Editorially Speaking:
A New Day Demands A New Attitude !
If there had been no Chamber of Deputies, no Reichstag
and no Parliament there might not have been any war, but,
things being as they are, it is probably best, as Governor
James insists, that the Congress stay in session this summer.
This will not be completely in accord with the plans of
most Congressman, we know. This is an election year, and
the Senators and Representatives are impatient to get at the
political chores which await them at home. Once they scat-
ter and become involved in speech-making, baby-kissing and
job-giving their responsibility to guide the nation through
the world crisis may suffer.
It is essential that through the next few months the
Congress permit nothing—not even the Presidential election
—to interfere with its attention to the national need. It is
likewise necessary that the people give their support to the,
Congressmen who, putting politics aside, are willing to stay
in Washington ready to carry out the will of the people.
That will is crystal clear today.
* * *
After the World War the United States, reeling from its
emotional hangover, gave itself whole-heartedly to cynicism
and disillusionment, slid out from under its international
responsibilities and swore that never again would it mix in
Europe’s affairs.
It does little good mow to argue that our presence in
the League of Nations might have stopped Japan in
Manchukuo or that our participation in sanctions might
have stopped Italy in Ethiopia. But it would be folly
if we remained chained to our superficial neutrality
policy in the light of today’s facts. Whatever we be-
lieved last year is past. We face a new situation today.
It requires a mew attitude.
The immediate future of western civilization is being
decided on the battlefield of Europe. If Germany is vic-
torious—and the situation this week indicates that only a
miracle will prevent an Allied catastrophe—this country will
stand as the most inviting target for the efficacy of naked
force. ’
The American people are highly unmilitary, but we are
by no means unwilling to fight when definitely threatened.
Tt is unlikely that we would permit Germany to occupy Can-
ada, the West Indies, Iceland and Greenland or enlarge its
sphere of influence in Latin America. Our history, alone,
tells us that we would fight—however great the cost in taxes,
lives and democratic liberties.
Obviously, the crying need right now is to prevent an
Allied defeat, if we want peace and a continuation on this
continent of ‘the American way.” There may still be time—
though not for long—by measures short of war to furnish
sufficient aid to the Allies to forestall a German victory.
The people of America will support the Congress and the
President in supplying such aid.
* * *
There are at least six ways that we can aid the Allies
immediately, and we submit that it is in our purely selfish
national interest to take these steps now:
1. Repeal the Johnson Act to permit private loans to
the Allies. 0 :
2. Repeal the law that prohibits Americans from vol-
unteering in the Allied armies. If an aviator feels the call to
serve against Hitler, why should we forbid it? Dor
3. Make available to the Allies our most modern
planes and arms and military “secrets” and let permission
be given for the charter of our shipping in order to safeguard
their line of supply by sea.
4, Stop exports of copper, tin, rubber and other ma-
terials to Russia or other countries when these materials
may find their way into Germany. What sense does it make
to aid with war materials the formidable enemy of the Allies
—if we really wish them to be saved from defeat?
5. Let our ship-building ca-
pacity be doubled so that, in a
POST
SCRIPTS
long war, a new supply of ships
may be forthcoming to insure
communications and let these
ships be sold or chartered to
the Allies on reasonable terms,
without profit.
6. Let discussion proceed as
to all other ways to place our
tourists go when they die.
go to Nassau.
that by sitting up for two nights
“who quit his Bahamian paradise
full resources, short of actual
military participation, at the
disposal of the Allies. Let Con-
gress remain in session contin-
uously, so it may respond ta
the national need.
WE KNOW NOW where good
They
We ‘learned about
listening wistfully to Joe Elicker,
this week long enough for a light-
ning-like visit home.
Mr. Elicker has been a Nassau-
vian (all right, then, what are
they ?) since last January, when he
stopped figuring how to pack more
people into Comerford Theatres, and
sailed for the West Indies, from
which lush vantage point he has
since been bombarding his foot-
loose countrymen with phrases about
iately constitutes our
Western Hemisphere.
“opal seas”, “birds of flame” and Perhaps,
“tropical languor.” things would be
In the days when he was lend- | too late”.
ing his unique talents to the glory
of Hollywood it was said of the elo-
quent Mr. Elicker that he could
convince a Baptist preacher that a
seat behind a pole in Hades was the
Royal Box at the Passion Play. You
can imagine what such an artist can
do with Nassau, which has plenty
to begin with.
