News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 6

I FORT MYERS NEWS PRESS THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 13, 1939 I7.C3 SIX FOT MYERS NEWS-PRESS National Whirligig New' Behind the Neta TZl FOItT. MYERS PRESS, established 18M and i di Unf ini, and TUB TROPICAL NEWS. By RONALD HALGRIM 1 Publinhed by the w. NSWS-PRESS I'UBLISHING COMPANY Collier Arcade. Fort Myers.

Fla. Every morning, seven dayi a week. WASHINGTON By Ray Tucker The legislature has decided to adopt alligators but not cabbage palms. First of Governor Cone's recommendations to get into law is protection of alligators. There are CARL HANTON Editor and General Manager Chealcy Perry Business Manager J.

A. Ansley Advertising Manager Ronald Halrim City Editor Leadership Herber Hoover's role in backing Tom Dewey, never before revealed, shows how deeply the former president depends on the young New Yorker to drive the Roosevelts out of the to few of the big saurians left that MEMS2 OF THE ASSOCIATED TRESS White House. When Mr. Dewey began his cam tion and management of money, raw materials exports. Now the countries which have turned away from gold include Russia (she is selling it at a huge profit to the U.

Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain. Great Brit-ain, France and the United States have a near-corner on the yellow metal perhaps 80 per cent of the world total. It sounds fantastic, but one of these days those nations may repudiate gold entirely and thank Uncle Sam for the buggy, ride. Untouchable It's too bad that Heir Hitler and 11 Duce didn't Bee the parade of Uncle Sam's armed forces on Army day at Washington. Toward the end of the line of march several "baby tanks' did their stuff.

Their chauffeurs cut loose an dtheir military monsters raced down Constitution avenue at more than 40 miles an hour Over, head several of our newest planes swept the skies at a speed close to 400 miles an hour. 1 "Europe," confided a member of the army's general staff, "has nothing to touch these babies." -ueaim oub. MrttmrSn. All tight, of wproducti.a of di.p.tch paign for governor last fall, he could not obtain enough money to pay his office staff at headquar. Benin sra im ru.nu, the Katmd arsond elm nail mttr March 14.

1911, i Port OH.ft at Fort Myen, Florida, under the Act of March 8. 187. ters. The check boys buttoned their pockets because of his sup posed close association with Na SUBSCRIPTION RATES Bit carrier 21 cent a wet-. tional Committeeman Kenneth F.

Simpson, whose negotiation of an Thursday MorningApril 13, 1939 alliance with the American labor our citizens won't even know which closed doors to look behind when they seek to learn what's going on in city affairs. START AT HOME At the end of its editorial columns the Miami Herald runs a punchy little department labeled "Intercepted Letters." Yesterday it addressed Governor Cone, as follows: "Can't you step in and slap some sense into the heads of those legislators who are kicking each other around on racing? And run a lobbyist or two out of town The governor doesn't answer that kind of mail but if he did the answer would be "Nope." As far as the lobbyists are concerned that's final. The right to petition the government is in the constitution and no governor or anyone else can run a citizen out of town when he's exercising that right. As for taking steps to put pressure on the legislature, the governor doesn't do that not because he can't but because he won't. Dave Sholtz got himself disliked by trying to slap some sense into the legislature and Fred Cone decided to get himself disliked by not doing it.

Having chosen that horn of executive dilemma he's sticking to it and if there's to be any slapping down it will have to be done by somebody else. How about the Miami Herald taking a crack at it? After all, the kicking around which it complains of was started down there and if the booting is as bootless as the Herald thinks it is the place to stop it is at the point of origin. Some people in Miami including rival amusement enterprises that are in the background of the opposition seem to feel that the race tracks should operate only five days a week. For that and other reasons (which they deny are political) the Dade county delegation in the legislature is actively supporting that proposition. As a step in the campaign to put it over a party had terrifed them.

Mr. Dew, ey could not afford to repudiate Chamberlain still thinks he may be able to appease Mussolini. Well, he's still got that umbrella. Fort Myers has been placed on the national safety honor roll because of not having a traffic fatality last year. It's a good thing they don't count being scared to death.

posals designed to succor European refugees will fail of passage at this session of congress. Not even the Wagner-Rogerg act to admit 10,000 children below 15 outside the quota will be enacted. The 76th American congress is overwhelmingly nationalistic and materialistic. TremendouB pressure has been brought by educators, social welfare workers and politicog to let down the immigration bars in the present crisis. Mr.

