International
The U. 8S. has long maintained
splendid trade relations with West-
ern hemisphere nations, has more-
over dcne this without resorting to
heavy armaments. Until five years
ago the U. S. was similarly strong
in China. Reason: European and
Asiatic nations have always been
busy at home, not daring to risk in-
vasion of the Western hemisphere.
But since Japan became supreme
in the Far East, the U. S. has been
forced to expand her Pacific fleet.
If this was cause for worry, a much
greater cause is the Munich pact
which sheared friendly France and
Britain of their power. Dominant in
Europe, anxious to increase their
foreign trade, Italy and Germany
va
BRAZIL’S PRESIDENT VARGAS
His door is closed to Germany.
can now be regarded as a serious
threat to U. S. commerce. Of the
two, Germany will be a greater
threat because she has adopted an
aggressive foreign expansion pro-
gram, moreover because her new
Sudeten territorial acquisitions
bring glassware, leather and tex-
tiles into the Reich for export sale.
Focal point of German expansion
will be Latin America, which last
year gave the Reich 14 per cent of
its trade, compared with 34.7 per
cent to the U. S. In this trade war,
it has become apparent the U. S.
will attempt to sell South Ameri-
cans on democracy, while Germany
sells therm Naziism. Today, as the
war gets under way, the U. S. ap-
pears to hold an upper hand.
Long favored in South America
through her Monroe doctrine, the
U. 8. has just helped preserve West-
ern hemisphere peace by joining in
settlement of the 100-year-old Chaco
dispute between Paraguay and Bo-
livia. Indirectly, the U. 8. could
place another feather in her cap
when Brazil called home its ambas-
sador to Berlin, apparently break-
ing off diplomatic relations with the
Reich. This is President Getulio
Vargas’ answer to Chancellor Hit-
ler’'s efforts for Brazilian Nazifica-
tion.
Aiding the U. 8S. will be increased
domestic desire to woo South Amer-
ica. Already a campaign is under
way to boost our consumption of
South American goods.
A natural result of this activity
has been growing American disin-
clination to complete .the long-pend-
ing U. S.-British trade pact, a senti-
ment resulting from the rebirth of
isolationism which followed Mu-
nich’'s peace treaty. The greatest
stumbling block is that isolationism
calls for strengthened trade rela-
tions with Canada, a plan blocked
by Great Britain's renewed efforts
to tighten her dominion bonds. A
U. S.-Canadian trade treaty is bound
to hurt American agriculture; a
U. S.-British treaty will hurt Amer-
ican manufacture, Therefore econ-
omists are betting the “most fa-
vored nation” agreements now
pending with Canada and Britain
will never be consummated.
Meanwhile, Germany is cocksure
of her position. Busily flitting from
one European capital to another,
Economics Minister Walter Funk
has completed bilateral accords
based on barter of goods with sev-
eral Balkan states. In this way the
Reich hopes to increase its econom-
ic orbit. But when Minister Funk
optimistically announced he would
next attempt a barter treaty with
the U. S., state department officials
made it clear that optimism is un-
founded.
War
A large part of China's war sup-
plies for defending Hankow have
come up the railroad from rich,
southerly Canton. Moreover, Can-
tonese troops have shown remark-
able bravery, reportedly wiping out
10,000 Japs near Tehan early this
month. Although Canton has there-
fore been a thorn in Japan's side,
Tokyo feared to move into South
China lest Great Britain might ob-
ject. But since Britain capitulated
in the Czech crisis, Japan has be-
come bolder. Result is the land-
ing of 35,000 troops near Canton for
any or all of three purposes: (1) to
force frightened Cantonese to with-
draw troops from Hankow, making
that city’s capture easier; (2) to cut
the Hankow-Canton railroad and
stop war supplies; (3) to force Can-
ton into an independent peace with
Japan,
But if Japan hopes thereby to
force surrender of China's General-
issimo Chiang Kai-shek, she will be
disappointed. Though 70 per cent of
China's war materials have come
through Canton, General Chiang has
foreseen that city’s fall and devel-
oped four alternative lines of entry.
Two railroads enter from Indo-China
and highways can carry supplies
from both Burma and Russia. More-
over, Chinese are resigned to a 10-
year struggle if necessary.
