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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1935)
t——— seen HEARD around the NATIONAL Capital jty Carter Field ^ Washington.—Typical of the sort •f thing that has made the Repub lican party in New York state. Im potent since the passing of Bill Barnes from its leadership Is the proposal of Charles Dewey Hllles to throw the Empire state delegation to Bertrand H. Snell. Most Republicans ngree thnt Snell would make an excellent President. He has force, character, and ability. He stays put. He takes advice, but without ever yield ing one inch on deep convictions, or .yielding to temporary expediency. Never a back-slapper, never a user of weasel words, he nevertheless fought his way up through thp house of representatives, and won the G. O. P. nomination for speak ershlp of thnt body against the whole strength of the Hoover ad ministration. And his rather thin following since 1032 hns never re gretted Its choice. But the whole point Is that no one, least of all Mr. Hllles, who proposes to commit the New York delegation to Snell, has the slight est Idea that the Repullcnn conven tlon will nominate the able New York representative. The whole purpose of giving this big dele gation to Snell Is to hold It away from Herbert Hoover, to hold It away from Senator Borah—even to hold It away from Colonel Knox— for the purpose of permitting an other smoke-filled room nomination reminiscent of 1020. It is good old Republican tra dition—Democratic tradition, too, for thnt matter, that a group of old party wheel-horses can sit around In a room and do much bet ter in picking a candidate than can either the voters In primaries or delegates In an untrnmmeled con vention. In fact, there la so much history to back It up that there seems to be some logic In the con tention. But it Is a tradition which would not have a chance this time If it were not for one thing—fear thnt Herbert Hoover will win the nom ination by pure force of lethargy. Hllles also wants to head off Borah. He was distinctly annoyed at the recent poll of the country and other leaders by Robert II. Lucns, which showed such surprising strength for the Idaho senator. It's an Old Feud This feud goes back to the days when William Howard Taft wns President, and Hllles was his sec retary. Borah had frequently re marked that Taft and Hllles wrecked the party. He still thinks so and Hllles knows It Hllles would not be consulted much If Bornh were in the White House. He knows thnt, too. Another phase of the’ situation is that a great mnny New York Republicans would prefer the nom ination of former Senator James W. Wadsworth, now a member of the house. Wadsworth, like Snell, has never equivocated about the New Deal. When It looked ns though opposing Roosevelt’s pro gram was little short of political suicide, Wadsworth always backed Snell In opposing It, not just by his vote, but by vigorous denunciation —in sharp contrast with the num ber of other Republicans who grace fully yielded to the storm. It so happens thnt neither one of these outstanding New Yorkers Is of the boss type. Else the story of the New York Republican fiasco in the last 15 yenrs might be very different. After the passing of Barnes, when New York had a Republican gov ernor, Whitman, and two Republic an senators, Calder and Wadsworth, there wns a considerable O. O. P. faction which wanted Wadsworth to be boss In Barnes’ place. An other faction backed Calder. Cold er wanted the job, Wadsworth didn’t He didn’t want to be both ered with it But while Calder went after it the stronger group, including Snell, bncked Wadsworth. Which resulted in there being no Republican boss In New York at all. Woman suffrage and prohibition divided the leaderless party. Cold er was defeated for re-election by Doctor Copeland, and In 102(1 Boh Wagner defeated Wadsworth. Then along came Roosevelt and Farley to build up the upstate Democratic organisation In the country sec tions, ns A1 Smith had already built it up In the cities. And now there Is a new compli cation. It looks ns though a new schism was about to divide the New York Republicans. Puzzling Problem What substitute for AAA—farm benefits and processing taxes—can the opposition to the New Deal of fer? That problem Is causing furrowed brows among wonld-be candidates on the Republican ticket against Franklin D. Roosevelt next year. It is also worrying the wheel-horses of the party—those that are left— the men who know they can never themselves carry the standards, but -- who like tremendously to feel