One time we were privileged to
work beside the unconquerable Mr.
Elicker in one of his most animated
periods. We were to be a sort of
assistant midwife at the birth of a
world, said: ‘The
es to survive the
Century.”
(Continued on Page 8) In time.
All these measures would be
"short of war’’, in the sense
that they would involve no mil-
Tue Darras Post
MORE THAN A NEWSPAPER, A COMMUNITY INSTITUTION
Vol. 50
FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1940
or
No. 24
1. More
Dallas area.
A concrete highway from Dallas
to Tunkhannock,
Centralization of police and fire
protection.
4, Better fire protection and lower
insurance rates.
More sidewalks.
CIVIC PROGRAM FOR 1940
community spirit in the
Vagrant ‘Tarzan’
Lived On Grass,
He Tells Police
Chief Stevenson Jails
Dazed Man Who Alarmed
Families Near Lehman
A scantily-clad “Tarzan” who
told police he had eaten nothing
but grass in three days was taken
into custody by Chief Ira C. Stev-
enson of Harvey's Lake on Tuesday
and committed to Luzerne County
Prison for examination.
He is Leonard Evans, 39, a former
resident of Kingston but who gave
688 Hazle Street, Wilkes-Barre, as
his present address.
' Chief Stevenson received word
of the odd case from Dr. H. A.
Brown of Lehman, who said several
householders had been alarmed by
the antics of a half-naked man who
had been seen wandering in that
neighborhood.
When the Chief found Evans he
was sitting on a lawn along the
Meeker Road not far from a house.
He was barefooted and wearing only
a ragged shirt and his legs and
arms were lacerated as if he had
been scrambling through brush.
Although dazed, he was able to
tell the policemen that he had not
eaten since Sunday morning. His
lips were green and when police
questioned him about that he told
them® he had been eating grass,
plaintain leaf and dandelion.
He could not remember what had
happened to his clothes but he told
police he had been working near
Loyalville. Chief Stevenson took
him to headquarters at the Lake,
found a pair of pants for him and
gave him breakfast.
While they studied what to do
with their prisoner, police learned
that he had lived with a Jones
family in Wilkes-Barre and had
gone to their farm at Loyalville
last Friday to work. The Joneses
said Evans left the farm Friday and
they had not seen him since.
Kingston police disclosed they ar-
rested Evans on May 4 on a charge
of vagrancy and had committed him
to Luze m= County Prison for ex-
amination. He was released shortly
after that. It was also reported that
he had once been an inmate at Re-
treat.
After a hearing before Squire
Ralph Davis at Harvey's Lake, Chief
Stevenson took Evans to Wilkes-
Barre and had him entered in the
county prison on. a new charge of
vagrancy. Physicians there will
examine him to determine if he
should be admitted to an institution.
Firemen To Seek
Voters’ Decision
Two Kingston Tewnship
Companies Need Help
Voters in Kingston Township will
itary action. If it be said that
such a program would propel
us toward war, we submit that
full aid to the Allies immed- |ihis week is successful
best
chance of avoiding war in the |terest, Trucksville and Shavertown
Recently someone, comment-
ing on this nation’s blindness |
to the issues confronting the
On the brighter side, we can
remember that we have not in
the past been helpless in €mer- | apiece every year, would assure
gencies when we saw the light
decide in November if taxes are to
| be increased one mill to finance
| the municipality’s two volunteer fire
| companies, if a movement started
Desperate because of civic disin-
fire companies are circulating peti-
even now, these tions asking that the question be
“400 little and [placed on the voting machines at
|
the general election.
Joseph Bulford and E. W. Piatt
of the Trucksville company and
| Francis Youngblood and Dan Evans
{from the Shavertown company are
United cooperating as a committee to pro-
States is dangerously unpre- mote support for the movement.
pared in its mind, its economic | The firemen, who are willing to
organization and in its defens- [serve without pay, but who have
Twentieth | been discouraged because of their
| constant struggle to collect enough
| to keep the companies going, be-
{lieve. a one mill tax levy, which
would give the two companies $800
fire
{ Kingston Township adequte
i protection.
