The political pot boils with in
creasing vigor as convention time
approaches. Discussion is shifting
from the question as to who will
be the Republican candidate toward
his chances of election, whoevei
he may be. Gov. Landon’s friends
are claiming that the defeat of the
Hearst-Merriam effort to elect
Landon-instructed delegates in Cal
ifornia has helped the Kansas Gov
ernor’s chances. Opinions differ
sharply on that. The view is helc
by some experienced observers that
the result of the California pri
maries brings Mr. Hoover more
strongly into the convention pic
ture, not so much as a candidate
as an influence, and Mr. Hoover’;
influence, will be against Gov
Landon’s nomination.
Whomever the Republicans maj
nominate, he will have to carry 15
doubtful states, if the political ob
servers are right. The best of these
give Mr. Roosevelt 248 electoria
votes from the states which are re
garded as certain to be Democratic
The Republicans are conceedec
only 72 sure electorial votes. It
takes 2 66 electorial votes to carr>
the election. There are 211 elec
torial votes in the 15 states whicl
are rebarded as doubtful. In some
of these states the shift of only ;
few thousand votes from the Dem
ocrats to the Republicans, compar
ed with 1932, would suffice to car
ry them. They are: New York
Connecticut; New Jersey; Mary
land; Ohio; Michigan; Indiana; II
linois; Iowa; South Dakota; Ne
braska; Kansas; Wyoming; Colo
rado and Idaho.
THE GOP PROBLEM
Republican politicians studins
these figures are, naturally, mor<
concerned about the agricultural
West than about the industrial
East. The Republicans, however,
must carry
while Mr. R
ed without it if he could carry
three or four of the larger Middh
Western states in addition to thosi
of which he seems to be assured
The nominations for Presidem
and Vice-President and the fram
ing of the Republican platforn
will be done with a constant eye or
these figures. The Party’s candi
dates must be men who have thi
best apparent chance of winning
the support of voters in the 'agrl
cultural states without being offen
sive to the voters of the Easterr
industrial states, while the plat
form must be progressive enougl
to please the agrarian West with
out being radical enough to offenc
the conservative East.
The situation is complicated br
the fact that all the recent an(
most accurate polls of politica
opinion indicates that the Presi
dent’s greatest strength is in thi
big cities and the western farminj
districts. Nobody is taking ye
about any posibility of any of thi
states of the "Solid South” goinj
Republican.
COMPLETE EIGHT MONTHS
OF FARM BROADCASTINC
The Carolina Farm Feature
radio program, prepared under th<
supervision of the State Colleg
Agricultural Extension Service am
presented over several North Caro
lina stations, is now rounding ou
its eighth month of service to farn
people of the State.
Extension officials are of th
opinion that the programs hav<
been of great help to rural listen
ers and that the audience is growing
each day. Response from the pro
grams has been good, both oral am
written.
The individual broadcast con
sists of a talk on some seasonabl
farm or home subject by a Stati
College specialist and several timeb
news items in which farmers am
farm women are most interested.
The broadcasts may be hear<
over the following stations:
WBT, Charlotte; WEED, Rock’
Mount; WPTF, Raleigh; WSJS
Winston-Salem; WMFD, Wilming
ton; ann WDNC, Durham.
The schedule for the week o
May 11-16 follows: Monday, A. C
Kimrey, "Less Cotton and Tobac
co Points to Livestock”; Tuesday
Dr. R. F. Poole, "Preparing for th
Tobacco Crop”; Wednesday, C. H
Brannon, "Controlling Insec
Pests”; Thursday, Miss Mary E
Thomas, "The Fall and Winte
Garden Contest”; Friday, H. C
Gauger, "Chicken Pox Can be Pre
vented”; and Saturday, Agronom
Department.
The Carolina Watchman t::;X
__A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE UPBUILDING OF ROWAN COUNTY_
FOUNDED 1832—104TH YEAR SALISBURY, N. C., FRIDAY MORNING, May 22, 1936 VOL. 104 NO. 43 PRICE 2 CENTS
purity Act
f> Inadequate
The News and Observer says it
learned from authoritative sources
that "the National Social Security
board has ruled formally that the
j Cherry act, passed by the 193 5
i General Assembly to enable the
State to set up an unemployment
commission, is inadeqate.”
