Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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TH^ NEWBERRY SUN. NEWBERRY. S. C. WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS U.S. Seeks to Avoid Chinese War As Warships Flee Shanghai Trap; Reds Talk of Berlin Blockade End (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, the? nee (hose of Western Newspaper Union’s news analysts and net necessarily of this newspaper.) BOHND t'OR "HOT SPOT!” ... American marines wave from the U.S.S. St. Paul as thex embark for trouble spots in China. The St. Paul, heavy cruiser, was one of the two warships leaving: tor China and which carried much larger complements of marines than normal. CREDIT CONTROLS: Are Eased Again Developments were shoving Pres ident Truman’s demands for price control power further and further into the realm of absurdity. THE FEDERAL reserve board, after looking the situation over, de cided that installment buying con trols could be lowered again safely. And this it did. It set out that on household appliances such as refrig erators, radios, electric washers, etc., the down payment would have to be only 10 per cent of the cost of the item, instead of the previous 15 per cent. On automo biles, the down payment remained at 30 per cent; but on autos and household appliances, too, the time of payment was extended from 21 to 24 months. THIS ACTION brought both com mendation and criticism. That ele ment in the federal government which would recoup all the war time controls for the President, was aghast at the action, terming it dangerous. Others who had watched prices continue their downward spiral—especially mer chants who were facing a buyers’ market and difficulty in moving goods off s' les floors—saw the action as a boon to business. The United States was showing the world that vers which might create the situation for an volvement in the Chinese war. To the surprise of practically it planned no maneu incident” leading to in everyone, particularly the 2,500 Amer BERLIN: Reds Want Talk If the United States and Britain looked with a jaundiced eye on Russia’s public offer to lift the Ber lin blockade, it was thoroughly un derstandable. Too often the Soviets have held out the olive branch or made apparent overtures that never materialized to ease the crisis the Reds may have been de veloping at that time. HOWEVER, the western powers had virtually accepted the Russian proposal to lift the Berlin blockade in exchange for a four-power con ference on Germany. But it was made very plain that acceptance was based on the condition that Russia had no secret strings at tached to the offer. A U. S. state department official was quoted as saying that if Mos cow’s policy actually stands as it was reported in a dispatch by Tass, Russian news agency, the "way ap pears clear for the lifting of the blockade and a meeting of the coun cil of foreign ministers.” At the same time, however, it was learned that the Russians were told that the United States, Brit ain and France do not intend to de lay their plans for unifying western Germany and creating a German government, probably by July 15. SOME TOP officials believed the Russian offer’s real purpose was to delay this action, and indicated that if this were the case it was most uncertain whether a real and final agreement on the Berlin blockade would be reached any time in the near future. The Russian proposal was con strued as suggesting three concrete means for reducing international tension. These were outlined as (1) proposal for a meeting of the coun cil of foreign ministers on the sub ject of Germany; (2) lifting the Berlin restrictions as soon as a meeting date was fixed for that meeting, and (3) direct negotiations between Premier Stalin and Pres ident Truman on basic conflicts between the United States and the Soviet union. FARM PROGRAM: Who's Confused? The administration’s bold new farm program was becoming so muddled that even its proponents seemed to be less than certain of just what its purpose is, to say nothing of how much it will cost. When the program was first pre sented, the general impression gen erated by its proponents was that it was a duality of beneficence, as it were—a device that would keep up the price of farm products while at the same time resulting in less cost to the consumer. TO CRITICS who callously pointed out that it would require tax money to finance such a pro gram and that both farmers and consumers would have to pay those taxes, the plan’s advocates an swered that such persons simply didn't understand the aims of the proposal. Then along came Agriculture , Secretary Charles F. Brannan with : a statement that indicated he didn't quite understand it either, or if he did, it was a new conception. Now, the secretary was saying, the plan wasn’t meant as a consumer sub sidy at all. No indeed, it was a farm price support measure, aimed at giving the farmer a "fair re turn” on his investment and his labor. Nature Gives Weird Vent to Vernal Urge leans in Shanghai, the entire U. S. fleet fled suddenly from Shanghai, evidently having abandoned then current plans for evacuation of American nationals from the scene. THE GOVERNMENT was send ing some marines to Chinese troub led spots, but these were to do only sentry duty. United States action came despite admittedly great provocation. The Chinese Communists, in their tri umphant surge across China to Shanghai, had invaded the home Ow U. S. Envoy J. Leighton Stuart in Nanking and hinted he was to be held in custody. Meanwhile, the Chinese Reds broadcast a demand for American and British officials to evaluate all their "aggressive forces” from China. Already British warships had been fired upon and it was assumed American