The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 8

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19J9 DES MOINES REGISTER. PAGE EIGHT bilization, and the Dutch neutral' How to Keep F.D.R. on the Job Puhiiahad avtry wHk day morning by I THE REGISTER AND TRIBUNE CO, 713-715 Locuat St. Put Him in Cabinet of Diagonal Road Justified (An editorial by T. W.

Purcett in the Hampton Chronicle,) There was plenty of evidence recently that the paved diagonal road from Marshalltown to Dea Moines waa fully justified, and that the judgment of the state highway commission In building that road met the approval of hundreds and hundreds of persona from northeast Iowa points, who traveled to Dei Molnea on account of the state teachers convention. Besides the extra travel there waa the regular line of traffic which covers that route every day In the week. There was a howl about thia road when it was first started, but before it waa completed Its value became apparent to a lot of persons, and since then Just about everybody has been sold on it value. Nov. 3 there was a string of cars going over that road clear from Marshalltown to Dea Moines which at most spots along the way resembled a long procession, so numerous were the cars.

The shorter road saved car driver a lot of gasoline, a quicker route to Des Moines, and above all, while we are talking about safety, a much safer traffic lane. It reduced the travel over No. 30 and No. 65 and No. 69 from Marshalltown, Colo and Ames to Dea Moines by hundreds of cars, and thereby greatly reduced the chance of possible serious and fatal accidents.

From most every other corner of the state there is sort of a semi-diagonal road into Des Moines, but none from northeast Iowa, until thla road waa built The road haa proved its value from every standpoint and it Is an evidence of the far seeing vision of the members of the state highway commission and Fred White, its chief engineer. Snterad at the oontoffte la Dea Molnea, ae Kcoaa aaaa raauar. (Th IWl MolnM Laadar, KitaDliahed in 1S4H.) (The Iowa Slate Ri gUter, EeuMiahed In I KI PWCHIPTION RATKS. PAYABLE IS ADVANCE. Pally Rtwr On year, Ie Moinea Tnburw One year, 8.

Sunday jusitm 0n year, BY MAIL OUTSIDE IOWA. Daily Remiter -na year, 7. I Moniea Tribune -One year, 7. Sunday Kegliler One year, i. WEDNKSDAY.

NOV. 15, 13B. OCTOBER UKCI I.ATIO.N, ET PA10, Daily RKTmBUNK 302,891 Daily Rittr 152." Daily Tribune 140,041 0 DBS MOINES 4 COO Sunday keoistk.r oai.so III DM Molnea. Refiner ei lUmater. anrf Trlbuna.

93. 331 a annav ltealater Member ef Tba AtMMlalr4 Preea, Prena la antlllad excltr mihlirallnn nf all newf Jianitchei credited lo It In thia paper and SKId herein. Rlsh" of ray of all otner mauer ira'i paper ra alao reiamea. A Bureau of Accuracy and Fair Play organized to assure in every cane prompt and tmmeauite alien tion to any complaint i maintained by The Register. It in open every day except Sunday, 'ine Ken- inter will gladly correct any errors THE "COLD LONG? It is the almost unanimous opln Jon of informed observers that the Nazis cannot safely risk a winter of "cold war." On the material Folly of Low Country Invasion aide, while German resources in the way of essential wartime supplies may be adequate for the moment, the British and French are almost certain to acquire a gradually in His Successor.

JOHNSON, ADAMS. They served in congress after leaving the White House. he seems physically as well- equipped to carry the burden of the presidency a he was in March, 1933. Persona who have been close to him for years assert frankly that in their opinion he would not enjoy more than a few months of respite from active participation in public life. No Other Alternative.

That being so, it Is argued, Mr. Roosevelt's successor, if a Demo crat might as well invite Mr. Roosevelt to remain on the ground in Washington. There are two precedents for an ex-presldent's accepting a humbler public post. John Quln-cy Adams ran for, and was elected to, the house of representatives.

Perhaps half-jestful-ly, Mr. Roosevelt once Intimated that after leaving the White House he would like to be elected to the house (the representative of his district Is Hamilton Fish). Andrew Johnson was elected to the senate from Tennessee after his stormy part-term as president. For the acceptance of a cabinet post by an ex-president there is no precedent. That is one more reason why a number of political observers In Washington (includ ing some of the younger men in his administration), think that Mr.

