NATIONAL
AFFAIRS
Reviewed by
CARTER FIELD
Congress believes that the
real Roosevelt plans are not
included in his messages ...
Foreign diplomats amazed
at the character of the com
ment that greeted the mes
sage . . . Senator 7 aft's
speech is expected to plague
the administration.
WASHINGTON. — Congress ex
pects a new rabbit to pop out of the
Roosevelt nat. it
| Isn't for a moment
j convinced that the
\ President laid all
I his cards on the ta
| ble in his message
| an "The State of the
I Union," or in his
| budget figures. It
I believes he is wait
H Ing the psychologi
(cal moment. There
is more time in
The President which for hlm *°
turn around this
year than has ever been the case
In the past, because the national
conventions are to be later this
year, by at least a month, than they
have been for many years.
Whether he runs himself, or in
tends to name his successor—and
there Is no dissent whatever from
the contention that he wishes to do
one or the other—he has not laid
the groundwork in these first mes
sages.
Just what is planned by the Presi
dent nobody knows except the Pres
ident himself, assuming he has
made up his mind. He is talking
about a lot of plans to different
groups of advisers, but, as usual, not
even the members of these intimate
groups know whether he is really
favoring their plan or some other.
His enthusiasm in such conferences
has always been unbounding. Par
ticipants for the first few times are
always convinced that they have
completely sold the "Chief." But if
they continue long in the inner cir
cle they gradually learn to discount
this enthusiasm. They learn that
the President is interested in almost
everything, and perfectly willing to
delve in an exhaustive manner into
the details of some scheme which
he will decide not to follow.
Hear About Various Plans,
But There Is No Certainty
So there is no way of being sure
what the rabbit will be this time,
and senators and representatives do
not profess to have any certainty,
though they keep hearing about va
rious plans. But they are mighty
sure that, with his often demonstrat
ed resourcefulness, Roosevelt is not
going to make his fight to dominate
the Democratic National convention
and win the election on the issues
stated in his message.
His defense of trade treaties, not
only for their economic value but
as a barrier to wars, and especially
as an answer to the demands of the
have-not nations for colonies, etc.,
was expected. It has been known
for weeks that he would fight for this,
and that renewal of the power to
make these reciprocal trade agree
ments would be one of the tough
fights of this session of congress.
But there is nothing new in his
messages on which to carry the
New Deal forward, as members of
congress see it. This can be inter
preted, as they view it, in only two
ways. Either he has no idea—which
is almost impossible to conceive of
such a fertile brain—or he does not
intend to inject any new controver
sial issue at this particular time.
There is even some skepticism
about the amount of space the Presi
dent devoted to arguments for con
tinuance of the trade-agreement pol
icy. It Is true that this is the out
standing fight in plain sight as con
gress opens. But some shrewd ob
servers believe that the President
purposely stressed it for another
reason—to divert attention from the
fact that he is not proposing any
new plan for curing the ills of the
country, of which the most outstand
ing is unemployment
Message Has Varied Meaning
For Foreign Diplomats
Foreign diplomats in Washington
are amazed at the character of the
comment that has greeted President
Roosevelt’s message to congress.
As they see it, the most important
parts of the message have been al
most ignored. So interested are
they about it that many have con
ferred with colleagues, wondering if
their knowledge of the English lan
guage, or rather the blind spots
which occur when a person learns
a new language, have caused them
to misinterpret it.
It is rather obvious, for instance,
that the German embassy here
wired its government that the Pres
ident was determined to have a
place at the peace conference table.
Inspired stories printed in Germany
and allowed to be sent out of the
country by the censors have com
mented on this phase.
The German reaction is that
Roosevelt is anxious to bring pres
sure to bear at the peace table to
prevent too harsh terms being im
posed on the defeated Britain and
France!
But this point does not Interest
the diplomats nearly so much as
what they believe to be an intention
on the part of President Roosevelt
to further inflame this country
against Germany and Russia. They
are mildly shocked at the "lack of |
diplomacy" he showed in pointing
out to the American people that it
is of vital concern to this country
that the rest of the world should
not be governed by such rulers as
Stalin and Hitler, particularly bis in
sistence that it would affect even
domestic affairs in this country.
