Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

; ' •• _ ST?;',-;. / . ^ ^ ^ ■ \ Thi Baniwll Ptople^teaUatl, Barawtll a C, Thursday, November 15,1954 \ News Review of Current Events the vv V William Green Gloomy About Unemployment—Henry Ford Cheerful—Serious Charges Concerning Government of the Virgin Islands. \ By EDWARD W. PICKARD e by W*»t*rn N*w«p»p*r Union. W ITH another winter at hand and jnllUona of Americans still unem ployed, organised labor, through Presi dent William Green of the American Federation of I^abor, has asked the ad ministration to$ ap peal to all Industries to Increase produc tion SO per cent. Mr. Green In a public statement asserted that for the first time since President Roose velt’s re-employment program got under 4 V ruled them unconstitutional and dis missed an indictment against an oper ator of several sawmills. The action was taken by agreement of both slftet so as to expedite an ippeal to the Su preme court P RESIDENT n. mm Grssn way in July, 1^88, un employment has ex ceeded last year's level The number ef persons without any employment be puts at 8,348,000. Those without Jobs In Industry In September numbered 10,961,000. Jobs for 2,220.000 were pro vided by conservation camps and emer- reiief projects, “but these emer gency Jobs," be said, "are not creat ing incomes to pay the costs.” Mr. Green continued: "Could not the administration invite all industries to co-operate In a general program to In crease production and put men to work? "If the nation-wide level of all pro duction were lifted 80 per cent In a prograrfi, adjusting produc tion to consumption needs, each Indus try would then be assured that all other Industries would Increase their production, and the wealth produced hy patting labor to work would create- ROOSEVELT -an nounced that, beginning July 1, 1935, he will eliminate the 5 per cent pay cut that is now taken out of the salaries of sll federal employees. The pay restoration, he explained. Is being planned on the assumption that in creases In the cost of living will ne cessitate It. The Treasury department thereupon admitted frankly that this means the taxpayers will be called on to pay an additional fifty million dollars a year for the benefit of the 700,000 federal employees who will benefit by the res toration In salaries. . -Mr. Roosevelt predicted flatty that the cost of living will advance substan tially within the next eight months. When be made this statement at his regular press conference he also cau tioned reporters to remember that an Increase in the cost of living meant an increase In commodity and property values, thereby lessening the difilculty In paying debts. This Is one of the avowed aims of the Roosevelt program. He said he expected the rise of food, clothing, fuel, housing, and other living costa to be large enough by next July 1 to Justify the 5 per cent restoration. C HICAGO'S magnificent World's fair la no more. ‘It closed formally and forever st midnight, October 81, smld s riot of gayety and with a final burst of fireworks, and the vast throng of last-day visitors left the grounds with a feeling of smlness. Mayor Kelly had proclaimed a r half-holiday and thou sands upon thousands of Chicagoans Joined with the crowds that had come from elsewhere to celebrate the windup of this most notable exposition. After artillery salutes and parades, the final ceremonies were staged in the Court of States with Governor Horner, Mayor Kelly and^ President Rufus Dawes of the exposition as speakers Exactly at midnight Mr. Dawes threw a switch that shut oft sll lights on the grounds and set off a gigantic fireworks display. This was not quite the end, however, for the lights were tdrned on again andv though no one was admitted after midnight, the Halloween carnival con tinued until three o’clock In the morn ing. Then the lights went out forever. K ino prajadhipok of siamVnot satisfied with his present status as a limited monarch and has threatened to abdicate unless the government with draws s measure pro posed In the national assembly which de- prlves him of his tra ditional right to de cide whether persons sentenced to death for crimes shall live or die. This, of course. Is but one of the distasteful Umlta- tlons prescribed by the national assembly since the revolution of 1932 which forced the king to give the country a new consti tution. There is no revolution in this case, for the people of Siam generally know nothing about the dispute be tween the king and the government. PraJadhlpok Is at present to RngtanA BRISBANE THIS WEEK Son Spots and Wan No Toy Pistol* Money Plain Language Needed Why Revive Sparta? The Abbe Moreux, looking through his telescope Id Bourges observatory, ■ays, "Beware of 1936 and 1937." Sun spots will Ihcrease violently in those two