HARVEY’S LAKE MONKEY
TO OCCUPY ALEX’S OLD
QUARTERS IN CITY ZOO
Wilkes-Barre’s zoo is growing
accustomed to receiving addi-
tion’s from Harvey’s Lake.
Since Alex, the Harvey's
Lake bear was released, the
den he occupied has been va-
cant. This week Senator An-
drew J. Sordoni gave the zoo
a monkey which has been a
lively figure at the Senator’s
Harvey’s Lake home.
The monkey will be one of
10 which will occupy Alex’s old
quarters when renovations are
completed.
There is only one man on relief in
Dallas Borough available for em-
ployment, according to the most re-
cent report of the Department of
Public Assistance.
The borough’s solitary relief em-
ployable is one of 7,132 men and
women in Luzerne County listed in
the June 1 report of the DPA, which
maintains a running inventory of
available employable persons receiv-
ing general assistance.
An inventory for other nearby
communities, reflecting the low
LET'SGET THISFELLOWA JOB
AND KEEP THE RECORD PERFECT
rate of unemployment in the Dallas
area as compared with that else-
where in the county, follows:
Male Female
Dallas Township ..... 45
Franklin Township .. 4
Jackson Township ...15
Kingston Township 44
Lehman Township... 10 J;
Lake Township ...... 20 1
Wilkes-Barre City has 1,900 male
relief employables and 46 female
relief employables.
Armitage Retires
After 25 Years As
Lake Postmaster |
Peter Delaney Named ©
To Fill Office Until
Applicants Are Tested
Peter T. Delaney, prominent Dem-
ocratic leader at Harvey's Lake, has
been appointed acting postmaster at
Alderson to succeed George C. Arm-
itage.
Mr. Armitage, who has been post-
master at the Lake for the last 25
years, retired on June 1.
Mr. Delaney announced this |
week that examinations for the po-
sition of postmaster at Alderson will |
be held soon. Applicants must sub-
mit their request for that position
to the U. S. Civil Service Commis-
sion not later than June 28.
All applicants must have reached
their 21st birthday, but must not
have passed their 65th birthday
by June 28. Applications for the
position can be secured from Mr.
Delaney.
Summer Sessions
To Begin Tune 21
Misericordia Offers
A Varied Curriculum
College Misericordia’s summer
session will begin Friday, June 21,
at which time several special cours-
es, in addition to a complete college
curriculum, will be offered.
Elementary and high school
teachers, students from out-of-town
institutions who desire to take ad-
vanced study or make up courses
and others will be interested in the
arrangement of classes for the sum-
mer session, which provides for
morning classes only, ‘Monday
Through Friday, excluding Saturday.
Official registration days are June
19- and 20 but application for ad-
mission to the summer session may
be made at the college any day.
Classes are scheduled for mornings
only but the library, study rooms
and laboratories will be open all day
for the convenience of students.
Included in the curriculum ar-
ranged for the summer session are
the following courses: Education:
visual aids and memory techniques,
educational psychology, history of
education, school hygiene, statistics
for teachers, special methods of sec-
ondary education, elementary edu-
cation; English: English grammar
and rhetoric, literary revival, essay
writing, methods of teaching English
in the secondary school, survey of
English literature or American lit-
erature, special lectures on the
modern novel; Languages: Latin,
French, German and Polish; Mathe-
matics: Calculus, analytic geometry,
methods of teaching algebra or ge-
ometry, college algebra, solid ge-
ometry and plane trigonometry;
Philosophy: logic, general psychol-
ogy, general philosophy; Science,
general biology, physical science,
social studies, history, economics,
sociology; Special fields: library sci-
ence, music, general home econom-
ics, secretarial science.
Dallas School Board
Will Meet Tonight
The June meeting of ‘the school
directors of Dallas Borough will be
held at the high school building
tonight (Friday) at 8. Arthur Dun-
gey, tax collector, and Harold Lloyd,
special director, are expected to
make complete reports on collec-
cmp
Leen
i ochirimote
* WASHINGTON'@ A DEL.