The paper says, "details of the
board’s ruling could not be learned
immediately, but it will bar North
' Carolina from the penefits of the
unemployment insurance benefits
of the social security act until such
time as the General Assembly
passes anadebuqate measure.”
Governor Ehringhaus accompan
ied Attorney General A. A. F. Sea
well to Washington several weeks
ago to discuss the act with the Se
curity board. It had been indicat
ed the State stood practically no
chance of securing benefits under
the Cherry act.
| "Both Governor Ehringhaus and
j Attorney General Seawell denied
; knowledge of the ruling,” the paper
states. "Governor Ehringhaus said
he had not seen any mail’ during
the week he has been out of his
; office due to illness, while the at
torney general said over long dis
tance telephone that the had 'heard
nothing about it.’ ”
It has been estimated that North
Carolina stands to lose around $2,
yeany in pty TO! taxes
which will be collected from in
| dustries in the State until an un
; employment insurance act is ap
proved by the national board.
PICKFORD TIRES
. OF HARD WORK
Hollywood.—Mary Pickford who
1 has been juggling three man-sized
' jobs a day for six months or so, is
around to the point where she
views her conduct with unqualified
1 disapproval.
"It’s silly for anybody to work
1 so hard,” she said today. "And par
' ticularly for me.
I "Here I am, free as a bird, with
the money and the facilities to do
r anything I please, yet chained down
1 to a desk like a poor man with
l 10 children. I am a little ashamed
■ of mself.”
She was stretched out in a deck
chair, beside the swimming pool at
Pickfair. It was warm and still ex
cept for the faint rustle of trees,
touched by a breeze from the sea.
Her thick, coppery hair gradually
fell into disarra from ithe little
kicks of the wind. She pursed her
lips and blew it out of her eyes, but
; otherwise let it alone. There were
circles under her eyes.
: Broadcasting is one job. She signs
: contracts, interviews candidates,
: passes judgment on auditions and
l rehearsals, reads Jscripts and) oc
. casionally takes a hand in rewriting
: them.
i Meanwhile, she is acting—and ac
I tive—president of a motion picture
^corporation (United Artists.)
: Then there’s her writing. Having
. been an actress since she was five,
- she has compressed a lot of expe
. rience into her life, and distilled
| referable wisdom from it. She
likes to talk and write in a philoso
. phical vein, and has commitments
: to do both.but no time.
: She rises at 8 o’clock, goes to
- bed at U works 14 hours a day.
[ Her bedtime, incidentally, is her
favorite period for transatlantic
1 telephoning, because of the eight
hours difference in time,
r She goes hard and fast, day in
, and day out.
PROHIBITION PARTY
; CANDIDATES
Sergeant Alvin York, of James
, town, Tenn., who is known as Am
l erica’s greatest hero of the World
War, was chosen running mate for
D. Leigh Colvin, of New York, the
Presidential nominee of the Prohi
bition Party at the national con
vention at Niagara Falls, N. Y.
York said he had not been consult
r ed, and that he was not available
for the ticket.
___
Court Declares
The Guffey Coal
Act Is Invalid
i ■
Washington,—Dividing 6 to 3,
the Supreme Court Monday brand
ed unconstitutional the Guffey act,
intended to regulate wages and
hours and fix prices in the soft coal
industry and swept it out of the
statute books as it did NRA and
AAA.
Justices Cardozo, Brandeis and
Stone sharply dissented from the
sweeping majority ruling that the
price regulation structure must fall
with the invalidated labor sections.
Chief Justice Hughes agreed with
the majority in a separate opinion
that the wage and hour sections
were unconstitutional, but disa
greed on price fixing.
So broad was the opinion hold
ing the Guffey act to be an inva
sion of State powers that, pending
study, high new dealers for the
most part reserved comment on
their future course.