that they are powers behind the throne. Such men, for example, as J. Henry Rorahack of Connecticut—the last of the old bosses. Such men as Dave Mulvane of Kansas used to be. Reliable reports from the farm belt Indicate that the Republicans must have some substitute—some thing that will satisfy the farm ers—If they are to have a chance In that part of the country. The re ports are Interesting for another reason. They indicate that it will not be difficult to enlist the farm ers against the New Deal If they are convinced they will fare Just as well without it. Apparently the farmers are not at all satisfied that the system, which Is now paying them hand some benefits In return for their crop restrictions, Is sound. What most of the farmsrs would really like would be to have all re strictions on production removed, nnd then have prices for all crops guaranteed by the government— prices that would yield them what they regard a decent return for their labor and the use of their land. Appeal to Farmers This sounds more uneconomic than even the present scheme. But it would appeal Infinitely more to the fanners, and curiously enough, It Is almost precisely what was of fered as a farm plank by For mer Gov. Frank O. Lowden of Illi nois, and which wns so tlntly re jected by Coolldge, Hoover and Mel lon. In short It amounts to the ex port debenture, with Its equaliza tion fee provision. The only differ ence Is that the equalization fee part of the scheme does not appeal much to the farmers. If any par ticular crop were very large, so that a heavy percentage of It had to be sacrificed nt a sharp loss on export snles, then the equalization fee might easily deprive the farm er of that fair price he craves. But the farmer Is a natural gam bler. lie has to be. He gambles on every crop he plants—against nature. And up to now on the mar ket price. The farm benefits for not rnlslng crops are virtually the first such thing the farmers of the world have ever had. Perhaps because of the trace of gambling which seems to be In every human being, this Is not the phase of AAA which nppenls most to him. Or nt least reports from all over the country Indicate that It is not. He wants to gnmble against nature —ngalnst surpluses of his crop from other countries competing In the world market. He wants the chance of an occasional killing with fat prices on a big crop on his land, even though that big price cnn be occasioned only by crop failures elsewhere. But while this la what he wants, he Is not going to give up the se curity he now has for the first time In the history of mankind for the mere privilege of gambling. And he will not vote that way. Want Longer Hours “Why doesn’t the government work us sixty hours a week and give us enough to live on?” Thnt Is the complaint of worker nfter worker on the famous I’nssn maquoddy tidal project, Just out side Kastport, Maine, and close to beautiful Campobello, where Presi dent Roosevelt loved to vncntlon years ago. "I work eight hours a dny, five days a week." one worker told the writer. “For thnt the government gives me $11 a week. I have to pay $10 a week for my hoard and room, so you see I have to be pret ty careful with that other dollar.' "It’s Just crazy,” said a garage worker, who was Intently listening. “The government ought to work these fellows ten hours a day, and six days a week. Then they would make some money. They could buy things. Isn’t thnt whnt we nre sup posed to be needing? “Don’t talk to me about the men needing the time for recreation. What do they do with their time off? Two days—they have—and they lay around the ends of the wharves and bum cigarettes from us nntlves. You see, they cnn’t afford to buy their own.” "But modern thought Is thnt a man ought not to work ns long ns sixty hours a week,” suggested the writer. “Sa.v, mister, we used to work sixty hours n week all the time, and we got along Just fine,” retorted the garnge worker. “But the government wnnts to take care of ns many men need ing work ns It cnn with the money It cnn afford to spend,” persisted the writer. “Isn’t Mint the best wav to do It?" ‘ >\ Hi, maybe It would bo better not to work them sixty hours,” con ceded the garage man, “hut certain ly they ought to get $2."