McCormick messenger. (McCormick, S.C.) 1902-current, December 16, 1937, Image 2
McCORMICK MESSENGER. McCORMICK. S. C.. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1937
IVetra Review of Current Events
CONGRESS CONFUSED
President Returns to Find His "Must" Measures Are
Facing Failure of Passage in the Present Session
Pictured above from left to right are Senator William Borah of Idaho,
Senator Edward R. Burke of Nebraska and Professor Henry W. Edgerton
of Cornell university and formerly of the antitrust division of the De
partment of Justice, as the professor was about to appear before a sub
committee of the senate judiciary committee. The committee examined
the professor to determine whether they believed him a fit appointee to
the United States Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. He was
suspected of not believing in the right of courts to declare legislative
enactments unconstitutional. But he declared he now regarded such
judicial review as a legitimate part of our constitutional system.
SUMMARIZES THE WORLD'S WEEK
e Western Newspaper Union.
Stormy Days m Capital
T> ETURNING from his fishing trip
in Florida waters with an in
fected gum, President Roosevelt
was confronted with a situation
that was decidedly disconcerting.
What has been called the Roosevelt
depression was becoming still more
depressed and congress seemingly
couldn’t make up its mind what to
do about it. The demand for tax
revisions that would assist business
out of the slump was insistent, and
so was the necessity of balancing
the budget. Passage of the four
administration “must” measures
appeared to' be impossible during
the extraordinary session. All of
them were opposed by various blocs
of the majority party as well as by
the Republican minority.
The senate’s farm bill seemed to
have the bfst chance to get through,
but it differed so radically from the
house measure that it was certain
a conference committee would have
to try to find a common ground.
Secretary Wallace was reported
dissatisfied with both senate and
house bills. One official close to
him said Wallace might urge Pres
ident Roosevelt to veto any bill
finally enacted which approximated
either the senate or house measure.
Democrats were so badly split
over the wage-hour bill that hope of
passing it before the regular session
of congress* was about abandoned.
Labor, too, was divided concerning
this measure, the A. F. of La op
posing it and the C. I. O. advocating
its passage. The federation offered
its own version, calling for a flat 40
cents an hour minimum wage -and a
40 hour maximum work week. The
house bill was finally rescued from
the rules committee by petition.
House Majority Leader Sam Ray
burn, Democrat, Texas, went ahead
with plans to whip administration
support behind the house measure.
He said that fewer than 100 votes
"vould be cast against the bill in its
^resent form but warned that
unendments which would make its
wage-hour provisions more rigid
might shunt the measure back to
the labor committee and delay a
vote indefinitely.
Tax Setup Needs Revision
T^ANIEL C. ROPER, secretary of
commerce, says the entire tax
structure of the United States should
be revised. He was speaking at a
banquet of the Busi
ness Advisory coun
cil in Chicago, and
his statements ap
peared to meet with
general approval.
“A general revi
sion is necessary to
simplify determina
tion of tax liability,
to distribute the bur
den of taxation more
equitably, and to
broaden the base of
taxation to include a larger percents
age of our earning population,” Sec
retary Roper said.
He asserted that the undistributed
profits tax had not entirely fulfilled
Its proponents’ expectations that it
would “bring about a higher veloc
ity of money through larger and
more widespread distribution of cor
porate earnings.”
Mr. Roper expressed confidence
that a “constructive approach will
be found to the solution of the utili
ties dilemma and that significant
results will be forthcoming.”
That this confidence has a sound
basis was indicated by two an
nouncements made the same day by
prominent utility executives.
Floyd L. Carlisle, chairman of the
Consolidated Edison company, told
the New York state public service
commission that his company plans
a $2f.000,000 expansion program.
The development came during hear
ings concerning a proposed $30,000,-
000 bond issue.
Back from submitting to the Pres
ident a formula for better under-
Sec. Roper
standing between utilities and the
administration, Wendell L. Willkie,
president of Commonwealth and
Southern corporation, proposed a
general truce between business and
the Roosevelt administration. Will-
kie’s company has been involved in
some of the bitterest controversies
with Washington.
Lmdbergs Come Back
A FTER two ye am of self-
imposed exile in England, CoL
and Mrs. Charles A. Lindbergh re
turned to the United States. Pre
sumably they came over to spend
the holidays at the home of Mrs.