There was immediate speculation
but no answer, as to whether the
decision would revive talk of a
constitutional amendment in this,
a campaign year.
Word of (the court’s ruling
quickly was relayed to the White
House, irdwimo fmbiediatt
statement from the President, who
less than a year ago, urged Con
gress to pass the law regardless of
any "reasonable” doubts it might
have as to its constitutionality.
' John L. Lewis, president of the
United Mine workers, hit back at
the court. In a terse statement he
said:
"It is a sad commentary upon
our form of government when
every decision of the Supreme
Court seems designed to fatten
capital and starve and destroy la
bor.”
Members of the National Coal
Commission and Senator Guffey,
Democrat of Pennsylvania, author
of the act, were silent. But from
coal producers came conflicting
predictions as to the effect of the
decision on the industry.
FACULTY DEFERS ACTION
Chapel Hill.—Action on a re
solution rebuesting President Frank
P. Graham to transmit to the board
pf trustees at their May 3 0 meeting
in Greensboro a series of resolutions
calling for a continuation of engin
eering education at both the Raleigh
and Chapel Hill units of the Un
iversity of North Carolina, under
the direction of a dean or board oi
governors, was postponed here Mon
day night by virtually unanimous
vote of the faculty.
TO LEND COTS TO
VETS OF ’61
Washington.—The Senate pass
ed and sent to the White House a
bill authorizing the War Depart
ment to lend blankets and cots to
the reunion committee of the Unit
ed Confederate Veterans for the en
campment at Shreveport, La., in
June.
g ' » ,| j p^LS.|
WASHINGTON *. . . Above is
:he new bride of the automobile
speeding congressman, Repre
sentative Zioncheck of Washing
ion state. She was the former
Rubye Louis Nix of Texarkana,
Tex. They are now on honeymoon.
RA Agency
s i|s In Doubt
Washington,—At least one
phase of Rexford G. Tugwell’s Re
settlement administration activity
Monday was declared unconstitu
tional in a Federal court decision
here that criticized Congress’ dele
gation of power to the President
under the $4,880,000,000 relief act
So general was the three-to-two
majority opinion of the district oi
Columbia court of appeals that
sharp differences of opinion arose
at so its scope. There were con
flicting views as to whether other
activities under the 193 5 relief act
might be clouded.
Attorney General Cummings, in
a formal statement, said he be
lieved tne opinion was narrow and
aplied only to such works as the
Resettlement administrations’ sub
urban housing project at Bound
Brook, N. J., on which the case
fSpencer Gordon, Washington at
toney who aided in oposing the
government in the case, said the
decision was "broad” and puts 'the
entire resettlement administration
• -1__»
111 V1J.V }
Stanley Reed, the solicitor gen
eral. informed newsmen that in
any event the case would be ap
pealed to the Supreme Court.
The appeals court, in deciding
the secific case, went back to and
reviewed the entire $4,880,000,000
relief act and the President’s or
ders setting up the Resettlement
administration. Speaking of the
powers granted the Chief Execu
tive under the law, the majority
opinion asserted.
“This is delegation running riot.”
The corn crop of Swain coun
ty is almost planted with a larger
acreage than usual being seeded.
Congress Hopes To
To Adjourn June 6
Congress will adjourn June sixth
or thereabouts. ,
That is the consensus of opinion
in Washington among Congres
sional leaders, both Democratic and
Republicans.
Only two major pieces of legis
lation remain to be passed:
First: The billion seven hun
dred million tax bill.
Second: The deficiency (relief)
bill, appropriating one billion and
a half.
Senate Majority leader Robin
son predicted tlat the latest date
of adjournment would be June 6,
urea days before the G. O. P. con
vention in Cleveland He said,
however, it was entirely possible for
the Congress to adjourn by June 1.
Of course there are hundreds of
bills of lesser importance pending
before the various committees id
(.■■ogress,- but they don’t rate—not
when Congress decides to adjourn.