Far more likely than Chinese ca-
pitulation is a breach between Great
Britain and Japan. Not since the
siege of Japan has the British lion
been so imperiled, Canton lies a
scant 75 miles from the crown col-
ony of Hong Kong, whose prosperi-
ty depends largely on trade with
Canton. The maddening air of right-
eousness surrounding Japan's inva-
sion of South China, coupled with
warnings to Britain, France and the
United States, shows clearly that
Japan now considers herself the Far
East's No. 1 power.
Races
During the World war Great Brit-
ain helped liberate Palestine’s
Arabs from the Turks, thereby win-
ning Arabic support against Turkey.
Although Arabs expected they would
be rewarded with complete domi-
nation over Palestine, England's
Lord Balfour led a successful cam-
paign to establish part of the Holy
Land as a haven for the wandering
Jew.
Since then world Jewry has sent
400,000 persecuted Hebrews to Pal-
estine, investing $385,000,000 to build
a national home. But disgruntled
Arabs have protested with warfare,
keeping harried Britain busy polic-
ing the land over which she was
given a mandate in 1923. While
blood ran freely through the streets
of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jaffa,
Colonial Secretary of State Malcolm
MacDonald has led a commission in
search of amicable settlement,
Meanwhile, Jew-hating Germany
and Italy have given restrained
cheers for the Arabic cause, cheers
that need no longer be restrained
since the Munich peace treaty has
placed Great Britain on the defen-
sive. Faced with threats of Italo-
German intervention unless Arabs
were given a square deal, Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain has
been reported ready to “sell out”
the Holy Land's Jews.
Thoroughly miserable, Prime Min-
ister Chamberlain and Secretary
MacDonald (son of the late Prime
Minister Ramsay MacDonald) were
bombarded with protests the minute
their weakened position was ru-
MALCOLM MAC DONALD
Palestine’s Jews are his problem,
mored. To make matters worse,
Dr. Chaim Weizmann of London,
president of the Zionist federation,
has aroused U. 8S. Jewry to such an
extent that President Roosevelt has
been deluged with pleas to inter-
vene. Thus Great Britain risks los-
ing a measure of badly needed U, S.
sentiment if she capitulates to
Arabic demands.
As Prime Minister Chamberlain
prepared to act, the least harmful
settlement Hebrews could expect
was a heavy restriction on Jewish
immigration to the Holy Land. Even
this, commented Jews, would al-
most make Great Britain an acces-
sory to the Italo-German race perse-
cution program.
‘Quotes’
MISS MARGUERITE WELLS of
the National League of Wom-
en Voters, on aroused inter-
est in world issues: “One of
the things about the dangers
facing the world today is that
it makes us in America real
ize how well off we are.”
DR. WILLIAM L. LEAP of Bir.
mingham (Ala.) university, on
divorce: “The remedy does not
lie in making divorces difficult
to obtain. The problem should
be met from the opposite di-
rection—by making marriage
requirements more stringent.”
Politics
On Tuesday, November 8, the
United States will elect an entire
house of representatives, one-third
of its senate and a host of gover-
nors, Since U. 8. politics swings
back and forth from Republican to
Democratic domination, since the
Democratic swing which began in
1933 has reached and passed its
peak, the safest prediction is that
Republicanism will start swinging
back into power this year.
Obviously, it is Franklin Roose-
velt’s ambition to stymie a Repub-
lican comeback. But his chief in-
terest in last summer's primaries
wag not Republicanism, but the con-
struction of a coherent liberal party
through so-called “‘purge’” tactics.
Since ‘purge’ failed, since preser-
vation of New Deal gains already
made is now more important than
ska
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
At election time, a peacemaker.
party purification, November's elec-
tion has resumed normal political
color for the first time since 1930.
As in 1936, this year's Republican
candidates can base a strong cam-
paign on New Deal failure. Unlike
1933 and 1936, this year's Democrat-
ic campaign becomes essentially a
defensive proposition. But develop-
ments of the past month show that
the New Deal's defense will not fea-
ture such argumentative points as
AAA, relief and budget-balancing,
will attempt instead to shift public
interest on Franklin Roosevelt's ac-
complishments as a peacemaker.
Three points of peace:
World Peace: The world may nev-
er know if President Roosevelt
helped smooth over the Czech-Ger-
man crisis, but his final message to
Adolf Hitler and simultaneous pleas
to every other world power came
only a few hours before the Reichs-
fuehrer called his historic Munich
parley. But, coming when it did,
Roosevelt intercession looked tre-
mendously successful. Thus, prais-
ing the administration's foreign pol-
icy as a safeguard to world peace,
Democrats hope the voting public
will overlook the fact that Munich's
meeting did nothing to help democ-
racy’'s cause, was instead a blood-
less victory for Germany.