fleet elements had fled Shanghai in order to avoid any such predicament as was exper ienced by the British vessels. THE COMMUNIST threat to Shanghai was increasing hourly and despite Nationalist decision to battle to the end, it appeared the city’s plight was hopeless. Communist victory in China would put all the western nations in a ticklish position. For, with the Reds in control of all China, those who opposed communism would be helpless and hopeless in event of a western-powers move to ap ply economic sanctions, if such a step should be taken. If this pro cedure were not to be followed, the western powers would be put in the paradoxical position of recog nizing and trading with proponents of an ideology with which they were struggling in a cold war. AUTO LABOR: Flareup Looms The nation’s coal mines didn’t present the only likely flareup in labor-employe relations as bargain ing time rolled around in various industries. Those who were in posi tion to know held the opinion that it was an “uneasy peace” which hung over the automobile industry. UNION FLAREUPS had been quelled at the Packard and Ford motor companies and a tehaporary work stoppage had halted body pro duction at the Briggs manu facturing company’s plant. The future of labor relations in the industry was as confused as it was uneasy. Recent action by man ufacturers in cutting prices of auto mobiles had brought accusations from labor that the reductions were only “token” cuts, and did not rep resent a fair action on the part of the manufacturers. However, with prices of other commodities beginning to spiral downward and ^sement of install ment buying widened, it began to appear that labor would be in a vulnerable position by the time con tract-signing time rolled around. WHILE there was little in the press about the intentions of dyna mic Walter Reuther, head of the United Automobile Workers’ union, there was slight doubt that the fiery redhead would be in there pitching for his union members when the idme came to sit down at the bargaining table. Would labor attempt to overreach itself in bargaining or would it recognize the trend of the times and be content to hold present gains? That was the question whose answer would be anxiously awaited by the citizen who is always in the middle in such struggles—the aver age American consumer. SPRING COMES TO ENGLAND It was spring in England, and whimsey and fantasy were all around. For instance, cows got a license to kiss. A lovelorn cat set fire to a house. A thief, no doubt actuated by the season, stole two dozen love birds. A swan, winging majesti cally up the Thames in search of a mate, plumped on a bridge at rush hour and piled up traffic for a mile. Everything, it seemed, was in a tizzy. The Denham town council gave cows the kissing license. It ruled that it’s all right for them to nuz zle over the fence, even if one pas ture is certified tuberculosis-free and the other isn’t. A Mikado pheasant, which usually lays eggs only in its native habitat in Foromosa, laid six eggs. SULLIVAN: Quits Ncvy Post There was little else that John L. Sullivan, secretary of the navy, could have done but resign after the “multi-million dollar repri mand” he received from Defense Secretary Louis Johnson. SULLIVAN, as navy chief, had gone ahead with plans to construct the 65,000-ton U. S. aircraft super- carrier, the United States, despite lack of congressional authorization for the project. It was no particular secret that abandonment of the carrier and Sullivan’s resignation were all a continuing part of the apparently hopeless fight to unify the nation's armed forces. The congressional act calling for such a step has never been carried out, and the navy’s attempt to go ahead with building the huge carrier without any legal authority was another example of high-handed service tactics that have tended to make unification appear impossible of realization. DEFENSE SECRETARY John son, commenting on Sullivan's res ignation, said, “I regret very much that my old friend and colleague . . . has joined the aircraft carrier issue on personal grounds and I believe that he too will soon regret his action of today.” DAIRYMEN: Will Push Sales According to the experts, milk prices would be tumbling again this summer, but American dairy men wouldn’t be cheering about it. In fact, dairymen were getting set to launch a 1.5 million-dollar campaign to promote the sale of dairy products and, at the same time, wage war on oleomargarine. Most dairy leaders were said to believe that a promotional cam paign to boost consumption was the only way to check a nose-dive in milk and bfitter prices that has caught producers with their income down and their costs up. In little more than seven months, according to a federal dairy spe cialist, dairy prices had dropped 33 per cent. Butter, which not long ago was at almost prohibitive prices, had dipped to the govern ment support level. Milk prices also had been falling off a cent or two at a time on retail markets. The federal specialist pointed out that domestic unemployment has contributed to the drop in consump. tion of dairy products. Grown Up Shirley Temple, one - time "Little Miss Marker” of movie fame, now is fully grown np. She recently celebrated her 21st birthday anniversary. The dim pled child screen star of more than a decade ago is the mother of a year-old daughter. FROZEN FROG: May Yet Jump Dr. D. L. Albasio, of Angels Camp, Calif., was keeping his entry in the annual frog jumping con test on ice—literally speaking. He has to, because his frog, Lazarus has been frozen stiff for an esti- mated 1,200 years. The physician said he found his prehistoric frog frozen deep in the ice of Dana glacier in Yosemite national park and felt confident