Thompson: ERP Has Effectively Countered Immediate Threat Of Communism
DAILY BIBLE QUOTATION
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness
in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1
This month’s daily Bible quotations are suggested by the Rev.
C. S. Grogan, pastor of the Church of God in Roanoke Rapids.
Comming — “The Christmas Story”
In this age of irreligious cynicism, the Herald
takes pleasure in presenting six majestic drawings
of_“The Christmas Story” beginning Sunday and
continuing through Friday. They are drawn by
the greatest creator of beauty in art living today
—Hal Foster.
Hundreds of men, women, and children will clip
the series as keepsakes; they will turn to them for
inspiration.
Congratulations To The Recreation
Commission And Welcome To Mr. Smith
The announcement yesterday that the Roanoke
Rapids Recreation had employed a full-time recrea
tion director for the city is gratifying to us.
The commission has been hard at work for the
past several months and has taken some very definite
steps toward the beginnings of an overall recreation
nvocrrorM for thn
X O- -- -J
The acquisition of Ray Smith as recreation di
rector for the city is but the beginning, we feel, of a
fine movement for the community well-being and
growth.
We know the new recreation director by reputa
tion. He is highly recommended by Dr. Harold G.
Meyer, state recreation commission chairman, says
that Smith is one of the finest recreation leaders in
North Carolina.
We extend a welcome to Mr. Smith and offer our
congratulations to the Recreation Commission for
another step in their program to give the city a
fine recreation organization.
Marshal Plan Does Not Insure Peace
But It Leads In The Right Direction
,, One of the results of the Marshall Plan, in its
operation in Europe, according to Paul G. Hoffman,
Economic Cooperation Administrator, would be to
increase the average per capita income of Western
Europeans from $320 to around $500 a year.
Mr. Hoffman thinks that if this goal is achieved,
“we will have built a stronger basis for individual
freedom and lasting peace.” He does not believe that
the average annual income*of the European people
has been sufficient to arouse any enthusiasm “for in
dividual freedom and the dignity of the individual.”
While we are quite sure that the increase of per
capita income in Western Europe would be accom
panied by many beneficial results, we doubt if the pro
cess will do much to enhance the dignity of the in
dividual or anything to prevent World War III.
History does not record that the per capita in
come of nations has had much to do with the matter
of belligerency. Certainly, the per capita income of
the German people, when they supinely surrendered
their freedoms to the Nazi regime, was higher than
the average in Western Europe
-i-1_: „_£_ • j:_5 _i
v/i U.J. uuuxii^ vnutuuium i.Ul. Uiyiiviu*
ual freedom and the dignity of the individual is a
slow process that will be developed gradually through
decades. It is not to be assured to any generation
by increasing the spendable money that the individ
uals of the era possess.
THE ROANOKE RAPIDS
Baihj and Sunday Herald
Roanoke Rapids, N. C„ Thursday, December 16. 1948
PUBLISHED every afternoon (except Saturday) and Sunday
morning by the Herald Printing Co.. Inc, in Roanoke Rapids N C
Roanoke Rapids, the fastest growing city in North Carolina,
Is the capital of a Five County Empire with a population oi
160.001) and a huving power of 60 million dollars
MILTON t. WICK - President and Edilot
WILLIAM A McCLUNG . Managing Edilot
WILLIAM L. DAVEY . City Ed tot
DON HALL - Advertising Sl.n.g«
pnuk wadp-- Circulation Manages
® ELMORE -...- Commercial Manager
MORRIS S. LANCASTER -- Mechanical Superintendent
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
V rayduie 10 carrier—our a ween. no monthly
or other rate is made (We are not responsible for advance payments
made to carriers)
MAIL RATES. Payable In Advance
Carolines and Virginia All Other States
« veai --$9 50 I year ___[_$1100
9 months --- 7 75 9 months ____ g.ao
0 months ...—...——-$5 00 0 months ____$ 0 IK)
3 months --—-$2 75 3 months ____$ 3 50
1 month - $1 u(j 1 month _$ 1 25
Entered as Second Class matter, April 3rd. 1914." at the Post Office
of Roanoke Rapids North Carolina, under Act of March 3rd. 1879
__ National Advertising Representative
Pred KlmbaiL lnc.-87 W 44th St, New York City; 309 N Michigan
I sriCBfcsag1.; u,”"“5i- ^ »•>
The Timid Soul : : : : : : : : ™ H-T- webster
MADGE, I 1ftINK WE OUGHT To -
LA'/ IN ENOUGH SUPPLIES For.