Business Peace: If the adminis-
tration’s foreign policy helped win
world peace, it also helped U, S.
business. Upshot has been a tre-
mendous stock market upturn,
greater steel and automobile pro-
duction, higher railroad carloadings.
But part of this upturn is also due
to governmental “pump priming,”
effect. Nevertheless these signs of
optimism came at a time when U. 8.
business decided to quit warring on
the administration, choosing instead
to play ball until a Republican gov-
ernment throws out New Deal meas-
ures which it considers oppressive,
President Roosevelt has asked for
operation between government and
business.
of the National Association of Manu-
facturers,
business is eager for co-operation.
Thus, Franklin Roosevelt looms as
a peacemaker with business.
Industrial Peace: When the Amer-
ican Federation of Labor convened
in Houston, Texas, the President
messaged his desire for a settle-
ment of the factional war between
A. F. of L. and John Lewis’ Com-
mittee for Industrial Organization.
Obviously a solid labor front, thor-
oughly New Deal, would be a potent
vote getter. How it could exercise
this solidified strength against em-
ployers is an unpleasant thought,
but the average business man is in-
clined to hope a patch-up will bring
more conservatism to labor. Al
ready the Rooseveltian business up-
turn has brought men back to work,
resulting in fewer disputes between
labor and capital. “Though the Presi-
dent's efforts for peace between C. 1.
O. and A. F. of L. have been unsuc-
cessful, the nation may well appre-
ciate his gesture.
Despite the political connotations
these peace efforts must certainly
carry during election season, the
President's self-chosen role of arbi-
ter wins favor with a war-weary
U. S. populace. Whether this popu-
lar appeal will overshadow Republi-
can criticism on November 8 is any-
body's guess.
Navy
Few navies have a definite sys-
tem for naming their armor-clad
war chariots. Even England's huge
navy mingles historic and geogra
ical names with unconcern. But the
U. 8, having started its gigantic
naval construction program, will not
The new
system: Battleships
named after states, cruisers after
historic ships and battles, *
ers after naval officers. Sestioy
WASHINGTON. — The “White
House Spokesman’ is back! That
ghostly, shy and sometimes playful
figure has been resurrected from
the grave where President Roose-
velt interred his intangible person-
ality early in March, 1833. He was
placed there with proper ceremo-
nies by Mr. Roosevelt after his
witchlike voice had served during
the administrations of Presidents
Coolidge and Hoover, and after he
had served valiantly as the source
of one inspired news story after
another. Mr. Roosevelt unmasked
the ‘“White House Spokesman’ as
just the President of the United
States, speaking behind his hand.
But lo! Here is that man again.
I could not help laughing a bit
the other day when the “White
House Spokesman’ reappeared on
the front pages of metropolitan daily
newspapers, in the work-a-day
“authoritative White
House sources.” Grieving as most
writers did that this trickery had to
be employed in order to write a
That delightful home on
fiction
“the
runway from the
But restoration of the ‘‘White
Use
stories sent to all parts of the na-
“White
It was a silly
It was both silly and
cheap. The head of the government
the White House should have as-
sumed.
Some stories were trial balloons;
al opinion by the President which
The course was adopted, so it was
writers all of the available facts
Readers of Newspapers
Well, without questioning the sin-
cerity of purpose, the fact remains
What's the ex-
It is the same
old ostrich and the same old sand in
which he is hiding his head; so why
and
The present, rejuvenated,
good deal to say, behind this shad-
truce between business and labor, a
truce with the administration in
Washington. The bitterness between
industry and government was made
almost into a parallel with Euro-
pean conditions, and the “‘Spokes-
man’ went further to suggest that
some method of getting together,
comparable to the European “‘settle-
ment,” should be used here.
Well, I imagine there is none in
our country who do not hope for,
and believe in the need of, a lasting
peace between business and govern-
ment. As the shadowy form said,
as it floated over Hyde Park, there
has been too much name calling,
too many charges and recrimina-
tions. The condition has slowed up
general business; it has made the
relief rolls full to overflowing. But
when the “White House an"
seeks a “settlement” like that at
Munich, Germany, where Dictator
Hitler grabbed everything he want-
ed—well, let me observe that it was
a swell subject as an illustration
why the “White House Spokesman"
should remain in his grave!