his ertry would be able to jump. PRESIDENT TRUMAN RECEIVES FIRST BUDDY POPPY . . . Presi dent Truman is shown receiving the first Buddy Poppy of the 1949 sale from five-year old Keitha M. Smith, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars home for widows and orphans in Eaton Rapids, Mich. She visited the White House for the ceremony. The Buddy Poppy sale is conducted annually by the VFW to raise fnnds for rehabilitation work among needy veterans. NO KLANSMEN, THEY . . . This striking view, so similar to many seen in the United States when the Ku Klux Klan was most active, would seem to be that of a group of klansmen marching along with the traditional lighted cross—but nothing could be further from the fact. These paraders took part in observance of Holy Week in Madrid and are members of the “brotherhood of silence.” About 6,000 members took part in the solemn procession. HAVING A “HIGH” TIME . . . Defying equilibrium, gravity and sundry other things which bar this sort of thing as a pastime for ordinary per sons, Betty Fox, featured performer of the Barnes Brothers circus, is shown on a tiny platform extending from a 13th floor window of the Congress hotel in Chicago. cracker,” bnt only Rebecca, a stickler for propriety. Insists on a spoon with hers. Besides being adept at the table graces—including proper use of knife and fork—Rebecca can dance and is an excellent conversationalist. Her vocabulary is referred to as “Interesting.” Her home, appropriately enough, is a restaurant called the "Chatterbox." SUSPECT . . . George Albert Brennan, 17, trainee at Lackland air force base, San Antonio, Tex., was arrested in connection with the “lonely hearts” killings in Delaware. The youth told officers he took no part in. the killing of two men. CUPID’S TURN . . . Cupid has hit safely in the case of Johnny Groth, 22, sensational Detroit rookie out fielder, who is going to marry his sweetheart with whom he is shown here. She is Betty Stoll of Chicago, who was in the stands when Groth sparked his big league debut with . two homers. CONTESTS WILL ... Screen extra Gloria Schumm will contest the will of the late Wallace Beery, screen actor, claiming he was the father of her year-old son. She said she would file a claim for 5100,000 for support of the child. FORLORN FIGURE ... Joe Dl- Maggio, ailing New York Yankee outfielder, presents a forlorn figure as he sits in the Yankee dugout at the season’s opening game. Joe has a heel spur that refuses to heal. LITTLE COLONIALS . . . Ann Cole Kemodle, 3, and her broth er John Robert Kemodle, Jr., of Burlington, N.C., were among the flower bearers to the president general at the opening of the 58th congress of the DAR. MAY IS, 1949 Italy Wants Colonies PRESIDENT TRUMAN was sym- * pathetic, but noncommittal, when five Italian-American con gressmen braced him about the re turn of Italy’s war-lost colonies in Africa. Led by forthright freshman Rep. Anthony Tauriello of New York, the White House callers con tended that Italy's joining the At lantic pact demonstrated her right i to the colonies. Rep. Anthony Cavalcante of Penn sylvania enlivened the proceed ings with a charge that Great Brit ain was deliberately blocking a settlement of the issue. “It will mean less Marshall plan spending in Italy if the colonies are returned, for the Italian govern ment then will have an outlet for its surplus population, including 250,000 refugees who left Africa for Italy during the war,” argued Tauriello. “These people, many of whom are on relief, will be able to support themselves by farming in the col onies,” he argued. “Also, Italian opposition to communism will be stiffened if the colony question is settled. As you know, before the Italian election last year, Russia favored the return of the colonies, but since then Russia has opposed their return under a United Nations trusteeship or otherwise.” "I will do anything I can to help the Italian people,” re plied Truman. “Bnt I cannot commit myself on this question. It is a world problem and the decision will have to be made by the United Nations.” Representative Tauriello and his : colleagues — Peter Rodino (N. J.), Hugh Addonizio (N. J.), Gary Clements (N. Y.) and Cavalcante— all agreed that Truman couldn’t dictate to the U. N. “We understand your position,” said the outspoken Cavalcante, a down-the-line battler for Truman domestic policies. “It’s too bad Great Britain doesn’t also live up to United Nations principles. Britain has been blocking the re turn of these colonies because she wants them for herself. “If the United Nations gov ernment lets Britain get away with it, then all I can say is that we are not pursuing the international policy of moral right to all nations, great and small, on which the U. N. was founded.” Note—American Negro *s are up in arms against the return of Afri can colonies to Italy. They remem ber the rape of Ethiopia. Also, Negro G. I.’s who served in North Africa recall brutal Italian treat ment of natives. Truman’s Old Haunts Seldom has President Truman had such a gay time as when he visited his old haunts in the senate on the anniversary of Roosevelt’s death. He led a procession of sen ators and secret service men on to the senate floor. On the way, he ducked into the Vice-President’s office and signed the register under Cardinal Spellman’s name. Since Vice-President Barkley was out of town, Truman also scribbled a note to him on a scratch pad. “Dear Mr. VP,” he scrawled, “called to see you to get some ad vice—HST.” In the senate cloak room, the President took a squint at the news ticker. “They didn’t have these here in iny day,” he remarked. Then, referring to Washington’s newspaper strike, he added mis chievously: “I’m not getting my newspaper at