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.

McCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK. S. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1938 Weekly News Review Huge U. S. Armament Program Offered as Peace Safeguard By Joseph W. La Bine Defense Though the Munich agreement was aimed to preserve Europe’s peace, its immediate result has been feverish rearmament. Great Brit ain has made plans for conscription and new airplane factories; France has appropriated 1,320,000,000 francs for military spending and 887,000,000 snore for her navy; Germany is rushing fortification of her Belgian frontier; Italy speeds barriers in the Alps. ' Few Americans have hoped that the U. S. can avoid similar prepara tions. Loudest persuasion of all has come from Britain’s Winston Churchill, whose short wave broad cast urged the U. S. to take a com manding lead against dictators, to join Britain in stopping “isms” be fore it is too late. Added impetus has come from current U. S. espion age investigations (see DOMESTIC). BERNARD BARUCH He warned billions for defense. Growing louder, this voice finally reached White House ears, coinci dentally bringing comment from Capitalist Bernard Baruch who chairmaned the war industries board in 1917. Emerging from a White House conference, Mr. Baruch started ob servers thinking by warning that U. S. defenses were inadequate. Though most Americans regard “defense” aa successful repulsion of a North American invasion, a broader con ception calls for protection of the entire Western hemisphere. Mr. Baruch’s defense program includes: (1) immediate construction of a “two ocean navy”; (2) increased air power; (3) better equipment for 400,000 regular soldiers and the na tional guard; (4) subsidies to pro tect U. S. trade interests in South America; (5) industrial and milita ry mobilization law; (6) a special tax to pay for these expenses. Though it lacks official confirma tion, President Roosevelt plainly fa vors the Baruch program. The sug gested tax boost comes dangerously near election time, but administra tion leaders minimize this political hazard because: (1) most Ameri cans regard democracy’s security as more important than financial security or political partisanship; (2) a speeded-up military and naval program, financed by special tax, would decrease relief rolls and pos sibly create what Germany has been facing, an actual shortage of labor. Thus WPA and PWA costs could be slashed and the budget balanced. War V Japan’s invasion qf South China has three purposes: (1) to force withdrawal of Cantonese troops from the Hankow battle front; (2) to capture Canton or force that province into an independent peace; (3) to cut the Hankow-Canton rail road over which war supplies have traveled to sorely troubled Chinese troops. But since China has already established four other communica tion lines between the outer world and her army, the South China in vasion becomes less important to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Far more important is the fact that Japan has labeled herself the No. 1 Far East power, invading Great Britain’s South China inter ests and defying the British lion to do anything about it.- Canton lies a scant 75 miles from the crown col ony of Hongkong, whose rail con nection with Canton has already been broken. Since Hongkong’s prosperity depends largely on trade with Canton, the British have rea son to worry. Closer home, U. S. officials are also worried because most Ameri- can-Chinese trade is now routed through Hongkong. Though U. S. trade with Hongkong has jumped from $6,500,000 to $15,000,000 this year, largely because of the Canton gateway, total exports to China have dropped from $42,000,000 to $26,000,- 000. The American Philippines are also suffering, since Philippine-Can-. ton trade has been heavy. More over, the U.. S. will be unable to re-point much of its Chinese trade through the new gateways, two of them through Indo-China, one through Burma and a fourth through Russia. Her ambitions and confidence fat tened by Great Britain’s capitula tion at Munich, Japan marches for ward to what she hopes will be dom ination of the Pacific. # Two fighting tigers will join forces to kill a common enemy. In much the same fashion, Loyalist and In surgent Spain have protested the whispered proposal that Great Brit ain, France, Italy and Germany join in stopping her civil war. To Loy alist Premier Juan Negrin this is a particularly righteous attitude, for settlement of the war would almost certainly give his government the beggar’s lot. Friendly with domi nant Italy and Germany, Rebel Gen eralissimo Francisco Franco would get the lion’s share of Spain. Never theless, despite their belligerent at titudes, both sides