the book would be for his
personal attention. But there was
no indication he bothered after read
ing the complaints.
Meanwhile, there was a hint that
American vessels might soon take
over the Pacific trade routes and
release British vessels there for the
more vital Atlantic runs, in areas
closed to American ships under the
neutrality act. The idea was dis
cussed at the outbreak of the war.
Washington sources say the British
vetoed it. London sources say the
proposal never got an answer from
American shippers.
NEW DRAFT:
Legion Plan
When next fall rolls around, it has
generally been expected President
Roosevelt will call for a new enroll
ment in the selective draft. The
idea behind this is to take care of
those who have attained their twen
ty-first birthday since October, 1M0,
and to exempt those who have
passed their thirty-sixth birthday.
The new enrollment would call for
new drawing of numbers which
might see some lifted to top posi
tions who sow are far down the
list.
The American Legion has come
forward with a new plan. It calls
for enrollment in a new selective
draft only of youths between the
ages of 18 and 21. Moreover it
would be a permanent arrange
ment, not like the present law which
is operative only during the present
threatening emergency. It would
call for compulsory-military train
ing of the nation's youth as a matter
of regular national policy.
MISCELLANY:
C Death pursued four navy air
corps members. They with three
others, including two officers, were
riding in an amphibian plane in Tex
as when caught in a storm. The
pilot, to lighten his load, ordered
the five enlisted men to parachute
' to earth. Four landed safely, one
tore loose from his chute and fell
to his death. A naval court of in
j quiry was ordered to fly to the scene
, near Big Spring, Texas, for an in
vestigation. After the official pro
ceedings the court flew toward San
Diego, Calif., with the four enlisted
men in the plane. In a lonely Call
. forma canyon the plane crashed.
, Eleven were killed, including the
four who had survived the adventure
in the other plane.
Secretary of Agriculture
Is Experienced Farmer
Progressive Farming Methods Won Him Medals;
War Causes 'Class Feeling' to
Decline in England.
By BAUKHAGE
National Farm and Homo Hour Commentator.
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
WASHINGTON. - Rough - hewn
seems to be the word I'm after.
I sat in the office of the secretary
of agriculture, a big empty-looking
room, and thought erf a new axe bit
ing into a log. Chips were flying.
Then, there was the cut, clean and
fresh. Then another. And another.
Not smooth, machine edge, such as
a new saw makes with the regular
lines the teeth leave across the sur
face. But a good straight job, the
mark bf each blow, surely placed,
across the grain, clear through.
That's what I was thinking about
as I talked with Claude Wickard,
the big round-faced, homely fellow,
a little awkward behind the mahog
any desk but not awkward, I felt
sure, standing up in a farm wagon,
reins in his hands, confident and sol
id, his feet apart as the wheels
bumped over the field.
Not so much at home but sure of
what he was after behind the desk,
the way he was that night when he
called the meeting in the little Indi
ana schoolhouse, a kerosene lamp
that hadn't been cleaned for a long
time sputtering beside him, 14 or 20
farmers sitting in front of him as he
organized the first Farm Bureau
meeting in his community?the first
one he ever attended, too.
COMES TO WASHINGTON
That scene, as he described it,
stuck in my mind because it seemed
to be the turning point in his ca
reer, or perhaps the first milestone
on the road that at last took him
reluctantly away from the acres that
had been in the Wickard family
since the 1840s and brought him
CLAUDE WICKARD
KwiMewi Is the word.
down to Washington?into the gov
ernment where he has been trying to
put into practice the ideas he
thought would be good for other
farmers and other acres from Maine
to California.
Claude Wickard first came to the
capital in 1933 to become assistant
and later chief of the corn-hog sec
tion of the Triple-A. He was made
secretary of the department of ag
riculture last August when Secretary
Wallace resigned to run for rice
president. But his heart is still bock
in Carrol county, Indiana, where his
71-year-old father and two men are
running his farm.