Thoughts Behind Words Not
Criticized by Diplomats
The diplomats are particularly ex
cited about this sentence from the
President’s address: “For it be
comes clearer and clearer that the
future world will be a shabby and
dangerous place to live in—even for
Americans to live in if it is ruled
by force in the hands of a few.”
And they were almost as much in
terested in this one: "We must look
ahead and see the effect of our own
future if all the small nations
throughout the world have their in
dependence snatched from them or
become mere appendages to rela
tively vast and powerful military
systems."
And also: "We must look ahead
and see the effect on our future gen
erations if world trade is controlled
by any nation or group of nations
which sets up that control through
military force."
There is no quarrel on the part of
most of the diplomats, it should be
stated, with the thoughts behind
these words. Naturally the repre
sentatives of the smaller countries
at Washington are in hearty accord
with them. Naturally also the Brit
ish and French are delighted, and
the Finns exuberant. In fact, only
the Germans and Russians are dis
pleased.
That is not the point. The point
is that they interpret the message
as Roosevelt promising congress
and the country solemnly that this
country is going to keep out of the
war, and then in the same breath
saying words—almost irrefutable
words, as they see them—which are
inclined to pave the way to this coun
try going into the war on the side of
Britain and France and Finland.
Dewey’s Speech Gets
Under President's Shin
There is no doubt that the much
talked about Minneapolis speech of
Thomas E. Dewey
got further under
President Roose
velt’s skin than any
recent public utter
ance. Evidence of
this is the devotion
of two paragraphs
in the President’s
‘‘state of the union”
address to congress
answering Dewey’s
charge of “defeat
Senator Taft lsm
But it was the
Chicago speech of Senator Robert
A. Taft of Ohio which will cause
more immediate trouble for the ad
ministration.
Dewey’s attack hurt because it
was the first time any critic had
painted such a simple picture of the
hopelessness of the New Deal pol
icies. Its effect, presuming the line
of attack is continued, are feared
on the electorate, and In the elec
tion itself.
Taft’s criticisms, on the other
hand, are apt to plague the admin
istration during the session of con
gress now sitting. At once New
Dealers realized the danger. They
rushed out chapter and verse of the
answers to Taft—the impossibility
of achieving the particular cuts he
mentioned—the dire political conse
quences if these particular items are
eliminated, or even reduced.
However, the actual merit of the
particular cuts that Senator Taft
suggested are not so important as
the stirring up at all of the discus
sion. Best opinion here is that
Taft did not help his own candi
dacy by voicing them. To advocate
any particular cut, in the nature of
things, is to antagonize a certain
group in the electorate.
The trouble, from the New Deal
standpoint, is that Taft has set an
example. Not an example that will
be followed by other candidates for
the Republican nomination.
Seeks to Divert Fear of
Bankruptcy and Inflation
It must be borne in mind that the
essence of the Roosevelt strategy to
divert the fear of bankruptcy and
inflation from this campaign, and
hence to remove fear that the budget
will not be balanced shortly, is the
new tax bill. It is not big, in pro
portion, but it must be had if fear
is to be removed.
Well, congress doesn’t want to
vote new taxes. It is not inclined
to make an issue of it, but it just
doesn’t intend to do it. Hence all
the talk about budget studies by a
special congressional committee—a
committee that would report in 60
days, true But what will it report?
And even if it did advocate specific
taxes, does anyone believe there
would not be a minority report?
No, the whole thing is a scheme
to defer the evil day. Which is
all right from the standpoint of the
individual members of congress whc
must face election this fall, and most
of them renomination before that
but is distinctly not all right from
the standpoint of a New Deal wish
ing to avoid alarming the country
about the national debt and inflation
until after next November.
(Bell Syndicate—WNU Service.)
I-‘BEST FRIEND’
Seeing Eye Dogs Bring Light
To America’s Legion of Blind
Throughout the United, States, more than 450 bliml men and
women go to school, hold jobs and manage households because edu
cated dogs from the Seeing Eye school at Morristoum, N. J.. walk by
their sides constantly to guide them. Here’s how they work:
Seeing Eye dogs take three
months to learn their new job. A
typical problem is shoivn here:
Although given the command
“Forward" the dog (above) sees
danger, stops, turns his master
around, takes him into the street
to avoid the manhole and then
(right), back on the sidewalk. It
takes weeks of patient training to
teach the dogs such tricks, but
they learn their lessons well.