have co-operated in ridding the war of foreign na tionals. Ever since the Munich agreement, Italian troops have been slowly withdrawn, while all Loyalist foreigners are already gone. Thus isolated and warring without the ac tive blessing of any outside power, Spain’s civil war will probably blow up in a few months, ended by a sud den decision that the long struggle has been quite futile after all. Domestic Inescapably connected with the government’s new emphasis on mil itary defense against Nazi-Fascist world powers is President Roose velt’s interest in espionage. For 20 years the U, S. has disregarded spies, though the increasing fre quency of arrests has made Amer icans fearful of Germany, Italy, Ja pan and Russia. Heightening the tension have been: (1) the Munich agreement which placed democra cies on the defensive; (2) arrest in mid-October of four Germans tak ing photographs in the Canal Zone; (3) trial in New York of four al leged Nazi agents, with coincident efforts to prove indictments against 14 others who escaped the spy net and fled to Germany. • Greatest interest in the espionage trial lies in red-haired, 26-year-old Johanna Hoffman, who reportedly transported spy messages from New York to Germany while serving as hairdresser on the liner Europe. Second interest lies in Guenther Gustav Rumrich, former U. S. army sergeapt who deserted and made a blundering attempt to secure 35 passport blanks last June. Legiti macy of U. S. fears was verified when Rumrich pleaded guilty and turned state’s witness. Though New York’s spy trial ap pears commonplace, its significance is tremendous. Not only does it mark an emboldened U. S. defense attitude, but legal experts also ex plain it is the first time America has named a supposedly friendly power (Germany) in direct charges. Since indictments are filed against heads of the German secret service and naval intelligence, the trial is a potential international dynamite keg. It may be predicted that next win ter’s congress will co-ordinate and tighten the government’s outmoded JOHANNA HOFFMAN Wes hairdressing e sideline? anti-spy regulations, including the espionage act of 1917 which applies only to individuals and carries no teeth against spy-inspiring organiza tions. Although the U. S. has never indulged in peacetime spy activities, there is speculation whether con gress may adopt this activity whicn has' been an important European governmental function for 300 years. 'Quotes 9 MAHATMA GANDHI, Indian home rule leader, on Czecho slovakia: “It is clear that small nations must come, or be ready to come, under the protection of dictators or be a constant menace to European • peace.” DR. STANLEY HIGH, publicist, on a Roosevelt third term: “Nobody ever in the White House, with the exception per haps of Theodore Roosevelt, enjoyed it so much.” MARY PICKFORD, onetime ac tress, on new upswept hair- dress: “One must marry a hairdresser to keep the new high coiffure in perfect order.” A Modem Para dise Regained By ELUOTT BROWN • D. J. Walsh—WNU Service. P * WASN’T much of a quarrel- just a few bitter words strung together in angry haste; all about the bedroom walls. “Only forty dollars for such lovely paper; and it’s impossible the way it is!” “Forty dollars is too much; you’re paying for the man’s reputation!” “But any paper hanger would charge twenty-five—” “Well—I was brought up to realize that fifteen dollars was worth sav ing!” That was the beginning. As Ralph Brown, husband, closed the door, his ears were assaulted with this last Parthian shot: “If you are too stingy to support me in decency, I’ll go home!” The poison of the thing got into his system. He never used to wrangle with anyone. Since his marriage, a year ago, there had been too much of it; maybe, after all, fifteen doUars was a small con cession, but it was the principle of the thing! Barbara and he had different standards where money was con cerned. She wanted the best—or nothing. He would compromise by enjoying next-best! The word “stingy” in her ringing tones heckled him through his morning’s work. He worried through till lunchtime. A bowl of delicious soup, a cool, refreshing salad perfectly served at his favorite restaurant. SHORT SHORT STORY Complete In This Issue swept away the cobwebs. He would telephone Babs and tell her to order the paper. He would demonstrate that he wasn’t “stingy!” Whereupon, puffing at his good cigar, he reached for the telephone and then remembered that Barbara was due at a luncheon and bridge at one. He went back to the office with his peace of mind almost re stored. A client detained him and it was late when he got away. When he reached home the house was unlighted. He left the car in front and entered with his latchkey. Silence. Switching on the