North Carolina Newspapers

The Alamance Gleaner - ? : il_: : . ''X VoL LXVII , GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1941 Na 3 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS By Edward C. Wayne War Action Shifted to Balkan States As Hitler Moves Toward Dardanelles; British Forces Sweep On in Africa; Churchill Plea: Send Tools, Not Men' (EDITOH'S HOT*?mui nptniona an liprintd la Uim cilmai tkav ara tkaaa of tha nam anal rat aai nat aaaaaaarU; at tUa nawapaaor.) (Ralaaaad by Waatarn Kawapapar Union.' WINSTON CHURCHILL .. Not Mi year, next y?r, or *v*r." APPEAL: But Not for Men Winston Churchill in an address to the empire, but phrased also for V. S. consumption, saULthe British did not need American armies?this year, next year or ever as far as he could foresee. But England does need munitions, he said. "Give us -the tools, we'll finish the job," he appealed. There was indication that the tools were arriving. In January U. S. factories had a quota of 700 war planes and at midmonth expecta tions were that the quota would not be met by 30 per cent. But this was an error. Survey showed 1,000 planes were produced. If half of them went to England, as the Presi dent promised, England .was getting what it needed. The amounts will increase. But Adolf Hitler was carrying out his threat to "torpedo" American help to Britain. The planes are be ing flown to England, via Iceland. German bombers raided Iceland and bombed the airfield there. Iceland is 1,000 miles from the closest Ger man air base. In four more hours -the swastika-emblemed craft could reach the North American continent. Senate Goes On In Washington the house passed the lease-lend bill for aid to Britain. The senate began discussion with the expectation that talk would not cease before the end of February. "If this keeps up," said Senator Glass, "the Germans will be here before we get done debating." Home from a survey of war-torn Britain came Wendell Willkie to ap pear before the aenatora. He aaid Britain can halt an invasion. But he urged that the U. S. send them more deatroyers. He aaid five to ten a month will be necessary to keep the sealanea open. SPRING: In the Balkans ADMIRAL DARLAN Marthal Petmn wi bowing. Spring and Adolf Hitler came to the Balkans. The fuehrer's great criticism of World war tactics was that Germany permitted itself to become involved on two floats at the same time. He has always avoided this. Whether his movement into Bul garia and toward the Dardanelles was an indication that be did not intend to move against England im mediately was not clear. But it seemed apparent that Germany's next campaign would be toward the Mediterranean. For months hundreds of thouesnds of German troops have been moved into Rumania. The revolution that ousted King Carol put Nazis in con trol of the government These na tive Nazis quickly put themselves under order at Germany. Rumanian oilfields and railroads became sub ject to their direction. First news of the infiltration of German soldiers iato Rumania came in a speech by Winston Churchill. Sofia denied it, but within 14 hours neutral sources made it known that thousands of German soldiers in uniform, but wearing civilian over coats, were passing the border into Bulgaria. Then came swarms of Nasi transport planes with para chute troops. Bulgarian railroads suddenly restricted civilian traffic. Bulgaria had depended upon Rus sia for protection. It was a false hope. Moscow sent an envoy to tell Bulgar ministers not to expect them to fight Bulgaria and Turkey, who had spoken big but not mobilized their troops, suddenly began to talk out of the other ilde of their mouth. King Boris, who had ridiculed the German army, was silent. Across the Waters On the other side of the Mediter ranean, in Africa, the British were sweeping the Italian troops before them. It appeared as though the rival armies would hold securely the opposite shores of the great inland sea. Marshall Graziani and his Fascist legions were retreating so fast that British armies had chased them out of virtually all of Libya and were faced with the question of pursuit into Trench Tunis. There Gen. Max ime Weygand waited with 400,000 French troops. Which way he would swing was not clear. But in Vichy aged Marshal Petain was bowing to the instructions of the Fascist minded Admiral Darlan and it was believed Pierre Laval might soon return from Paris to'take over the helm of government. Spain's Gen eral Franco was en route through southern Europe for a conference with Premier Mussolini. It was said Mussolini would make a supreme ef fort to get Spain into the war on the aide of the Axis and permit an at tack on Gibraltar. In eastern Africa, the Italians also were losing fast. Hemmed in on all sides by British troops and Ethiopian warriors they knew not which way to retreat. Meanwhile British bombers raid ed Italy. They dropped 300 tons of bombs and naval shells upon Genoa where Winston Churchill said a Nazi army was preparing to embark for Africa. The spring campaign had begun. OH-GAY-PAY-00: In the V. S. A chambermaid in a second claaa Washington hotel opened a guest's room and found a man sprawled' over