Roosevelt might respond to the idea of becoming his successor's secretary of state or secretary of the nsWy. The navy is his old stamping ground. The details of administration are handled by the high command, so that Mr. Roose velt would be free of exasperat ing routine. State Department.

The state department would entail graver responsibilities, but would be easy after eight years In the presidency during which Mr. Roosevelt has been, on major affairs, his own secretary of state. Far-fetched and Impracticable as It may seem, the notion that Mr. Roosevelt should serve in the cabinet of his successor is an effort to reconcile the opposition to a third term, sincerely held by many who approve generally of his policies as well as by those who do not, with the inescapable fact that he la too young, too energetic, too vividly interested in public affairs to be relegated In 1941 to the quiet role of an elder statesman. ReKlater and Tribune Syndicate.

RATE OF SAP. (Richmond Tlmea Dlapatch.) A science note tells us that sap travels in some trees at the rate of eight inches a minute. And runs into them at 72 miles an hour, pop WW LL LJ Plan Would By Ernest Lindley. WASHINGTON, D. An In genious plan for keeping Franklin D.

Roosevelt on active duty In lX'aoViarto-trvn aftop January, while escaping the third-term controversy, Is being bruited In Washington. It is simply this: Mr. Roose-velt will serve In the cabinet of his a assuming that successor is a Democrat), as LiNDi.Ei. either secretary of state or secretary of the navy. At the appropriate hour within the next few months he will open the way for this arrangement by re moving himself irrevocably from Fatal to Hitler's Aims.

character of the ultimate settle ment. Rhine As a Frontier. If for the second time in a generation, the Low Countries aKe in vaded by German armies in order to outflank the French defenses and threaten the security of Great Britain, the German people must not be astonished if men reach the conclusion that the only satisfactory frontier on the west is the Rhine. That has always been the opinion of the French army. But British opinion, and In 1919 American opinion, refused to let the French adopt so drastic a method of in suring themselves against another invasion.

It seems to me less probable that there could be a negotiated peace after The Netherlands had been invaded. Just as the Russians are making a strategic frontier to hold Ger many at bay in the east of Europe, so in all human probability would the Allies make such a frontier In the west Reaction In America. What is more, once the horrors ul aul:" ucc" VK'VK trated against The Netherlands and Belgium, there will be little ef fective sentiment left in this country to oppose the Allies if they make their own strategic security the first condition of peace. This is not the kind of peace we should like to see; it is not the kind of peace which could give Europe tranquillity. But It might be the only kind of peace which is possible.

The pact with Stalin was an irreparable act which, for as long a time as one can see ahead, will alter the whole position of Germany in eastern and central Eu rope. The Invasion of the Low Gauntries would be another irreparable act w'hlch would, Inevitably I think, alter' the whole position of western Europe for a long time to come. The consequences of the Russian affair will outlast Hitler and Hit-lerism, and so would the consequences of another invasion of one or both of trie Low Countries. (Coprleht. 1939.) vi- 1 1 this consideration for a third term.

At the same time he will reaffirm his profound Interest In seeing that his policies are carried forward and declare hi readiness to re main actively in the public service, at least during this period of in ternational crisis. How Plan Would Work. The plain Inference would then be sketched by others: If the Democratic presidential nominee and the national platform are satisfactory to Mr. Roosevelt he will not only support them during the campaign but, if invited, will give them active aid as a member of the cabinet The state and navy portfolios are mentioned for rather obvious reasons. Both imply that Mr.

Roosevelt's participation in his successor's cabinet would be primarily as an adviser on the vital question or our relations to an extremely troubled world. The parentage of the scheme) Is dubious. In well-informed circles close to the president, the whole idea is received with skepticism. Many of the New Dealers are still hopeful that Mr. Roosevelt can be "drafted" for a third term in the White House, and are not disposed to consider any alternatives, especially one which seems to offer as many obstacles as this one.

The practical politicians and administrators In the Roosevelt group, on whom the idea has been tried, point at once to the difficulties. With the best will and severest restraint on both sides, it is argued, such close association, day by day, would hardly be tolerable for either the ex-presldent or the new president. The ex-president would almost certainly be called upon, by those who have access to him, to exert his Influence not only on major policy but on hundreds of small matters on which he made decisions while in the White House. The new president would almost certainly find hia hands tied. Unquestionably, the ex-president's views would outweigh those of all other members of the cabinet and perhaps those of the new president, who would be advertised to the country as Just a Charlie McCarthy.