Roosevelt privately favors such a gesture, though he doesn't dare to publicize his attitude. But with unemployed, the boys and girls on cnpitol hill are in no mood to increase the workless surplus. Discussing the proposal to admit refugee children under 15, one key legislator remarked some, what callously: "Sure, they're kids now, but they're going to grow up and compete for jobs with American youngsters getting out of high schools and colleges." The state department has learned confidentially that other countries prospective South American havens, take the same attitude. The world-wide motto these days is that "Charity begins at home." So, rightly or wrongly, it just looks too bad for Europe's downtrodden insofar as escape to the Western hemisphere is concerned. Generosity America's financial experts both treasury and federal reserve are beginning to feel deep concern over the "gold rush" which has made Uncle" Sam the sucker possessor of almost 60 per cent of the world's supply of the once precious metal.

Messrs. Morgenthau and Eccles used to pooh-pooh suggestions that the United States might eventually hold an empty gold bag. Proceeding on the conventional economic theory that gold was the basic measure of wealth, they welcom they have little commercial value and besides the leather manufacturers now make imitation alligator bags just as good as the real We hope the alligator law gets better enforcement than' ni6st conservation measures and are looking forward to the time when someone either hide hunter or tourist with a quick trigger finger is hauled into court for shootiilg a 'gator. Even then there ia a chance that some soft brained judge will turn the culprits free with a kindly admonition to "sin no more" but "be sure and vote for me next Early issues of the Fort Myers Press tell of "gator hunters coming back with 300 or oOO or 800 skins for which they got from 75 cents to $2. The skins were often referred to as "plumes" or "peels." In the early resort days every city had a leather worker adept in making alligator bags and pocketbooks and belts.

But the 'gator trade' is over. The alligator is just another one of our vanishing, Americans and Florida has decided to reprieve what few are left. The story of the alligator is the typical story of conservation. As long as anyone can make any money out of birds, fish or game animals the slaughter continues. Then when the species is about wiped out, public opinion and the legislators, but hot always the law enforcement officers, go soft and decide to save the dodo bird.

al appearance in Prague is said to have made an excellent impression throughout. One of his first orders to the Prague army of occupation was the dispatch of steaming field Kitchens for the free feeding of the "ill-nourished, ill-clad and ill-housed." This apparently made another In's hit. Light Clever publicity handling ia making the prospective new evening New York City tabloid the subject of general discussion. It is to be printed in colors and will bid for circulation in the upper income fleld. The strongest play will be made to interest women as has been done brilliantly by the London Evening Standard tabloid in black and white.

Henry Luce of Time and Fortune who has twice been reported as in negotiation for New York newspaper properties is said not to be in this development. The House of Morgan and Thomas Lamont are frequently mentioned. A nest egg cf five million dollars is in hand and an additional five million is being sought, according to the clearest story. Dashiell Hammett is scheduled to be the managing editor. A few other key men have been hired.

Salaries offered are modest. The name on the working dummies is light. Nohs Percy S. Straus, head of great department stores in New i'ork and other cities, referred to New York's loss of population in his annual report last week. That is a most important public recognition of a grim fact well known privately.

Real estate men have gone greyheaded over the statistics forced upon them. Insurance men and tankers know as much about the change as they will permit themselves to face. Mayor LaGuardia on probable conditions 10 years hence "How does he know that the immigration laws won't be changed by that time?" Father Knickerbocker's town was built and sustained by immigrants. 'i liese moved about for some years before settling down and millions chose the suburbs. More traffic has expanded those.

The outflow has been expedited. The intake vas closed by the single-track laws of 1921 and 1924. The world's fair has absorbed nearly $100,000,000 already in an effort to repopulate the city somewhat before the 1940 federal census is taken. The curtain-raiser year Mr. Simpson openly, although there is no love lost between the two.

Mr. Dewey and most New York liberals share his viewpoint does not regard the national committeeman as a real liberal. Neither does Mayor LaGuardia. With funds so low that it appeared as if Mr. Dewey would lose by default, Mr.

Hoover gathered a score of wealthy republicans in his room at a New York hotel. He insisted that Dewey was the hope of the party for 1940, and demanded that they waive personal feelings and prejudices and support him politically and financially. In re sponse to an exhibition of party Miami resident was enlisted to start a suit NEW YORK By Richard Waldo Impressed A New York executive who has just returned from Prague says he left the Czech capital about two weeks after German troops came in on March 15. Two days later offices and factories were running as usual. Traffic flowed normally and whatever tension there was on the first two days had disappeared.

German troops very soon evacuated the public schools in which they were first quartered and moved into military barracks side hy side with Czech contingents. From 1I reports, our informant related, there was little, if any friction. The soldiers got along easily and so did most of the officers. This man and others who have returned recently are full of praise concerning the correctness of behavior displayed by both sides. Three days after occupation by the Germans, Czech officers again frequented their usual restaurants and bars at night and everybody seemed pretty much unperturbed.