years, according to, the abbe, and when sun spots increase "we have wars and social disruption." On the other hand, according to the reverend observer, when the sun la cafan "the world usually has been at peace." v 0 National Topics Interpreted by William Bruckart t. Others believe that "spots" causing war, international and individual hatreds, are not sun spots, but spots en the human brain. Many "spots” will have to be re moved from the human brain before War can end. King Prajadhipok Investigating two officials connected with the prison from which the late Mr. Dllllnger escaped, sup posed to have frightened his jallera with a toy pistol New evidence Indicates that, in stead of frightening somebody with a wooden pistol, he bribed somebody with good, real money. Half the success and Immunity of the usually dull-minded criminal la based on the corruption of public offi cials, and criminal lawyers ready to accept criminal money. with his queen, and the negotiations are carried on by cable. His majesty's secretary there said the king’s fight was really a fight for the principles of democratic government and that he -would not give ~ts; The secretary ex- The New York Times quotes "one of the most distinguished of sll British diplomats" as follows; "Anglo-Amer- ictfi relations nave never been Washington.—With assurance that Joseph B. Eastman, federal co-ordina tor of railroads. New Idea on u going to recom- Buttnett Controlraend In reports ——=—-— soon to appear that there be more stringent regula tion of the jfillroads, It Is to be noted that Washington ^bnversatlofi lately has included a new idea respecting gov ernmental relations^ With businesses coming under direct federal regulation. The discussion seems to center about some idea concerning the obligation which government owes whatever busi ness it regulates and whose profits it limits. The talk one hears In many places Is to the effect that If the government, or any government, lays down rutea which prohibit a business from reaping the prefits that accrue In good years, by the same taken It ought to consider some form of compensation to that business In the periods of depression through such as we are now passing because It has refused to permit that business to create a huge layer of fat upon which it can feast In the bad years. Advocates of such a theory, of course, have Iirimediately found opponents. In other words, two very definite scheols of thought have developed and al though the question Is nowhere near a solution nor is It likely that the forth coming session of congress will even In such a grave condition since the war." There la talk of Japan having t navy as big as England or America, with England’s consent; England -bnHtHng Tfr rrntaera.~ Aggrr approach an answer, tme cun hear ftf- income to buy the product of all "Tha total number at work in the United Btates was 89,764,000 In Sep tember, 1988; by September, 1934, It had declined to 39,367,000. During these 12 months the normal Increase la population has added close to 450.- 000 to tha army of Job seekers for whom Industry provides no work. Thua the number without work In Industry has risen from 10,108,000 in Septem ber, 1983, to 10,951,000 In September, 1934." Quite as gloomy as Mr. Green’s, re port was a statement of the National Industrial Conference board. This agency noted that the general Improve ment In manufacturing activity usually occurring In September failed to ma terialize. Instead, declines of 5.7 per cent In tbe number of wage earners •mplsyed, of 6.1 per cent In total man hours worked and of 5.8 per cent in payrolls disbursed, were reported. In addition. It was staled, the rise In the cost ef living from August to Septem ber depressed real weekly earnings of wage earners 2.1 per cent On the other hand, the United States Chamber of Commerce In Us summary •f conditions throughout the nation reports continued Improvement of busi ness sentiment although It has not as yet been reflected definitely In tbe vol ume of transactions. Qov. Psarson M ANY thoughtful persons comment on the apparent discrepancy be tween the pleas of William Green for more employment and the policy pur sued by organised labor In fostering great strikes seemingly for the sole purpose of enforcing unionization and the closed shop. Many thousands of persons are thrown out of employment by these strikes. Industries are ham pered or shut down and often serious disorders result. To the bystander It does not seem fair that. In a time of distress, such methods should be fol-' lowed in order that the strength of the unions might be Increased. The latest example of this policy Is the strikes which brought about the closing of all the Great Atlantic and I’acitlc Ten company’s shops and warehouses in Cleveland and which went Into effect In Milwaukee