SCENE OF NATION'S BIGGEST ARMY MANEUVERS
gf
FIRST ARMY CALLS
100000
REGULAR ARMY,
NATIONAL GUARD
ORGANIZED RESERVE
FROM 12 STATES AND THE
DISTRICT or COLUMBIA FOR
MANEUVERS
AUGUST 3 -AUGUST 31
* ARMY INFORMATION. wi
Lieutenant-General Hugh A. Drum (insert), commanding general of
the First Army, with headquarters at Governor’s Island, N. Y., will com-
mand of the First Army Maneuvers in the Plattsburg-Watertown area in
northern New York from August 3-31.
troops will come.
Arrows show states from which
Local Outfits To ‘Fight In Mock War
In August To Test Nation's Defense
Biggest Army Maneuvers To Mass 100,000 Men
In Plattsburg-Watertown Area For A Month
National Guardsmen from this section—including soldiers from bat-
teries of the 109th Field Artillery at Wilkes-Barre and those of Battery B in
Tunkhannock—will be a part of the force of 100,000 men who will en-
gage in the biggest peace-time maneuvers in the nation’s history in New
York in August.
The operations of the First Army
in: the Plattsburg-Watertown Area,
just south of the Canadian border,
will be the largest of the four army
maneuvers to be held this summer
as part of the nation’s defense pro-
gram,
Although the maneuvers will be
carried on from August 3 to 31, the
local Guardsmen will probably take
part only for two weeks, returning
to Tobyhanna in the Poconos about
August 25 for a final week's train-
ing.
The Regular Army, National
Guard and Organized Reserves will
concentrate in the area along Lake
Champlain for the maneuvers. There
will be troops from Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island, New
York, New Jersey, Delaware, Penn-
sylvania, Maryland, Virginia and
the District of Columbia. ;
The concentration in the area will
be divided into two opposing groups.
Lieut-Gen. Hugh A. Drum, who will
supervise all training programs and
maneuver activities from a head-
quarters at Canton, N. Y., has em-
phasized that the purpose of the
maneuver is the training of officers
and men in ‘the approach to and
conduct of battle.”
Woolbert New Chief
Of Shavertown Firemen
Howard Woolbert was elected
chief of Shavertown Fire Company
at its meeting Monday night and
L. T. “Red”, Schwartz was ‘elected
a member of the house committee,
replacing officials who had missed
three consecutive meetings and
were, therefore, unable to hold
their offices.
ing the natural and acquired
destiny.
next week’s issue.
including any items in their
Community Service Edition
Next Friday's edition of The Post will be dedicated
to Dallas Rotary Club, in appreciation of its mew Com-
munity Service Campaign to promote the Dallas area.
The Post will carry special articles reviewing the his-
tory and development of local institutions and emphasiz-
The Community Service Edition will be an effort to
crystallize the typically American spirit which is leading
Dallas and its meighboring communities toward a bright
Because of the anticipated interest in the edition,
many extra copies of The Post will be distributed widely
among prospective residents of this section.
For its Community Service Edition, The Post is
anxious to know of all building developments, business
improvements and civic movements.
ill mews, please get it to us promptly so it can be included in
If you desire advertising space in the special edition,
telephone us as soon as possible. It is especially requested
that correspondents send their letters in early in the week,
flect the upward trend in this section.
attractions of this section.
If you have such
own communities which re-
RECALLING 1914 BOOM,
NOXEN AWAITS ORDERS
AT TANNERY—IN VAIN!
Noxen, which became a boom
town between 1914 and 1918
as war orders kept its big
tannery humming, has been
waiting hungrily for the up-
swing the town has expected
ever since Europe went to. war,
but so far the orders haven’t
materialized.
Officials at the Armour
Leather Co. plant at Noxen
said this week the war had had
no effect on their business yet.
About 250 men are employed
at the tannery now.
During the World War ord-
ers poured into the tannery
and it had to operate on extra
shifts for several years to sat-
isfy demands for leather.
LVRR Abandons
Mt. Springs Link
13-Mile Gap Left In
Bowman's Creek Branch
A 13-mile stretch of track be-
tween the Splash Dam at Mt.
Springs and Lopez in Sullivan Coun-
ty, along the Bowman's Creek
Branch of the Lehigh Valley Rail-
road, is
being removed. Heavy
equipment was moved through Dal-
las this week for workmen who are
engaged on the job.
The tracks being removed are on
a section of the line seldom used
now. The railroad cited economic
reasons to justify discontinuing the
Mt. Springs-Lopez link when it ask-
ed the I. C. C. for permission to
abandon the right of way. The
tracks removed will leave a gap in
the branch line between Wilkes-
Barre to Towanda.
