The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 41

Should Alcatraz Be 'Humanized? 'We'll Says Paris The Danzig Matter Won't Be Handled Like Sudetenland 7' Murphy Thinks 'Rock' Is Too Harsh And Moves To SoftcnThings For 'Cons' Internal Row May Upset Gen. Franco Ouster Of 2 Generals Shows Extent Of Falangist-Carl-1st Struggle In Spain ONDON, July 29. -The trou-JLi bles forecast for General Francisco Franco in Spain are now making the headlines of Europe's papers. The battle between the Carlists, who want the monarchy restored, and the Falangists, who want a rtT'JMIM AE0YE.DAN2IG (SHADED) AND 1 POLISH CORRIDOR FOB WHICH -i "PEACE POWERS" WILL FIGHT. A BELOW (LEFT) SILESIA AND JS iL THE RICH UKRAINE v7a I cwATJiAAg 1 UKRAINE vfst i i r.

4,1 1 y. ''j rr-- An air view of the forbidding: island penitentiary np Devil's Island. Now Attorney General Murnhv would like to eon on which the government spent $3,560,000 to make it an American vert it into a sreneral orison hospital and build a new and more The map shows strategic European areas, fate of which may plunge the world into war. High French officials have said that if Germany takes Danzig the 'Teace powers will fight; as the Nazis would then undoubtedly seize the Polish Corridor, the rest Silesia and the rich wheat district of the Ukraine. o- i.

V- jms ft "WM still. Everybody is spending his money and having the best time he can before the menacing catastrophe arrives. Parties have never been so grand. Even the French petit bourgeois has come to feel that money was made for spending and you see him with his large family in the restaurants where the best food and wine are to be had, buying with a lavish hand. The undercurrent of excitement, it seemed to me, was particularly noticeable at the running of the Grand Prix.

Many, undoubtedly, were thinking of the race of 25 years ago. ON that fatal day, Just before the horses went to the post, attaches from the various embassies dashed into the boxes and whispered nervously to diplomats. The latter, grim lipped, clapped on their gray tophats and hurried away. They had just learned of the assassination at Sarajevo of the Archduke Ferdinand. So with such forbidding memories revived, it is a sober kind of last fling that is going on here.

People are trying to get the most out of life in a quiet and sensible way. One sees very little serious drinking. In fact, about the only individuals seen weaving about in the dawn, challenging the weary agents to joust with them are test before mid-September when the German barley harvest ia in. STILL others feel that Hitler, keen enough to know that a move now would mean war, will continue his battle of nerves indefinitely until someone weakens sufficiently for him to act without seriously risking a general conflagration. The signs at this time are that the showdown will come this fall.

German "civilians" are moving into Danzig by the thousands. They frequently address each other as "major" and "coloneL" Officially, of course, they are no more soldiers than were the "technicians" I personally saw manning artillery, handling communications, and directing action in the advance on Barcelona. It is understood here that there will be 300,000 of these German "tourists" in Danzig before the zero hour comes. The best wisecrack I have heard in these days when troops are called "tourists," when the conquest of a city is called "libera-tioni" when intervention is called "non-intervention," and things are generally called by their opposite names, came from a French cynic who suggested naming the present system of anti-German alliances "the policy of non-encirclement." THERE is a general resignation here now to the feeling that war is inevitable. Old timers say that when the French get to feeling that way it is about the most ominous sign there is.

Business has come to a stand Uiab UiVU AOLXl. V3 Etats-Unis. gove modeled after that of Germany and Italy, is on in earnest, and before it ends. Franco himself may fall. Two events this week pointed to the seriousness of the struggle.

First, Gen. Go a 1 i de Llano, the radio general who Suner was in cnarge of Franco's southern forces during the uprising, was relieved of his command after a radio speech in which he intimated that King Alfonso would be invited back to the throne. Quiepo de Llano is now reported in Lisbon. The other incident was the ouster from command of the Moroccan army corps of Gen. Juan Tague, who has been an ardent disciple of the "Spain for the Spaniards" movement a movement whlchi wants to divorce Spain from every bit of German and Italian tn-fluende.

Exactly where Franco stands on the argument between the Carlists and the Falangists is not known. But his brother-in-law, Ramon Serrano jfuner, minister of the interior, and admittedly the real political force in the Franco govern ment, is on the Falangist side, and dead set against any royal rapprochement, at least at this time. SUNER Is a danger to Franco on two First he is an unalterable foe of the Carlists; second he is carrying out a personal revenge against the onetime loyalist population with bru tality that is very marked. At the outbreak of the civil war. Suner was in Madrid.