against the A. and P. and two other chain store companies. There was a prospect that these walkouts would spread throughout Ohio and Wisconsin. H ENRY FORD, who says that what Is done in Washington doesn't matter much so far ns recovery Is con cerned, came out with a statement that Mhould be encourag ing .to the American business man. He told the Ford managers gathered In Detroit that his company was out of the depression, and they In turn told him of generally Im proved business con ditions In all parts of the country. "The depression,’ Ford set forth in a statement, "would be whole country very soon If American Industrialists would Just forget tbe al phabet schemes and take hold of their Industries and run them with good, tound American business sense. "They should take hold of' their country, too. In the earns way, and run It with good sound American common D R. ERNEST GRUENINO, chief of the bureau of territories and In sular affairs, has gone rather hurriedly to the Virgin Islands to make a per sonal Investigation Into a state of affairs that has led to the filing of serious charges before committees of both houses of congress. In a petition for a con gressional Inquiry, Paul C. Yates, who recently resigned as executive assistant to Gov. Paul M. Pearson, charges that the present ad ministration of the Is lands la "wasteful, extravagant. Ineffi cient, and tainted with corruption." Yates was recently suspended and ordered to Washington for an Inquiry by Secretary Ickes, who accused him of "disloyalty, insubordination, and gross Inefficiency,’’ and In general of being a trouble maker. Yatea resigned immediately and came to Washington, but chose to ignore Secretary Ickes’ office, carrying his plaints Instead di rectly to congress. He charges that Mr. Ickes has been "outrageously deceived" by Governor Pearson and subordinate officials of the Interior department, has Ignored "complaints, petitions, and apecific charges’’ presented by the citizens of the islands, and has dealt with officials "In a peculiarly harsh, cruel, and dic tatorial manner.’’ The petition further charges that minor officials lb the Interior depart ment aided and abetted Governor Pear son to "whitewash a major public works scandal and deceived the secre tary of the Interior regarding public works and the general situation, and were criminally negligent In the per formance of their duty." Secretary Ickes Is accused of mak ing prejudicial and Injurious remarks about T. Webber Wilson, Judge of the Federal District court In the Islands, remarks which "reliect unjustly upon the federal Judiciary and which are unbefitting the dignity of a cabinet of ficer." Ickes also Is sccused of "un justly and at the Instance of Governor Pearson,’’ having removed from office Charles H. Gibson and Ell Baer, gov ernment attorneys, and Capt. Michael J. Nolan, director of police of St. Thomas and St John, wlttm record of 14 years’ “loyal and efficient service." plained that half the members of the Siamese legislative assembly are elected directly by the people, and the other half nominated by the government, with his majesty placing "great Impor tance upon tbe attitude of tbe elected members," who Prajadhipok claims op posed the measure relating to life and death prerogatives. guments pro and con on the point most anywhere the subject Is broached. The proponents of the theory that the government owes an obligation to thoae bmlBMses which it ha* regur „ . . ,, ^ Tiled within an inch of their lives con- Some Americans would like to know tend that investors-whleh means the why Uncle Sam does not say to Japan and England: "Build what ships and make what new secret treaties you d—n please. We shall do aa we please." We have had In America men that would send such a messags to any group of treacherous "friends." M EXICAN governments, both fed eral and state, are eareytog on a determined campaign against the Ro man Catholic church, charging that the latter has been fostering a revolu tionary movement On the other hand, a vigorous denial that tbe Catholic church had advocated armed resistance to the Mexican government or Inter vention by the United States in tbe religious conflict In Mexico was Issued by Archbishop Ruiz, the Apostolic del egate to Mexico, in San Antonto. Texas. Bishops xnd priests ITB l>elng ex^ pelled from various states, and the state of Mexico issued an order limit ing the number of churches In the re gion la which sendees may be held to 84. the same as the number of priests permitted to officiate In the state. All churches above this number, the de cree provided, will be used as schools and public libraries. The action was believed to have been taken to prevent priests ousted from other states from coming to the state of Mexico to offi ciate. The Supreme court ruled