Advice From Hyde Park. As an ex-president sitting in Hyde Park, Mr. Roosevelt undoubtedly would be called upon for advice by a Democratic successor, especially If the successor should be a man of his own selection. But presumably the advice sought from him would be that which is expected from an older statesman. It would be limited, in general, to matters of major policy.

The whole Idea that Mr. Roosevelt might serve in the cabinet of a successor might be written off as a phantasy If it did not harmonize with a few salient facts. The first Is that Mr. Roosevelt is too alert, too vigorous, too keenly Interested In details of certain parts of his program to be satisfied with a passive role In American public affairs. The strain of the day-to-day work in the White House is terrific "beyond anybody's capacity to describe it.

Undoubtedly, as he has often said, Franklin D. Roosevelt longs at times for the moment when he can escape this strain. But, he is still In his prime; and, after a brief vacation, creasing superiority, relatively. The ending of the United States embargo on military supplies will contribute to this shift of power. There is no indication that Russia is going to be able to contribute iubstantially to German needs.

And despite some sensational successes against the British mer- chant'fleet by German submarines the score in this respect appears to be no worse than even. The Brit Ish and French are getting their Belgium Viewed As Great Britain and France by this blow and end the war quickly on his own terms, this new folly will make him as vulnerable In the west as he has already made himself in the east He will have doubled the length of the military frontier which he must defend. He will have provided the Allies, particularly the French army, with the thing which they now lack, namely, a battlefield on which to maneuver their greatly superior trained reserves against his own inadequately trained reserves, It is said that he will have air bases near England; but In Bel-glum the Allies will have air base very much nearer his munitions industry In the Ruhr. It is said that he will have sub marine bases in the Dutch harbors; but there will be no more neutral shipping entering those harbors, and if he is nearer to England, the British will be nearer to him. Would Remove Shield.

Therefore, unless he can strike a mortal blow" from The Netherlands, he will have lost The Neth- tvrlnnrlfl i.i ui. 1, Just as his conquest of Poland destroyed the buffer states which protected him against Russia, so the conquest of the Low Countries would destroy the buffer states which protect half of his western frontier. Moral Support Lost. The secondary effects of this new folly would be similar to, but greater than, those of Hitler's blunder In Poland. In the eaat he has not only made Soviet Russia his neighbor but he has sacrificed the moral support of all the antl-Communist peoples of the world.

For until he made the pact with Stalin and invited him to come back into Europe, Hitler had Influential sympathizers in every Im portant country In the world. They regarded him as a champion against Bolshevism. They are lost to his cause. Rival Imperialisms? If he violates The Netherlands, he will now sacrifice the only re maining opinion which atlll In some degree works in his favor; name ly, the opinion which holds that there Is no moral Issue between the Nazis and the Allies, that the war is merely a conflict of rival imperialisms, and that the Allied claim that they are fighting for human rights la "propaganda." The pact with Stalin destroyed the claim, effective at the time of Munich, that Hitler Is a champion against Bolshevism; the devastation of neutral, democratic, and absolutely Inoffensive Holland will make' an end of the whole argument Hint as between one side and the other In this war it Is six of one and half a dozen of the other. The practical consequences will be very considerable.

In the long run the most Important, I imagine, will be a radical change of view in the democratic world about the Blow at Holland and By Walter Lippmann WASHINGTON, D. If Hitler does in fact invade The Nether lands and Belgium, it will be for the same reason that he invaded Poland: because he and his regime have reached a point where they must have wars and vio lence In order to continue to exist at all. As a national enterprise of the German people, the Polish war waa obviously aa LirPMANN. costly a blunder as a statesman ever made; It entailed the destruction of the German power in the larger part of that region from the Baltic to the Balkans which Germany has always regarded aa her national sphere of influence. Meaningless War.

For Hitler did not go to war to establish the German power In eastern Europe; on the contrary, until he went to war, the German power was for Bll "practical pur poses Irresistible in eastern Europe. What Hitler did In August was to sacrifice the power he already had in order to be aU lowed to wage a triumphant and meaningless) little war. He did not fight that war to gain something important for his country; he gave up things of the highest Importance to his country in order to fight the war. Can't Stand Still, If now he attacks The Nether lands and Belgium, it will not be because there is anything to be gained for Germany. It will be because he must again sacrifice the real Interests of Germany In order to obtain temporary relief for his regime from the suffocating effect of inactivity and frus tration.

