Newspapers / The Alleghany News and … / April 1, 1937, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Ou/injymjb H REVIEW^ Ou&nnlA by Gdmxrui ID. Pi © Western Newspaper Union. Chief Justice Hughes Opposes Court Plan CHIEF JUSTICE CHARLES E. HUGHES created something of a sensation by sending to the senate judiciary committee a letter declat Chief Justice Hughes mg mat an increase in the number of Su preme court jus tices, as proposed I by President Roose velt, “would not pro mote the efficiency of the court” He added: “It is believed that it would impair that efficiency so long as the court acts as a unit “There would be more judges to hear. more judges to comer, more judges to discuss, more judges to be con vinced and to decide. The present number of justices is thought to be large enough so far as the prompt, adequate and efficient conduct of the work of the court is concerned.” Mr. Hughes said his letter was approved by Justices Van Devanter and Brandeis. He made it clear that he was commenting on an in crease from the standpoint of ef ficiency and “apart from any ques tion of policy,” which he said, “I do not discuss.” Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana, Democrat, was the first opposition witness called before the committee, and he started in by reading Mr. Hughes’ letter. Be fore entering the committee room he said he believed the adminis tration would eventually accept a compromise plan. He advocates a constitutional amendment, permit ting congress, by two-thirds ma jority, to override Supreme court in validation of acts of congress, pro vided a national election had in tervened between invalidation and overriding. “The administration will compro mise, don’t worry,” Wheeler said. "They can’t get more than thirty five senate votes for the President’s plan. Public opinion, which swerved toward them for a while, is now swinging heavily against them.” Edward S. Corwin, professor of constitutional law at Princeton, was heard by the senate committee in support of the President’s bill and he got along very nicely until Sen ator Burke, leader of the opposition, called his attention to a speech the professor made a year ago and a book he wrote 25 years ago, in both of which he expressed views quite different from those he seemingly now holds. Then Senator Tom Con nally took a hand in the questioning: “Now you say the court is biased. You want to add six new justices who will be biased in the other di rection, don’t you?” Professor Corwin evaded a direct answer for some time, but Senator Connally demanded to know whether be did not support the President’s plan for this purpose. “Well, that is one of the reasons,” the witness said. The American Federation of La bor, like its opponent, the C. L O., has favored the President’s court plan, though rather mildly, but President William Green, when he appeared before the senate commit tee, was even less emphatic in his approval of it. He denied that the court as now constituted "has as sumed dictatorial power or that its members have not the mental ca pacity or the necessary learning.” Detroit Is Threatened With General Strike BECAUSE the Detroit police, di rected by Mayor Frank Couzens and Police- Commissioner Pickert put an end to a number of the ■mailer iltdown strikes in that city by raiding and ar resting the strikers, Homer .Martin, president of the United Automobile Workers, threatened to call a general ■trike in all the auto plants there except those of General Motors. “I don’t believe Mr. Martin would Governor Murphy be 10 unwise as to call out on gen eral strike men who have just been through six years of suffering due to depression and loss of work," Mayor Couzens said. "It would be unfortunate for him to do so.” The mayor added that the police would continue to evict strikers from plants and stores held by oth ers than employees at the places. The eight Chrysler plants were still held by the sitdowners, and everyone was waiting anxiously for Gov. Frank Murphy to determine what action the state government would take to enforce the law. Eyic tion and arrest of the strikers had been ordered by Circuit Judge Campbell, whose order to get out was defied by the workers, but the sheriff said he couldn't act further until he was given a sufficient force of deputies. Governor Murphy had declared that constituted authority must be obeyed, but he explained his failure to act promptly by saying that “blind adherence to a legalistic phil osophy will surely lead to eventual frustration of the democratic ideal of true freedom.” The committee named by the gov ernor to devise ways of disposing of future labor disputes was busy formulating legislation; and Mr. Murphy held frequent consultations with James F. Dewey, federal con ciliator. Also he was in communi cation with