lights, he made his way to the kitchen. Or der prevailed. At this time of day he was accustomed to the inter esting clutter of a meal in the mak ing, to Barbara’s slender figure en veloped in cretonne over her pret ty dress, her bright head bent over some homely task, and to the sweet freshness of her kiss as she lifted her lips to his. She was always home before him. Ralph had a slight chill. He called her name loudly. Silence. Then, like an evil flash, came her Par thian shot and its concluding, “I’ll go home, Ralph Brown!” “Nonsense,” he exploded to the blank, listening walls. He went into the living room and tried to read. Impossible. Seven-thirty. Eight o’clock. Cast ing aside his pride, he went, to the telephone and called her nearest friend. “Selma, this is Ralph. What time did Barbara leave the bridge party today?” “Why, Ralph, I’ve been trying to get her all afternoon. She wasn’t there.” Ralph hung up the receiv er with a terrible goneness in the pit of his stomach. Barbara had gone; her folks lived upstate—she had probably gone home. He couldn’t telephone them —his pride forbade. He must let her go. He sank into a chintz-cov ered chair and buried his face in one of her hand-made pillows. Life without her unrolled before him like a distorted film. He finally arose and restored the room to such order as his clumsy masculine methods and nervous fingers would allow. She must have been in a ter rific hurry to get away, once she had decided to go. Probably rushed to get a train—or maybe she had driven all the way. He would go around to the garage and see if her car was gone. Bareheaded he ran out into the stygian darkness. “Oh, Lord,” he prayed, “send her back to me and I’ll never oppose her again!” which was a large order but came from the depths of his sick soul. He was about to retrace his steps, when a muffied sound and a slight creaking of the car body made him pause. Something was agitating it with a slight motion. Quickly he stepped inside, flashed on the lights and opened the car door. There lay Barbara, bound hand and foot with an oily rag gag ging her. A few seconds later she lay in his arms telling him in jerky sen tences about the ugly tramp that had lain in wait for her in the garage. “He took my keys and, oh Ralph, my lovely necklace,” she wailed. And the husband who, only a few hours before, had balked at $15, re plied lightly: “Pooh! What’s a diamond neck lace! I’ll buy you another tomor row with a giant police dog thrown in for good measure.” Bruehart 9 s Washington Digest Wallace Proposes Two-Price Plan To Market Agricultural Surplus System Would Create Class Distinction in This Country and Open Hoad to More Graft and Corruption; Farmers Rebel as Various Schemes Prove Unworkable. By WILLIAM BRUCKART WNU Service, National Press Bldg., Washington, D. C. HOUSEHOLD QUESTIONS Keep Screens From Rusting.— Window screens, rubbed over with kerosene when they are put away in autumn, will not be found rust ed when wanted next summer. • • • Conserve Mineral in Cabbage.— Cooking cabbage in quarters and chopping it later when the sections are tender helps to conserve the valuable minerals contained in this vegetable. • • • WASHINGTON. — I just cannot help wondering what the verdict of history is going to be, say 50 years in the future, concerning the pres ent secretary of agriculture, Mr. Henry A. Wallace. From a current perspective, it appears that Mr. Wallace can get out on more limbs —’way out on them—than any man who ever has helped bungle govern mental policies. He seems to have a penchant for jumping from a fry ing pan into the fire, as we see the thing as of today. This capacity for jumping here and there has placed the head of the department of agriculture out on another limb. This time, as has been announced, Mr. Wallace is giv ing serious consideration to a pro gram that seems certain to create a new mess. Having made what ap pears to be a terrifically bad job— at least that is what tens of thou sands of farmers think—of efforts to rehabilitate the agriculture indus try, Mr. Wallace is now proposing to entet the consumers’ field. He and his window box farmer- aides are seriously considering es tablishment of a two-price system in this country. That is, they are proposing that agricultural sur pluses should be sold to “ordinary” consumers at one price and that the same commodities should be sold to “lower income” persons at a lower price. The federal govern ment would make up the differ ence where losses occur in the sale of farm products to the lower in come groups, swallowing that loss as a subsidy disguised under the fine words “maintaining a sound market for American producers.” Opens the Road to More Graft and Corruption The thing is so cock-eyed that it seems