Arrested FRANCO with two brothers, Suner managed to escape to a foreign embassy and from there to Burgos where he took an active part in the rebel government. His two brothers, en gineers, were shot to death presumably because they refused to aid in building of fortifications ror Madrid. From then on, Suner's hatred for the government which Franco fought has been lmpiacaoie. ALIj has not been serene in Spain since the end of the war. News is sparse because of a rigid censorship, but travelers have brought back numerous reports of internal conflict.

Not long ago Asturian miners refused to give up their arms to Franco's police, and then fled to the hills. Franco was forced to send bomb ers to destroy them. The ultimate result of this foray has not yet been ascertained. It is heard on good authority that Andalusia, where Quiepo de Llano held swav is in a state of unrest over the general's dismissal, and that regular Spanish army oe tachments from other parts of the peninsula have been sent there to hold down disorders. The recent visit of Count Ciano, the Italian foreign minister, caused a great deal of dissausr action among the high army men.

The adulation given the Italian was deeply resented by those who were in the forefront of the revolution. It is heard that when Ciano requested that he be allowed to visit Ceuta, the fortified Moroccan village across from Gibraltar, Yague and others protested. DURING the civil war, this same Yague made a speech once in wmcn ne assauea xne bombing of open towns by German and Italian aviators. For this he was dismissed. Later when Franco's attack on Catalonia bogged down, Yague was reinstated.

He is one of the most brilliant army leaders developed during the conflict. It is certain, from all that can be gathered, that things are not pacific in Spain. There is a short age' of food because of the heavy; drain for military purposes: there is conflict between different schools of political thought; there remains the section of population that Is still "loyalist" in thought. One outstanding Catholic editor in Madrid has been imprisoned, and his paper, the ABC, closed. 1 FOR EACH TOOT! SPOKANE, July 29.

OLD Horn honkers beware in Pnn. kane. Police Judge Frank Yuse has distinct aversion to such prac- uue. si9 tinea kj. AlKmson $1 for each of three toots on his car horn and said Atkinson's desire to attract a friend's attention was no excuss.

'-4--, ilia mnm Ief Attorney General Murphy, and right, the most famous prisoner ever to go stir-crazy on Alcatraz, Al Capone. clothing and mat factories or the laundry. Alcatraz has amazing devices for the detection of weapons or contraband on the persons of new arrivals and visitors. Its Iron discipline never relaxes. It is Murphy's thought that the investment in Alcatraz need not be written off as a loss to the government.

Instead, he proposes that the prison, situated as it is In a mild clime, be converted into a central prison hospital where could be housed in security the ailing Capon es and all the "stir-crazy" kidnappers. BEFORE final steps can be taken toward construction of the new and humane "Alcatraz" it will be necessary to ascertain congress' disposition toward appropriating the hard cash needed for the work. That cannot be done until the next session and fear that premature discussion might influence the lawmakers adversely is responsible for Murphy's reticence on the subject. i It is known, however, that the new prison will be made just as escape-proof as is the "Rock" that Alcatraz slogan of "maximum security and minimum privilege" will be edited to read: "maximum security and maximum rehabilitation," plus sensible, humane treatment for the inmates. The first purpose will be, of course, to insure society's protection from the men who rob and kill and abduct.

Second will be to weed out those who may be prepared again to take their places in society as law-abiding citizens. HTO secure the isolation consid ered necessary, the location probably will be in one of the sparsely settled states, far from railroads and easily accessible avenues of escape. It will be no "trusty farm" and will not even slightly resemble the comparatively pleasant Industrial Reformatory at Chillicothe, or the Detention Farm for Short Term Prisoners at La Tuna, Tex The high, closely-guarded walls will enclose a considerable acreage tor tne prisoners are to be put to work, as much as possible, under the warming sun in open fields and at various occupations which will keep them out in the air. csun, air ana exercise are ex pected to remedy the conditions which drive confined men mad and which often cause pent-up emo- tions to explode into those strange bloody prison riots. And that, according to men close to heads of the department justice, is Murphy's plan for the new "Alcatraz." It is being stiffly opposed by tnose who adhere to the "punish formula and congress may be contrary about getting up the cold cash, but a glance at the former Michigan governor's record shows that mild-mannered Murphy is a determined man, himself, when he really starts shooting at a goal.