Washington. Sitdown Strikes Debated by the Senate SENATORS indulged in an indig nant debate concerning the sit down strike and there were de mands for a congressional investi gauon or tms new weapon of labor. Majority Leader Joe Robinson said: “Manifestly the sit down strike is un lawful. It is not within the rights of any individual or group of individuals to seize or retain possession of prop erty to the exclusion of the employer for Sen.Roblnson the purpose of enforcing demands against the employer.” However, he added, it was diffi cult for the federal government to do anything in the matter until the Supreme court has passed on the validity of the Wagner-Connery labor relations act. Senator Van Nuys of Indiana, Democrat, and others protested against this seeming effort to place on the Supreme court the blame for the epidemic of sitdown strikes. Senator Johnson of California gave a “general warning” that the sit-down strike is the most ominous thing in our national life today, bad for the government and in the long run worse for labor. The Democratic senate whip, Sen ator James Hamilton Lewis of Illi nois, vehemently criticized sit-down tactics of labor and demanded in vestigation by congress. "Is the United States a government?” Lew is asked. “Every form of com merce is being tom apart under the name of controversy between employer and employee, leading to the danger of national riots.” Amelia Earhart’s Flight Stopped by Crack-Up Amelia earharts giobe-en circling flight ended, for the present, at Honolulu when she cracked up her $80,000 “laboratory Amelia Earhart plane" at tne taKe ofl for Howland is land. By quick thinking and action she saved her life and those of Capt. Harry Manning and Fred J. Noonan, her navigators, but the plane was so badly damaged that it had to be shipped back to the Los Angeles factory for repairs. The daring aviatrix sailed immediately lor San Francis co, asserting that she would resume the flight as soon as possible. As the big plane rushed down the runway for the take-off it swayed badly, the right tire burst and the ship went out of control. The left undercarriage buckled and the left wing slashed into the ground. The ship then spun to the right, crashed down on its right wing, and the right motor snapped off the right wheel. Miss Earhart quickly cut the igni tion switches, so there was no fire, and no one was injured. The first leg of the flight, from Oakland to Honolulu, had been made successfully and in record time, but an inspection revealed that the propellor bearings of the plane were almost dry when she landed. A motor expert there said Miss Earhart might have been forced down between Honolulu and Howland island had this not been discovered. Treasury Objects to the Railway Pension Plan THE new railway pension plan agreed upon by railroad man agement and labor doesn’t meet with the approval of the Treasury department, which says its taxes on employers and employees are too low to meet pension outlays. If the income fails to level up with outgo, say treasury officials, the differ ence would come out of general gov ernment funds. It was predicted in Washington that President Roose velt might intervene to settle the dispute. Under the voluntary plan, taxes starting at 2:5 per cent on both employers’ payrolls and employees’ wages would increase gradually to 3.5 per cent on each in 1949. The management-labor understanding provides that both would back die plan in congress. It would supersede the 1935 retirement legislation now under court attack by the roads. Pope Accuses Germany of Violating the Concordat POPE PIUS XI. in a strong papal letter to the Catholic congrega tions of Germany, accused the Nazi government of violating the concor dat with the Vatican which was con cluded in July, 1933, and of foster ing anti-Christian movements. If the terms of the concordat were not kept, said the pope, “that is not the fault of the church. The other side made unfair interpretation of the concordat, evaded its provi sions, undermined Its content, and finally more or less openly violated its stipulations and the unwritten law governing its actions." Reichsfuehrer Adolf Hitler’s news paper Voelkischer Beobachter, in an editorial interpreted as an an swer to the pastoral letter, implied the concordat might be cancelled by the reich. “At the conclusion of the concord at, the state could not know how the church would later interpret its provisions,” said the newspaper, de claring that “even an agreement with the holy see has not sacro sanct, untouchable and eternal val ue." Spanish Loyalists Win on Guadalajara Front SPANISH government forces were victorious in some heavy fight ing on the Guadalajara front north east of Madrid, their chief gain being the capital of Brihuega, headquarters of the insurgents. The