He will not be moving toward a tangible objective. He will be moving because, if he stands still, he will fall down. Blitzkrieg Essence. If there were decisive military advantages to be gained which outweigh the enormous costs, it difficult to believe that Hitler's military advisers would have let him wait until now to make the attack. The esHonce of the blitzkrieg is to strike, as was the rawe In Poland, before the adversary Is mobilized and In position; If an offensive through The Netherlands and Belgium waa ever good strategy, the offensive should have ben made at once before the French were before the Low Countries were on guard, before a British army was In France.

In September the invasion of the Low Countries would have been a crime, but perhaps a successful crime; today, If It Is undertaken, It will be as desperate a blunder as was the surrender of eastern Europe to Soviet Russia. For unless Hitler can knock out HOW tO Two Official Thanksgivings. By Harvey Ingham. Now that November 23 been named Thanksgiving day President Rnnsevelt mnA x- lX0Vem ber 30 by Governor Wilson, what is better worth reading than the announcement of Mayor William H. Fouts of Lewistown, HI, who far-trie th alrnntfnn Auwans are in, a miner emDarrasslne sitn tion, issued the following procla, mauon "Whereas the President of the United States has proclaimed and ordained Nov.

23 as Thanksgiving aVL ft cos uie governor of this Krea huiio oi Illinois has likewii nunln I 1 1 piwuauucu buu uruainea Aov 9 as Thanksgiving Day, and. -wnereas In the exercise of m. high prerogative as executive of uu iair ciry, nas come to my knowledge that a state of unrest and undue alarm exists and pre. vails concerning the newly pro, claimed date as opposing that printed on the several calendars nirrauy in our community, anrl "Whereas bountiful nature ha. blessed us amply with a sunr.

abundance of turkeys, ducks, geeW corn suitable for feeding same, and "Whereas It is my desire that there be neither factional differ-ences of feeling nor bellicosity of spirit, concerning the aforesaid dates, "Now, therefore, W. H. Fouts, duly elected and properly Installed mayor of this city of Lewistown, In the county of Fulton, state of Illinois, do hereby and do by these presents, most solemnly and sin-cerely proclaim, deem and estab-Hsh the date first above men-tioned, and also that of Nov. so as the official Thanksgiving Days' for the said city, for the year of Our Lord, 1989. "Wliereunto I have set my hand and have caused the great seal of the city of Lewlston to be hereunto affixed." There is something to be said for this proclamation of the Lewistown mayor.

For it is true as he says we do have a superabundance of turkeys and the rest, and two big dinners, a week apart, will merely add to the feeling of sufficiency that is so reassuring. But of course it is not purely accidental that the two days have been named and it will be interesting to make note of what does come of this split between the two official days, especially where there Is to be formal observance. What this all leads back to Is the reasons credited to George Washington, who named the first Thanksgiving back in 1789, and chose the last Thursday In November as the day. Our first president was an Episcopalian and knew the church calendar. All the churches, the Catholic, Lutheran, the English and Protestant Episcopalian, observed the advent with fasting and penance.

The last Thursday in November marked the ending of thia season and became available as a day of celebration. It was Lincoln who fixed our Thanksgiving observance in the national calendar with his proclamation of October 3, 1863, naming the last Thursday of November as the first annual Thanksgiving day. had in his first two years called for a day of "public prayer, humiliation and fasting" and again a day to invoke divine guidance to "hasten the establishment of fraternal re lations among all the countries of the world." But in 1863 he was convinced that there should le a national day to be observed every year. A very comprehensive pamphlet has been Issued by Louis A. Warren, historian of the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and in this pamphlet Mr.

Warren gives the credit for our national dajrlargely to Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, a New England woman who had early championed a national day. As early as 1852 Mrs. Hale had written: "Thanksgiving Day is the national pledge of Christian faith tn God acknowledging him as the dispenser of blessings The observance of the day has been gradually extending, and for few years past efforts have been made to have a fixed day which will be universally observed throughout the country Th last Thursday in November ww selected as the day, on a whole, most appropriate." Mrs. Hale was persistent in ber appeal for a "national feast day" and approached Lincoln's predecessor but it was not until the nation was celebrating the victory at Gettysburg that a national day was agreed upon and Lincoln issued his proclamation naming the last Thursday in November sj tht first annual Thanksgiving day.