the bed in a pool of blood. She called police. They found a pistol in the man's hands and notes in Rus sian, German and French, signed Samual Ginsberg. A certificate of suicide was issued and police pre pared to write off the case after no tifying a New York lawyer who was named in the dead man's notes. But it wasn't that aasy. The hotel guest was identified as Gen. Walter O. Krivitsky, former high ranking authority in the Soviet secret serv ice. An early Communist, General Krivitsky had taken pert in many secret negotiations. Once he was chief of the Communist party's se cret police in western Europe General Krivitsky had Incurred the displeasure of the Stalin regime. When his associates went before the firing squsd he fled to America Here in a series of magazine arti cles he began to expose what he said were the plans of the Commu nist Internationale for world revolu tion. He foretold the agreement that later was signed by Stalin and Hitler, he said the American Com munist party eras under orders from Moscow, he named some of their followers in the U. S. army and navy. Since then he has appeared be fore the Dies committee with addi tional revelations. But he told close friends that his life was in danger. He traveled under cover and hid his wife and young son in isolated areas. Just a week before his death be told friends that the most dread ed killer of the Russian secret police the OGPU (pronounced . Ob-Gay Pay-OO) had arrived in America. SEDITION: Dictator in Democracy FULGENCIO BATISTA For him, two events?one blessed. Fulgencio Batista, president of Cuba, is a study in contrasts. In 1933, he organized a revolution, squashed the rule of aristocrats. At any time thereafter he could have become president. He chose instead, to accept promotion from army ser geant to colonel and head the army. But under his behind-the-scenes dictatorial regime, Cuban citizens had their civil rights extended, schools were built, peons given land and the national administration put on a business basis. Last year Ba tista decided to seek the presidency. He could have seized the office with little trouble. Instead he resigned i from the army, campaigned in American style and gave the island its quietest election in history. But there has been unrest in Cuba, and the crop of rumors of new revo lutions have been on the usual week- 1 ly quota. Last summer when Rotary j International held its convention in Cuba, many delegates were so im pressed by the rumors that they went to bed each night with trepedi tioo. Many of the delegates from the United States came home alarmed. They told of Nasi pene tration in the island, how newspa pers openly confessed German sub sidy, how German lotteries were be ing operated, with the winners im pressed the largess came from the German government. They said German U-boats were being sup plied along isolated spots of Cuban territory. The facts may be true or otherwise, biit many delegates were impressed. Through it all, Fulgencio Batista showed no signs of being alarmed. Then suddenly as this winter's tour ists were at their height, one night they saw sandbags being erected around the presidential palace and machine guns being mounted on pub lic buildings. Batista was holding conference with his leading military commanders. Batista announced that all civil rights were suspended. The following day a Cuban army plane landed at Miami, Fla., and there alighted Col. Jose E. Pedraza, chief of the Cuban army; Lieut. Col. Angel A. Gonzales, commander-in chief of the navy, and Col. Bernardo Garcia, chief ot the national police. With them were tbeir families. Back in Havana, Batista an nounced they had resigned after he caught them in certain unnamed se ditious acts. Civil rights were re turned to the people. Cuba was quiet again. There was still more rejoicing the following day. Senora Eliza Godi nez de Batista, wife of the presi dent, gave birth to a daughter in the presidential palace. President Ba tista announced immediately that every child bom on the island that day would receive a ten-pesos note, and a five-pesos savings account in ths Cuban Postal Savings. An av erage of 390 babies are bom each day in Cuba. STRIKE: But Not at Once Demand* tor vacations with pay rejected, executives of 14 railway labor unions have notified President Roosevelt that a vote to strike will be taken during February. There will be no strike at once. The ex isting agreement between the un ions and the nation's Class -1 rail roads, hiring about 780,000 men, pro vides for mediation machinery. But even that period is likely to be exceeded, George M. Harrison, head of a committee at union lead ers, said about 30 days will be nec essary to take the vote. Should a strike be authorised by the ballot, Harrison would fix the date for it MISCELLANY: C When Jacksonville, Fla., sees snow it's a rare day. Until this year the last flakes were seen in 1836. Since 1671 there have been just 10 days on which snowfall was recorded. This year is one for the record, snow arriving in thin flakes on February 0 and continuing for almost an hour. Reciprocal Trade Plans Have Role in'Next Peace' Hull May Have Answer to