Service to Mt. Springs, where
there are heavy ice shipments in
the winter, will be maintained
through Dallas. Service to Towanda,
however, will be maintained on the
line which starts from Towanda.
Harrisburg on Friday,
State Seeks Bids
For Final Stretch
On New Highway
Four Contracts Along
Route 92 Will Be Under
Way At The Same Time
The State Highway Depart-
ment is advertising today for
bids on the last concrete link
in the Luzerne-Tunkhannock
highway, a 15,297-foot stretch
which will connect Trucksville
and Dallas over a route that
will- be almost entirely new.
The bids will be opened at
June
28, and a contract will be
awarded as soon after as pos-
sible so that construction can begin
in time to complete the road yet
this year.
The contract will be the third to
be awarded for construction along
Route 92, two previous contracts,
for connecting links north of Dallas
already having been granted.
State Highway Department offi-
cials said it was unusual to have
so much work in progress on one
route at the same time. When the
three contracts are under way there
will be more than nine miles of
highway under construction.
Banks Construction Co., which
has a $271,393 contract for the link
from Lutes’ Corners to a point 2.8
miles above Dallas, began work this
week.
B. G. Coon Construction Co.
which received a $155,000 contract
for Section 8, which extends from
the Banks job across Goss Manor to
a point near the site of the old car
barn below Dallas, will begin work
in a few days.
Follows New Route
The last link, known as Section
4, will leave Dallas near the “Y’”’ on
Main Street, follow the old street
car right of way to a point above
Fernbrook, cut across the main
highway on a straight line and join
the street car right of way below
to intersection with the four-lane
road at the Trucksville “Y”. 1
It will consist of 15,297 linear
feet of reinforced cement concrete
pavement, 33 feet and 44 feet wide
and will include six reinforced con-
crete bridges over Toby's Creek,
having a total overall length of 245
feet.
At the same time as the three lo-
cal jobs are under construction,
the State Highway Department will
resurface the floor of the bridge
across the Susquehanna River at
Tunkhannock, the finishing touch
to this section’s “dream highway.”
Since the new road will cut
through undeveloped areas along
its route, it is expected that it will
have a beneficial effect on building
and will further stimulate the
growth of communities along its
course. ;
Even the civic groups which have
been urging the new road were a
little surprised this week at the
speed with which thé project has
been carried out. It took 12 years
to get the important Luzerne by-
pass. Local groups have been asking
for an improved Dallas-Tunkhan-
nock highway for many years, but
the present plan was not presented
until last September, at the program
at which the by-pass was dedicated.
One reason for the speed is be-
lieved to be the fact that Route 92
will make an important auxiliary
route from Wilkes-Barre to Tunk-
hannock from a military standpoint.
Paul Fiske's Truck
Damaged By Fire
Laing Fire Company responded
to an alarm from Parrish Heights on
Monday when Paul Fiske’'s truck
caught fire. The blaze ‘Was extin-
guished quickly and damage was
confined to wiring in the motor.
Dallas Firemen To Meet
Dr. Henry M. Laing Fire Company
of Dallas will meet tonight at 8 in
the hose house on Mill Street. Sev-
eral important committee reports
are to be heard.
MAN FISHING AT NOXEN SHOT
BY FRIEND AIMING AT TARGET
Francis Armbruster, 17, Wilkes-
Barre, was seriously wounded Wed-
nesday evening near Noxen by a
bullet from a gun a fishing compan-
ion was using for target practice.
Armbruster and two friends, Jo-
seph Mayock and Luke Nardone,
both of Wilkes-Barre, were fishing
along Bowman's Creek. Mayock
was with Armbruster, Nardone was
repairing a flat tire on their auto-
mobile.
When Nardone completed his job
he took a small calibre rifle from
the car and began shooting at a
target. One of the bullets lodged
in Armbruster’s back, about a half
an inch from his spine.
He was taken to Wyomir gz Val-
ley Homeopathic Hospital, where his
condition was reported to b= fair
yesterday. 4
According to State Motor Pa-
trolman Arthur Jones and Thomas
Coyne, who investigated the cese,
police are satisfied the shooting was
accidental.