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DEVOTED TO THE CIVIC, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY
Vol. 13
GALAX, VA. (Published for Sparta, N. C.) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1938,
Number 39.
(By Hugo S. Sims,
Washington Correspondent)
FILIBUSTER WINS
After being laid aside for a few
days, while the Senate acted on
the Administration housing bill
the anti-lynching bill was before
the Senate again last week. Ap
parently the chances of final pas-j
sage were hopelessly blasted when
the Senate refused by a v.ote of
51 to 87 to apply cloture, which
would have restricted debate. The
motion for cloture failed to se
cure a majority when a two
thirds majority was necessary to
cut off the flow of oratory that
continued to roll from Southern
Senators, determined to prevent
passage of the bill.
“LITTLE” BUSINESS
Following his conference with
big business men, the President
saw to it that small business men
were invited to Washington for a
conference and a chance to put
themselves on the record. It is
undoubtedly a fact that many so
called small business men, in
many so-called small cities, are
■worried by threatened competi
tion from bigger companies. For
this reason they hesitate to make
improvements* and hold down in
ventories to as small a volume as
possible.
As one such business man said
to the writer last week, these
small merchants> wholesalers and
operators* of independent business,
ventures, have a keen fear of an
invasion of their field by a highly
centralized group, which will
snow them under. Some .of them
insist that present methods of
stock selling, plus convenient
bankruptcies, enable big concerns
to crush out competition, even at
a loss. Then the inside boys re
organize and take the field of
goods inasmuch as the small busi
ness man has lost his capital in
the fight and has no source from
Which to get additional funds.
The picture may be a little bit
hard to catch but there are many
readers of this column who will
understand exactly what the “lit
tle” business man had in mind.
HOUSING BILL
. The first piece of major leg
islation to go to the White House
was. the housing bill, sent to the
President last week when the
Senate, by a close vote, elim
inated the much-debated “pre
vailing wage” amendment spon
sored by Senator Lodge.
The FHA will insure mortgages
covering 90 per cent, on homes
costing up to $6,000 and 80 per
cent. of the additional cost up to
$10,000. Down payments will have
to be ten per cent, and the bor
rower will have 25 years in which
to pay the balance.
GREETINGS TO SPAIN
Twenty-six Senators and thirty
four members .of the House, have
transmitted a message of greeting
and sympathy to the Spanish
Ccrtes, meeting at Barcelona, and
praised the fight that the loyalist
members of the Spanish parlia
ment are making to “save the
democratic institutions” of the
Spanish Republic from its ene
mies, “both within and without
Spain.’’ Party lines were disre-,
garded, with six Republican Sen
ators and two Republicans in the
House, and one Progressive join
ing a number of Democrats in
signing the document made pub
lic by the Spanish Embassy.
BORAH’S WARNING
The foreign policy of the Unit-i
ed States will be thoroughly de
bated in the Senate. Last week!
discussion got .off to a good start
when Senator Borah warned that
the nation was risking war by per
mitting the world to belie/ve that
it was in an alliance with Great
Britain and that the two powers
are building up their navies un
der a “tacit alliance.” The result,
according to the. Idahoan, was a
world “practically gone mad” in
an armament race similar to that
which preceded the World Wait
Undoubtedly the foreign polic
ies of the United States and Great
Britain are developing along par
allel lines. That this is due to
any sub rosa agreement is doubt
ful in view of the ample justifi
cation for their course in the light
of existing world conditions. That
the world is in an armaments race
is undeniable but that the scram
ble to build ships is the result,
even in part, of the American
building program, is not clear
when one studies the past record
of this country in attempting to
promote disarmament and in al
lowing its navy to be much lower
than treaty strength.
MORE ABOUT FLEETS
Senator Pitman_ of Nevada, in
sisted that this country was avoid
ing an alliance, pointing out that
naval construction was necessitat
ed by the very fact that we have
(turn to page 8, please)
Roosevelt plans
to launch a new
program
—of public works shortly, it
was indicated Tuesday. The
new program will be to
create jobs for some of the
estimated 11,000,000 jobless in
the nation.
Following a parley with admin
istration relief chiefs and four
midwestern mayors, the President
told his press conference the situ
ation is under study. He stated an
anouncement will be forthcoming
within a few days.
He emphasized the approach
would be from the standpoint of
relieving human wants, not of
priming the industrial pump.