Hoey to Speak
Tuesday Night
Hon. Clyde R. Hoey, candidate
for Governor of North Carolina in
the Democratic Primary to be held
June 6th, will speak to the citi
zens of Salisbury and Rowan
County on Tuesday evening, May
26th, at 8 o’clock in the county
courthouse.
The public is invited to hear Mr.
Hoey discuss the issues ot tb-> cam
paign. Because of Mr. Hoey’s
violent opposition to any further
taxes on land, a large number ot
farmers and home owners are ex
pected to attend the speaking.
Mr. Hoey, considered one of the
best orators of the state, will prob
ably speak his mind freely as to the
platform upon which his oppo
nents are running. During his re
cent tour of the eastern part of the
state, he has been discussing Dr.
Ralph McDonald’s position on the
sales tax during the campaign in
contrast with his recorded voting
during his term as a legislator from
Forsyth county. Dr. McDonald,
who would remove the sales tax
altogether, is said to have voted
for the tax in several instances
while serving as a legislator.
It is further the claim of Mr.
Hoey that his opponent has not
voted in North Carolina prior to
1932, at which time his name was
on the ticket.
I From time to time, especially in
recent days, Mr. Hoey has gained
ground in his race for governor of
North Carolina, by stating that he
does not favor placing any further
tax on land. This is said to have
turned many votes of farmers of
the state to him and his continued
practice of not making too many
promises which he cannot carry
out, is said to have gained favor
among the labor class in recent
days.
Mr. Hoey, a lawyer, churchman
and from one of the oldest fami
lies of the state hails from Shelby,
Cleveland county. He has long
been known as the state’s silver
tongued orator and a fearless poli
tical leader of North Carolina, his
native state which he would govern
Hoover Out Of Race
Chicago. — Former President
Herbert Hoover in a prepared state
ment regarding the Republican
presidential campaign said: "It
should be evident by this time that
I am not a candidate.'’
"That should end such discus
sion,” the statement declared, af
ter relating Mr. Hoover’s interest
was in the Republican platform
and "to get these critical issues be
fore the country.”
The former chief Executive’s
views were issued in typewritten
form as a question-and- answer in
! terview and made public by Paul
; Saxson, his secretary, from his suite
, in a Chicago hotel.
Mr. Hoover was not available
for comment. He left on a 6:15
p. m. (central time) train for his
California home.
In response to questions, Mr.
Sexson said verbally:
"Mr. Hoover made a lot of news
didn’t he?
“That statement is final.
"There will be no amplification,
"There will be nothing more at
all
Taken up in the third of the
typewritten answers, dealing with
Mr. Hoover’s activities and views,
the announcement immediately
aroused conjecture in the camps
of Republican presidential nomina
Chicago, — Former President
tion possibilities.
"Asked about his personal posi
tion.” the statement continued, Mr.
Ploover said:
"It should be evident by this
time that I am not a candidate.
"I have stated many times that
I have no interest but to get these
critical issues before the country.
I have rigidly prevented my friends
from setting up any organization,
and from presenting my name in
any primary or to any State con
vention, and not a single delegate
from California or any other State
is pledged to me.
"That should end such discus
McDonald Slips
As Candidates
Near Home Goal
-- i
CL\ DE R. HOEY
Hoey Brings
Facts, Figures
In Speeches
Raleigh,—"Dr. the laboring met
and the small salaried men knotv
that Ralph McDonald ■ .ied to tax
them for the privilege of holding
their jobs?” asked Clyde Hoey, can
didate for the Democratic nomina
tion for Governor, during a discus
sion of his opponent’s record in the
last legislature.
"Do the merchants know that
McDonald tried to put a $1,100,
000 tax on them which, according
to his own statement, they would
have to absorb rather than pass on
to their customers?
"I don’t think they do because
since he became a candidate for
governor McDonald has kept rath
er quiet about some phases of hi;
tax proposals, but it so happen;
that he had his tax plan memeo
graphed and his own record give;
him away.