Each class of ten blind stu
dents spends four weeks at the
school in Morristoum, being
instructed by sighted tutors
under actual traffic condi
tions. The instructor (left) is
showing the girl how to
her dog's warning “checu
upon reaching the curb. If
there is any sign of danger,
the dog will wait until a clear
path is open, then proceed
across the street.
Shown with Buddy II (inset) is Morris S. Frank, vice president
of the school and the first person to have a guide dog in this coun
try. His first dog. Buddy I, who died recently, was trained in Suitz
erland in 1928 by Mrs. Harrison Etistis, founder of the Seeing Eye.
Each graduate is protected from “going blind again" by a special
fund to provide replacements.
Imperial Roman Army
Had Own ‘Maginot Line'
ROME—Imperial Rome once held
back the menace of savage German
tribesmen with a predecessor of the
Maginot line. The ancient fortified
line was on what is now German
s il. however, and was located con
r derably to the cast of the present
French defenses.
The Roman line, known then and
since as the Limes Rnmanus, start
ed at the village of Rhembrohl on
the Rhine, about 20 miles below
Coblenz and on the opposite bank
of the river. It ran 200 miles over
hills and through valleys, with its
other end at Eining on the Danube.
Thus it protected the Roman terri
tory on the interlacing headwaters.
The Limes Romanus consisted
simply of a strong timber palisade
when it was first laid out. Later, at
the end of the Second century A. D.,
the palisade was replaced by a con
tinuous earthen wall, reinforced at
intervals by stone towers.
I
Bloodstained Van
Indicates Murder;
Can’t Find a Body
Scotland Yard Detectives
Stunned by Unusual
Discovery.
LONDON.—Murder of a person
unknown by a person unknown.
That, in brief, was Scotland
Yard’s summing up of a mystery
which, from insignificant begin
nings, appears to Englishmen to
have developed into a major crime.
The detectives now engaged in the
; investigation are working entirely in
| the dark.
Their job is to discover first the
whereabouts and identity of some
individual—man, woman, boy or
girl—beaten to death in a stolen de
livery van, and then to find the
guilty party.
Very Little Is Known.
The established facts are few and
simple.
One day a small blue delivery
van, mounted on a seven horse pow
er Austin chassis, was missed from
a garage at Hampton Wick.
Two days later the truck was
found abandoned miles away in the
! country. It was restored, apparent
ly intact, to its owner.
Before the truck went into daily
use again it was given a casual ex
amination.
Then for the first time it was dis
covered that the floor boards and
sides were smeared and bespattered
with blood. Analysis proved it to
be human blood. Further investiga
tion disclosed a quantity of human
brains on the driver’s seat.
Yard Has Theory.
From the facts at hand this tenta
tive theory was deduced:
The victim, either driver or com
panion, was first struck a shattering
blow or blows on the head so that
the skull was crushed.
Then he (or she) was dragged to
the back of the truck to be dumped
at some spot safe from immediate
discovery.
The murderer hesitated, probably
because he detected some dying
movement in his victim.
He struck again.
That seemed plain from another
big patch of blood near the tailboard
and more reddish brown splashes at
the edges of the sides.
That must have been the end, for
the body then appears to have been
dragged over the back of the truck
and lodged for a moment against
the spare wheel, because that also
bears unmistakable traces of blood.
There, for the moment, the detec
tives are up against a dead end.
They must indulge in much specu
lation and deduction before they
pick up the trail again.
16-Year-Old Boy Breaks
10 Laws—No, Make It 11
NEWARK, N. J.—Vincent Rispoli,
16 years old, of Newton, N. J., was
arrested on charges of driving with
out a license, passing 12 traffic
lights, driving on the wrong side of
the street, endangering human life,
reckless driving, speeding, driving
on the sidewalk, leaving the scene
of an accident, operating a stolen
car, and not heeding the commands
of an officer.
Then it was discovered that Rispo
li escaped from the Jamesburg re
formatory on Saturday. He was
serving an indeterminate sentence
for stealing an automobile. So the
charge of being a fugitive was added
to the list.
Working Wife Is Ordered
To Support Invalid Mate
MONTREAL.—If a wife has mon
ey and her husband has none, she
must support him, Judge Forest
ruled in superior court, as he or
dered Mrs. Gustave Valdemar
Stridh to pay her husband $10 a
month.