He indicated the outlays will
take the form of loans to states
and localities for self-liquidating
projects, guaranteeing the return
to the Treasury of the principal,
if not the interest, on the loans
over a long period of years.
He declined to say whether the
announcement would take the
form of a message to Congress,
which wrote into the 1937-38 re
lief appropriation act an amend
ment requiring the $1,500,000,000
apropriation to last until the fis-.i
cal year ends next June 30.
Secretary of the Treasury Mor- j
genthau, a luncheon guest, re
mained through the conference in ■
which R. F. C. Chairman Jesse1
Jones and Acting WPA Adminis
trator Aubrey Williams participat
ed with Mayors Kelly, Chicago;
Reading, Detroit; Burton, Cleve
land; and Dickman, St. Louis.
Another of Tuesday’s callers
was Owen D. Young, chairman of
the General Electric Company,
who had urged the resumption of
spending during a previous visit
with the President in company
with C. I. O. Chairman John L.
Lewis and Thomas W. Lamont,
Morgan bank partner.
Many Republicans
are expected in |
Greensboro Sat.
—night for the ninth
annual state-wide Lincoln
Day dinner, Congressman
Hamilton Fish, Jr., of New
York, will be the chief speaker
at the dinner. Worth D. Hen
derson is chairman of the ar
rangements committeei and the
event will be held under the joint
sponsorship of the Noith Caro
lina Young Republicans and the
Republican state executive com
mittee.
Representative Fish Will be in
troduced by J. Bennett Riddle.
Jr., of Morganton, Young Repub
lican state president.
Silas B. Casey, of High Point,
will serve as toastmaster. Wil
liam C. Meekins, of Henderson
ville, Republican state chairman,
will deliver a brief address.
Party affairs will receive con
sideration at a meeting of the
Republican state executive com
mittee at 3 o’clock.
The annual state convention of
North Carolina Young Republi
cans will be held at the O’Henry
Hotel Saturday. Morning and
afternoon session, at- 10 and 2
o’clock, are scheduled.
L. L. Wall, of Winston-Salem,
will be the keynote speaker at
the convention.
King George VI and
Queen Elizabeth
will visit France
i
—for four days this summer,
and the stay will be the first
state visit of the couple to a
foreign country since their ac
cession to the throne in Decem
ber, 1936.
Announcement issued at
Buckingham palace said the king
and queen had accepted an invi
tation from President Albert
Lebrun of France to visit Paris
from June 28 bo July 1.
During the stay, the king will
unveil the Australian national
war memorial at Villers-Breton
neux.
Plans for the trip were arrang
ed carefully before the announce
ment was made and speculation
arose immediately whether the
king and queen might be em
barrassed because of the Duke
and Duchess of Windsor who
just moved into a villa outside
the French capital.
Dr. McDonald’s
father passed
away Tuesday
—at Paradule, Ark., at the age
of 61 years. George L. McDon
ald, whose son. Dr. Ralph Mc
Donald, of Winston-Salem, op
posed Clyde R. Hoey, of Shelby,
for the North Carolina guber
natorial nomination in 1936, was
prominent in Masonic and Junior
Order circles of his state. He had
been ill only a short time, pneu
monia being the cause of death.
In addition to the son, Dr.
McDonald, the deceased is sur
vived by the widow and three
daughters. Two daughters, Miss
Hildred McDonald, of Winston
Salem, and Miss Agnes McDonald,
Washington, D. C., left yesterday
for Arkansas to attend the funer
al of their father.
The world was
invited to join
in a big effort
—to promote peace and
economic prosperity in a
radio address delivered Sun
day night in Washington,
D. C., by Secretary of State Cor
dell Hull, who said that this
nation stands ready at any time
to help bring about arms limi
tation consultations.
Tremendous significanse was
attached to the cabinet officer’s
remarks which came 24 hours after
the United States, Great Britain
and France demanded that Japan
reveal her naval building pro
gram or agree to limitation con
sultations. In this connection, a
decided yesterday that the em
conference of Japan’s highest
naval officials is“ reported to have
decided Sunday that the em
pire’s naval building program
would not be disclosed to the
United States, Great Britain and
France.