that all buildings used for Catholic ceremonies shall become the property of the na tion. Acting President Rodriguez In a let ter to Attorney General Fortes Gil said tbe clergy, on pretext of opposing the Initiation of compulsory socialistic ed ucation In Mexico’s schools^ias "Initi ated a frank campaign 0 sedition which reveals cteaely its Intention to bring about a revolution. Rome reports that Mussolini, de termined to make Kaly a really mili tant country, ready to fight anybody at tbe drop of any bat, plans a "New Italy" with the motto, “Back to tbe glory of the Caesars, A revival of Bparta." All right about tbe Caesars, but Sparta did not work out well Where is Sparta now? Where la tbe ancient glory? Fighting will be done hereafter by scientists, chemists with poisonous Tnd exploslvs gases; engineers *R1l fast planes, deadly air torpedoes Fighting will be in the air and under water. No need to make a whole nation parade and drill An oasis of cheerfulness In this world of gloom la Leonid M. Tolokon- ski, Russian consul general in New York. Many things make him happy. Including the fact that Russia can produce everything she needs, “except bananas and coffee.” She is growing fine grapefruit now, can' worry along without the bananas and drink tea, In- atead of coffee, as she always has done. Russian coffee never was very good, anyhow. C ONVERSATIONS n: Henry Ford over for the O PEED Y rullog by the United States •O Supreme court on constitutionality tbe NBA act end the code of fair for tbe lumber and timber dnatry may be expected. V. L Grubb of the Federal Dio at Birmingham, AkL, has in London pre paratory to the scheduled naval conference have been quite unsatisfac tory so far, for neither the United States nor Great Britain shows any disposition to accord to Japan the eqtiiTTUy that nation demands, even though It be merely in principle with the Japanese agreeing not to build up to parity with them. Well-posted ob servers do uot believe the conferenco will accomplish anything valuable, and Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swan son says that, regardless of Its out come, his department plans to bring the American fleet up to full treaty strength and will ask congress for the necessary appropriations. - Additional maritime strength -was urged before the federal aviation com mission. Lieut. Com. C. E. Rosendahl, former commander of the airships Los Angeles and Akron, advised the con struction of two military dirigibles to protect aerial trade routes. Secretary Swanson said this proposal la under consideration in the Navy department The United States Is now 1364)75 tons of war craft behind treaty strength. This represents ooe aircraft carrier, two dam B cruisers, 51 da- stroyers, and 24 submarine^ tha 4» ~\ r- » C CHANCELLOR HITLER has realized the danger to his regime in the re volt of the Evangelical Protestant pas tors against the tyrannical rule of Kelchsbishop Mueller, and has decided to separate church and state. The gov ernment of the reich, he said, would not Interfere In the quarrel. Some ob servers In Berlin expressed the fear that this policy would lead to unre strained growth of German paganism and also to further acts against .tha. 7ews, under the leadership of Dr. Al fred Rosenberg, philosopher, and Ju lius Streicher, publisher of the Storm- er, heads respectively of the pagan faith and the anti-Semitic movements. Acceptance of Chancellor Hitler’s new constitution for the German Labor Front, which gives the Labor Front money and property which once be longed to trade unions and employers* associations, was celebrated in 16,- 000 demonstrations throughout Ger many. The biggest was in Lustgarten, Berlin, where over 350,000 were assem bled. The Labor Front Includes all la borers and office workers. B OTH France and Germany are wor ried over prospects of trouble in the Saar, where a plebiscite Is to be held January 13, 1935, to determine whether the region shall revert to Ger many, be attached to France or re main under tbe control of the League of Nations. The Nazi campaign la tho Saar has been active and large num bers of Storm Troopers are said to have entered the region in. disguise. Geoffrey & Knox, president of the gov-' eralng commission for tho league, has warned that In case of difficulties dur ing tho plebiscite he will call for tho help of French troops Foreign Minis ter Pierre Laval says the French will bo ready to respond. -The German Nests are correspondingly irate. There The late Australian general. Sir John Monash, described In Lloyd George’s memoirs as the "only gen eral on the British side who could have successfully replaced the late Field Marshal Earl Haig as com mander In chief of the British forces," was of Jewish descent. Fighting ability In that race sur prises nobody, for some