_ AT LEAST TWO WEEK S, OUST IN ,
-— CASE we HAVE FOUR. OR FIV/e
|,j'>~r-T—--r' FEET OF SNOW SOME NIGHT
AIR. MILQUETOAST Re/Vit. !BfcRS
1HE BIG SAJOW OF- J 94"7
mt. Ww T«* H««« T.4—« 1« I 2 ~ t3‘
Pegler Interviews Justice William O. Douglas And
Gets Information On Portia ml Speech To Labor Union
By Westbrook Pegler
(Copyright. 1948. King Features
Syndicate, Inc.)
You aren’t supposed to inter
view justices of the Supreme
Court, but I am an unconven
tional child of impulse so I riffl
ed the book and so I said gimme
Executive 1640, hello. Supreme
Court, let me speak to Justice
Douglas, please.
She said his secretary said he
was busy. Could he call me
back? But it was late and that
night was the Gridiron and we
all had to suit up for the main
event so I didn’t hear from him.
Then, after the show, there were
a lot of us milling around a
Oprner suite and I saw Justice
Frankfurter standing there right
alongside with young Bill Hearst
and four-five others. Well. I
thought, in a refined poddy like
the Gridiron you check your
black jacks at the door so if
they introduce us I will spot
Old Weenie the firs4 sneer and
after that may be the most perti
umphant. Sure enough pretty
soon, yank-yank on the sleeve of
my white tie and tails which
make me look like Fred Astaire,
yank-yank on the sleeve like a
bite when you are worm-fishing,
and I turn and there we are,
practically in a clinch with the
crowd silently yelling for the
kill (vote for one.)
Young Bill said: “My I slip
sis on the great pleasure to mul
sifv the distinguished Kranis of
the Supreme Court of the United
States, and this is Westbrook
Pegler.
“Ho-ho-ho,” said Weenie,
sometimes in the morning, my
wi.: often remarks that some
people altify the codersperl and
I always reply, well you can’t
maulspave the immutable posn
ards of Justice Holmes, ho-ho
ho.’ '
“Sounds like double-talk to me,
Judge,” I said, “but anyway,
pleased to meet you” when Wal
ter Troian poked his face into
the happy little circle and said,
“Mr. P., have you met the god
lamer or Alger mss.'
Well, time marches on so af
ter I had lost my brash about
an interview with Justice Douglas
this secretary calls, and T am
having lunch with the man from
the wide open spaces at two o’
clock in his chambers. I have
never hung around the Supreme
Court much so t got there half
an hour early to case the joint
and memorize the exits and the
fiist thing you know there we are
in a red plush pew jotting down
descriptive matter: “Four-mar
ble pillars about 35 feet high on
each side; heavy plush curtains
and tasty, expensive carpet both
of Kremlin red. But the carpet
has a subdued design showing
a bunch of rods surmounted by
a battle-axe. Mussolini’s old Fas
cist emblem, so the Court seems
neutral. Nervous guy stands
facing the Court talking about
some bankruptcy business and
some lawyer wants $40,000. Cou
ple of little kids in blue suits
rushing glasses of water (could
be gin) to parties wanting) re
freshment.'*
With a loud conk, Chief Jus
tice Vinson slammed his mallet
down, cutting the guy off/in the
middle of a syllable. But it
seems he had plenty of warn
ing because there is a little
light on the pulpit which! blinks
i
five minutes before his time is
up and again one minute before.
If he can’t get his flaps down
with those warnings let him crash
Now we are in the chambers
of Justice William O. Douglas and
I am pretty sore because he went
out to Portland, Ore., and made
a speech advising all that muscle
to get into international politics
and take over the diplomacy of
the United States in our rela
tions with the European count
ries which are now being handl
ed by “Labor Governments.”