Hull spoke over a nation-wide
radio hook-up. The speech osten
sibly was a defense of the ad
ministrations reciprocal trade
treaty program which, he said,
“is a standing offer to other na
tions to join with us in a de
termined effort to promote eco
nomic appeasement and security
through making possible the ex
pansion of the international trade,
along lines of constructive peace
ful effort and upon the friendly
and universally beneficial basis of
equal treatment.”
Then he added significantly:
“While compelled, in a world
in which increased construction
of armaments is a regrettable
fact, to render adequate our
military and naval establishment,
we are ready at any time to join
with other nations in a common
effort to bring about a general
limitation and reduction of arma
ments'.”
This was a reiteration of state
ments Hull made several months
ago when other powers were agi
tating for an international eco
nomics and disarmament confer
ence which it was suggested the
United States should call. Both
the cabinet officer and President
Roosevelt declined, saying the
world rearmament race made
such consultation inadvisable.
Four men from
as many counties
were advanced
—Tuesday as possible candidates
bo succeed Representative Walter
Lambeth, of Thomasville. who an
nounced Monday that he would
not be a candidate for reelection
to his seat in Congress.
Friends of J. Gordon Hackett
of North Wilkesboro, eighth dis
trict highway commissioned-, urg
ed him to make .the race. They
pointed out he was well qualified
and started to boost his name.
Hackett, asked if he had de
cided to become a candidate said
he was “more interested in build
ing roads.”
At first he said, “I am not go
ing ot run for Congress. Let
the young bucks make the race.”
But ltter he admitted he might
become a candidate if he was
urged strongly.
"1 won’t say I wouldn’t run,
but I will say I am not a candi
date,” Hackett said.
Wilkes county friends oi
Hackett point out that Wilkes
has' not been represented in Con
gress since the days of the late
Richard N. Hackett.
Report Plans For New Niagara Span
.*
mmsamgm ^
WMm,
NIAGARA FALLS . . . No sooner had echoes of the crash of the
Falls View bridge (arrow) ceased to reverberate between the
canyon-like walls of the ice-jammed Niagara River than plans were
reported under way for a new span to link the United States and
Canada at this famous mecca far millions of honeymoonejs. The
40-year-okl structure afforded tourists their best view of the falls, I
1,000 feet away. It crumpled under impact of a record 100. foot!
I ice-pack recently.
!
A1 Capone was
under observation
in the hospital
—ward at bleak Alcatraz
prison Tuesday night. To
reports that the one-time
leader of the country’s most
notorious mob was suffering a
mental breakdown, federal of- j
ficials gave only a terse “no
comment.” However, they did I
not deny it.
From the. justice department it
was learned Capone had been
confined to the hospital sinefe
Saturday; that physicians consid
ered his removal to a prison af-!
fording better medical facilities.
Thus “Scarface A!,” hated by
fellow convicts', once the per-1
Bonification of gangster poweir,1
had reached a condition where it
was impossible for him to con
tinue even his ordinary ddties of
picking flp debris in the prison
yard.
At the time news of Capone’s
illness came out, Abraham Tietel
baum, his attorney, asked the
United States supreme court to
set aside a, one-year sentence in
the Cook county (Chicago) jail
and a fine of $20,000. This, sen
tence awaits Capone on his
scheduled release from Alcatraz
next January.
Capone was received at Alca
tiaz August 22, 1934. Ten
months later he was put in soli
tary confinement after a fist fight.
In June, 1936, he was wounded
in the back by another convict
wielding a scissors.
Alf M. Landon
spoke Saturday
in Chicago ^
—during the closing session
of the United Methodist
council, representing the
three great branches of the
church soon to be formally con
solidated. The former Kansas
governor declared that “Christian
ity has a great stake in the
preservation of democracy. . Only
by a vigorous and prophetic
church,” said the 1936 Republi
can standard bearer “may we
retain democracy.”
Landon said that “today the
ancient theory of absolute govern
ment is abroad in the world, not
only does it threaten democratic
and representative government, it
threatens the church itself.”
He called for an awareness of
events abroad, adding:
“We cannot live on a high
plateau, above and away from all
other nations. Even if our con
science would permit us bo take
such a stand f it would not be
practical, in a world that is made
small by modern methods of com
munication and transportation.’’
The council session drew more
than 4,000 ministers and laymen
from the three branches—the
Methodist Episcopal church. Meth
odist Episcopal Church, South, and
the Methodist Protestant church.
s
The new crop
control measure j
neared passage
—Tuesday as administra
tion leaders, brushing aside
Republican protests about
a “horrible gag rule,” jam
med the bill to the point of final j
action in the House.