of the great est fighters In history, Including Han nibal and his father, were of tbe Semitic race. A well-known actor, Lou Tellegen, who used to play "perfect lover” parts, and married four ladles. Including Ger aldine Farrar, lost his popularity and has killed himself after telling his friends "there Is no place in Hollywood for e has-been;" - There Is no place anywhere-for^u- has-been, but, fortunately, thqy<TIs no need to remain a has-been forever. If you can’t always be a “perfect lover," be something else perhaps more useful San Francisco rejoices In completion, after twenty years of work, of the great Hetcb Hetchy project, a $100,- 000,000 undertaking that brings pure water 150 miles from the high Sierras In Yosemite National park. A great bridge Is building over the beautiful Golddn Gate that leads In from the Pacific ocean, and soon San Francisco will be connected by road with the great city of Oakland, screw the bay. Veterans demand their bonus now, without shilly-shallying or tergiversa tion. It is said that the President "will oppose with all his strength any sffort In congrew to pay the bonus now." This la how It seems to one observur: The government must pay that bonus a little iattr. Il ls pledged In law and In honor to pay It Veterans need the money now while tlmee are hard and their children are young. Tha country neods to have the money went now while tlmee are bed and public who own shares of stock—are being discriminated against by their own government Their claim Is that a business cannot survive unless It Is enabled to store awriy profits of the good years against which It may draw when the prolonged economic depres sions strike. The result Is. according to this argument, that unless the fat Is stored away after the manner of the bear In preparation for winter In vestors can expect only to see their sav ings destroyed from time to time, and this with the sanction of their own government In opposition to this new theory of relationship between government and business, one hears the usual denounce ments of tbe sins of the railroads and the public utilities, but one also hears eompiamt thatHnT the federal govern- _ ment should embark upon a policy of compensating those businesses which It regulates. It might be placing a pre mium on mismanagement and even downright crookedness. It Is argued likewise that the federal government must not use taxpayers’ money In this manner nor that It should employ the policy of compensation, as that amounts to a subsidy. At any rate a new field has been opened. On each side are to be found vigilant and virulent defenders and from this time It Is made to appear that congress is eventually going ro be compelled to decide how far this regulation of business can properly go. From all of tbe argument here. It would seem that each side has solid ground upon which to stand. It may be possible that from this controversy something In the way of a new eco nomic policy will develop. The Roose velt administration has gone farther than any other In history In Its regula tion of business and there are those who believe that a reaction is due. I.’ that be tha case, then It appears log ical at least that the two opposing forces may bring about a compromise that will be favorable to general busi ness, which is subject to regulation, and enable those who place their sav ings in stocks or bonds of such utill ties to feel reasonably secure about some sort of an annual return. • • • Solution of this question of equity- between the government and the busl- , nesses which It reg- _j Solution ulates is not as slm- JVof Simple Pie as It may super IlHally app— UW example, the question Is put forward whether It Is possible to evolve any method of measuring, even roughly, the extent of the public obligation. It is likewise necessary to determine In advance of a final answer to the ques tion, whether the past inequities and past treatment of public utilities is the factor to be considered. There Is a question whether the government Is openly to assume a direct voice in the management of properties which It reg- ulateu tf (here Is a compensating ar- rangeuaat to protect Investors In those businesses. Then, It goes Into the ques tion of government ownership or gov ernment control ef private industry. Some of the advocates of this pro gram of compensation call attention to the public necessity for maintenance of service, inch as tbe railroads supply, for example. In the case of the raib roads and shipping, with perhaps tht addition oNhs ftowtng aircraft indus try. It Is admitted that there la e willingness on the part of those lines •f commerce to a<d the nation In time of war. Should tbe gorenunent engage In dis tribution ef taxpayers' money to off set deficits In the lean yean, opponents cracy than has