The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 16

EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE BEE THE FRESNO BEE MONDAY MAY 20 1940 On The Sidewalks Of New York Public Thinks Municipal Ownership Progresses In Oregon The little town of McMinnville Ore recently held an election on the question of entering lnte a contract with the federal authorities for Bonneville power which was most unique when compared to similar elections held in other communities There was no outpouring of power company money in McMinnville no pseudo "citizens" or "taxpayers" committees no full page ads in newspapers no radio speeches or mailed circulars Cotton Holds Important Place In State's Crops Thi is National Cotton Week What does it mean to California and the San Joaquin Valley? There are 320938 acres in Fresno Kern Tulare Kings Madera and Merced Counties devoted to cotton culture and the estimate is that the 1939 crop is 416670 bales of the state's 426600 total Based on the market quotations of May 6 1940 the valley's cotton output is worth $26833348 and in California it has forged to third place oranges and grapes only bringing a greater return Questions And Answers Baseball Questions Did Lloyd Christopher outfielder play with the Oaks last year? If so in how many garnet did he play? What is a catcher'! Fresno In baseball the bases are loaded with one out The batsman hits a ground bail to the pitcher who throws it to first eliminating the batter The first baseman throws the bail home attempting a double play Does the catcher have to tag the runner coming in from third or ia the force play still open at the plate? A runner ia on first The batter hits to the infield The fielder throws the ball to first for the out The first baseman in turn relays the ball to second Does the runner coming into second have to be tagged or ia this also a double play set Fresno Christopher played in ninety four gamea with the Oaks last season There is no such thing as a catcher's balk When the man is out at first the force is taken off the runners and the man coming into the plate must be tagged out The same is true when the runner is forced out at first The force is taken off and the runner going into second must be tagged A Broadcast The other night I tuned on my radio just as the announcer was Introducing Flint Hsnner from his room in the Burnett Sanitarium Was this broadcast actually from the hospital or was it a gag? If it was a broadcast how was it done and by whom? We say it must have been a transcription but a neighbor says it was a publicity stunt What do you say? When is the KMJ Barn Dance coming hack on the MRS Sanger Dick Wegener says the broadcast of the KARM staff was made by Flint Hanner direct from his room in the hospital: special transmitting apparatus was Installed in the hospital for the broadcast Station KMJ reporta that no date has been set for the resumption of this program Alaska Please print the rules for the game of Parchesl or Poliyanna What is John Hix address? Does he pay for accepted articles for Strange As It Seems Scrapbook etc? Is Alaska state or a territory? MRS STEWART Fresno A Solution Of Jobless Problem Is Proposed Editor of The Sir: Every day we read of the millions of dolisrs the governor or president is asking for relief But never da we read of the state assembly eJFS congress working on a definite cAa permanent solution for the prob-lem of bringing relief down to a minimum hy taking all able bodied persons off relief Relief is a parasite and a headache to the taxpayer He not only has to feed ihe persons on relief but he has to pay wages to tha employes who take rare of those persons We have the unemployment insurance and social security department which I believe most of us agree is the oniy sensible relief department This department alone could handle without cost to the taxpayer the problem of keeping all able bodied persons working Our employers have been rutting each throats for years with unfair tactics For instance one employer wants to work bis help an eight hour day at a decent wage scale but cannot do it because his competitors will not do the same The government could control this by regulating the working hours in all business simply by classification of the unemployed as they report for their unemployment insurance When a number of workers bad reported in a certain industry nr line of work In any particular city or section of the country the hours in that city or s-ction for that work could be reduced so as to put those workers bark to 'work This could be used to the advantage of the employer also When he called for help that could not be supplied the hours could be raised accordingly The money paid into unemployment insurance would pay the department employes' wages as well as the insurance for the very short period of unemployment until the working hours are regulated This system would do away with unions and cause a congenial instead of a Communistic attitude between employer and employe a m'rimum of relief and unemployment It would put the employers on an even and friendly basis A SUBSCRIBER Fresno May 19 194a Popular Vote Election Of President Is Urged Editor of The Sir: It If generally believed that we have free speerh and a free press here in the United States Such lx far from true because the two dominating political parties control and dictate anything of a political nature published In the daily papers Naturally anything contrary to their ideas Is ignored or ridiculed Therefore any one who is inclined to have liberal ideas or be nonpartisan is considered a freak is not permitted to vote in primary elections and has no voire in the nomination of candidates for the president of the United States Of course such a system was Incorporated in the Constitution of the United States by our forefathers when the