Political conversations were seemingly by no means taboo. Business and banking, wholesale and retail trade is characterized as attacking equal distribution of race track revenue among the 67 counties. Although members of the Dade delegation officially disclaim responsibility they seem to have some control over the litigation and have 1 Frank Cleveland wires from Miami that he couldn't get along without the News-Press. Says it brings him all the news of friends in Chief Charley Moore's column. President Roosevelt told Senator Pepper the question of relief was just a matter of arithmetic.

That's right. The he wanted minus the $50,000,000 he didn't fret leaves $100,000,000 for the taxpayers to dig BEHIND CLOSED DOORS 'The practice of compromising taxes is in such deservedly ill repute that a good word in its' behalf is likely to fall on mighty distrustful ears. Nevertheless there is something to be said for it in the deal which the county commission and school board have on the fire for settling with the Atlantic Coast Line railroad at about one-third off. Alleging an unfair assessment the Coast Line and other railroads have refused to pay and have gone to court for relief. As justice is clearly on their side, not to mention the facts and a good deal of law, they are likely to win in the end.

This means that eventually they will have to' pay only what they are willing to pay now and for that reason both' the county commission and school board see merit, in taking it when the heed is The trouble arises from the fact that railroad property is assessed by the state comptroller who uses 35 per cent of the true value as his yardstick. Other property of the ame class as there is ample evidence to been using it as a club to force adoption of the five-day program. Incensed at that method and also at odds with the Dade dele ed each shipment as proof of this country's superior economic position. But now they begin to sus gation over various cracks back and forth, other members of the legislature, particularly of the small county group, have been threatening to repeal racing if the equal di vision is disturbed by the Miami suit or one like it. pect that nations organized on a socialistic or a fascistic basis can dispense officially with gold as a basic support for their currency; they can, as Hitler has apparently done, resort to internal regula That is the "kicking around" the Herald normal.

Hitler's immediate person- mentions and undoubtedly it exhibits a lack of sense on both sides. As anybody can start a suit like the one originated in Miami, why of 1939 is expected to draw the DAILY CROSS WORD PUZZLE compromise with the Dade delegation and millions for the show's second-wind period. The holders of Mr. Whalen's securities will not be the only ones out of luck if the transient population cannot be numbered as resi Solution of Yesterday's Puzzle then have to compromise with the next one who goes to court? And why repeal racing to get even with Dade county? Even if the dents in Uncle Sam's coming count of noses. Sidelights T.

V. A. deal with Commonwealth and Southern expected to be pushed to speedy conclusion, disputed points now substantially ironed out German ClAlTnCHplTEnSIAT I 1 IeGS DAS YURESGtlRUE itortsGaTireId veershawlqthie RES JERElJAMPES ZJearnGocaOle REMEsnRAiiiop ALEEJJC AROLJLEP RfllDO tuvvm InIdIsiJdieIn revenue isn divided among the 67 counties the money would come in handy for the schools. That is to say there is no sense clubbing the legislature into cutting off its nose to spite its own face. But the way to stop it is to quit the clubbing and the Miami Herald ought to have more influence in bringing that about than Governor Cone.

As a starter the Herald's "Biscayne Bill" might address a few intercepted letters to the Dade members and see if a little sense can't be slapped into their heads. ACROSS 1. Wise klne of Israel I. Forays 13. City In Africa II.

Insertion 15. Sun cod 16. Bottom of the foot 17. Pronoun 18. Italian river 19.

Behave 21. Mother-of-pearl it. Light brown 24. Supplication 26 Understand 27. Father 28.

European finch 30. Chooses 32. Ocean 34. Immerse 85. Visitors 39.

Walked with measured stride 43 African arrow poison 44. Sick 46. Samoan barn owl But getting back to cabbage palms and efforts of the good garden club women to have this wild palm named as the state tree. It took years and the concerted efforts of school children to get the mocking bird designated as the official state bird. It may take a few more years to give the accolade' to the sabal palmetto.

Florida has other trees more fruitful, more impressive in size and with more handsome foliage and flowers but the cabbage palm is the most typical. It thrives from the southern of the peninsula to the northern border of the state. In pioneer days, and even today, it supplies food for country families. Whether it is billed on the family menu as "swamp cabbage" or "hearts of palms," the bud of the sabal palmetto makes choice It is particularly good with native beef, spare ribs or mullet. The fronds have thatched the- roofs of many country homes.