Corn and hogs were on Secretary
Wickard'i mind when I talked to
him the otlter day, and it was corn
and hogs that brought him to Wash
ington in the beginning by way of
Dei Moines, Iowa, tyt it really goes
back further than that. The school
house meeting, I spoke of, was the
milestone, but the day he told his
father he was going to college was
really the beginning. In those days
?and it isn't so long ago because
Wickard is only 47?a lot of farmers
thought that all a boy would get in
college was a lot of darn-fool ideas.
Only one of the Wickard's neigh
| bora had been to college, but Purdue
university was only 30 miles away
and the Idea percolated. Young
Claude went and when he was gradu
ated (agricultural course, of course)
in 191S he was ready to take over
the farm. Twelve years later the
Prairie Farmer named him as a
Master Farmer of Indiana. That
was the only thing he boasted about
in the half-hour conversation I had
with him.
WINS STATE MEDALS
Soil building brought him state
medals later for success in increas
ing crop-yields and hog production.
It also got him a request from the
State Farm Bureau organization to
get busy and organize a unit in his
community. There wasn't any farm
organization in his county then. He
was supposed to go to the county
seat and learn how to do it but he
was too busy with his chores to get
away so he just called a meeting in
the schoolhouse and told his neigh
bors what he thought ought to be
done.
"I guess I sort of overstated what
we could do," he said to me as he
repeated the anecdote, "some Of the
fellows asked me afterward where
all the reforms I talked about went
to." He smiled that wide smile of
his. Some of these ideas worked
out. And the Master Farmer, in
1032, was chosen by the three rural
counties that were his district to go
to the state senate. The next year
he was chosen Indiana delegate to
the National Corn Hog conference
at Des Moines. All this time the
farm was his chief preoccupation,
was then as it still is, his only 1
source of income besides his salary.
OFFERED POSITION
The conference had hardly start
ed when A. G. Black, whose room
was on the same floor of the hotel as
Wickard's, buttonholed him. Black
was then head of the Corn Hog sec
tion of the Triple A. He wanted an
assistant and he wanted Wickard for
the job and wanted him right away.
It seemed a pretty important of
fer, but it also seemed impossible
You can't lock up a farm like a city
flat and walk off with the key in
your pocket. But Black was per
sistent and after a mental and phys
ical struggle, the Master Farmer
mastered the situation, and with
man? a backward look set off for
Washington.
He managed to keep in pretty
close touch with Carrol County while
he was Corn Hog boss, but now it's
harder because a secretary of agri
culture is kept very busy.
And right now Secretary Wickard
wants to see more hogs?all over
the country?than there are. He's
worried about the pig crop report
we've heard so much about lately
and the last word he had to say
to me, while a secretary was pull
ing his sleeve for his next appoint
ment, was on this subject:
"People don't understand what
I'm after," he said as I rose te go,
"when I say the farmers ought to
hold back some of their breed sows
and gilts now because pork is going
to be higher later on. I had quite a
time with three cabinet ladies. (He
chuckled.) They thought all I was
worrying about was the price of
pork chops. What we want to do is
to try to take the peaks and valleys
out of farm prices and if the farm
ers save some ?of their hogs for
breeding now, they'll get more mon
ey for them later and K will tend to
keep the price level stabilized."
That's Wickard all over?the prac
tical farmer who has learned to
think.
ENGLISH FABMEB8
WORK UNDER FIRE
"I (arm in Wiltshire myself," said
Anthony Hurd, a BritBh fanner,
telling about conditions in England
while the bombs were dropping,
"500 acres, and wa average 45 bush
els of wheat to the acre. In the 14
years I've been farming there has
never been an easier harvest."
Farming has been revolution
ized in England. In the first place,
like it or not, clasa feeling separat
ed England into groups. 'The farm
ers (not the "gentry" were a proud
folk, but still not of the "upper
classes") have taken a new role in
English life. They were given a
big job, the outworking of that Job is
going to help kill the clasa system.