I i Tin i humane Alcatraz, By GEORGE LEWIN vASHINGTON' Julv 29- What type of Federal prison shall take the place of the doomed Alcatraz? That question today is caus ing one of the capital's most spirited conflicts. It has placed Attorney General Frank Murphy and head G-Man J. Edgar Hoover in opposite camps and has drawn the attention of lead ing penologists the world over. While plans go forward for abandonment of the dread "Rock, debate rages whether public enemies like Al Ca pone, Harvey Bailey, Alvin Karpis and "Machine-Gun' Kelly can be rehabilitated for society or must be ruthlessly put down with "soli tary," and other rigorous rules which have made Alcatraz the ter ror of criminals. Murphy, who expressed horror at the harsh methods employed in the federal island penitentiary where so many have gone "stir-crazy," appears adamant in his determination to build a new institution along the most advanced lines.

a recent inspection tour of the country's jail facilities, the attorney general visited model prisons and then crossed the mile of swift current off San Francisco to the gloomy rock. He declared himself shocked by the ultra-stringent regulations there. Even the most hardened criminals, Murphy holds, should not be made to suffer the wordless, cheerless existence decreed for prisoners once they enter the grim confines of the present Alcatraz. Hoover and many leading law-enforcement officers, on the other hand, contend just as vigorously that "The Rock" is the only form of punishment that savage kidnappers, bank robbers and super-gangsters understand. Such prisoners as reach the island are beyond rehabilitation long before they get there, most of these officials declare, and the absolute safety of the public is the first consideration.

HPRUE, there has seldom been a i- prison as "escape-proof" as Alcatraz. Ted Cole, 27, and Ralph Roe, 33, Oklahoma desperadoes, are the only men known to have made a successful break since the federal government made the island its No. 1 jail. They scaled the walls on the foggy night of Dec. 16, 1937, and disappeared in the mist-shrouded waters.

Whether they reached the mainland or were swept out to sea by the strong currents is still a mystery. However, reports of the fugi tives being seen occur regularly Recently, Earl McGuire, Oklahoma ex-convict, told authorities at Garden City, that he played poker with Cole and Roe in Pueblo, tnree days before he was picked up. Federal agents redoubled their efforts to track down the fugitives. Regardless of whether they are recaptured, Alcatraz will end its days with a really formidable record for holding prisoners. DESPITE the arguments of his opponents, Murphy is rushing his plans for a federal jail just as "tight, where criminals will have a chance to reconstruct warped characters and where, at least, men will not be driven insane by government severity.

The site for the new "Alcatraz" has not yet been decided upon definitely. It ia likely, informants say, that if the necessary money is forthcoming from congress at its next session, the institution will rise on some abandoned army reservation. This report is strengthened by Murphy's declaration that the second "Alcatraz" will be remote from any large city. Blue-prints, for the model jail are swiftly taking form in the hugs Justice building on lower Pennsylvania av. As the island again changes its purpose, it might be well briefly to review its history.

It was discoverer! and named "Alcatraz" by A Spanish lieutenant, Bartolem By KENNETH T. DOWNS OARIS, July 29. If Germany IT moves on Danzig, whether from the inside or outside, whether "legalistically" or by brute force, the second World war will start. This ia the view in Paris today. Certain men of high authority here, unofficially advised me last September to "take it easy" in my disDatches durine the Munich crisis if I wished to score for ac curacy.

"There will be no war over Czechoslovakia," they told me. These same individuals today unequivocally declare that war will be the certain resultof any Danzig "putsch" this year, no matter how skillf ullv the putsch might be undertaken. TpHE change is almost apparent 1 in the very air here. Paris is in a whirl of feverish gaiety the false, high-pitched hilarity of persons dancinsr on the "brink of catastrophe. Cocktail parties, garden par ties, dinners, receptions and balls follow in quick succession among the wealthy.

With reckless ex travagance, the elite is taking its fling at the Prix dea Drags at Auteuil, at the spectacular "Night of Flowers" open-air dinner in the Bois de Bologne and at the famous night race at Longchamps. More important in its implica tions, is the night-life activity of the traditionally thrifty French hoi polloi. Persons of scant means crowd the night clubs, nude shows and theaters, spending their hoarded sous. Rise of "war fever" is one of the differences between the situation now and last September. But it la only a symptom.

Beneath are the more vital, fundamental diff er ences. And these include the final disillusionment of the British and French governing classes in Hitler; the incredible change of temper of the entire British, French and Polish nations; the vast rearmament strides in Great Britain and France. PROBABLY the greatest shifting in the position now and then is this; Czechoslovakia was just a first line of defense, an exceedingly Important line, to be sure, but still only the first line, one which some men honestlv felt could be gambled away for the important stake of peace. Poland, on the contrary, is the lasr ime. ine French general stair Knows tnat IT Poland is allowed to fall Into the hands of Hitler, he will have a free hand in the East.

The balance of power would be so violently shifted In favor of Germanv that itn weight would carry her into war in me west. The Ttrttuv, French would face the altemativ. of fighting against crushing odds Wen, Danzig is Poland Th Poles know that if Germanv r.t Danzig, it will mark the beginning of their end. The corridor. Silefj the Ukraine will follow.