The minority men contended)
the house had not had time to;
read the 121-page bill providing j
for control of production through;
benefit payments and loans, and:
possible drastic limitations on j
marketing of crops.
Their efforts to prolong debate ]
on the measure, which was ap
proved by a senate-house confer
ence committee last Friday, fail
ed, however. The huge Demo
cratic majority functioned smooth
ly along lines desired by the
leadership, and the house voted to
limit debate to four hours. This
move also prevented any member
from changing a word of the bill.
When the house recessed Tuesday
Speaker Bankhead said an hour
and 29 minutes of the foul- hours.j
remained, indicating a vote around;
2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon.
The house was to meet at noon,
but there usually is some delay
after convening before debate of
a measure is resumed.
While the rule adopted by the
house prevented change of the
measure there, Senator O’Ma
honey, Democrat, Wyoming, served
notice that senators from Western
livestock states would demand
provisions to protect dairy, live
stock and poultry industries from
competition by farmers who di
vert land from major crops.
Harvey Firestone
died Monday in
Miami Beach
—Florida, of a blood clot
near his heart as he slept
early in the day. The fam
ous Akron, Ohio, industrial
ist who built one of the largest
.rubber businesses in the world,
was 69 years of age at the time
of his peaceful end in the great
mansion of Harbel Villa, an ocean
front estate he acquired in 1924.
Of his large family, only a
son, Russell A. Firestone, was
reported to have been present
at the time. Mrs. Firestone and
their four other sons were be
lieved to be in the North and a
daughter, Elizabeth, at Smith col
lege, where she is a senior.
Mr. Firestone’s death was un
expected. He attended services
jat the Miami Beach Community
! (Congregational) church Sunday,
! as was his custom, and went for
: an automobile ride in the after
|noon with a niece, Mrs. M. E.
' Ake.
After dinner he complained of
j indigestion. A physician
j was called but the complaint ap
parently was not considered ser
ious.
Mr. Firestone arrived from
Akron this season on his birthday,
December 20.
Simone Simon
was much improved
from an illness
—Friday in Hollywood, Calif.,
where she ' is confined to a hos
pital with pneumonia, according
to a statement by Dr. Max W.
Bay. Dr. Bay added that her
temperature had dropped to 99
degrees, It was 103 Thursday
when she w’as taken from her
home to the hospital.
The French star who played
in “Girls’ Dormitory” for the fira
time as a star player, became ill
while working on a picture at the
Twentieth Century studio.
The U. S. has no
secret alliance
with England
—as to what the two pow
ers should do in case of war
or the possibility of war,
Secretary of State Cordell
Hull stated Tuesday in reply to’
a senatorial quu-y, “The answer
is no."’ This flat assertion was
made by Secretary Hull.
He replied with the same blunt
negative to questions whether this
country has any agreement “ex
press. or implied’’ for the use of;
the American navy in conjunction
with that of any other nation,1
or for the policing of any section j
of the. seas by American fighting j
ship.-..
His assertions,' contained in a
letter to Chairman Pittman of;
the senate foreign relations com-1
mitte’e, were in answer to a reso-1
lution by Senator Johnson (R-,i
Calif.), specifically presenting:
those three questions.
In turn, the Johnson measure
had summed up rumors and re-;
poits circulating persistently in
Washington for several weeks,
and repeatedly mentioned in con
nection with the bill for an $800,
000,000 expansion of the national
defense, now pending in the
house naval committee.
Apparently Hull’s denial of
these reports satisfied most of
those, who had been withholding
their support of this measure un
til they could learn what use was
intended for an increased navy.
Johnson introduced his reso
lution yesterday after much dis
cussion of the nation’s foreign
policy. Hull hastened to reply,
even in advance of its consider
ation. At the outset of today s
senate session, Pittman arose to
read the secretary’s letter.
A new standard
is expected to
be put into use
—by President Roosevelt in
making any additional Su
preme court appointments,
it is thought by political
authorities in the nation’s- capital,.
The effect on the relative
strength of the court’s so-called
liberal and conservative groups
was ■ the point of interest when
Justices Black and Reed were
nominated. The potential effect
on the practical politics of this
year and i940 will be the first
to be appraised by all observers
in the not unlikely event that
Mr. Roosevelt makes further ap
pointments- at an early -date.