Listen to my Wiltshire friend again:
"We were asked particularly to
get another 2,000,000 acres under the
plow in the United Kingdom and
convert that amount of permanent
grassland into crops of wheat, oats,
barley, potatoes and so on, which
yield much more food per acre.
That has been done. We have pro
duced a big extra tonnage of ce
reals, particularly oata and barley
- possibly as much as 1,000,000 tons
extra?more potatoes than usual,
and more roots and fodder crops
for dairy cows and other live stock."
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| By ROBERT McSHANE
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""TOGETHER with a tew million
*? other individuals, we're going to |
request a few favors from that !
diminutive, under-dressed cherub
who represents the spirit of 1M1.
To begin with, we want a worth;
contender for the heavyweight box
ing crown. Stunblebuns won't do.
Our man must have worked him
self op the hard way?by eliminat
ing the best lighters in the heavy
weight division.
Remember Clark
Please give Clark Shaughnessy an- ,
other winning football team. He de
serves 11. nemem
ber his University
of Chicago team in
1839? They lost to
Harvard, 61-0; to
Michigan, 89-0; and
to Ohio State, 61-0.
Those scores were
typical. The Ma
roons didn't as
much as score
against Bi{ Ten
competition. As a
climax to that hor
rible season, Presi
dent Hutchins ruled
football out of Chicago university,
leaving Shaughnessy without a
team. Then Clark got a job coach
ing at Stanford university. The
Stanford team he was to coach in
1940 didn't win a single one of its
eight starts in 1939. In but one year
Shaughnessy wrote football drama
that would shame the wildest Ac
tion writer. His Stanford team won
every game in 1940?with the same
players that experienced such a dis
astrous season the previous year.
He took the T-formation and made
it work as it never worked before.
His was the year's greatest come
back. He deserves another good :
year.
Then, toe. millions of golf faos
would bo quite happy to see 81am
mln' Sammy Snead win the United
States Open Golf championship. He
Is one of the beet players In the
game today and should round Into
form during the eomtng year. But
if Sammy doesn't win the Open, we'd
be almost as happy to see some
ftne veteran like Craig Wood or Har
ry Cooper win it.
We'd be very grateful for another
close pennant race in the American
league. If the Yankees come back
to win this year, which wouldn't be
too surprising, please make them
Aght for every game.
Right now the country needs a
good mile runner to run against
Chuck Fenske at the
Clark
Shanchnessy
Chicago Relays next
March. A man who
can do the mile in
4:07 or 4:tM.S would
All the bill. We sug
gest that an eye be
kept on Wally Mehl
of Wisconsin who
has come down
from two miles to
one for his races.
He may be the best
of all before he's
throush. Mehl be
lieves that in 1941 or 1942 be will
achieve that ahininf goal of the
middle distances?a 4-minute mile.
The fastest mile ever recorded was
4:04 by Glenn Cunningham.
This is a long-range earnest, bat
the nation weald like to have a aew
Tom Harmoa available for next fall.
Who's Champ?
Boxing fans everywhere woald be
pleased if the various athletic com
missions and Igbt associations
woald agree ea rankings. For In
stance, the National Boxing associ
ation recognises Teay Sale as the
champion of the 1M poand division
while the New York Athletic com
mission bestows its title blessing oa
Eea Overlin. Lew Jenkins Is the
acknowledged lightweight champ
in New York and la his borne state
af Texas. However, gammy Angott
Is the recognised claimant in N.B.A.
territory.
All in all, we'd like a year quite
similar to the one just ended. It
was a year full of upsets and sur
prises. No one could foresee the
Yankees in third place. The Chicago
Bears' 73 to 0 win over the Wash
ington Redskins, for the National
League pro football title came as a
stunning upset. Ohio State's poor
football season was unexpected.
Willie Hoppe's clean sweep of the
three-cushion billiard tournament
came under the heading of minor
miracles. The surprises in the 1M0
realm of sports are far too numer
ous to list.