Lindbergh’s mother, Mrs. Dwight
Morrow, in Englewood, N. J. Dis
patches from London said the
colonel also had some business to
transact in America. He is asso*
ciated in an advisory capacity with
Pan-American Airways.
The landing of the Lindberghs at
New York was accomplished with
such secrecy that they almost es
caped the notice of reporters and
news photographers. One of the
officers of the liner on which they
came said they planned to return to
England immediately after Christ
mas.
Infantry Comes First
TN WAR operations on land the in-
A fantry is still the most important
branch of the service, says Gen.
Malin Craig, chief of staff of the
army, in his annual
report. Lessons
learned by skilled
observers of the civ
il war in Spain and
the Chino-Japanese
war have modified
the American de
fense program, but,
says the general, it
is still the infantry
that renders the de
cision in the final
analysis. Airplanes
and tanks are valu-
uable auxiliaries to the infantry, but
they cannot bring about a decision
in land operations.
Inventories of armament, motori
zation, mechanization and equip
ment, in the light of the lessons
abroad, show several vital needs of
the first line forces, General Craig
declared. These include better
weapons to combat aircraft and
tanks, as well as more efficient guns
for the planes and tanks.
General
Malin Craig
Edgerton Backs Water
CONFIRMATION of the appoint-
^ ment of Henry W. Edgerton of
Cornell university as associate jus
tice of the District of Columbia
Court of Appeals was endangered
because it was thought from his writ
ings that he did not believe in judicial
review. However, he appeared be
fore the senate sub-committee, con
sisting of Senators Borah, Burke and
Van Nuys and repudiated his previ
ous utterances. Of the power of
courts to declare legislative enact
ments unconstitutional he said:. ✓
“I regard it as not only thorough
ly established as a legitimate part
of our constitutional system, but
which was intended by the great ma
jority of the men who framed our
Constitution. I think it was properly
established by John Marshall and
I haven’t the least criticism of any
court for any declaration of the
validity of that part of our consti
tutional system.”
Leviathan to Be Junked
T APAN made a bid for the Levia-
** than, huge liner seized from Ger^
many in the World war, but the
United States Lines rejected it and
sold the vessel to Metal Industries,
Ltd., of London for $800,000. It will
go to England under its own power
and will be junked.
The Leviathan cost ten millions to
build and the American govern
ment spent more than eight millions
to recondition it; and also paid Ger
many $16,688,000 for its seizure.
BORDER TROUBLES
Prepared by National Geographic Society.
Washington, D. C.—WNU Service.
about
Prehistoric Lore.
D EL RIO, TEXAS.—Accord
ing to the scientists, who
have a great way of naming
earthly phenomena without in
quiring into the wishes of the
phenomena, we are now living
in a terrestrial era known as
the Hollocene period.
This will be news to a lot of peo
ple who rather suspected we were
living through a
stage which might
be called Chaos.
Still, it’s no won
der that the word
hasn’t got around
generally yet, be
cause this present
era is quite a young
era as eras go. It’s
merely a few mil
lion years old,
which, to our true
geologist, is the iryin g. Cobb
same as yesterday.
Mention a few million years to him
and he’ll say “phew!” and just snap
his fingers—like that.
I wonder if the authorities would
pardon a suggestion from a poor
ignoramus whose acquaintance with
geology is largely limited to two
of its surface phases, namely: Reg
ular paved roads and those derned
detours. When we consider most of
the humorous illustrations and the
bulk of the humorous text printed
in the average smart magazine of
today, and the even spicier lines
heard in smart modern plays,
wouldn’t it be more fitting to call
it, not the Holocene, but the Ob
scene period?
• • •
The Law’s Long Arm.
HE long arm of the law—it’s a
grand phrase, isn’t it? So mouth-
filling, so satisfying to the honest
citizen’s soul!
It conjures up visions of unrelent
ing warfare against crime, inevita
ble punishment for the guilty. It’s
the bunk!
It’s the bunk because of crooked
lawyers; venal policemen; compla
cent prosecutors; soft-hearted or
corrupted jurors; witnesses, bribed
or intimidated; the law’s delays;
reversals of fair verdicts on foolish
technicalities; a false sentimentali
ty which forgets the widow and or
phan of the victim and thinks only
of the family of the killer; most
often of all, abuse of the powers to
commute and to pardon and to pa
role.