majority of our citizens were ignorant In this more highly civilized age the electoral college system should in justice he amended to permit the citizens of cur country to elect th president by popular vote Political parties have become disgraceful and in common sense and justice should he abolished The nomination of all candidates should be in open convention by the people and not by a few professional politicians Modesto May 19 194a 4 THE NATIONAL WHIRLIGIG NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS- Atlantic Is Seen As An Effective Barrier Editor of The Sir: No one questions the formidable efficiency of Hitler'c armies For years everything truly cultured and decent In Germany has been ruthlessly sacrificed to building her armed might She is miles ahead of the democracies from a military standpoint and it is an open question whether even France's superb fortifications ran effectually withstand such strenuous pressure But with due respect to the president's opinion the Atlantic Ocean docs furnish an unquestionable barrier to any invasion of our hemisphere and especially North America Hitler cannot march his troops across He will either have to bring them in ships or fly them across And America is not Norway Against the first method of transportation we have our navy And the second appears negligible to me Parachute forces may work in Rotterdam but Rotterdam's geographical position with gelation to the reich is altogether different from that of Boston or New York City I believe that fifteen divisions of highly mobile and modernly equipped shock troops 6000 modern warplanes and a reasonable fleet on both oceans plus adequate coast defense and anti aircraft artillery protection would be entirely sufficient to discourage any European or Asiatic power from invading our shores Alaska Is another problem So are Central and South America Let ua keep our feet on firm geographical foundations Suppose a small army could fly here in a matter of hours How are they going to supply it? ARRINGTON Fresno May 19 194a United States Is Held To Face Grave Danger Editor of The Sir: In December 1939 I warned the people that the United States was in danger I believe events have proven me right I also told of the crushing power of the totalitarian armies This too has been shown to be true The Nazis the Fascists Reds and Stalinists and the Japanese have 32000000 trained men We have 600000 They have perhaps 25000 to 35000 planes Wa have less than 3000 They ran strike us from Alaska Greenland or South America The totalitarian nations have surveyed our oceans photographed our fortifications and studied our country in every line of industry so there is bo reason why we should not suffer the same fate at other neutrals and be reduced to slavery' Many agents spies and wreckers are in America right now ready to strike in case of need They are quiet and may pretend to be enemies of the totalitarian! The Dies committee is ridiculous No real efficient and powerful agent of a foreign power ever makes himself conspicuous I do not believe we can help Ihe Allies much but we can hold the line between barbarism and civilisation which runs from Alaska to Singapore FRED Philo May 19 194a Not Wishy Washy Editor of The Bee Sir: It seems to me the author of the letter in reference to a proposed showing of the play Tobacco Road at the Fresno State College was a trifle hasty in some of his conclusions I personally commend the Mu Alpha Delta Fraternity for daring to show such conditions on the stsge Without a doubt Tobacco Road is one of the best educational plays ever written in the United States Perhaps the author of the letter would rather see a flimsy wishy washy weak plotted romance produced for young students at rollege That would be educational! I say hats off to youth and spirit MRS MARY A HINKLE Fresno May 19 194a Gluyas Williams -tecs fe balance by Hoflwna Fttf UHDER DESK -for I IP 0 VnOj''lK i 1 ill Wi i -1 -1 news note: nioTcwN' MANHATTAN HAS EMBARKED ON AN AMBITIOUS TREE PlANTWCi PROGRAM Deals for similar repeat orders are under way The moral if any is that United States Industry is trying to steer course by a spinning compass needle It pauses etch time to point a different namely: a quick Allied defeat kills the future outlook for United States wwr sales But in the meantime the Allies have lost access to a third of former supply sources making the call on American industry mandatory United States Intervention chances will Increase with each month that the war extends into 1941 possibly sooner But industrial earnings in the contingency of an American war are shadowed by the paralyzing provisions of the industrial mobilization plan To stop the confusion the stock selling performance of the Investing public was a lesson in mass pessimism But the wave of gloom did not jolt the production average which will stick to a gentle upward curve The life insurance company which was first in the field in 1915 is first out with storm warnings of 1940 From now on no policies will be written for privates now in service or members of the reserve Commissioned officers on the other hand who already are covered with the company have the privilege of boosting policies by 2S per bent The theory is that brass hats remain behind the are a better risk than the doughboy For civilians all new policies are qualified by a clause nullifying compensation in the event of death or injury as a result of armed service The provision is down in print i blank space being reserved for the date to be filled in on day Aids To Navigation (From the Pathfinder) Among the 27500 aids to shipping and navigation maintained by the United States lighthouse service are thirty one lightships 527 attended lighta and 15000 buoys Chair Sitter SltSlTf HiSTbSY' iessoNoWaduauy suppnfc miA HE ft ttSMt AN 8K Ctw SHIFTS POSfflOH PROPPING