Warren savs In his story: "It Is not strange that Wathlnj-ton, an Episcopalian, who was acquainted with the church calendar, chose with discretion this to Thursday In November as a of thanksgiving and praise which he set apart by proclamation In 1789. Lincoln was also familiar with the Episcopal calendar. when he was urged to proclaim day of national thanksgiving 1863. a copy of ashington's proclamation of 1789 was made available to him. Lincoln not only hiimI hia nf-nnliunnHnn on Oct.

3 nf the month on which Washington had his, but he also set apart Mr aha. observance of the national fetiv" the very same day, the last Thurv i day In November." Of rni.r tno much Important can be attached to historic back grounds. But is it well to chanj ized the mechanized German army by flooding half of their hinter land. Apparently, the promptness of preparation by the Lowland Coun tries upset the Nazi plans. At any rate, the "lull" has resumed.

The war has returned to the seas. The fact is that the "first sol dier of the Reich," who "himself makes the decisions," appears un able to make them. Desperate as his situation must certainly be come domestically unless there is not only action but also success, where Is there to turn We still suspect that there will be "action" before severe weather sets in probably the action of des peratlon, and therefore a not at all pleasant kind. A "MANIFESTO" ON RURAL LIFE. The able and determined group of Catholic clergymen and laity who make tip the National Catholic Rural Life Conference have jointly written a book, with the ringing title of "Manifesto on Rural Life." Two things distress them might ily.

They are appalled at the de cay of the human family In cities and at the decay of the conditions which make for family life In the country. Most American cities raise only three-fourths the number of chll dren needed to ensure their pres- nt size. For mere continuance, they are dependent upon fresh blood from the country, where families are still the economic unit Instead of the individual. But In the Increasing tenancy with its soil mining and moving days, new standards of living and schooling, new perils of market failure added to old ones of crop failure all these seem to be combining to undermine the last source of stability and human replacement. For the most part, the manifesto concerns Itself with what Catho lics can do about these conditions, drawing Its texta from the great social encyclicals of Leo XIII and Pius XI.

All Jefferaonlans, how ever, share the group's concern for the family-sized farm, even If gome of them feel that subsistence farm ing and acreages for industrial workers are very limited remedies. Henry Wallace's "ever nor mal granary" Is declared in harmony with a principle in Plus XI's encyclical Quadrageslmo Anno. The whole agricultural midwest has long been convinced agriculture would not find Us rightful ace unless (1) the farmers were organized and working together, and (2) the government did its share with a constructive farm program. tn the manifesto, this means not only Improvement of lease forms and rehabilitation loans, but federal acquisition and improve ment of farm lands and resale on favorable terms, with a string providing for owner-occupancy and soil conservation. It means a program of settlement on the land of city reliefers and young couples with farm experience.

It means the extension of co-operatives by the farmers themselves, though the pitfalls and weaknesses of the co-operative form are not Ignored. Though five-sixths of the Catho lics In the United States live in cities, the majority of Catholics in the world is and always has been rural. The manifesto bears the Imprimatur of Aloisius J. Muench, bishop of Fargo and one of Its authors. Dr.

O. E. Baker of the department of agriculture had hand In it, and so did Iowa's own Monslgnor Luigi G. Llguttl of Granger. HOSPITAL SERVICE" BEGIN.

The Hospital Service, Incorpor ated, of Iowa has opened offices, and policies will shortly be Issued providing" for hospitalization. The company is a non-profit organlza Hon formed under the laws of Iowa, and endeavors to protect mployed persona and their de pendents against the cost of hos pltal care. Officially endorsed by the Amer ican Hospital association In 1933, the plan has spread so rapidly that by this time there are about three and a half million men, women and childTen enrolled In over 60 American communities. The annual cost of membership In the plan Is relatively small. But the Iowa plan suffers from one defect.