latter, however, scored in the Uni versity City quarter of the capital, and on the southern front were pre paring to attack Pozoblanco, the key to mercury, lead, sulphur and coal mining territory. Paris claimed to have information that Germans had supervised and helped a line of fortifications along the Spanish Moroccan coast that threatens British control of the Strait of Gibraltar. School Disaster Cause Not Yet Certain SEVERAL investigations into the terrible explosion that destroyed the fine London Community school in east Texas and killed nearly 500 pupils and teachers were under way, but at this writing the cause of the disaster has not been deter mined. The most plausible theory was formed when D. L. Clark, field foreman for the near-by Parade Oil company, testified that the school had been using “wet” gas from the pipe lines of the company. This is a residue gas rich in butane, a high ly explosive compound of carbon and hydrogen, and it is considered too dangerous for home use. Clark said he first learned the school was using the gas when he was notified that Superintendent W. C. Shaw of the school wanted it shut oil. School employees said the change from “dry” to “wet”’ gas was made only a month ago on order of the school board chairman. That gen tleman said the company knew of the use of the gas. Information elicited from wit nesses indicated definitely that the crushing explosion in the school house had its origin in the air space between the floor of the one-story wing of the structure and the ground. John Murrell, one time Army foot ball player and all-American full back, now an oil engineer, described what he saw after the explosion. He said many bodies were blown into the yard and that most of the victims were blasted out of their shoes. He noticed no bums. About 740 children and 38 teachers were in the building at the time and nearly all who were not killed out right were injured. Of the latter it was believed many would not re cover. Eccles Sees Danger in Inflationary Prices MARRINER S. ECCLES, chair man of the Federal Reserve board, started something when he issued a warning against the dan gers in mnauonary price rises, which are due, he says, chiefly to foreign armament demands, strikes and monopo listic practices by certain groups in both industry and organized labor. He argued for continu ance of low interest raxes dui suia uio M. 8. Ecole* budget should be balanced and taxes on incomes and profits should be raised, if neces sary, “to sustain the volume of re lief and at the same time bring the budget into balance and permit the paring down of public debt as private debt expands.” The federal reserve system, said Mr. Eceles, "is powerful to main tain a stable economy unless other essential nonmonetary factors nec essary to stability are brought into line either by private interests or by the government.” This statement, presumably made with the approval of Secretary Mor genthap and the knowledge of Pres ident Roosevelt, aroused a lot of talk in Wellington and the adminis tration leaders were discussing taxes and receipts. Generally they agreed that there will be no exten sive tax change—merely a resolu tion In June extending for one year $400,000,000 in “nuisance” levies. It may be the Ecdes warning will serve to curb the demands of vari ous department heads and congress men for more huge appropriations. Colonial Covered Bridge la Virginia. Prepared bj National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C.—WNU Service. FEW works of man more pro foundly affect his destiny than does the bridge. An empire was at stake when Xerxes threw his pontoons across the Hellespont, and Rome’s long arm stretched over Europe when Caesar’s army bridged the Rhine. Lack of pontoons on which to cross the Seine, Napoleon com plained, kept him from ending a war. Our own Gen. Zachary Taylor reminded the War department that its failure to send bridge materials had prevented him from "destroy ing the Mexican army.” Yet history, being so largely the annals of wars, fails to emphasize the importance of bridges in every day life. When you reflect how bridges now make travel easy and swift between towns, cities, states— even between nations where rivers form frontiers—you feel that few other devices conceived by man serve more to promote understand ing and mutual progress. Ride the air across America and see how bridges dot the map. If the day be clear half a dozen may be in sight at once. From culverts over backwoods creeks to steel giants that span broad rivers, you see a bridge of some kind wherever rails or highways cross a water course. How many bridges of all kinds America has, nobody knows. No official count exists. United States army engineers, concerned only with bridges that span navi gable rivers of the United