BOOK Ilf Oil DESK Atfo SEEING HOW 1H-IRlCATElY HE CAN WEWE Hft fEEf IN ANP OHf AMONG RUN6S Of CHAIR But cotton production -means more than the value of the crop In dollars and cents It requires a large amount of labor in harvesting and processing Farm work employment in gins oil mills and compressors disburse more than $14000000 annually in wages and salaries Moreover the Industry produces loads for railroads trucks and steamships And the byproducts the oil derived and the many uses to which the cotton Itself is put make It crisscross the country's business and induiH-t activities with Innumerable strands of cotton thread In the San Joaquin Valley alone there are 11176 cotton farms and 7696 cotton farmers The bales of snowy white form one of the bulwarks of this state's agricultural and business life the more so because the California product commands a dominating place in the cotton world because of its high quality long staple and yields far ahead of the average for the country as a whole These are good things for Call fornians to know and remember And in a week devoted to making everyone cotton conscious it Is well for all to realize how important a crop it is and how great a bearing it exerts directly and indirectly on the economic well being of the state and nation United States Has Bulk Of World's Telephones A recent survey reveals there are 41090347 telephones in the world and 19953263 or nearly one half are in this country Europe has more than four times the population of the United States but she has 4500000 fewer telephones And those she has are used less frequently than ours Furthermore the survey shows Americans make some 91000000 telephone calls a day Suppose each call lasts five minutes and the speakers average 100 words minute Then nearly 50000000000 words are spoken over the wires daily It is admitted that "hellos" and Veahs" consume a good portion of some of these conversations so the rest of the wordage should be well packed with ideas to Justify this vast network of interlocking telephone linds Perhaps some of those whose calls drag on and on should apply some sort of a measuring stick based on the value of the conversation If they did no doubt calls would be shortened and telephones would not be busy when business of moment waits That is just a thought There is no time to pursue it further because our telephone is ringing and must be answered There is always a chance it may be something of importance 'Smart Alecks' Have No Right To Fly Plane There was much rejoicing when the commercial air lines finished a year without a aingle passenger or crew fatality but unfortunately the same cannot be said for ail classes of aircraft Accidents Involving private planes numbered 3500 last year and 8 per cent of them resulted in death Of course many of these accidents are minor and it is true they decreased some 20 per cent while the number of pilots increased 33 per cent However the Civil Aeronautics Authority declares they still are far too high One of the reasons was stated by a member of the safety board when he said: We still have to contend with the smart aleck or Inadequately trained pilot as one of the major causes of small plane crashes No doubt readers can recall instances in which bravado or senseless stunting has brought disaster to some pilot The CAA is endeavoring to improve the training of airmen and to enforce safety rules rigidly That should assist those who are Inadequately prepared As for the smart alecks they are sure to eliminate themselves permanently if they do not change their conduct Astronomers now believe only the earth is inhabited among all the planets However if they give the war lords a little more time they will correct that Paradoxically enough the most successful voyages on the sea of matrimony are those accompanied Ay squalla In fact the entire campaign was so one sided that one newspaper printed an editorial urging the citizenry to vote unanimously for government power The reason? Simply that McMinnville almost since the town was established has owned her own power system The people of McMinnville are so sold on public ownership that the expenditure of Power Trust funds to convert them back to private ownership of utilities would have been a waste of money Needless to say the people of McMinnville voted almost unanl-mously to accept Bonneville power Thus it will be added to the growing list of Oregon cities enjoying cheap electricity No small part of the credit for public acceptance of municipal ownership of utilities in Oregon is due to the efforts of the Oregon State Grange Even in Portland where the private power Interests long have been entrenched there are signs that the Grange's campaign is bearing fruit The California State Grange has cause for congratulation that It too has made the publie ownership of utilities one of its major objectives Too Many Youths Are Becoming Criminals Last year was the worst in this country's history for murders The average was twenty a day or 7514 for the year New York City remained in first place with 291 end Chicago was second with 239 However Boston maintained her reputation as model of sedateness with only six homicides There were 1500000 other major crimes committed during the year and more than $11000000 worth of property which was stolen was not recovered Declines are noted In certain classifications of crime but on the whole the trend is upward Tragically this criminal record is not the work of hardened men and women alone The peak age was 19 at least there were more errests of persons of this age then any other This juvenile crime increase must be viewed with alarm It an indication something is seriously amiss when so many youths not yet out of their teens turn to crime After they do so there is so little that can be done to salvage them Prevention is the