> n week. Why, mister, lots of these chaps have wives. I know a lot of them who have three children. What do you think a man can do for a wife and three children on $11 a week? "Cold weather Is coming on. and these fellows will have to buy a lot of warm clothes. That dollar a week over hoard money, for the single ones, won’t go very far then." Eastport looks like a boom min ing town save for one thing—the money Isn’t Jingling. Men wnlk around the streets In mackinaws. High laced boots, sweaters and heavy fur caps give an Alaskan note to the picture. Hut there are no gambling hells. Cheap lunch rooms abound. They have to be cheap. e-WNU Servie* (Journey In Africa An East African Landscape. Prepared by National Geographic Society. Washington. U. C.—WNU Service. HICAGO 1* only a little more than 500 miles from Kansas — City—“a good day’s run” to many American motorists and of fering little change In scenery or people all the way. But the same number of miles from Kano, British Nigeria, In north central Africa, to N’Gulgml, near Lake Chad, is a Journey many days long and a con stantly changing pngeant of little known tribes and strange country. There's a thin, white little road stretching 200 miles north from Kano across the hard sands to Zln der, first post In French territory. From Zlnder caravan trails fan out into all parts of the Sudan, one leading straight east to N’Gulgml, at the northwest corner of Lake Chad, 22 days by camel from Zin der, and thence north and ertst of the lake to Mao, Abeche (Abeshr), and the Anglo-Egyptlan Sudan. The eastward trail leads Into the country of the Tuareg, noted for the veils worn by the men over the lower parts of their faces. The Tuareg, reputedly one of the most warlike of African tribes, are thought to be descendants of Ber bers who were driven southward into the desert when the Arabs swept across North Africa In the Eleventh century, though some au thorities date their emergence as a distinct people a good deal farther back thnn that. Among the Tuareg. After the French announced in 181)0 that they owned that part of Africa, they sent expeditions gal loping out from time to time to ex plain things to the Tuareg, and the Tuarez promptly sent them gallop ing back with a lance point at the seat of each man’s breeches. In course of time the French tired of this form of playfulnes and sent oOt big enough expeditions to put a stop to It. There are five main tribes, or con federations, of the Tuareg, and they occupy In a sketchy manner, with their camps and flocks, about 1,500,000 square miles In the west ern Sahara, centering northeast of Timbuktu. But they ore great nomads, and small hnnds sometimes wander as far to the east as the Wadal (French Ouadal) region of French Kquatorial Africa. In the Tuareg country stands Goure, typical of those French posts scattered across the southern fringe of the Sahara—a square-cut crown of grim clay battlements, often sev eral acres In extent, rising out of a mountain of gray sand; always a native village at the bottom, and a big natural basin, with several wells, the village cotton and millet patches, spreading palms and paw paw trees, and the fort garden. The garden Is always the show place of the post—on the rare occa sions when there Is someone to show It to—and no wonder. In a land where the vegetation Is limited al most exclusively to thorn trees ex cept In the basins. Here In these grim clay outposts of the white man's authority In the Sudan may be found one French man or perhaps two or three, in command of a corps of native sol diers. The Isolation Is almost com plete, except for the passing at rare intervals of other Frenchmen on their way to or from more distant forts. The term of service Is three years; then a year to recover one's reason In France, ltut with antelope and guinea fowl dotting the hills, and a dozen native prisoners to tend und Irrigate his garden, the French ottirer In the Sudan at least doesn't have to go hungry. Cuvettes of Lake Chad Region. Goure is Inhabited mostly by the Manga, who subsist largely on the red millet so characteristic of the Sudan, eating the grain In the form of couscous, or porridge, and build ing their circular huts of the stalks. The cuvette. In which are located the village and the fort garden. Is otherwise occupied entirely by mil let, tobacco, cotton, and vegetable plantations. In the cuvettes south of Goure are salt marshes and sodium carbonate or natron, depos its which the natives work by prim itive methods, exporting the prod ucts to Kano. Those cuvettes are the most strik ing topographical features of the Lake t'hacl Imsln. They are deep depressions In the sand, ranging in length from a few hundred foot to three or four miles, and usually are oval or circular in shape. The floor, smooth ami almost level, is fre quently of that heavy, black soil |H*culiar to the Sudan and which Is known to the