Stridh had sought an allowance of
$50 a month, stating that since Feb
ruary, 1935, he had been suffering
from heart trouble. In 1936 the
wife left the common domicile and
secured employment as a masseuse.
In this capacity, evidence showed,
she earned $50 a month and tips.
Two Brothers United by
News of Train Mishap
SEATTLE. WASH.—A train mis
hap ended a 30-year-separation of
Fred W Devaney, 56, Seattle, and
his brother, Philip Devaney. of near
by Bremerton.
Fred fell under the wheel of a
train and was taken to a hospital.
His brother read an account of the
mishap.
Although Bremerton is only a few
miles from Seattle, they had not
seen each other since 1909.
Plots to Wreck Train
To See What Happens
GRAND JUNCTION. COLO —Dis
trict Attorney William F Haywood
said a 16-year-old youth attempted
to wreck a passenger train 25 miles
west of here "I just wanted to
see what would happen,” Haywood
quoted the boy as saying after his
arrest
Suicide Helplessly Watched
MOUNTAIN VIEW. CALIF.-Mrs.
Mae Moody, helpless to interfere be
cause of infirmities, was forced to
sit in her room and watch her neigh
bor, Elmer H. Rogers, commit sui
cide by shooting himself through
| the heart.
:—: ~ Z Z -
Farm
Topics |
LAYING FLOCKS
REQUIRE WATER
Warm Supply Is Necessary
During Colder Months.
By C. F. FARRISH
Farmers and other interested per
sons—prepare for somewhat of a
shock: About 66 per cent of an egg
is water! That doesn’t mean that
eggs are not one of the best foods,
but it does mean that the kind and
amount of water a hen drinks is
highly important.
For this reason the extension divi
sion of the North Carolina State col
lege recommends the warming of
drinking water for the laying flock
during the winter and early spring
months. It is well to remember
that egg production will be greatly
reduced and Old Man Winter will
dip heavily into your egg profits if
you permit drinking fountains to
freeze over, or the water to become
so cold the birds refuse to drink
liberally.
There are a number of heated
fountains on the market that will
operate for about a week on a quart
of kerosene. However, he said that
a homemade device may be utilized
if care is taken to make it fireproof.
The only materials needed to make
it are an old tin tub, sand, a few
rough boards, and a kerosene lamp.
The tub is inverted on a bed of
sand spread one inch deep over the
area to be occupied by the device.
Holes are made in the side of the
tub to permit the escape of fumes
and the entrance of oxygen. A plat
form is built over the tub and the
container of water placed on the plat
form. The lighted lamp is put un
der the tub.
Flock owners are urged to protect
the hens against cold, wind and snow
by covering the cracks in the ends
and sides of the laying house with
strips of wood or heavy paper. A
six-inch dry-litter on the floor makes
the house more comfortable for the
layers. Workable curtains on
frames that move up and down in
a track over the front of the laying
house is also to be commended.
These curtains should be held out
about two inches from the wire front
by the track so that they will not
interfere with the ventilation.
‘Strip Cropping’ Rotation
Keeps Moisture in Soil
Strip cropping combined with crop
rotation adds up to “strip rotation,”
a method of saving soil and saving
moisture that works well in many
farming areas. The soil conserva
tion service gives actual compari
sons as worked out on experimental
plots at the Pennsylvania State col
lege farm in an area where erosion
and gullying are not nearly so se
rious as in many farm regions.
In corn plots cultivated up and
down hill for three years there was
an annual soil loss averaging 43 tons
to the acre yearly. By running the
corn rows across the slope the loss
was cut in half. In both cases three
crops of corn in succession reduced
fertility.
By strip rotation in the plots—
planting corn rows across the slope
and further breaking the slope with
cross strips of close-growing hay
crops to catch and strain out the
soil that starts from the cultivated
strips—the soil loss was cut to one
twenty-fifth, a ton and a half a year
instead of 43 tons. The water loss
was only about one-fourth that from
the all-corn plots. When the strips
were plowed in as a part of the rota
tion, the roots and tops helped to
restore organic matter and main
tain fertility.
Clipping Dairy Cows
Probably the most important fac
tor in keeping cows clean is clipping
the hair short. Manure and other
sources of bacteria naturally cling
to long hair. A clipped cow is ob
viously much more easily and quick
ly cleaned. Clip the long hairs from
the udders, flanks and tail in order
that dirt may not cling to them. One
hair, if it falls into the milk, may
add as many as 30,000 bacteria.