field which the problem must be attacked Unique Birthday Party Honors 'Seeing Eye1 Dog A unique party was held in New York City recently a gathering in honor of the tenth birthday of Zenta one of the first Seeing Eye dogs In the country She was served a heaping dish of ice cream her favorite food and a birthday rake baked by a blind baker was cut for her and the other guests What had she done? For many years she had served a blind master now the secretary- of the New York Guild for Jewish Blind She went with him to Rutgers where he won a Phi Beta Kappa key She was at Princeton when her master obtained an A Probably Zenta slept during the classes her master attended but she was his eyes the rest of the time Once she saved his life when she tugged him from the path of an automobile There may be those who scoff st the idea of a birthday for a dog But the work Zenta has done and will continue to do entitles her not only to that honor but also to the title bestowed upon her by a speaker "a dog of peace the protector and companion of the blind Propaganda bureaus have been set up by both the Allies end the Germans in The Netherlands in total disregard of the fact the country already is full of windmills The modern game of love is no different from the stone age except that diamonds have replaced clubs It Is never worth what it costs to tell a man what you really think of him A certain world famous umbrella now reipinds us of one rib missing end a worried look It looks as if the Dutch boy did not get his finger out of the hole in the dike soon enough polled 230000 most of which would have gone to the senator if he had kept silent Now had Wadsworth been reelected in 1926 he would have been the candidate for the Coolldges Mellons Watsons and Curtises who did not want Herbert Hoover Jim said only the other day however that he has never regretted his decision or the price he may have paid He added ruefully: Warren Harding once told me that White House is a prison' And I don't like prisons Hans Thomsen German charge d'affaires at Washington recently declined an Invitation to a dinner party because he wanted to hear Poosevelt speak at the Eighth Scientific Congress always like to listen to Mr Roose-veit" he explained to his would be hosts The presidential speerh he heard was that in which FDR declared that the American people had been "shocked and angered" by invasion of Holland and Belgium From New York Several hundred New Yorkers had the thrill that comes seldom in a lifetime when they heard Wayland Brooks former district attorney of Cook County Illinois speak on this chances of being taken into the European war It was a stag au-dienre but many of them were openly stirred to the depths of their emotions by this extraordinary young orator Some of the older men spoke afterwards of not having been so moved by any speakers save Henry Ward Beecher and William Jennings Bryan Brooks spoke as a former enlisted man in the marines to whom were awarded the highest honors for bravery within the gift of that fighting corps After the achievements thus honored the marine collected seven machine gun bullets in other actions He has the appearance today of needing more than bullets to stop him As the Republican nominee for senator from he won by more than 200000 there la an excellent chance that he will ranch Washington next January Thereafter one of the great voices of our time should help the GOP comeback On Saturday there were a series of rallies throughout the country at which men and women who have recently become Americans gathered at central points under the leadership of our immigration service Some 40000 were summond to appear In the great open space In New York's Central Park Other cities staged similar rallies in proportion The full significance of the drive Is obscure at this writing but there are well informed men in Washington and New York who foresee a larger delivery of newly imported voters at the polls next November than has been possible since the decade before the war About 1000000 immigrants a year poured in st that time hut there was nothing like the earnestness then shown in having them qualify as voters that Is the case throughout the country currently CLASH Contradictory estimates of United States effects of Allied setbacks continue to plague the harassed Wall Street hanks While stocks took a nose dive on the pessimistic prospects of an early defeat or American partlc! patlon the 'trend in heavy industries was decidedly bullish Key executives of steel industries recently met quietly agreed that proddctlon should be main' tained at current high levels if only to replenish stock reserves Rather than curtail smelting the steel people figured future demand was so safe that the risk of glut was months in the future This position was taken on the strength of Ihe first pilot order to be placed hy the Allies since the start of the Belgian offensive The Industry received a teaser in the way of a completed Rrltish French contract for 125000 tons ol sheet castings and forgings From Washington A few years ago Louis Johnson's pugnacious demands for preparing the United States for war threatened to land him in the presidential doghouse But events heve borne him out so completely that his role ai first prophet may at last earn him the post of secretary of war If conditions necessitate a shift of the mild Harry Woodring to some other post Johnson frequently was denounced as a "war when he declared at the time of Munich that the United States needed the finest air armada in the world possibly 20000 planes The blitzkriegs in Poland Norway the low countries now convince many people that he was conservative He ran into powerful opposition when he asked congress for millions to finanre a start on hit industrial mobilization for more millions to buy critical materials like