These days, when I see a sen
tenced offender handcuffed to an
officer, I find myself saying to my
self, “Chances are that fellow, lit
erally or figuratively, is wearing
that decoration only temporarily.”
* * *
The Passing Years.
U'VERY newborn year is a rosy
prospect just as nearly every
dying year is a dun-colored dis
appointment. But without revived
hope what could we look forward to
except being measured for a
shroud?
It seems only yesterday when 1937
was busting in, a radiant, bouncing
baby-child, his arms burdened with
promises, bless his little soul! After
everal false starts, happy days
were here again. Nobody was aim
ing to remodel the Supreme court.
Senator Ashurst told us so, and
didn’t he know? He didn’t.
Secretary Wallace, slightly assist
ed by Divine Providence, would im
mediately have the crop situation
well in hand. Grass would grow
only in the street leading to the
almshouse. The Wall Street boys
were expecting two suckers in ev
ery pot. And the song of the Bulbul
was heard in the land—ah, the bull-
bull!
Within the 12-month the Republi
can party again would be a going
concern. Well, if it’s a going con
cern, the question is, where?
And now, laden with future gifts,
comes 1938. How time flies! Why,
before you know it, Sistie will be old
enough to take a job with the radio
and Buzzie will be signing testimo
nials.
* * *
Gambling Houses.
ONCE famous card-sharp—not
reformed, but retired—said to
me:
“Show me a professional gam
bling house where the roulette
wheel isn’t crooked, where any oth
er mechanical device is on the
square, where the operatives from
the bosses on down won’t skin a
customer—call him a sucker, if you
want to; the terms are interchange
able—and I’ll drop dead from shock,
because no such outfit ever existed
nor ever will, not so long as games
can be tricked, as all of them can,
and gamblers are out for the coin,
as they naturally are, and the hand
is quicker than the eye, which it is.”
“But how about the mathematical
percentage in favor of the bank—
isn’t that enough?” I asked.
“How about the mathematical
percentage of crooked law-enforce
ment officers who have to be
bribed?” he countered. “There’s
never enough coming in to satisfy
those babies.”
IRVIN S. COBB
Copyright.—WNU Service.
N OT many islands in the
world have an interna
tional border. One of this
select group is Hispaniola, the
big West Indian island which is
shared by the Haitian and the
Dominican republics. Recently
this obscure boundary came
into the news as a scene of out
breaks in which Haitians were
reported killed. The disorders
were said to have been caused
by heavy Haitian immigration
into Dominican border towns.
Hispaniola’s border divides more
than governments. On one side of
the line is the overcrowded, French-
speaking, predominantly negro re
public of Haiti, about the size of
Vermont. On the other side is the
Spanish-speaking and Caucasian-
controlled Dominican republic, al
most twice the size of its neighbor.
The island was discovered by
Christopher Columbus on his first
voyage to America and at Cape Hait-
ien his flagship, Santa Maria, was
shipwrecked.
Course of Boundary Line.
Although the 193-mile boundary
follows throughout much of its
length a lofty chain of mountains
which forms a natural wall, it cuts
the island into two very unequal
parts. The Dominican republic is
almost twice as large as its neigh
bor, Haiti. Yet smaUer Haiti has
a population of about 3,000,000 as
compared to the Dominican repub
lic’s estimated 1,400,000. Haiti, in
fact, is one of the most densely peo
pled nations in the world, having
some 275 persons per square mile.
Beginning near the bay of Man
zanillo, on the north, the border
runs the gamut of nearly every type
of natural obstacle known to geog
raphers. At first it parallels the
jungle-draped Copotillo river. Aft
er a few miles the boundary takes
to the hills, tumbling like a roller
coaster over some of the highest
peaks in the West Indies. In these
mountains the frontier traverses a
region of pines, oaks, and other
temperate zone vegetation.
Near Manneville it plunges into a
dry, desertlike trough, which, at
nearby Lake Enriquillo is 150 feet
below sea level—one of the two such
depressions in the Western Hem
isphere, the other being in Califor
nia.
Continuing in a general southward
direction the boundary next leaps
over the rugged sierra de Bahorucof
more than a mile high along the
southern coast of Hispaniola, and
finally picks up another small trop
ical stream, the Rio Pedernales, be
fore it ends in the Caribbean.
Two Motor Roads Link Nations.