Totalitarianism; British Farming Program Greatly Changed by War Demands. By BAUKHAGE National Farm and Noma Hour Commentator. WNU Service, ISM National Preas BldfWashington, D. C. WASHINGTON.?There ia ? peace machine in Washington, all oiled and ready to start the moment the last gun is silenced in Europe. From it may come a plan which the de mocracies can offer the world as an alternative to the totalitarian way of life. This peace-machine is not new, but it has never been given a fair trial. Cordell Hull has the patent. It may never be allowed to func tion, but it is a cheering thing, to know that it is there. It is simply reciprocal trade agreement machinery which Secre tary Hull is insisting shall be kept as nearly intact as possible, ready to be put into operation the moment the tanks are moved out of the way. For Mr. Hull believes firmly that out of all the uncertainties which surround this uncertain world, when the war is over one thing is going to happen: Either the system of free intercourse among nations is going to exist in the world, or the totalitarian system will dominate. Changing Viewpoint. More and more, people are com ing to (eel that there cannot be a world economically half-slave and half-free. Unless all nations can be united under a system of mutually profitable trade, totalitarian meth ods will be forced upon all nations and it is axiomatic that when a gov ernment begins to create artificial restraints in the field at business, gradually you will be forced to cur tail political and social freedom, too. The Nazis know their system is not the best system, though they don't admit it to the people. Ger many's great economist, HJalmar Schacht, admitted as much before the war. The system of free enter prise, he said, was the best system, but Germany, because of her "emer gency" had to adopt its own system. He did not say that this emergency was created because Hitler, in or der to carry out his theory of domi nation, had to spend the nation's wealth, its goods and its labor, on a huge unproductive armament indus try. Of course, lack of tree trade intercourse before Hitler's advent had helped to impoverish Germany. Ball's Theory. Secretary Hull believes that the roots of war grow In the soil of evQ economic conditions, that war can not be prevented unlese nations in dulge in mutually profitable trade. He says that today, as he has al ways said it, although his reciprocal trade agreement program has been burned to ashes in the flames of war. But he is keeping his machin ery oiled and is ready to start it again if he gets the chance. It may well be the foundation-stone of the peace to come, if his policies are permitted to dominate that peace. The story of Mr. Hull's battle for his beliefs is a fascinating one. It was the.result of a lifetime of study. Because of his knowledge of eco nomics, which has astounded foreign ! statesmen with whom be has come in contact, he was chosen for the post he holds. His first effort and his first failure took place when the London economic conference, called shortly after he came into office, broke down. He took that defeat in 1 his stride, eliminated from the gov ernment Raymond Moley who op posed him at the conference and packed his bag for South America. The result was the first reciprocal trade treaties with our southern sis ter nations. Slowly he built on until finally came the agreement with Great Britain, taking in a hugs area of the English-speaking world. Then, just as he was winning supporters to his cause, war came and the structure was smashed. But it did not smash the faith of Cordell Hull, and it is on this faith that he is building the hope for a better world to come, a faith and a hope that is refreshing amidst the gloom of the pessimists who refuse to see any light beyond the battle clouds that today cloak all the far horizons. ? ? ? British Fmrm Program Undergoes Changes "Firming as usual" in Great Britain. We think of the British .islea these dajra as ooe great fortress, a tangle of barbed wire, of trenches, tank traps and pill-boxes. As a matter of fact, it is still a place where ? i* ???d-tiro? and harvest, where aeldi gre tilled and cattle are red. For the farmer fa those be leaguered islands, is as Important ? the soldier. However, while I was informed oy a man who has been fa England ?mce the war started that air-raids had not affected agriculture at all, there are some exceptions to be not ed. And the war has to some de gree changed the farmer's program In normal times the crowded is |"nd" depend largely on other lands . "l?'r 'ood' Now the rich meat and dairy producte of SAndfaavia are cut off, there are not enough ships to spare from the war supply Jra'?? Permit much shipment of foodstuffs. But since wheat is vi tal, animals must give place to grain. As a result, millions of acres of passland in Britain are being turned into wheatflelds. In normal "ye stock was the chief ag ricultural product, but, according to It-en,|.rePOrJf to ^ department of I agriculture, Britain is fast becoming * wn. l*t~g7>Wing nation- As the ?tf?re. "?er" whom I Quoted recently fa these columns, said, 'arming goes on much as usual ex cept