natives as “firkl." It Is excellent for cotton, millet and other crops, but cracks Into sections with crevasses several inches across during the dry season and Is very hard for animals (or motorcycles!) to travel over. Au thorities differ as to the origin of the cuvettes. Some ascribe them to subterranean infiltration from Lake Chad. Others say that the firki soil was originally the floor of an ancient, much-extended Lake Chad, buried by the sand and later uncovered in the cuvettes by ero sion. Even though the surrounding dunes be perfectly bare, there are grass and trees in the cuvettes, the dum palm being a characteristic feature of the landscape. Water Is usually only a few feet, sometimes only a few inches, below the floor, and one frequently finds a pool, or small lake, at the lowest point. Sometimes the water Is fresh, some times Impregnated with salt or sodium carbonate. The salt in this region Is bitter and acrid, but the Inhabitants like it. Plenty of Game and Cattle. Beyond Goure the route eastward veers south into the broad, flat val ley of the Komaduga (a word mean ing “river”) Yobe, the largest west ern affluent of Lake Chad. The country is a paradise for game. Stately cranes and marabou storks stand in the shallows and scoop up fish with their bills. Flocks of blue herons flap out of the trees and sail away toward the sunset, and attending these feath ered royalties are the smaller va rieties In squads and battalions. In this country are villages or the Kanurl, who are cattle-raisers. The main body of the Kanurl In habit Bornu province, southwest of Lake Chad and the Komaduga Yobe. They are desert people who came south long ago and mixed with the negro tribes of Bornu, and the name “Beriberi" (Berber?), given them by their neighbors, the Ilausa, possibly indicates that they Were once much lighter-skinned than at present. During part of the Six teenth century their empire was known as one of the most powerful in central Africa, but their political power and talent have waned. Beyond, at N’Guigmi a fort crowns a high sand dune, and at the base is a Kanembu village of tall reed huts shaped like inverted Ice-cream cones, each compound surrounded by a fence, also of reeds. From N’Guigmi there is a well-traveled caruvan route north to the oases of Agndem, Bilma, and Kaouar, and the inhabitants of the town mnke a living by trade, cotton and millet culture, and the working of salt and natron deposits. A few are cattle-raisers. The women wear big silver earrings and do their hair up with liquid butter, or ghee. Lake Chad Covered by Plants. Nearby is huge Lake Chad. It could almost be said of Lake Chad that it has no shore line. One can follow its edge many miles without a sight of open water. The whole lake may be only three inches deep for all that can be seen of it. In fact, it probably would be nec essary to wade out a good long dis tance In order to see anything dif ferent. For the Urst 10 or 15 miles there is nothing but a continuation of this vast wilderness of wild mil let and water plants, growing six feet high in three to 20 Inches of water. Then there is a mysterious labyrinth of swampy little islands Most of the islands In the lake are inhabited by a curious people called the Buduma. And they are Just as isolated from the rest of the world as if they lived on an other planet. They go paddling about that mysterious little uni verse astride their “water horses," catching fish, snaring water-fowl, and pirating their neighbors, and they have neither knowledge nor curiosity regarding what goes on outside their swamps and Islands. The Buduma are thought by some to be a remnant of the an cient Kanembu, who took refuge In Lake Chad. They live in vil lages of carelessly constructed reed huts and have little culture worth mentioning. Their “water horse” la mereTy a log of the nmhash (ambaelt) tree, which grows In profusion on the Islands of Lake Chad and Is almost ns light as cork. Some of the islanders also lash bundles of reeds together to make canoes and barges of considerable Moating capacity. BETRAYING EYES Criminals have been known to ob literate their tell-tale fingerprints by means of surgical operations, and they have taken a leaf from the ueauty specialists by having their faces lifted. But an American doc tor has now perfected a method in which the veins covering the whites >f the eyes take the place of the fin ;erprint It has been proved that these r “retinal patterns" are as Individual to each person as fingerprint pat terns. 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