strange it would be given a serious thought anywhere. It opens the road to more graft and corrup tion than can be measured, more govermmental pressure and regi mentation of people, more vote buy ing. But my objection goes deeper. I object, and I think the plan ought to be laughed out of the window, be cause it is proposing to destroy the very reasons for establishment of the United States as a free nation. Everyone knows that the earliest settlers fled England because of the oppression resulting from the class system. Other reasons expanded the desire for freedom, but fundamen tally the motivating force that brought colonists to American shores was the class system and the damages done to the lower classes and untitled persons. The current ^thought, advanced by Mr. Wallace, will create class distinction in this country—and no one can tell where that will lead. > I suspect this new limb on to which Mr. Wallace and his crew have climbed sprouted from the fail ure of some of the other visionary schemes tried by the professional farm planners. It is unnecessary for me to recount the numerous plans that brought, first, the scarci ty plan for raising prices; that brought, next, such sweet refrains as “the more abundant life” and that brought various and sundry de lightful outlooks. Rain clouds blew up, however, and the schemes that were to solve the farm problems were like the letters in a leaky mail box after a downpour. But always there were checks, government checks, and I never would blame anyone for taking them. I believe surely, however, that it was only the existence of those checks that kept the farmers from moving en masse upon the beautiful grounds of the department of agriculture, de manding fair treatment. Farmers Raise Voices as Schemes Prove Unworkable As the latest schemes from the department have proved unworka ble, the farmers with their better knowledge of what is good for the industry have raised their voices in objection, notwithstanding the checks. Mr. Wallace and his the orists have had to look quickly for something new. They have hit upon the two-price system, largely in a hope that they can stall off a gen eral farm uprising, but also because the idea of governmental purchase of farm crops has piled up such tre mendous stocks that the boys are afraid their lives will be snuffed out by cave-ins. In other words, the small houses they were building have turned out to be skyscrapers. It is not only my conclusion that such things as the recently tried ex port subsidy idea have failed. An other, and very important, agency of the government apparently has reached the same conclusion. Only recently, the department of state took a slap at the Wallace policies on export subsidies. Assistant Sec retary Francis B. Sayre was the voice of the department of state in this instance, and he said in a New York speech: “In many minds, export subsidies offer a plausible solution; but such a method is as unsound at bottom as it is plausible on its face. Practi cal experiences in numerous coun tries have shown that this method creates more problems than it solves. Export subsidies are pow erless to move exports in the face of foreign quota restrictions, li censes, etc.” And so forth. Now Mr. Wallace said that quotas, licenses and that sort of thing had forced the export subsidies, but apparently the depart ment of state thinks it is the other way ’round. Mr. Sayre, of course, was supporting the reciprocal trade agreement program that is fostered by Secretary Hull, and whether you believe in that idea or not, you can hardly dodge the fact that trade treaties at least seek to put a stop to the building of more trade re strictions. Mr. Wallace’s export sub sidies invite new action against our shipments. Department of state plans consider the world market and hope for American entry into them; Mr. Wallace apparently is willing to destroy them by using up our re sources to undersell the others, thus giving foreigners the benefit of low prices which consumers of America cannot have. Buying Surplus Products To Care for Destitute Again, assuming that it is neces sary to care for the destitute—and nobody can deny that either the states or the federal government must do so—why is it necessary to further complicate the present prob lem of feeding the poor by this half- baked scheme? The surplus com modity corporation has been buy ing surpluses from the open mar ket. The purpose was to take off a price depressing influence. It was designed to make a price for the farmer somewhat higher than would have obtained, whether it has ac complished that end or not. In any event, the surplus products that were used to feed the poor were giv en to them and that action has had very little effect upon the stability