States, have more than 6,000 on their list. Look down on any river city, such as Pittsburgh; see the steady two way traffic that flows over its bridges, like lines of ants march ing. Think of the Jams, the chaos in traffic, should all bridges suddenly fa ill Trace the bridge tnrougn msiory and you see how Its development is an index to man’s social and me* chanical advance. The Urge Is to Get Across. FaDesgs trees, ehance stepping stones, or swinging vines formed his first bridges. He used them in flight from enemies, to hunt, fight, or steal a wife on his own predatory quest Fantastic old woodcuts even show us living chains of monkeys swinging from tree to tree across jungle creeks! To get across, even as when the waters parted and Is rael’s Children walked dry-shod over the Red sea floor, was the primary urge. To this day, as in parts of Tibet, Africa and Peru, men still cross dizzy canyons on bridges of twisted grass and wild vines. Yet the func tion of these primitive structures is the same as that of the new Golden Gate bridge or the new giant at Sydney, Australia. They carry man across. We do not know who built the first bridge. At the end of the reign of Queen Semiramis, about 800 B. C., an arched bridge spanned the Euphrates at Babylon. The legend ary “Hanging Gardens," some say, consisted of trees and plants set along the roadway of this wide bridge. Explorers at Nebuchadnez zar’s palace at Babylon found no traces of any bridge. Yet the use of the arch is very old thereabouts; you see proof of this in the amazing ruins of Ctesiphon palace, east of Babylon, where the vaulted ceiling of the grand banquet hall, still stand ing, is 89 feet high. Romans left us fine examples of the ancient arch bridge. To this day their masonry work is unsurpassed for strength and beauty; some of their early stone bridges are still in use. Only in recent times came cast iron, steel, and cables. In our own country it was the advent first of railways and then of Improved highways tor motor cars and trucks which was to strew bridges from coast to coast In the pioneer’s bold trek to our Middle West and beyond, they ford ed streams or used crude ferryboats drawn by cables. Often the forty niners swam their horses and oxen, and floated their heavy wagons by lashing logs on either side of the wagon boxes. Covered wagons bound tar the “Indian Territory” camped at fords to rest, wash clothes, swap horses and shoe them, and to soak their tires. Today steel bridges span many such creeks; across them whiz motor cars, so fast that passengers barely «.atch even a glimpse of the streams that once seemed so wide. Bailt for Bailreads. Train riders, asleep or busy with books and cards, are rushed for 20 miles over the famous Salt Lake cut-off of the pioneer Union Pacific railway. The "world's longest bridge structure,” it is called. Stand this trestle on end and it would reach so high that men on the ground could not even see the top of itl Moat new bridges we now build aro tor highways. But when you recall that after 1850 we laid more than 200,000 miles of rails, you can see how the railroad, first with its crude wooden trestles, scattered bridges across America. As west ward migration rose to millions, the use of fords and ferries dwindled and bridges multiplied, sometimes not without local disputes. When the first railroad bridge was started over the Mississippi at Dav enport, Iowa, steamboat men en joined its building as a “nuisance” to navigation! Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, argued the case for the rail way—and the bridge was built "He is crazy!” men said of James B. Eads when he sought to build the largest steel-arch bridge of its time over the Mississippi at St Louis. Doubters sniffed at Eads’ use of pneumatic caissons for bridge pier foundations. "I told you so,” they said, when the first two half arches approached their junction at mid-span and failed by a few inches to fit “Pack the arch in ice,” or dered Eads. The metal shrank and the ends dropped into place. The same taunts of ignorance were flung at John A. Roebling and his Brooklyn bridge. “Men cannot work like spiders,” these critics said. “They cannot spin giant cables from fine wires high in air.” Roeb ling died before the task was done, but his monument is the bridge that spans East river. In the half century since its completion, amazing ad vance has been made in the design, materials, foundations, and erec tion. methods of bridge engineering. And there is speed! It took more than ten years to build the Brooklyn bridge. Greater structures are built now in one-third the time. When opened in 1883, Roebling’s Brooklyn bridge was called one of the “Won ders of the World.” Now the George Washington bridge over the Hudson at New York has a span of 3,500 feet—more than twice that