that the harvests are heavier and the city youths are called fa to help fa the fields, replacing the men of military age who have been called to the colors. And meat is scarce." Of course, air raids have affected the farmer little because the at tacto are concentrated on cities and Lire-stock losses, accord in* to a recent report to the for eign relations division of the depart ment of agriculture, have been less Sheep and cat because they have a tendency to herd, have been killed fa greatest numbers. Horses and hogs, being greater individualists, have suffered least. Cattle fa barns are safest. ^ When an animal is killed by bombs, the farmer is compensated by the food ministry only fa propor tion es the carcass is valuable as food. There is no compensation for unedible casualties. is ''?Hem Meanwhile inability to ahip her ejeat to the mother country is pro viding a serious problem for the Ca nadian farmer. By the time this readies print, the Ottawa govern ment may have provided an ar rangement tor paying farmers for storing surplus wheat such aa we have to this country. Temporary storehouses are being used and church basements in some cases have been used. Government fees for storage may soon take the place of church suppers tor raising funds and already basements and church parlors are being converted fa to temporary granaries. The government is contemplating the erection of four So.ooo.ooo-bushel ter minxlf. _ V"d*r normal conditions, if the t^'r grazing lands tor wheat raising, it is said the islands could probably become self-suffi cient as far as breadstuffs are con owned, and there is some talk of Ptjreufog such a policy in Britain "J" 5* ***? But no one can tell what policies any country will fol when the world has hn.ii struggled back to peace. But for the British and Scotch former, the trs? ?"ion is not difficult for be has been eccustomed to alternating plowed land and meadow fa the past QUOTES... Cbeeriag Theory A profitable agriculture invaria bly mcana prosperity in other in dustries. ?Elmer $etetter. Brookingi Institution. ... Any Takers? The coming session of congress is not only a cQicial opportunity for the farm organization?it is a chal leoft. ?Ropreoenlmtive Cmnnon of MiooourL ? oo Don't Boot Men, keep your heads up, the bog is the only animal that always looks down. ?lodge Mom of Dotla. ? o o They Knew the Bales The British may be tough business competitors if they win the war, but at least they shoot the same kind at crap we do. Hitler doesn't. ?nominee GoUmnilk. tmemelol meiur. GENERAL HUGH S. JOHNSON VubidtM, D. 0. 'FOE WHAT?' What U needed by our war-mind ed men is some slogan of high pur pose like "Make the world safe (or democracy." That one is just a little like offering cheese to the mouse caught in a cheese baited trap. He doesn't want any piore cheese. So the trial balloons are go ing up on another one?"Union I Now." I wrote a piece on the ballyhoo for a federation of English speak ing peoples. In it I used the ex pression "Union Now" and said that what is now proposed is to unite us with the British empire under something like the Articles of Con federation under which the 13 Col onies fought the Revolution?which means, of course, in addition to "Union Now," "War Now." I ar gued that all the "Articles" made was a league of nations proved by both of them and the later inter national league to be futile and un workable. That column drew indignant deni als including one from Clarence Strait, the author of "Union Now." These denials complained that the proposal is not to entangle ours with the destiny of other nations in any futile league. No, sir. We are go ing all the way into an United States of Earth, in which Am arise is to be only one state among many bound, not by weak articles of con federation, but by a document like the Constitution of the United States. The distinguishing features of that Constitution are?no secession; con trol in a superstate of interstate commerce, all foreign relations, tax ation and spending, the right to make war, to keep troops and ships | of war and the denial of those rights and controls to the several states including the U. S. A. All right. If I misconstrued Mr. Strcit, I am sorry. But I didn't misconstrue the others and I didn't misconstrue Mr. Streit very much. They say, and so I think doss be, that this is only an eventual result. | Right now all we need is "articles of confederation" with these other nations but (as in and after our Revolution) "as soon as the war is won" under the new confederation, we shall create with them a reel federation, on the plan of the Amer ican Constitution and rub Uncle Sam out as an independent entity. It is all consistent. First these C>ple sell us into a war when It '? necessary and, without waiting for Mr. Hitler to sell our country down the river, they want us to do it ourselves. Wa commit national hari-kari, dilute our strength with the weakness of the world and dis sipate the wealth and advantage our fathers fought and labored to create here, to the four winds of heaven and the five continents of earth. m w ? GOVERNMENT CONTROLS So my old buddy Leon Henderson told the lumber industry