It provides for no ef fective representation on the board of directors for the insured members. The board at present is composed of directors of the Iowa Hospital association and three members appointed by the Iowa State Medical society. These are technlcally.the sellers of the service The question is whether the purchasers should not also be represented. On this point, "Standards for Non-profit Hospital Care Insurance Plans," issued by the Amer ican Hospital association, says: "The corporate body should include adequate representation of honpltaK the medical pro-feHlon, and the, general public. This Is not necessarily a damn ing fault, but It Is one that Will deserve attention as the Iowa organization expands.

is ships through; the Nazis are losing submarines pretty regularly. i The best evidence to date is that German submarine losses are measurably above the maximum possible replacements. On the aide of morale, every- thing plainly favors the allied nations. The British people, for example, undertook the War after a period of revulsion against war so deep that the humiliating Munich was cheered. When this final appeasement effort turned to dust, they accepted belligerency with as little emotion and as much stern logic as it had ever been ac cepted anywhere, probably.

Their grim preparedness now for a long, punishing struggle, if that proves necessary, is indisputable. The German people, on the other hand, bad gone through several years of terrifying tension and eco- nomlo deprivation even before the "real" war began. The elements of potential unrest and reaction must be considerable, to put it con- aervatively. The Munich bombing Is revealing enough, however it be Interpreted. If it haa required dramatics and successive "victories" and unlimited suppression to bring v.

the German people up to this point, M. what extremes of sensation and pressure must a prolonged and greater crisis now demand? And to how much of thla can and will the human system submit? Turning to practical strategy, the situation for the six-month ahead seems equally unpromising from the Hitler viewpoint. True, the "blitzkrieg" against Toland did acquire an immense new territory for the "Greater Reich." But this was not directly resisted by any major power save Russia. In the midst of the bally- hoo about the Nazi-Soviet alliance, Russia opportunistically took more than half of Poland, crowded Germany out of her former stamping grounds in the Baltic, and became a double "menace" in the Balkans to which Hitler would logically i have turned next. In addition to the expanded Rtis- Washington Merry-Go-Round Cabinet Unanimously Opposed F.R.on Switching Ships to Panama By Drew Pearson and Robert S.

Allen. WASHINGTON, D. Last week's cabinet session over the transfer of ships to Panama registry was one of the most important meetings held Green declared the A.F.L. was willing to resume peace negotiations, but frankly said he didn't think they would get anywhere. He contended that Lewis didn't want peace and would never agree to terms.

Lewis was equally skeptical of further parleys. He declared the C.I.O. was ready tomorrow to return to the A.F.L. fold, provided that the entire C.I.O. membership was accepted.

But this, he told Roosevelt, the A.F.L. persistently refuses to do. Ambassador Steinhardt U. S. Ambassador Laurence Steinhardt is getting a big hand, even from some of the career boys who don't like him, for the forthright job he is recently.

Roose velt talked for one hour about the marl time problem created by the neutrality act and gave various reasons for per-mltting the United States Lines to transfer eight of its old merchant vessels to the Panama Ml'Km V. flag. Hri.u doing at Moscow. Steinhardt has one quality so necessary In Russia he won't take No 'for an answer. He is Indefatigable, talka back to Molo-toff and Potemkln, and doesn't believe in the Oriental policy of delay.

He is shadowed almost everywhere he goes in Moscow, and any Russian who becomes intimate with him is also shadowed. This constant surveillance of his ambassador has considerably Irritated Roosevelt and has contributed in part to the strained relations with ilan Influence, Turkey's friendship in the Balkans and the Black Sea has been lost. ine old "axis" partner. Italy. nas Deen dissuaded, hv tha STUMUBIIT.

The Case of Sentner (An editorial from the St. Louis Po.vt Dmpatch.) A historic case is In the making with the appeal by William Sentner, C.I.O. organizer and union official, of the $2,500 fine imposed by Judge W. S. Cooper at Montezuma, for activities in the Maytag Washing Machine Co.

strike last year. Sentner waa found guilty of criminal syndicalism, and his counsel announces the case will be carried to the United States Supreme Court If necessary. The ca.se is Important In application oMhls law to a labor dispute. The statute is a relic of World war and post-war days, when 19 states passed drastic measures In an effort to curb I.W.W. and other radical activity.