He said the “Labor” leaders
of Western Europe are wary be
cause concentration camps have
made them “bitterly suspicious
of those who may be undisclosed
agents of predatory interests.”
Well, the most brutal, ignorant
and greedy of the predatory in
terests that we have are the very
group of people that Douglas was
exhorting to assume the spokes
manship for our countrj’ abroad
and I thought he ought to know
and I think he damn well does.
Upon being advised on his con
stitutional rights and warned that
all he said might be used against
him, Justice William O. Douglas
unto me did say: “I was im
pressed with the opportunity the
labor group had in this country.
When I say that, I don’t mean
any particular union,” as be
tween the C. I. O. and the A. F.
of L. or independent group. “Op
portunity to step up front and
take the lead in the battle.”''
In his use of the word “battle,”
he meant a great showdown, pre
ferably political, although you
never can tell when it might boil
over, between Kremlin Com -
munism and the American way
in the countries on the hither
side of the Iron Curtain.”
“I was arguing,” he said, “for
labor to step up to its responsi
bilities and use its influence and
its weight on the side of the de
mocracies. At this time it is in
a strong position to do it be -
cause those Labor Governments
come from the same kind of
enviornment of labor people (as
our unioneers) and I thought the
place to say it was before a
labor group.”
Tucker Says Supreme Court Has Caused
Administration - Some Embarrassment
ny nay lucner
WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 —
Disregarding th protests of Sec
retary Marshall and Attorney
General Tom Clark, the
Supreme Court has embarrass
ed the Administration’s at
tempts to obtain additional mil
itary bases abroad as advance
implementation of the proposed
North American alliance.
In fact, the foreign affairs
experts on Capitol Hill Plaza
have made it difficult for the
United States to retain those
which we now occupy in Eng
land. Greenland, the Azqres and
North Africa, although they
are essential to national secur
ity in view of the Russian men
ace. Corrective 1 e g i si. t i o n
may be necessary to ward off
overseas resentment as soon as
Congress convenes.
DECISION Tho unsettinff de
cision involved the seemingly
simple question of whether the
wages and hours schedules of
the Fair Labor Standards Act
applied to our military base at
Bermuda, which we leased from
England for 99 years in the
famous destroyer swap of 1940
The court held that working
standards established bv Con
gress only for the United States,
i. territories and its “posses
sions” should be effective o n
this British soil. Although dis
avowing that it regarded the
property as belonging to us “in
a political sense” the majority
did extend a Congressional
mandate to a crown holding.
IN1ENTILN The majority
also set themselves up as Con
gressional mind-readers in a
manner that bewilders mem
bers of that body. The Fair
Labor Standards Act, for in
stance, was passed in 1938.
whereas the destroyer basis
bargain was not negotiated un
til two years later.
Nevertheless, Justice Reed
and his four associates in
sist that, had 1040 condi
tsons prevailed in 1938, Congress
would have mad* the law an
pncaDJe to on-shore bases.
Ironically. Congress had
shown that it had no such in
tention. Several times it enact
ed special amendments tc ex
tend other statutes (not the
FLSA) to a few other bases.
Had it originally meant that all
our laws should govern in these
leased properties, it would not
have felt it necessary to amend
them so as to make them apply.
CHARGES The decision has
come at a time when labor
groups in England and other
countries are demanding that
the U. S. abandon these and
other bases, now that the con
flict which brought them into
being has ended. They insist
on abrograting the leases, al
though we have spent many
millions to improve and fortify
them.
The same anti-American erv
has been sounded in several ar
eas. especially in North Africa •
and the Middle East. where
members of the North Atlantic
entente will neorl k-.c-<-r. _
are to suceed in encircling
Russia.
State Department officials
concede. ruefully. that the
court’s action plays squarely in
to Stalin’s hands. It permits
him to cite it as the highest
judicial evidence of his frequent
charges that the US. is “im
perialistically” bound, and that
the Marshall Plan is nothing but
a device to enrich and aggrand
ize ourselves at the expense of
its proclaimed beneficiaries
OFFENDS As the State De
partment said in its briet. the
decision “would not be ralculat
with Great Britain.” Labor
members in Parliament have
already begun to holler from
their leftist benches: “We told
you so.”