No railroad crosses this frontier,
but there are two motor roads. One,
in the north, crosses the Rio Cop
otillo at Dajabon. The other, about
midway, pierces the mountain wall
between the Haitian town of Las-
cahobas and the Dominican village
of Las Matas. A narrow-gauge rail
way from Port-au-Prince, the Hai
tian capital, reaches almost to the
border at Manneville, where an un
improved roadway connects with
Ciudad Trujillo, the capital of the
Dominican republic.
While the two nations on the is
land present sharp social contrasts,
there is a great deal of similarity
in the scenery and the economic re
sources of each. Both raise sugar,
tobacco, coffee and cacao (the
source of chocolate) for export.
Both have deposits of valuable min
erals, largely unexploited. The Do
minican republic, however, has less
rainfall for crops but more grazing
land for cattle, and greater timber
wealth, including mahogany, cedar,
lignum vitae and satinwood.
Twice, in recent years, this sec
ond largest of West Indian islands
made news for map-makers. The
first time was when the old name of
Hispaniola given to it by Columbus,
was restored. Previously the is
land was termed either Haiti or
Santo Domingo, which not only
caused confusion among outsiders
but resentment between the two
countries on the island.
Nicaragua and Honduras.
In 1936 the name of the ancient
capital of the Dominican republic,
Santo Domingo, was changed to Ciu
dad Trujillo in honor of the nation’s
president, Gen. Rafael Leonidas
Trujillo Molina.
Threats of new trouble over the
long-disputed boundary between
Nicaragua and Honduras have fo
cused attention again on these two
Central American countries, closely
related to the United States econom
ically and historically.
Each no larger than the state of
New York, and with populations re
spectively the size of Cleveland and
San Francisco, Honduras and Nic
aragua occupy the widest part of
the Central American isthmus and
have many similarities.
Bananas are the leading export
product of Honduras. Those raised
for export are grown /chiefly on plan
tations along the northern coast
fronting on the Caribbean sea, and
extending inland 50 to 75 miles. Mil
lions of bunches of the yellow fruit
are produced in this “banana belt.”
Coffee is the most important
export product of Nicaragua, and
her prosperity rises and falls to a
large extent with the price that cof
fee brings. In the United States,
however, Nicaragua in recent years
has been best known for the canal
which has been proposed through
her territory as an auxiliary to the
Panama canal.
If the canal is built, its route
probably will be along the southern
border of Nicaragua just north of
Costa Rica, following the course of
the San Juan river from the At
lantic to huge Lake ^ Nicaragua,
then across the lake and through
the narrow strip of land that sep
arates the lake from the Pacific
ocean.
Have Much in Common.
Both Honduras and Nicaragua
have low, damp tropical regions
along the coast, while the interior is
made up of high mountains and
plateaus with a cooler, more tem
perate climate. Gold and silver are
plentiful in the mountains of both'
countries, but few mines now are
worked.
The boundary between the two
countries follows the course of the
Wanks or Segovia river from Cabo
Gracias a Dios (“Cape Thanks to
God”) on the Caribbean coast, far
inland. Then it runs through the
mountains of the interior to the
Rio Negro which it follows down to
the Pacific. Disputes between Hon
duras and Nicaragua are not new.
The two nations have had several
disagreements over the boundary in
the past, and were at war in 1907,
1897, 1884 and 1863. Internal dis
turbances have caused United States
marines to be landed in both coun
tries at various times.
Lack of roads through the thick
jungles of the lowlands and the high
mountains of the interior, some of
which reach 10,000 feet in Honduras,
has kept both countries from fully
developing their resources. Teguc
igalpa, capital of Honduras, is the
only capital in Central America not
reached by a railroad, but never
theless is an up-to-date city, for
regular airplane service operates
between it and other Central Amer
ican centers.
Managua, capital of Nicaragua,
was almost completely destroyed by
a disastrous earthquake in March,
1931, but its people have returned
and a new city has risen rapidly
from the ruins. Extinct volcanoes
are features of the skyline in the
mountainous interior of both coun
tries, and Nicaragua has an active
volcano, Omotepe, forming an is
land in Lake Nicaragua.
People of Honduras and Nic
aragua are largely a mixture of the
original Indians and their Spanish
conquerors, with small proportions
of pure-blooded Indians and whites
of unmixed Spanish descent. Ne
groes, some descended from slaves
and others brought in as contract
laborers from the Y/est Indies, per
form much of the labor in the
banana-growing regions.