of the Brooklyn bridge. And the new Gold en Gate bridge spans 4,200 feet Lore of Ancient Bridges. Our American bridges were all built yesterday, as the Old World counts time. Except that American Indians laid flimsy bridges of poles over narrow streams and sometimes sent a crowd of squaws to test a new bridge to see if it would sustain the tribe's horses, we have little of the lore, the traditions, and supersti tions which cling to ancient bridges of Europe and the East. It is even hard for us to imagine that the Caravan bridge in Smyrna may be 3,000 years old; that Homer wrote verse in nearby caves, or that St Paul passed over this bridge on his way to preach Or that Xerxes, the Persian king, bridged the Greek straits more than 400 years before Christ Then, tasting grief even as Eads and Roebling, he saw a storm destroy it, so that he had to order the rough waters to be lashed and cursed by his official cursers, while he executed his first bridge crew and set another gang at the task. Reading the papers, it was easy for us to learn all about the Inter national bridge over the Rio Grande between El Paso and Juarez, when President Taft walked out on it to shake hands with President Diaz of Mexico. Later, by radio, we heard the Prince of Wales, now Duke of Windsor, and the diplomats speak when the Niagara Peace bridge opened to let Amerians and Can adians mingle in friendly com merce. Myths and Folklore. Myths and superstitions linger about many bridges. Since people often die in floods, the Romans looked on a bridge as an infringe ment on the rights of the river gods to take their toll. Hence, human be ings first, then effigies, were thrown into the flooded Tiber by priests, while vestals sang to appease the river gods. In parts of China today a live pig or other animal is so sacrificed when rising floods threat en a bridge. Turkish folklore reveals this same idea. In his book. “Dar U1 Islam," Sir Mark Sykes records this legend of a bridge under construction which had fallen three times. “This bridge needs a life,” said the workmen. “And the master saw a beautiful girl, accompanied by a bitch and her puppies, and he said, ‘We will give the first life that comes by.* But the dog and her little ones hung back, so the girl was built alive into the bridge, and only her hand with a gold bracelet upon it was left out side." It was Peter ot Colechurch, a monk in charge of the "Brothers of the Bridge," who built the Old Lon don bridge. It was a queer struc ture, with rows of high wooden houses flanking each side, overhang ing the Thames. Soon after its com pletion the houses at one Mid caught fire. Crowds rushed out on the bridge and hosts of people died eith er in the blase or from lumping into 'Jhlnkd about "Benefit” Promises. SANTA MONICA, CALIF.— Maybe “benefits” are be ing overdone—indeed, some are rackets wearing the mask of charity—but even so, if a good trouper has promised to show up, you’d think he would prove he’s a good trouper by showing up. There have been cases out here when there were listed enough notables to make a whole constellation of stars, but what resulted was a milky way of amateurs and un knowns. Those last-minute alibis tor non appearance are not always true unes. xne real iacts may be: A night club cutup has been unexpect edly taken sober and so isn’t funny. A darling of the screen thinks he did enough when he al lowed the use of his name, so he spends the evening congen ially posing for pro file photographs. i,^ 8. Cobb An actor Is busy trying to decide whether he’ll sell his yacht and buy a racing stable or sell his racing stable and buy a yacht. An actress suddenly remembers she has an engagement over the Arizona line to be married some more. Staying at home to post up the diary used to be an excuse, but diary-keeping is now out—oh, abso lutely! • • • Talking Fish. DROF. ISAAC GINSBURG of the * United States bureau of fisheries solemnly vows he has heard those tiny aquatic creatures known as sea horses communicating with one another by speech and he suspects other species do the same thing. Undoubtedly so. I can confirm this discovery by a story Drury Underwood used to repeat Drury said a gentleman ordered whitefish in a Chicago restaurant When the portion arrived the patron sniffed at it and then, in a confidential un dertone, began talking, seemingly to himself. The waiter ranged up. “Anything wrong, sir?” he in quired. "Oh, no,” said the patron, “I was Just talking to the fish.” “Talking?” “Certainly. I said to him: *Well, how’re tricks out in Lake Michi gan?’ And he said: ‘I wouldn’t know. It’s been so long since I left there I can’t remember anything about it’ ” The Race to Arms. ITALY sees Britain's bet of $7,500, * 000,000 to be spent on war de fense during the next five years, and raises it by decreeing militariza tion of all classes between the ages of eighteen and flfty-flve, which means a trained fighting force of 8,000,000 ready for immediate mo bilization, adding as a side wager the promise of “total sacrifice, if required, of civil necessities. . . for attainment of maximum. . . mili tary needs." This means, of course, that France and Germany and Russia must chip in with taller stacks than before, and thus the merry game goes on until some nation, in des peration, calls some other nation's bluil and all go down together in a welter of blood and bankruptcy and stark brutality. The world has been 5,000 years patching together the covering called civilization, but experience shows that this sorry garment may be rent to tatters in an hour. • • • Maniacs and Motors. Dispatches teii of a slaying automobile which chased a cit izen clear up on the sidewalk and nailed him. This is a plain breach of the ethics governing our most popular national pastime—that of mowing down the innocent bystand er. Among our outstanding motor ma niacs it has already been agreed that once a foot passenger reaches the pavement, he is out of bounds and cannot be put back in play un til somebody shoves him into the roadway again. Otherwise the pe destrian class would speedily be ex terminated, whereas its members are valuable for target practice when an operator is building up to the point where he is qualified to sideswipe a car full of women and children while going seventy miles an hour, or meet a fast train on equal terms at a grade cross ing. By all means let us clarify the rules so that the sport of destroying human life on the highroads shall not suffer through the overzeal of amateur homicides. Remember our proud boast that we lead all the work! in traffic horrors. IRVIN B. COBB. Sorvlc*. English Mock Cheese C ltt cupfuls flour V* teaspoonful salt >/4 cupful boiling water *4 cupful butter >,4 cupful butter % cupful sugar 1 cupful fresh-grated coconut a eggs 2 teaspoonfuls cream 1 teaspoonful vanilla Make a rich pie paste flour, salt, three-quarters ct butter and the boiling wate out, cut in rounds, and line tins with it. Make a filling of the < cupful of butter, well ert add the sugar andwell-beate cream and vanilla. Fold coconut, fill the lined tin bake in a moderate oven delicate brown, and they a These may be topped whipped cream when thi cool. Copyright,—WNU Service Respect as Due I respect the man who distinctly what he wishes greater part of all the ir in the world arises from t that men do not sufficien derstand their own aims, have undertaken to build a and spend no more labor foundation than would be sary to erect a hut.—Goe Don’t Sloe When Qm Presses He If you want to roally GET GAS and terrible bloating, don’' to do it by Juet doctoring your i with harsh. Irritating alkalies a tablets.” Most GAS Is lodged stomach and upper Intestine due to old poisonous matter constipated bowels thst are with ill-causing bacteria. If your constipation is of loni Ing, enormous quantities of da bacteria accumulate. Then y gestion Is upset. GAS often heart and lungs, making Ilfs mi You can’t eat or sleep. Yoi aches. Your back aches. Yo« plexion is sallow and pimply breath is foul. You are a sick, | wretched unhappy person. SYSTEM IS POISONED. Thousands of sufferers have I Adierlka the quick, scientific rid their systems of harmful t Adierlka rids you of gas anc foul poisons out of BOTH up lower bowels. Give your bi REAL, cleansing with Adlerik rid of GAS. Adierlka does ni —is not habit forming. At all Druggists, Knows tho Valuo He who knows most most for wasted time.—Di for WOMEN < CARDUI is a special medl the relief of some of the s which results from a woman' ened condition. It has beet to make monthly periods 1 agreeable, and, when Its use b kept up awhile, has helpet poorly nourished women to g strength from their food. Th cine (pronounced “Card-u-: been used and recommen women for many, many yeai out whether it will help giving it a fair trial. Of cc not benefited, consult a pb WNU GOT RID BffiUGII PORES PIWTY OF DATES NOW.. FACIAL MAGNESIA MA SKIN FRESH, YOUNG, BE Romano* hasn't a chance wheal pores spoil skin-texture. Men loi smoothness of a fresh young cor Denton's Facial Magnesia does far unsightly skin. Ugly pores " ■Hrlw ])|ooBIGI awfl Magnoda maka a ramarkabla tha Danton Magio Mirror you tha ftMdara ol your akin bacoma i brought yon antiraly saw akin EXTRAORDINARY —Saves Yea 1 Toe oaa by Denton's racial lfagn most liberal aSn we kave m mark a law weak. only. Wa will sand joo bottle (retail price $1) plus a i of isama MUneria Waters (fa tablets), plus the Too what your skin special!* aaas) only $11 Don't mlssont Write '
The Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 1, 1937, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75