Numerous leftist agitators have been prosecuted under it; this is Its first use in an attempt to discipline the leader of an Industrial dispute. In the Whitney case in 1926, the United States Supreme Court upheld a California law similar to that of Iowa, and made plain the sort of offenses to which it applied. Under the high court's definition, criminal syndicalism la a most serious offense. It Is advocacy of crime and terrorism, of sabotage and violence, virtually of revolution, in seeking to effect political or Industrial change. There was nothing whatever to Indicate the law's application to a labor dispute.

It would be difficult to reconcile the Supreme Court's finding with the events of the Mnytag strike, or to prove that Sentncr'a actions were of a revolutionary nature, as the law provides. For the minor breaches of the peace that did occur, there are ample police regulations without invoking a ferocious statute designed to check civil upheaval. It would appear that the Iowa courts have brought up a siege gun to dispatch a mouse. Indeed, the continuance of these laws la a danger to civil liberties. If they can be Invoked against labor, striking against a d0 per cent wage cut and the employer's refusal to arbitrate, they can be Invoked against any group.

They were passed in a time of hysteria, and they are a ready weapon of oppression If hysteria comes again. In fact, they are unnecessary, since adequate laws against sedition already exist Regardless of the court' action in the Sentner appeal, the 19 state shouldt repeal their harsh syndicalism tatutea. But when he finished, every member of the cabinet was against him. Attorney General Murphy was vigorously opposed. So also were Harold Ickes and Jim Farley.

But the man who talked the longest against the transfer was Cordcll Hull. He was consistently and emphatically of the "opinion that the ship transfer would be a violation of the spirit of the neutrality act Confronted with this unanimous opposition, the president bowed to the judgment of his cabinet. The ship transfer plan was put on the shelf. Hull's Victory Cabinet members who participated in the debate considered the decision an Important victory for Secretary of State Hull. For in the hot, behind-the-scenes battle over ships, Roosevelt was torn between two powerful groups.

On one side was the high-pressure urging of Admiral Emory Land, chairman of the Maritime commission (and Lindbergh' cousin), who was backed by a potent shipping lobby. Also Important was the president's own personal sympathy for any move to keep American ships afloat On the other side was Hull, the entire cabinet and also most of the congressional leaders. Just before the cabinet met. Speaker Bankhead lunched with Roosevelt and told him that regardless of the legality of the ship transfer, the country was sure to consider the plan a violation of the neutrality act at least in spirit. Note The Maritime commission, although bowing to the cabinet, still maintains thafthe ship transfer Is perfectly legal and may trot out the plan again.

No Labor Teace Inside reason why there was no White House statement following the Green-Lewis conferences with the president was the fact that there was nothing to say. Neither labor leader made any promises. things and others, from lending the Nazis a further hand and would clearly Jump on the "victory wagon" the minute it hove into plain view, Which brings us to the western front The Maglnot line being Impenetrable, to all practical purposes, the "natural" spearhead for German attack was through relatively undefended Holland. During the two weeks, many Nazi divisions had been drawn up to the Dutch border. i This was precisely the technique used against Austria, against Czecho-Slovakla, against Poland.

Military preparations on this acale can hardly be called play-acting. So, while It was always possible that this move might have been i camouflage for a quick thrust into 'the Balkans, no hint of the Balkan action whatever haa developed. J' In the meantime, The Netherlands and Belgium plainly took the whi movements on their borders for imprecisely what they appeared to be. They issued a hasty appeal for 'peace "between the warring powder," Belgium completed her mo Russia. However, the state department, none too enthusiastic over Steinhardt at first is anxious to keep him on the job.

Note Steinhardt is the nephew of Sam Unter-meyer, famous New York attorney and supporter of the president Both he and Steinhardt were heavy contributors to the Roosevelt campaign. Merry-Go-Round Few are aware of it, but a serious and effective candidate for the Democratic vice presidential nomination next year is Speaker William Bank-head. The witty Alabaman is making no open campaign for the office, but he has his lightning-rod up. The adjournment of congress has meant no vacation for Senate Republican Floor Leader Charles McNary. He is Just as busy as ever, catching up with a mountain of correspondence and taking care of numerous Oregon problems.

The National Youth administration In Texas Is giving a course for the training of good husbands. Fourteen male students in Houston are being taught how to buy food, plan menus and manage a household. Representative George E. Gillie of Indiana has prepared a "Code for congressmen" with a leading tenet. "Don't talk too much and you won't have to take back something you haven't said." tCopyrltht, 1839.) our old time Thanksgiving day I 4.