home. I’ll have to read your ticker.” The President marched out of the senate chamber and peeked into Senate Secretary Les Biffle’s office. Biffle was recuperating from the grippe at Bethesda naval hospital, so the President sat down and scribbled another note. “Les,” he wrote, "I wish you ! were here. I tried to see the VP— he was gone. Now you are out. What shall I do? Looks as if I’ll have to consult with the senate— ; HST.” Not satisfied with just leaving a note, the President picked up the phone and called Biffle at the hos- i pital. “Hello, Les,” he chirped. "I’m sitting at your desk, so I thought I would call you up.” The President chatted about Biffle’s health, then hung up. At that moment, a call came into the office and Truman thought it would be a good joke to answer it. But he couldn’t find the right button. When a secretary beat him to it, he pulled a wry face. From Biffle’s office, the Presi dent returned to the senate floor and took his former seat. There Florida's Sen. Claude Pepper placed a hand on his shoulder and joked: “Well, I hope you’re going to vote for the program of our Presi dent.” "I sure would,” chuckled Tru man, “if I had a vote.” Chase Osborn—a Tributi R1DAY W HEN CHASE OSBORN, Feature time governor of Mich died a short time ago, there P a — ' away, to me, one of the compa? tively few men of modern tim'v who knew his job and his place a£ an American public official. Chase Osborn was always a servant, never a master, of the people of his state. My first, and lasting, opinion of Governor Osborn was formed by an incident that occurred during the period of his governorship, and of which I had first hand and definite knowledge. At the time Chase Osborn was governor of Michigan I was the edi tor of a newspaper syndicate ser vice prepared for the daily and weekly rural press. It was then one of foui such services prepared and sold by different syndicates, among which there was keen com petition. One of the four was re leasing a weekly agricultural ser vice for use by Michigan papers, the copy for which was prepared by the Michigan agricultural col lege. I wished to issue a similar ser vice, and asked the head of that state institution to prepare copy for it, or, if he preferred, to give me a carbon of the copy he was supplying to the competitor. He definitely refused to do either.’ Then I went to Lansing in an effort to talk it over, bnt the head of the college refused to see me. It was then I turned to Governor Osborn. He listened to my statement of the si tui tion, then told me emphatical ly that he did not like the owner of the company for which I was working, while the head of "the state agricnltural college was a valued friend. “Bnt,” he added, “what you are proposing weald be of service to the people of Michigan, and it is my job to see that they get that service.” He then called the head of the college on the phone and asked him to see me. To that request there was a reluctant compliance. The governor asked that I present my case, and, after doing so, let him know the result. I did that, and again received an emphatic refusal. When I reported back to the governor he again called the head of the college and asked for the reason for his refusal. The governor was told the school faculty did not have time to pre pare a similar service, and it was not ethical to give me a carbon, and the college head stuck to that decision. “I, too, am busy,” said the gov ernor over the phone, “so busy that I cannot find time to sign the appro priation bill for the agricultural college now on my desk, when the college faculty has not time to serve the people of Michigan when opportunity offers.” Of course, I got the copy 1 wanted, and quick. I also took away with me an intense admira tion for a public official who would not consider personal friendships or animosities when doing so would have sacrificed the people who had entrusted him with the office he held. That incident typified Chase Os born. His job as governor of Michi gan was to serve the people of the state. He was their servant. His personal likes and dislikes could have no consideration as against his' duty to the people of Michigan. For several years I saw him at more or less frequent intervals, and it was seldom that I did not find some additional reasons for ad miring a governor who demon strated his determination to be a servant, not a master, of the people who placed him in office. I have known many men in pub lic life who have made claims to being a servant, not a master, of their constituents, but in the majori- ty of such cases I have found such claims to be phony when personal interests were involved. In the case of Chase Osborn they were proven to be real. • • » During the war the public did not seriously question what seemed to be wild and reckless spending on the part of the armed services. The wastage of war excused, if it did not justify, such spending. In the full year of 1944, at the height of the war, the cost of the armed services amounted to a trifle over $6,000 for each officer and man in the services. During the past year we have had nothing more serious than the “cold war in Berlin, but the cost of the armed services amounted to a bit over $8,000 for each officer and man. * * • The supreme court has decided in the past that a treaty is more sacred than is the Constitution. Had the North Atlantic pact we signed provided for “military” aid, rather than the mere word “aid,” the president could have legally de clared war had any one of the par ticipating nations been attacked. The omission of that one word “military,” maintains for Congress its constitutional perogative to de clare war. The Constitution has been saved by so slight a margin as the omission of one word.