been set up to accom plish recovery under the present ad ministration. Obviously, many business men will not be in favor of further extension of bureaucracy. They have bad their fill of bureaucracy under tbe codes and the Agricultural Adjustment administration? The form of assistance Is another probleiA If It were not In the form of a money payment direct to the busi nesses concerned, then the subsidy must be worked out on another basis. It baa been suggested that the regula tions themselves might be used to en able some returns not now available. One theory advanced was that the reg ulations should be flexible and that In the lean years there be some relaxa- tton of the resirrctldns so that thr regulated businesses might proceed more freely In operation. Another thought heard Is that there should be consideration given to com peting businesses such, for example, as Is the condition between the railroads and tbs highway users. It Is of record, •f course. that trucks 'and busses and privately owned vehicular traffic use national and state highways, built out of taxpayers’ money and they do so with the very minimum of taxation. The railroads, as competitors of these lines, have no such beneficent atti tudes displayed toward them by the government which, at the same time, has been bearing down with its regula tions. It nndoubUMlly will bear dbwa further when the new Eastman legis lation Is enacted. So on whichever side of the argument one ranges him self, It Is to be seen that there are numerous factors and Influences to bo considered and these. It may be added, are not questions soluble dn-one con versation. • • • As one looks backward upon the cam paign of 1934. the methods employed by the two ma- - Both Parties jor parties appear Show Weakness worthy of exam ination. Observ ers In Washington. I believe, are of tbe opinion that the campaign devel oped an outstanding circumstance, namely, that the Democrats lack de fensive ability and the Republicans hpve shown an utter Inability as an offensive party. In all of the debates and the speeches and the statements forthcoming from candidates on either side, there Is proof of the conclusion above reached. Some political writers In Wazhington— and — position that when the Democrats wero put to the necessity of laying down a fresh program, they failed on the Job. They gave the Impression of politicians running largely on momentum. The minority party. If such the Re publicans may be called, was wholly unable to take advantage of known vulnerable points In the Democratic armor. The net result was obviously that there was much haranguing and much mud-sllnglng In what should have been real national Issues, but nothing came of It. The campaign, therefore, has demon strated In my opinion the need for a strong minority party whether that party be Republican or Democratic. The party In power necessarily Is on the spot because It Is chafed with the responsibilities of govern ment. It lx the function of the minority party to criticize and offer counter proposals. The most astute politicians see that condition and. I believe, are at a loss as to what It means for the future. • • • The federal communications commis sion, one of the new agencies set up by the Roosevelt admin- Favor I stratum as a per- Mergers nianent part of the nation’s regulatory structure, Is preparing to ask congress for an amendment of the communica tions act of 1934 enabling It to approve mergers. Of course, the particular problem Involved In the communlea- ITdns program Is the question of mer gers pf such gigantic corporations as the Western Union and the Postal tele graph companies and sope of the radle companies. The Implications and tba potentialities of this movement, how ever, go much further. It Is too early to attempt a forecast of congressional opinion on the com munications proposal but It is an oj>- portube time to consider what may happen if congress should approve this step toward creation of single busi nesses, for single lines of service ta this country. It Is regarded also as Interesting to examine the effect upon the country If It were to be subjected to a well regu lated monopoly of all the business la that line such as has occurred In tha case of the Bell Telephone system. Some members of the commission and Its staff feel that a merger of tha large telegraph companies, for instance, would result In establishment of » more closely knit network of telegraph lines and offices than now exists. Details of any merger pjan are too Intricate and too complex to be treatot In the space available here but the fact that tbe communlcatlens commission la giving consideration to such a proposal leads on to exploration of merger dm. XMUtto. ud th. llnee—such, for example, os the radhv the railroads, the lines of Inland water*