The berries make medicine which is given fancy names on drugstore labels. The bloom has provided many tons' of honey. The rough trunks have been utilized as porch pillars and pier pilings. We don't know just why the legislature balked at making the Florida sabal palmetto the state tree. One hint was handed out in the Associated Press report of the session.

It appears that Representative Butt of Brevard objected because such designation might prohibit the cutting "of buds out of young trees. A man can do what he likes with trees on his own land but we see no reason that even our own worthy citizens should have the right to destroy palms on, private or state owned landR. At present there appears to be no danger that the hardy cabbage' palm' will ever be exterminated yet alligators are almost extinct. -We hope the good women of these garderf clubs don't get discouraged and keep on asking for the cabbage palm until even our august legislature is forced to capitulate in its favor." shortage of lubricating oil met by leadership Bpirit Mr. Hoover rarely chose to show in the White House did.

The only contribu. tion Mr. Dewey did not accept-smart boy was a $2,000 kick-in from one of the duPont family. Checkup Radical changes i laws affecting corporate accountancy systems and setups may result from the government's protracted investigation 'of the great Coster swindle. Former -SEC Chairman Douglas and department of justice experts are cooperating closely in preparation of legislation on the subject.

Major reform would require certified public accountants to make a regular and detailed "spot check" of inventories listed by them or the reporting corporation as assets. Numerous corporation executives have informed investigators that they could not Bwear to the inventories which they submit to accounting agents. An Oklahoma oil man told department of justice representatives that, although his company borrows money on oil stored in thousands of tanks, there has never been an actual physical examination of the tanks. "Could you swear now that the oil was there?" he was asked. "No," he admitted.

Another change under consideration would provide that officials of a company should not sit on the board of directors. That would admittedly work a great hardship, but the Coster affair has convinced SEC-ers that the board should function as an independent outside checkup agency. As SEC Chairman, William 0. Douglas long advocated this reform. The post-mortem Coster inquiry convinces him he was righter than he knew.

Strategy The reduced democratic majority in the Chicago mayoralty election from more than 600,000 in 1935 to less than 200,000 in 1939 has prodded New Dealers into demanding generous relief for the farmers, even though it means a repudiation of their ancient prejudice against subsidies, dumping and raids on the treasury. Democratic strategists here are deeply disappointed over the results in the Windy City, as they study the ward-by-ward vote. They had figured that they would sweep the cities in 1940, hold their own in the normally republican rural districts and Bqueeze through again. But the Chicago test proved that unless they can improve their position in the agricultural areas, they are gone. Detailed analysis indicates that, on the basis of the Kelly-Green vote, they would lose such electorally pivotal states as New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana.

And how that would hurt! Those states have 150 electoral votes. At a private powwow on farm and political problems a democratic strategist said It all in a few words: "We have got to Increase farm income, keep the folks hap 7. Daughters of one's brother or sister 8. Hoarfrort 9. Some 10.

Exist 11. Go away ,12. Rocks 20. Thrice: prefls 22. Tall course grass 23.

Nervous twltchlnr IS. Passageway 27. Division of a calyx 29. Born 31. Edge 23.

Song from an opera 35. Natural habitat of the clown 36. Pour oil upon 37. Directed 38. Avalanches 40.

Drinking ves sel 41. Football team 42 Compulsion or constraint 43. South American animal 4S Damage 4 It It stand r2 Pronoun Kxist 57 He enough 59. Earth: comb, form replacement of metal bearings with plastics lubricated with water; more than half her lubricating oil needs were imported last year Average annual salary of all federal government employes is more than 50 per cent is in brackets from $1,000 to $1,800 1 Forfeit of outlet to sea through Views Of Other Editors 53. Facts 65.

Brother of Odin 66. Beneath Comes out Into view 69. Atmospheric disturbance 2. Iteply of an ancient god to Homo inquiry 3. Island of New York state: ablir.

4. Goddess of the harvest 5. Satellite 6. Wide-mouthed nots 47. Staff concessions in Polish Corridor con Florida Missing a Bet Should anyone in California, Washington, 48.

Showers pellets SI. Glossy cotton of Ice fabrics Montant, Minnesota, or Canada propose doing' 60. Through Bl. 101 $2. Exclamation DOWN 1.

Thongs sidered inconceivable for Poland Number of foreign agents in U. S. reliably estimated at more than 5, CO; our counter espionage facilities called wholly inadequate Federally chartered savings and loan associations increased amount of private savings invested in them by nearly 60 per cent in 1937 and Pretitige The Yale Law school hag had a rather rough deal in its search for a new dean. Its rival, Harvard, scooped up one S. E.