of prices. But Mr. Wallace is not satisfied with that arrangement. Why? Well, apparently, he is getting afraid of the huge piles of government-owned products, acquired because of the fuzzy character of his earlier prom ises to make agriculture safe for democracy, or the New Deal, or something. Mr. Wallace’s experts have just concluded a survey which leads to the conclusion that if everyone in the United States had an “adequate diet,” this country would consume all that is produced on farms an nually, and in addition would re quire the production of two addition al states of the size of Iowa. We must assume that their findings are correct, but questions will occur to everyone about them. First, what is an adequate diet? People have different ideas about that, especially the fat man or the fat woman who wants to hold the belt line within reason. But the more important question is: if there is that addi tional production needed to insure an adequate diet, why does Mr. Wal lace still cling to crop control, to a scheme for cutting down produc tion? The two systems do not rhyme in my humble mind. How Will History Regard Policies of Wallace? So, when we see Mr. Wallace’s own policies doing a contradictory loop-the-loop; when we find him try ing to promote foreign trade by kill ing the goose that laid the golden egg, and when we find him turning to file development—or, considera tion, at least,—of a scheme to cre ate class feelings within our own population, I wonder what the end will be. To repeat, I cannot help wondering how history will regard him and the policies he is now seek ing to carry through. Mr. Wallace made a speech to a group of Washington women the oth er day, in which he said that the Dem’ocrats were now paying off the debt to the population which the Republicans had created. The farm benefits that are being paid out un der the New Deal were held to be liquidation of obligations which the Republicans caused to be estab lished by their administrative fail ures. The Republicans were in power for 12 years preceding the New Deal. I had the privilege of watch ing them ball up the farm problem. They played politics with it, too. I think that probably about the only difference in the situation, by and large, is that the Republicans spent only about 15 per cent as much out of the treasury as Mr. Wallace has done and they did not try as many assinine schemes. • Western Newspaper Union. Drying Woolens. — Blankets, sweaters and other woolen things will be softer if dried in a well ventilated room. Long exposure to the direct sun hardens the wool en material. • • • Improving Ham.—Half a cup each of vinegar and brown sugar added to the water in which you are boiling a ham will greatly im prove the flavor. • • • Picture Cords.—Picture hang ings should always be concealed. Cords and wires invariably spoil the effect. All pictures should be hung flat, not tipping forward. Very large frames must be hung on cords or fine wires from the molding. The square or rectangu lar picture should be hung with two parallel wires. EASE PAIN of Rheumatism, Neuritis, Neuralgia Quickly SIMPLY GET MYEI ASPIRIN— FOLLOW EASY DIRECTIONS BaOW 1m Take S Bare* 2. Ton ahoald feel A»irfn Tableta with relief Terr quickly. If a fall pmm of water pain la nniiaaaQy the moment jroo feel aerere, repeat ac- eitber a rheumatic or cording to dlrectiona. neuritic pain coming To relieve pain of rheumatism or neuritis quickly, try the Bayer Aspirin way — shown above. People everywhere say results are remarkable. Yet Bayer Aspirin costs only about one cent a taolet, which makes the use of expensive “pain remedies” unnecessary. If this way fails, see your doctor. He will find the cause and correct it. While there, ask him about tak ing Bayer Aspirin to relieve these pains. We believe he will tell you there is no more effective, more de pendable way normal persons may 15! IFOR 12 TABLETS 1 FULL DOZEN 2Sc * Dark Ignorance Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star.—Confucius. WitiMMt Risk ■U&sa Ifakc the tMt— If not drilRhted. return the box to aa. refund the purehaae QUICK RELIEF Ruinous Moments The ruin of most men dates from some idle moment.—G. S. Hilliard. PILE RELIEF GUARANTEED In 24 Hours or Money Refundod Thousands of users have found this new, easy to use preparation works almost like magic after having suffered for years. SPECIAL—Clip this ad and print roar an ■heat of paper and send $1.00 in Cash, P. O. Money or Stamp* to Jatta’s Pile Relief. Ben 1254. Wilminaton. Dot. with in ten days and a rewnlar $2.50 compUte treatment will be sent yoo by return mail Don’t delay another minute. If yon are not delighted and amazed at results hi 24 hours your money will be refunded. plainly < together with Order. Check