that $60 a thousand was an outrageous price for southern pine, that $1$ was enough, that if they didn't get the price down he was going to do some thing about it?and then stamped angrily not only out of the room but out of Washington. I think Leon was about 100 pee cent right on his facts and inten tions?that, somehow, this tendency toward soaring prices must be socked every time it sticks its bead up and that, exactly as in World War I, it has already started, among other places, in wholly unjustifi able lumber prices. But to control this danger, govern ment has got to get in step with Itself. Leon must have forgotten that he was not back in his old NRA days, when government could talk to industry as a unit and tell it, as Leon frequently and properly did, to police and discipline itself and, in the public Interest, to purge its membership of improper practices. He could do that then because NRA made such joint action by govern ment and any organized industry lawful. It is lawful no longer. Leon should have a little talk with Thur man. The latter, Mr. Arnold, is trying to put industrial gents In jail ?or at least getting grand jury in dictments against respectable citi zens for potential felonies?if they act as an industry to do, for exam pie, what Lson commanded the lum ber industry to do. It is and has been declared by all our courts to be Just as flagrant an offense to the anti-trust acts for industrial gents te combine to put prices down as to pot prices up. The former practice baa proved to be the most effective weapon of the big fallows to slaugh ter competition of the high-cost pro dnctfcn of Utile fellows in business. Speo-hi+u/ -o4 \ SS??aiT? | By ROBOT McSHANE qpHIS winter upwards of 11,00?,00? 1 Americans are enjoying a SteM which was once outlawed both in Europe and the United Slates. Sev eral other sports hay# been wer boten at one tfena?ar another in Ola them has as (dins a backgrounds This particular toort traces its ori gin not to an Tt** barroom but to the ancient cathedrals ot Oar many where, h the Middle ages, the canons encouraged thafr parish ioners end of die church cloister, the pin "heathen." The pariaWlMS Was then given a ball and asteadteteeOTT it at the "Heide." V a hit was was leading a dean, pane life: if he missed, it mated teat he was more or teae a heal as pepnltiii anppaaed, but ten an aterraat nfSten***** Bag e? ward. diagmafted whea tea aaWen liateeat pate a law kaateag It To America in 163G The Knickerbocker apteeis who brought the Dutch (Hut at nine pins to Manhattan island in MS are responsible for our modern sport, which is not only enjoyed by mo tions of Americans for personal re laxation, but which has been adopt ed by business men throughout the nation aa a means of constructing a more closely knit pattern of rela tionship between employer and cm The America: Bowling congress lattoialss that more than to# ,000 men now belong to bowlfag leagues Trhanlly* DUtiUnar cmposnttan] which BuMaioi plants anH hrinch offices throughout the country, en courages bowling competition far ita employees throughout the whiter, the ?fnn being climaxed by ttbgnfih ie matches each spring. Pan (tmw ican Airways claima the record tor long d iata nee competition, with teams located in Buenoo Aires, Cris tobal, Mexico City, Miami, San Francisco, New Yarfc and other hay offices i _ was located eutdeers, an a plat of guns I Is treat ?f the Battery Pert m Miahattia tslaad. New Tatfc. T? Greea" Is still mstathtoed an Bria The New England Puritans for bade bowling,.but the Brittth were I toe toad of the sport to lease it behind when they came to America. I Ntoeptna ware popular to Aaaartoa far a great assay years antl tha gams fefl win tha central ?f gam blers. aad this proved Ito temporary to IMl'ean be thaakfal thtt bap I ptaa ?u started as a atoa at elr 9 Pins vs. 10 Pitts It happenad this way: Whan ntno ' pins became the rags of sperttog men the Connecticut legtotature passed an act prohibiting the game. New York soon followed suit, hot the real devotees of bowling would not be discouraged. Why, Ota noons asked, can't we get around tha anti runepin law by bowling with tan pins? And the lawmakers, who by this time were themselves yearning for a chance to bowl again, dropped tha fight entirely. Bsvhg la America expartaaakd ana mart setback whan New Task an, whe were the gome's staansh- ' years. Bsiaaao sf the grandStokef tha pins at that Man, they were , pissed ?# eleee Ispethar hit even a fair toes e< the ban wertd resrtt to a "strike," that math - aerated ?treks la wbtoh aB tan ptoa are knocked deens at saee. But in its dark days bowling nev er lost favor among the Germans on the east aide of New York. In the 1860s, through their efforts, inter est fat the game was revived. The size of the pins was reduced and someone invented a ball in which hides had been drilled to facilitate handling. A few years later, hi 187S, the National Bowling associa tion was organized by 77 delegates from Manhattan and Brooklyn, meeting at Germania hall to the Bowery. This group established rules for the game which were lat er adapted by the American Bowl ing congress, established to 1M.