tin rubber quinine etc But the spread of war has forced an overnight and possibly a wasteful move in both those directions The big bulky West Virginian may have been playing In luck but he also named the date when Hitler would attack Holland and Belgium So now the bigwigs listen when he talks and he is invited to national defense conferences at the White House while Woodring bends over his desk a mile or more away The emergence of John Dempsey as a national figure through his crusade for the Hatch bill has in it the elements of a political romance Indeed it might be described as the second act of a drama which has an ancient rlvilization for a setting and the late Senator Cutting for an Invisible member of the cast Here is the plot: A member of the wealthy and socially prominent Cuttings of Long Island a graduate of Groton and Harvard Cutting settled in New Mexico and through discreet use of his money became the behind the scenes bosS He was a rather effeminate individual but his lisp and Harvard accent could not hide the fact that he used fighting words in a senate debate He devoted his wealth and his vast ability to worthwhile and idealistic ends He became a generous patron of political liberalism Except for the contrast In background and personality Dempsey may reenact the Cutting role Born a poor hoy in Pennsylvania he quit school at the age of 12 But he had an Indomitable fighting spirit also great business ability and he was a multi mil llonaire at middle age-vice prest dent of the BMT in New York later an oil man and asphalt manufacturer He too settled In New Mexico and has devoted his recent years to politics with the same effect and purpose as Senator Cutting And some dav soon this advocate of politics" and a for the underdog may occupy the seat from which his Harvard predecessor lisped the same philosophy A frequent men tion of Representative James Wadsworth as a possible dark horse In the GOP presidential derby reealla the 1926 when he tossed away a chan re to become president of the United States James denies he made such a sacrifice but here are the historical facts: The time was April of that year and prominent Wadsworth Al Smith Jouett Shouse had organized the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment New York drys denounced Wadsworth and threatened to run their own ticket simply to kill him off unless he relented Instead of backing down the then senator prepared a long detailed statement of why he hated and opposed prohibition Friends begged him to "pussy as so many politicos were doing hut he refused to he a hypo ertte Issuance of the statement cost him reeletion Rob Wagner detested him by about 123000 votes while the drys' nominee Booklets listing the rules of these games may he obtained at any store selling games John Hix may be addressed at 6362 Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Calif Alaska la a territory Indians And Liquor The state law says one can sell liquor to an Indian of part blood but is it not true that the federal law says liquor may not be sold to any full or part blond Indian or to any iquaw Fresno The federal law applies only to Indians or part Indiana wtio are grahtees of government land wards of the federal government or over whom the federal government has jurisdiction Mexican Attorneys Give the name of some law firm or attorney in old Mexico TAYLOR Tulare Such information is not available here it might be obtained from attorneys in this country Panther Bounties What are the bounties on male and female The bounty for males la $30 and femalea 130 awns Pasflwi rocking genty BAqt AND TWA fNloO REJtt ISfetf OtMR SHIM'S POSITION WORKING 1X66 -Through back of chair and swaying chair back and fMWH Play Production For Entertainment Upheld Editor of The Sir: I was surprised as well as indignant at the unwarranted attack by Ashton Giese on our forthcoming production Tobacco Road It ia evident he does not know much about college life or of our own particular version of the play Had he bothered to investigate our script which will he submitted to the' proper authorities for approval I am sure he would never have written such a scathing condemnation As for patriotic plays should explain that the particular assembly st which this show will be given romes at an hour which it primarily one of entertainment Hie administration had this thought in mind in allowing on hour for the purpose We also have one hour a week devoted to the more serious aspect of college life At this time assemblies of an educational nature are sponsored by different civic groups' and by the faculty Giese may rest assured that no chances are missed to stress tha patriotic side of our schooling HUGH RUDORF 1369 College Avenue Fresno May 19 194a The Foes Within Editor of The Bee Sir: The editor is kind enough to allow people to publish their views in the Public Thinks column This toleration for the views of others is noticeable It behooves us to look Unto the future and consider the importance of situations If we think there is( an attitude threatening to disrupt'" our government in a military or a political way we should be able to cope with the situation In a military way we are confronted with many sad happenings in foreign countries While our sympathies go out for the dead we should not let our sympathies permit us to do gross Injustice to the living here Sending our boys across to kill others or be killed is not a good policy In a political way the foes of this country are the (net within which should be feared as much as the foes without The foes within are the great combinations of power and some ruthless corporations thst stand ready to rob and despoil the people ED ROBINSON Fresno May 19 1940 TRliiERFKSlNG Srf UP PROPERLY AT DESK SIGHING ANP WONDERS WHYSFAWN' UPS WANT YOU fO PO B7ERYfri)N6 The pull why 5-20 1 i 1 i.