Fine Swords Given Names
Many centuries ago, when a fine
sword was among man’s most cher
ished possessions, these weapons
were frequently given names, many
of which are recorded in history,
says a writer in Collier’s Weekly.
“Crocea Mors” was owned by Cae
sar, “A1 Battar” by Mohammed,
“Famberge” by Charlemagne and
“Curta’na” by Edward the Confes
sor.
Caffeine in Coffee and Tea
According to the Encyclopedia
Americana, coffee contains by
weight about 1.5 per cent caffeine,
while tea contains from 3 to 4 per
cent.
CLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT
PAINTS
Sell Roof Paint, house paint and aluminum
paint, good proposition. Flanagan Bros.
Co., 031-7 CaldweU St.. Youngstown. Ohio.
Ask Me Another
0 A General Quiz
1. What are the freezing and
boiling points of mercury?
2. Which is larger, the United
States of Brazil or the United
States of America?
3. What do the designs and col
ors of Scotch plaids indicate?
4. What were the first messages
sent by telegraph and telephone?
5. Does the use of veneer on
furniture imply poor quality?
6. How much torn and defaced
money is sent to the United States
Treasury for redemption?
7. Is there a law which permits
the United States government to
withhold and conceal the existence
of treaties between itself and for
eign powers from its citizens dur
ing the time of peace?
8. Who first referred to the Lost
Battalion by that name?
Answers
1. Its freezing point is —37.96
degrees F., and its boiling point,
675 degrees F.
2. The United States of Brazil,
which is 272,000 square miles
larger.
3. The clans or regiments to
which their wearers belong.
4. The first by telegraph was,
“What hath God wrought,” and
by telephone, “Mr. Watson, please
come here: I want you.”
5. It does not. It is the only
method by which the grain or fig
ure in some rare and beautiful
woods can be displayed to advan
tage.
6. Approximately thjree billion
dollars a year in mutilated cur
rency is turned in for redemption.
7. The United States cannot
have secret treaties with other
countries.
8. The name was given by Har
old D. Jacobs, who at that time
was cable editor of the United
Press in New York city. Mr. Ja
cobs now is editor of the Santa
Barbara (Calif.) Morning Press.
SmoJzesti. knot* tUat \
LUDEN'Sj
Menthol Cough Drops 50
"...soothe a
raw throat instantly."
We Are Favored
If you count up the sunny and
cloudy days in a complete year,
you will find that the fine day has
come more often.—Ovid.
For Chest Colds
Distressing cold in chest or throat,
never safe to neglect, generally eases
up when soothing, warming Mua-
terole is applied.
Better than a mustard plaster,
Musterole gets action because it’s
NOT just a salve. It’s a u counter-
irritant"—stimulating, penetrating,
and helpful in drawing out local con
gestion and pain.
Used by millions for 30 years.
Recommended by many doctors and
nurses. All druggists'. In three
strengths: Regular Strength, Chil
dren’s (mild), and Extra Strong. Ap
proved by Good Housekeeping.
SMALL SIZE
60c
LARGE SIZE
$1.20
Brings Blessed Relief
from aches and pains of
RHEUMATISM
NEURITIS and LUMBAGO
Try a bottl. . . Why Suffer?
AT ALL GOOD DRUG STORES
WNU—7
60—37
Sentinels
of Health
Don’t Neglect Them I
Nature designed the kidneys to do a
marvelous job. Their task is to keep the
flowing blood at ream free of an excess of
toxic impuritiee. The act of living—Ufa
itself—is constantly producing waate
matter the kidneys muat remove from
the blood if good health ia to endure.
When the kidneys fail to function aa
Nature intended, there is retention of
waste that may cause body-wide dis
tress. One may suffer nagging backache,
persistent headache, attacks of dizziness,
getting up nights, swelling, pufflneaa
under the eyes—feel tired, nervous, all
worn out.
Frequent, scanty or burning passages
may be further evidence of kidney or
bladder disturbance.
The recognized and proper treatment
Is a diuretic medicine to help the kidneys
get rid of excess poisonous body waste.
Use Doan's Pills. They have had more
than forty years of public approval. Arp
endorsed tne country over. Insist on
Doan’s. Sold at all drug stores.
DOANS Pi US