Because much of this dirt is solu
ble and dissolves in the milk, it can
not be strained out.
Rural Briefs
Insects caused $187,500,000 damage
to crops in India last year.
• • »
An old tire casing makes a good
guard cover for a buzz saw.
• • *
Loss from soil erosion in the
United States is put at $400,000,000
a year.
• • •
Powdered limestone is used by
some cattle feeders to cut down trou
ble with bloat.
• • •
One farmer in three has an in
come from non-farm sources, ac
cording to a special United States
census bureau report.
• • •
Old hens with bright yellow beaks
and shanks should go into the cook
ing pot instead of the laying house.
Layers draw on the color in their
beaks and shanks to produce the
j yellow of egg yolk.
Make an Heirloom
Crazypatch Quilt
'•By RUTH WYETH SPEARS
T'HE oldest of quilt designs is
j A the crazypatch, yet there is
something amazingly modern in
its angular lines. A variety of em
broidery stitches join the pieces,
of plain and figured silks. Sev
eral colors of silk embroidery
thread are generally used. When
a number of patches have been
basted in place, sew them down
to the foundation with the embroid
ery stitches and then remove the
bastings. The backing is tied to
the front with silk embroidery
thread as comforters are tied.
Little or no padding may be used.
NOTE: Mrs. Spears has pre
pared patterns and directions for
making three of her favorite Early
American Quilt Blocks which she
will mail upon receipt of name
and address and 10 cents coin to
cover cost. Her Sewing Booklet
No. 2 contains illustrations for 42
embroidery stitches suitable for
patch work quilts; also pattern
with directions for making the
framed picture embroidery
sketched on the wall in illustration
above. Also numerous gift items:
mittens, neck ties; bags; table
decorations; and 5 ways to repair
fabrics. To get this book, send
10 cents in coin to Mrs. Spears,
Drawer 10, Bedford Hills, New
York.
HOUSEHOLD
QUESTIONS
>—
Frozen Meat. — Meat thawed
quickly is likely to be tough. Keep
frozen meat in warm place be
fore cooking.
• * *
Two coats of thin shellac give a
hardwood floor a much better fin
ish than one thick one. First coat
must be thoroughly dried before
second is applied.
* ♦ •
Easy to Remove Stopper.—Dip
the stopper of a mucilage bottle in
paraffin before putting it into the
bottle and it will not stick.
• • *
Delicious Salad Dressing.—One
teaspoon of chopped maraschino
cherries and one tablespoon of
orange juice, added to boiled salad
dressing, makes a delicious dress
ing for fruit salads.
♦ ♦ *
A porous pot allows water to
evaporate and this is a bad fea
ture in warm dry houses. Plants
in clay pots tend to develop a root
system between the soil and the
pot with very few roots in the
soil itself.
• • *
Save Christmas Cards.—Little
folks can spend many a happy
hour cutting out figures from
Christmas cards. Instruct them
to leave a small flap on the bot
tom of each figure, flap to be fold
ed over, permitting figure to stand
up.
• • •
Sift the Flour.—Flour has a
tendency to pack down, especially
fine wheat flour. One may easily
put as much as an extra cup of
flour in a recipe if it is not sifted
before measuring.
H0KE NERVES?
Cranky? Restless? Can’t sleep? Tire easily?
Worried due to female functional disorders?
Then try Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable \
Compound famous for over 60 years in
helping Buch weak, rundown, nervous
women. Sfarf todayt
Virtue’s Resources
Virtue has resources buried in
itself which we know not of till
the invading hour calls them from
their retreats.—Bulwer.
HEADACHE?
Here is Amazing Relief of
Conditions Due to Sluggish Bowels
Udrni-kmxh sraeia trss
all vegetable laxative.
So mild, thorough, refreshing, invigorating. De
pendable relief from sick headaches, bilious spells,
tired feeling when associated with constipation.
f%;_ i. a 25c box of NR from your
vVlinOUI luSK druggist. Make the test—then
If not delighted, return the box to us. We wilL
refund the purchase
|BHiRCMMil
j[ —that will save you many a
<[ dollar will escape you if
< | you fail to read carefully and <’
j; regularly the advertising of <►
<; local merchants » » » !►
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