That's why we think Master 1941
can't go wrong If he manages to
duplicate last year's bill of fare on
the sports menu.
-
Sam 8nead
GENERAL
HUGH S.
JOHNSON
Jour:
MHNiw W **VU*tm
Washington, D. C.
'OPPOSITION' THINKING
A favorite lawyer's trick is to five
his own version of what his worthy
opponent "thinks" and then tear his
self-constructed straw man to
pieces. That is being done dally in
the current debate on foreign policy.
Those opposing our rapid approach
to a virtual war alliance with Great
Britain, are said to "think" that
no combination of powers will ever
attack us and, no matter who wins,
we can do business with them, so
why risk offending Hitler and pro
voking him to light us. What duck
soup that is to argue down.
These truths are self evident: that
it is to our great interest to see Brit
ain win; that the hateful destruc
tion of England embitters every
American heart; that force rather
than honor and good w01 now rule
the world and that we hate that as
we hate Hitler who has been fore
most in advancing that hellish con
dition; that we are in great danger
and that our only course is swift
preparation for invincible defense;
that we are not so defended now
and that the preparation is lag
ging shamefully. Any advocate of
what is rushing us to a war alliance
?who denies the sincerity of these
opinions of others as a basis for
his argument, is beclouding the real
issue?the dreadful question of
peace or war for America.
There can be only one question in
the' troubled heart of every true
American?what is it beat for us to
do to safeguard the present and the
future of our own country? Is it
best to engage now in a two ocean
war with a one ocean navy? Is it
best for us to send, or threaten to
?end, our armed forces to seise the
Azores, the Irish harbors, the tip of
West Africa and Singapore?to
plunge into warlike operations all
the way from the Straits of Dover
to the Straits of Malacca and, con
ceivably even further?through the
Mediterranean and Red seas to
Greece, Egypt, the Dardanelles, Cal
cutta and Colombo?
Short of this, is it best to take the
internjediate step leading straight
and inevitably to this course by put
ting our overseas shipments into
American bottoms and, with a con
voy of cruisers, attempt to buck the
line of a legitimate blockade? Is it
best now to undertake to finance an- '
other nation in a new world war,
when we are already staggering un
der a mountainous burdei of debt
and confronting a near necessity of
doubling it as a necessity in our
own defense?
These are real and basic issues
and not at all the ill-considered or
emotional conscious or deliberate
obstruction of them by attacking
the patriotic integrity or plain san
ity of the people who raise them.
Furthermore, let this be faced: If
our defense is so wholly dependent
on Gredt Britain as we art now told
?if she is now fighting our decisive
battle which, if lost, loses our free
dom?then the course advocated by
those who say we should contribute
unlimited material resources, but no
blood, without regard to any of the
considerations raised here?if these
things we are told are true?then
that advocated course is the most
futile and pusillanimous ever fol
lowed by an honorable nation. If
they are true, we should have been
in this war a year ago with every
thing we have. Surety there is a
question of truth here that deserves
debate. The whole of our future la
at stake on the wisdom of our
answer.
? ? ?
OVERNIGHT OVTICEM
The army is not making the beat
use of its trained officer personnel.
The war department quite prop
erly and necessarily encourage tens
of thousands of civilians to take ap
pointments as reserve officers. Nat
urally, some of them were rank
amateurs as soldiers and the bulk
of them held lieutenant's commis
sions. Now we are calling thousands
of them to active duty. When they
join for duty with troops they have
to earn their advancement, but
when they come in on staff assign
ments, it is becoming a very dif
ferent matter.
A little personality plus, some
times, a political drag, works for
many of these neophytes what many
years of service don't work for a
regular. New captains, majors and
lieutenant-colonels are being creat
ed out of reserve subalterns who
haven't a year of active duty.
At the same time, men with com
plete military experience and educa
tion, who have resigned or retired
or are World war veterans returned
to civil life, get a deaf ear when
they volunteer to be recommissioaed
and retailed to active duty.