Upon confirmation of Black
and Reed, the probable “liberal”
trend of the court became too
pronounced for any increase m
the number of “liberal’’ justices
to do more than enlarge an exist
ing majority. It is wholly pos
sible, however, that important
considerations of party strategy
and maneuvering to close rifts
in key states could play an im
portant part in pointing the way
to future selections. No president
would admit political maneuver
ing of that sort; but federal
judicial appointments-, from the
(Supreme Court down, have figur
jed in big league political strategy
i before this.
j Predictions of additional Su
preme court vacancies in the neat
future are based largely on th«
desire of Justice McReyonlds tc
retire, now that he has passet
his 76th birthday, and to doubts
whether Justice Cardozo's healtl
will permit him to resume hi:
duties.
Rev. Dumont Clark,
cf Asheville, is
to speak here
—in the Sparta Methodist
church tomorrow (Friday)
afternoon, at 3:30 o’clock,
and will give an illustrated
lecture. At seven o’clock tomor
row night he wilt deliver the same
lecture in the Piney Creek Metho
dist church.
For several years, the Rev. Mr.
Clarke has been working in con
nection with the Farmers feder
ation at Asheville, as director of
the Lord’s Acre plan in Western
North Carolina.
In his lecture the Rev. Mr.
Clarke will explain the Lord’*
Acre plan and will show stereop
tician slides illustrating the work
that has been done where the
plan has been adopted. This
plan it is said, has proved to
be both a spiritual and a financial
uplift where, it has been given a
chance.
Church leaders of Alleghany
county are eager to have the
Lord’s Acres plan introduced here,
it is reported, and the public is
invited to attend these lectures.
It is hoped that all denomina-,
tions will be represented.
The stars of
“A Star is Born”
were included
—in nominations made Sun
day night in Hollywood,
for Che acting awards of
merit given annually by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences. Janet Gaynor and
Frederic March, stars of the 1937
technicolor triumph, “A Star is
Born,’’ along with the defending
‘‘champions,” Paul Muni and
Luise Rainer, and Charles Boyer,
Robert Montgomery, Spencer
Tracy, Irene Dunn, Greta Garbo
and Barbara Stanwyck. were
included in the list of five,
actors and five actresses nominat
ed for the award.
Spencer Tracy, who was reward
ed for his acting in “Captains
Courageous,” also played in
“Libeled Lady,’’ with the late
Jean Harlow. Myrna Loy and Wil
liam Powell. In an earlier
production, Miss Gaynor won
v.ide recognition in “State Fair,”,
with the late. Will Rogers, which
was shown at the Spartan
theatre last September 6 and 7.
Approximately 15,000 members
of the industry will vote to select,
two winners, who wall be an
nounced at the annual academy
banquet on March 3.'
Members of the Screen Actors’
Guild made the nominations by
i secret ballot.
Muni, who captured the male
award last year for his work, in
“The Story of Louis’ Pasteur,”
was nominated for his perform
ance in “The Life of Emile Zola,”
which, was shown at the Spartan
i Monday and Tuesday , of this
week.
Nominated for other “best per
formances’’ were Boyer in “Con
; Guest,” and Montgomery in
“Night Must Fall,” Miss Dunne
in “The Awful Truth,” Garbo in
“Camille,” and Miss Stanwyck in
i “Stella Dallas.”
Ten pictures were nominated
as the “best” of 1937. They
were “The Awful Truth,” “Cap
tains Courageous,’’ “Dead End,”
“The Coo'd Earth,” “In Old
Chicago,” “The Life of Emile
Zola,” “Lost Horizon,” “One Hun
dred Men and a Girl,” “Stage
Door” and “A Star is Born.”
From this group, one produc
tion will be selected as the out
I standing one of them all.
Alice raye and
Tony Martin were
robbed of jewels
—and other valuables worth $6,
000, they reported to police in
Beverly Hills, Calif., Tuesday.
The valuables were stolen from
their home in Beverly Hills while
the popular movie couple, who
were married last summer, were
week-ending on the desrt.
The burglar- took a mink coat,
a sable jacket, several pieces - of
1 luggage and a box containing a
1 diamond and platinum bracelet—
’ .and a handful of paste jewels
Alice wears on the screen.