It even offends Englishmen
normally sympathetic to this
country. Although they accept
our aid because they must, they
do not like to face the thought
that they have become virtual
mendicants or a secondary pow
. *r
No Consistent Progress Toward Goal A
Of Better Integration Of Europe
Dorothy Thompson
Michael L. Hoffman, corres
pondent of The New York Times
is reporting from Geneva on the
results of the first six months
of the European Recovery pro
gram.
Admitting that ERP effective
ly has countered the immediate
threat of communism by preven
ting starvation and collapse of
picture he presents is not of con
sistent progress toward the goal
of greater production and better
integration of the European eco
nomy. “The remarkable snap
back of European production be
tween 1945 and 1947 has not only
been convervted during 1948 into
a tred toward higher levels . .
Only the combined United States
British zones of Germany has
shown marked, steady progress
from 50 to nearly 80 per cent
of 1936 levels.”
Close following of reports from
Europe indicates that the great
est weakness in the Eurooean
picture is France, and that this
weakness is not basically econo
mic but moral and political. In
respect of natural resources, fer
tile land and numbers of popu
lation that must live from these,
France is the richest country of
Europe. But morally the coun
try is disintegrated.
The lack of simple patriotism
o.' the French businessman—
his consistent avoidance for in
stance of taxes—wa. noted by
Eric Johnston in a report to the
New York Chamber of Commerc
on his recent trip to Europe.
One need not leave New York to
see evidence of the flight of
French capital, while private
black marketeering in ERP
goods assigned to France can
be discovered as far east as Tur
key.
This lack of patriotism is mat
ched in the ranks of labor whose
strikes — Communist-inspired or
not — take no heed whatever of
French realities while Commun
ists whose number is large, have
patriotism only tor the Soviet
Union.
But if patriotism—the willing
ness to sacrifice and endure dis
cipline for the welfare of the *
community — is conspicuously *
lacking. French nationalsim ha*
not abated, and consists of the
demand that other countries
should make a sacrifices for
France. Britain and Belgium,
who have brought a high degree
of order into their economies,
through patriotic discipline, are
penalized for it by ERP. while
France is rewarded for bank
ruptcy. Jb
And if France — or rather
Frenchmen — learned anything
politically from the experience
of the Versailles period and its
UUlCUimr. II to UVM. v.jowv » 111 u.v .
Again Frenchman want to re
peat the errors of the 1920’s and
forge a cordon around both Ger
many and the Soviet Union. That
this unrealistic program which
between Germany and Russia,
was the basic cause of World *
War II escapes their notice, and
that the situation is incompara
bly less favorable for such a po
licy today does not change their
obession.
Britain and the United States
do. to be sure, whittle down
French claims, but they lack the
desperate resolve which anima
tes the French hysteria. French
policies are not adopted in full— **
to do so would collapse the whole
recovery program-but enoug
the creation of a stable and work
able settlement. Without being
strong and vital enough to th
wart the only constructive evol
ution. As a witty friend wrote
me the other day, “In miss
ing a train, it doesn’t matter
whether you miss it by a min
ute or an hour.” ^
Nisbet Says Work Of State Supreme
Court Has Been Heavier Than Ever
By Lynn Nisbet
HEAVY — The work of the
state supreme court for the 1948
fall term has been heavier than
for any term in recent years.
This is true not only as to num
ber of cases, but particularly
with reference to e importance
of the decisions and the close
questions involved. Oral argu -
ments before the court were con
eluded Wednesday, but there will
be at least one — perhaps two
— additional opinion dates be -
fore the court formally adjourns
ahead of convening the spring
term on the first Monday i n
February.
CAUSES — One contributing
factor to making the court's
work harder has been the nu
int-iuus uiviucu ana unexpeciea
decisions of the United States
supreme court during the past
two years. Many of these deci
sions reversed former opinions
which had been accepted for
years as criteria in constitution
al issues. When a reporter ask
ed Associate Justice Emery B
Denny if "some of the cock-eyed
opinions” of the nation’s high
est tribunal had not complicated
state court decisions, the justice
smiled and said 1 • couldn’t an
swer that question as asked, but
would say that Jrited States su
preme court decisions “have in
creased our work. ’ Notice Den
ny added that his colleagues with
longer experience on the bench
have said .he questions involv
ed in appeal cases are general
ly more difficult, without influ
ence of the United States court.