There was another phase of the
“Spokesman’'s” backfence snarling
that is bound to disturb the neigh-
bor's sleep. It was tantamount to a
demand that business stop misrep-
resenting the government's attitude
—this being the New Deal attitude—
toward business. That is to say,
there was a veiled charge that busi.
ness, which is to say, “the economic
royalists,” have been lying about
the government's programs and ob-
jectives, no mention being made of
some of the abortive results,
Blame Taxes for Added
Burden Business Carries ‘
The news dispatches from Hyde
Park made referenca to unfair sto-
ries about taxes. The “Spokesman”
specifically asserted that business
interests were all wet when they as-
serted that federal taxes are heav-
ier now than one, three or five years
ago. It struck me as being a queer
complaint, because federal taxes
are higher; there are more of them
in number and the rates on nearly
all the old ones are higher. Treas-
ury figures show that the federal
government collected $3,115,000,000
in taxes five years ago. The same
official figures show collections of
more than $4,100,000,000 three years
ago, and in the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1937, the collections were
announced as $5,200,000,000. Then,
on June 30, this year, the official
figures recorded
$6,240,000,000. To be absolutely fair,
it must be considered that business
was at its lowest ebb five years
ago. Hence, tax payments were at
the lowest. But, without attempting
which business carries.
ernment’s budget condition.
quarter of the fiscal year was com-
than $700,000,000. The Treasury had
000,000 more than it had taken in
by way of taxes. If my country
school multiplication still serves
the current fiscal year of approxi-
mately $2,800,000,000 since there are
four quarters in each year. It may
be less—or it may be more.
Ever Has Taken Place
In the matter of a truce between
“breathing spell’ of several years
Roy Howard, the Pittsburgh
time how encouraging it
would be if business could be as-
that government
ment of business was at an end. If
his reply that the major portion of
ed and there would be a “breathing
ported to have said it was time to
just skin and bones.
expand and re-employ workers, then
ever has taken place.
to the fact that, not the
House Spokesman,” but numerous
the neck of business.
Jackson, trust buster extraordinary;
ment of justice; to William O. Doug-
lass, or to Secretary Ickes. Each of
these has had several turns swing-
ing a bludgeon at business men, and
they will swing them some more.
So, perhaps Mr. Roosevelt's anal-
ogy in which he compared the Eu-
ropean situation and “‘settlement’
with the idea of a settlement be-
tween government and business was
not so far wrong. Perhaps the “set-
tilement”’ by which Hitler took over
great chunks of Czechoslovakia is
the way the “authoritative sources”
or the “White House Spokesman”
would have our government take
over most private industry.
Needs Encouragement From
Leaders in Public Life
The “White House Spokesman’s"
suggestion about a truce and co
operative effort between business
and government brought a response
from Charles M. Hook, president of
the National Association of Manu.
facturers, who assured the Presi
dent that “there will be no rattling
of sabers as far as the manufac.
turers are concerned.” He said
there wouid be an upward, surge in
business ‘if there is encouragement
from leaders in public life.” I am
not able to say what is meant by
the “no saber rattling” beyond the
obvious meaning of a willingness
to keep the collective business
CLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT
ROCKS, REDS, & BR. CROSSES hatched
from selected Blood-Tested Breeders.
MILFORD HATCHERY
Milford Road nr. Liberty Rd., Pikesville.
FP. 0. ROCKDALE, MD. Pikesville 36-1.
MALE HELP WANTED
Checks for Illegal Blot Machines, pinta.
bles, Nonmagnetie, 253% profits for re.
Lamping, West Depere, Wis.
Pattern 6113.
Towels that are a wee bit dif-
What fun to embroider these your-
Make a set for a friend.
They're welcome gifts! Pattern
6113 contains a transfer pattern of
6 motifs averaging 7% by 9%
tions of stitches; color schemes.
To obtain this pattern, send 15
cents in stamps or coins (coins
preferred) to The Sewing Circle,
Please write your name, ad-
One of Money
“Stubbs, my dear fellow,
it about time you repaid me
little loan?”
*“My dear boy, it isn’t a question
of time.”
Practical Minded
“Ah!” sighed the tourist, soul-
fully, “what a view! So magnif-
icent—so grand! Makes a man
feel like a little grub.”
“Good idea,” replied his girl
companion. “I could put away a
nice big sandwich.”
Answer fo a correspondent: Al-
When she
mops the floor, mop the floor with
her.
Or Else—
The man’s conduct was suspi-
cious, and the watchman asked
“l want to make myself give
Hi
H E
J
j
jes
5%