THAT is why the Poles will attack even if Danzig "peacefully" announces its adhesion to me reich. The Poles know Hitler. They know that any move of his on Danzig would come from the inside. They have known this all along during their repeated shouts uiai mey will fight for Danzig. If the Poles fisrht.

the French and British will have to follow. There are legal reasons to sup port Polish action against Danzig if the free city votes to join the reicn. But legal reasons don count so much any more. The Poles have never been sticklers for niceties and the British and French are beginning to get as tough as some of the other boys who have been doing all the talking lately. Pious complaints about "rights of self-determination, outrageous protests about the "rights of a free people to conduct a plebiscite, etc, are apt to be met with a brusque "Ah, what the hell" attitude when the Danzig matter comes to a showdown.

There is a difference of opinion here as to when the showdown will come. M. Daladier expects it any day now. Other very well informed group here don't believe Hitler will bring about the acid III -xfi i 11 Is 1 i 0y -'sit c5 tprriM i I A "toughest prison" with the wholehearted approval of Federal Chief Hoover who foresaw safe imprisonment for the "human rats" his men were rounding up almost weekly at that time. Warden James A.

Johnson announced that punishment was the code for the new prison. "We get the super-criminal with the superego," he said. "Our job ia to play him down not up." i GUMMING still favors his Alcatraz and Insists morale in other federal penitentiaries has been vastly improved. The government has expended $3,500,000 on the the cost of replacing the entire frot with tool proof steel and installation of many detection devices. All of the cells were equipped with toilets and electric lights.

Hospital facilities were 'greatly enlarged. Tear gas equipment was built Into the mess hall but not into cell blocks as has been reported. Although capacity is 600, there are only 308 prisoners on the "Rock" today. They work eight hours a day, six days a week. Most of them are employed In the -f 1' yx II Ferrelo.

Its name, said by lexicographers to be Arabic in origin, means, loosely, "a retort from which valuables are rescued." The island was acquired with California from Mexico and be came U. S. government property in 1850 when California became a state. It was an army post until 1900 and In 1909 first became a jail for army prisoners when 600 cells in four blocks were erected. IT remained a concrete and steel abode for the army's lawbreakers until Homer Cummings became attorney general in .1933 and the federal agents began their intensive anti-kidnapping drive.

Cummings began a search for an impregnable, forbidding prison that would strike terror into the hearts of the "snatchers." He decided upon Alcatraz and persuaded Secretary Dern of the war department to lease the island to the department of justice for five years. As part of the deal, he had to accept 20 long-term army prisoners who are still there. Permanent transfer of the island to the justice department was effected last year. In that manner was born the 1 i i 1 II IIIMUIT IWl III i At i 1 7r-iT i i 1 i tr i t. i I I if 1 this poster distributed in "Danxlg is German" Danzig.

So They Say NATIONS at the World's Fair exhibit their fruits of peace rather than their bombs and poison gas and samples of their concentration camps. They are not really proud of those, things. Henrr Ford, th Hw York World'i rir. WOULDN'T lose a chance to vote against Franklin Roosevelt for the crown of England. -Rowland Spencer, th President' Krutn Elbow neighbor, denvlng livt he will British eitisenthtp.

GOT mad and realized that because of the baby I couldn't go out like other girls. Mr. Velme Hnlt, 23. Ohio divorcee, eac- pietnmt mny en uiied her 10-week-old baoy. DONT expect too much from intelligence.

Rer. Dr Cherlee K. Arbuckle. to Colbjr TT is the obligation of all public 1 officers, mayors and governors. chiefs of police and police officers, proclaim as well as of presidents and judges, to know the Bill of Rights.

Judge Florence Allen, V. 8. Clxcol Court of Appeali. basic cause for concern is the loss of our organic unity as a people, of a cohesive ideal cementing our society in a common purpose and will. Dr.

Harold W. Dodd, president ef Princeton unireralty, TX) all in this mood, an ancient university has one parting counsel. Weigh the present against the past, the claims of the individual spirit against those of society. The dignity of man is vindicated as much by the thinker and the poet as by the statesman and soldier. Jtealdent Jame B.

Conant, of HarrarA TtiH Fuehrer has proclaimed Commissioner peace with guns. Joseph Buerckel, Reich tor Auatrla, .1 AM struck with how much less a people are reading now than when I was young. John Masefleld, British poet. Clcaming cell blocks prove the "Reck" the most modern of penal institutions. But stringent "solitary" and cheerlew years make' it a heU hole for those incarcerated there..