There is apparently less disposi
tion on part of litigants and at
torneys to appeal cases on sup
erficial technicalities just for
purpose of delay.
ISSUEC — Majority of the
cases coming to the Mgh court
now have basic issues which re
quire long hour*; of study for
aopropriate settle rent ' w
tough cases were argi ’ Tues
day. One dealt with :he consti
tutional right, under the re
ligious freedom clause of hand
ling poisonous reptiles in public
worship services; the other in
volved validity of racin' segre
g tior in public buses. Previous
ly the court had passeu upon
labor management relation laws
and the rights of L, ai govern
ments to finance special train
ing tor officials.
SNAKES — The reptile wor
ship case, besides presentir a
basic question, gave *».-> : g h
court a novel experience. It w~~.
the first time members of the
P esent court had heard defen
dant laymen argue th ir o w
cause. It is not unusual for de
fendants to represep themselv
es in superior courts, but not
for manv vear bad argument
been presented to the supreme
court bv oti . • than * ^ -..gniz^d
aitor.nev C. H. Bun and Be
jamin Massey, ministers of a
snake-handling cult convicted in
Durham county of violating a
Durham safety ordinance, plead
ed their own case. The court
room was pVcked for the occa
sion majority of the visitors be
ing alleged members of the cult.
LIGHT — While supreme court
business has been heavy, other
activities around capitol square
have been very light during the
past few days — and will be
until after January 1. Both gov
ernors — outgoing Gregg Cher- V
ry and incoming Kerr Scott —
have been at the southern gov
ernors conference in Savannah;
Lt. Goveror Ballentine, agri -
culture commissioner - elect,
and others are at the national
Farm Bureau convention in At
lantic City, and several other of
ficials are attending various con
ventions out of the state.
LIVELY — Expectation of
lively doings soon after the first *
of the year was well expressed
by one of the office gals in a
state department when your re
porter made his regular visit to
day. “There’s nothing doing
now,” she said, “and there won’t
be until the legislature con
venes; then all hell is apt to
break loose.” That young lady
W3C far nnmtrrl, ,1 ~~ 4W„ i. „ „
not to be worried much about »
prospective changes in person- 1
el. but in somewhat higher cir
cles there is more manifest con
cern over who (m) Governor
Scott will fire and who he will
retain in appointive places than
about what the general assem
blv will or will not do. State
employees below the level of pri
vate secretaries «nnd principal
clerks in the several offices are
more interested in prospective
salary and wage scales than in
who will get the big jobs
BORROW — H. O. Woltz.
Mount Airy attorney and presi
dential elector for the fifth dis
trict. isn t quite sure whether to
commend or quarrel with h i s
secretary for not mailing a let
ter he dictated the other day
The letter was a request to bor
row from Thfrnnc EP „
stiff shirt, black tic and other '
regalia the New York governor
was believed to have hao ready
for the oresidenlial inauguration.
Since the letter wasn’t mailed.
Wnltz said ne lecknned hn would
have to buy the hig-shot equip
ment for Washington ceremon
ies
BETTER — The unmailed let
ter as reported to capital news
men bv the Mount Airy man . >
when he wan here to east his
vote lor President Truman set
out these salient facts: Although
Wnltz as a citizen voted on Nov
ember 2 iust like he did on De
cember 13 for Truman and Bark
ley, he had no idea they wou’d
be elected. So he had uni made
adequate preparations for the
inaugura' ceremonies, but h®
was sure that Governor Dewey * ■
Republican nominee (or prrsi
dent, had been so certain of tiis
own election that he had la:d
in supply of glad rags suitabh
f* i the ncasinn Further sine**
check of measurements indicat
cd that Dewey clothes would tu
the Tar Heel Tiuman electm
and since Dewey would not need
the stuff and Woltz would need
it he thought a deal might h*»
worked out. The office secretary j
blocked the deal by declining to
be a Dartv to it.