"One feature of the so-called
McDonald plan called for an oc
cupational tax of from $5 to $90C
a year just for the privilege oi
holding a job—rprovided the mar
gets as much as $1,000 a year.
"According to this tax a mar
who made $20 a week would b<
taxed regardless of how many de
pendents he had. McDonald esti
mated in his statement that thi;
devise would get about $1,750,00C
out of the job holders. Of cours<
he isn’t talking about it now that
he is running but he put it down
in black and white a year ago.
"Another part of this same pro
gram called for a tax on retail mer
chants of one-fourth of one pe>
cent of their gross sales and a tas
on wholesale merchants of hall
this amount. McDonald not only
estimated that this would hit th<
merchants for more than $1,100,
a year but wrote that the tax wa:
designed to be absorbed by th<
merchants themselves, rather that
passed on to the customers.
"Yet McDonald now calls him
self both the 'candidate of labor
and the 'merchants’ candidate.’ H<
also calls himself the 'teachers’ can
didate although the outside expert
to whom McDonald himself refer
red the finance committee of th<
legislature for an impartial estimati
of the money his plan would raise
said that it would provide arounc
$4,000,000 a year less than is nov
provided to run the schools and th<
state government.
"He’s a great promiser—is Pro
fessor McDonald. He’ll promise t<
repeal any tax to which anybody
objects and to increase appropria
tions for anything anybody wants
|Hoey Supporters Predict
Veteran Campaigner
Will Carry County
and State
Primary Approaches
I
Reports received from all sec
tions of the state during the past
few days indicate that Clyde Hoey
is making rapid gains in the state’s
gubernatorial race.
Hoey supporters in Rowan
County are elated over the favor
able reports and predict that he
will carry both county and state
by substantial margins on June 5.
^ith the primary only two
weeks away, interest in the candi
dates and the issues advanced is
becoming more acute.
Probably the outstanding move
ment that carries with it the great
est political significance is the
swing of the farm vote to Hoey.
Faced with an additional tax lev
ied on land, should the sales tax be
completely and immediately elimi-^^
nated, various farm organizations
of the state have openly espoused
the Hoey cause. Mr. Hoey, while
definitely opposed to a sales tax of
any kind, believes that it should
first be taken off the necessities of
life and gradually removed from
other items, in such a manner as
J not to make an additional land tax
I necessary or to impair the schools
of the state or the states credit.
The factors which are serving to
weaken the McDonald support in
the eastern counties especially, but
over the entire state generally, ac
cording to Hoey managers, are:
1. The realization by the people
that his substitute tax program is
unsound and will not produce the
revenue needed.
2. The belief that if the sales tax
is removed some form of a state
wide property tax will have to be
imposed.
j. ine realization Dy tne school
teachers and those interested in the
welfare of the schools that the Mc
Donald program will provide less
money for schools instead of more
as he is promising.
4. The opposition of the mer
chants to his heavy merchants’ li
cense tax plan.
J. The fear that he will attempt
to revive his occupational tax on
small incomes of $20 a week or
more, such as he proposed in the
193 5 legislature.
"The people of the state are at
last waking up to the fact that
taxes cannot be removed at one end
and expenditures increased at the
other, without the imposition of
new and equally unpopular taxes
somewhere along the line.” Cam
paign Manager Olive said. "They
are beginning to see that if Dr.
McDonald should be elected, the
next legislature would have to
either enact a heavy state-wide
property tax or a series of different
sales taxes, such as have been en
acted in Kentucky since the repeal
, of the general sales tax there. The
people of North Carolina are not
going to elect a young professor
from Illinois and Arkansas govern
. or of North Carolina just so he can
, experiment on the state with his
bag full of untried tax theories.
That explains the heavy trend to
Mr. Hoey everywhere in the state.”
The Graham managers and sup
porters agree with the iH'oey forces
that Dr. McDonald is slipping and
heading downhill fast.
OPPOSE SURCHARGES
Raleigh.—The utilities commis
sion filed a brief Tuesday with the
i Interstate Commerce commission
opposing the continuation of em
• ergency surcharges on railroad
freight rates.