C. chairman, James M. Landis. And just aa'Yale was ready to trump that selection by hiring Bill Douglas, his successor, the supreme courtbeat them to the punch. Yale haB find someone to fill the Law school post pretty soon.

away with national parks there would instantly be aroused a tremendous hue and cry against them. These states and Canada know very well the great value these parks are as drawing cards to their section, as well as greatly aiding the natural preservation of all wild life, etc. Then how do you account for the extreme apathy of Floridans about handing over the Everglades to the federal national parks department? In their state legislature the members talk and talk and talk, and never come into action. And yet their Everglades park could very easily draw a 3,000,000 crowd of sightseers who would spend an incredible sum of money in their state. The scant and scattered present population would all be more than occupied.

A show place. exceeding even the world-famed Yellowstone would be opened to the American, Canadian and European public. Big shiploads of British visitors recently came to Miami; and this is the very vanguard of vast numbers who would much prefer Florida to European winter resorts. Ontario Globe. ghow is put on the books by the local assessors at from 5 to" 25 per cent of the true value.

Objecting to this discrepancy the railroads offer to settle on 24 per cent of the true value, which amounts to about a third off the tax bill. Around the state several settlements have been made on this basis and as it is undeniably fair there can be little valid objection to obtaining the practical advantage of having cash in hand instead of a lawsuit. This absolution, however, does not apply to a similar settlement recently approved by the city government. Unlike the school board and county commission, which considered the matter at a joint public meeting in consultation with a committee of citizens, the'eitycouncil sneaked off behind closed doors to make the deal and then covered it up for a month and a half by failing to bring up the minutes for approval. When the matter finally came to light in examination of the pending refunding program and it was a representative of the bondholders who stumbled upon it and tipped off reportersit developed that the attorney for the Coast Line railroad met secret session with the council (whether at.

the city hall or not the record does not show) and got his company's personal property tax bill cut in half with the city knocking off a little matter of $3,350.86. In spite of the explanation now offered which is that the city needed the money to meet a payroll during an election campaign and couldn't get it any other way this is an outrageous and indefensible manner of conducting public business. What makes it worse is that it was entirely unnecessary. If the Circumstances now revealed had been explained at the' time the public no doubt would have conceded that the council had good grounds for action, even if the Coast Line had its nerve asking it after agreeing in writing to pay the 57 mills it was instrumental in forcing on other Fort Myers taxpayers. v' 'J As any denunciation that may have been incited would most certainly have been directed at the railroad Company instead of at the city government, which was in the position of being hijacked, the council stands indicted for preferring to do by stealth what it could much better do in the open.

Unfortunately this! is he only evidncf of that' attitude i' at the city hall, although it that its resurgence is of recent manifestation: That used to be the ttandard way of doing business over there: "Have they fallen back into evil ways and if what influence; is responsible? tcs developments in connection with the'UnJ refflhdihpr will throw some light on that r.i the public would be well advised to a watchful eye. Even now there are thflf a nlot is afoot to transfer iiiiiiiziippp piir I- I I I I I I I III retary of Ihe Distillers institute. As such he reaps a far stouter sal-ary than law schools are accustomed to paying. But those who know him believe he'd be ready to swap slightly odoriferqus pelf for scholarly scented prestige. (Copyright McClure Newspaper Syndicate) A bucketful of shucked corn dumped into a pen of hogs owned by M.

S. Tharringtorr of Rocky Mount, N. struck a on the head and injured it so badly it had to be' There's current speculation that Thurman Arnold, the trust-busting assistant attorney general, will be chosen. Informed sources assert his name is getting serious consideration, although they grant it would rudely jolt Yale's more con. servative They believe Arnold would be delighted at the 1 chance.

Also prominently mentioned is Wesley Sturges, now executive sec- even if have' td bankrupt the treasury." vi i- "'V Protective Humanitarian pro. TH VIA PS A NDY'S SMART, TOO 1 1 c-vjC-J TUAIViU i 1 i.v;r:klT rut UJ vJUii OF A COLLEC-E EPOCATIOM, I UAWE A ftT ft-L UIJJI ik (W SO THAT YOO CAUT V. OF EMVIOUS- M-SmOPOLY ON PICK UP A' PAPER ivcx Wk TWS hUMP'AAON2Yi, CUT WITHOUT REAPING Pi) i ftirtT iSiTtt-. 6UMP.V' NATURAL RESOURCEFULNESS I It A 1 MM I 1 11 ati 1 eYtrarictfoii of public business) froiri the l- 71 Atfv ft I j'SJJ 11 pl oir.i mmmss-i mi I rrcuts and ersatz financial centers around Tf an unwary council falls for that.