The Charlotte News
Thursday, March 31, 1949
THREE EDITORIALS
Site Ed. Note: The front page reports that in Washington, Secretary of State Acheson would probably begin meeting the following day with Foreign Ministers Robert Schuman of France and Ernest Bevin of Britain to try to resolve differences over unification of the three zones of Western Germany into one government. Mr. Bevin took the position that there would be no problem in settling the differences. Both Foreign Ministers were in the U.S. for the signing of the NATO accord.
Former British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill would speak this night at Boston Garden, an
important speech, anticipated as a follow-up to his March 5, 1946
"iron curtain" speech at Westminster College in Fulton,
Mo. The audience would contain some of the great thinkers, statesmen,
educators, scientists and philosophers of the time, who had gathered
for a three-day conference at M.I.T. to discuss the "social
implications of scientific progress". The address
The former Prime Minister denied the charge of Senator William Langer of North Dakota that he had fought for Spain against the U.S. during the Spanish-American War. He said that he had visited Cuba in November and December, 1895, at a time when there was no question of U.S. entry into a war with Spain, and was with the Spanish Army as an observer. The war began in February, 1898. Senator Langer said that he would refute the denial with a desk-pounding statement in the Senate.
In London, Ontario, a light-plane crash claimed the life of Dr. Willard Dow, president of Dow Chemical Co., as well as three others, including Mr. Dow's wife. One person survived. They were traveling to the M.I.T. event.
At a press conference, the President urged the Congress to approve the full 5.58 billion dollars sought in ERP aid for the coming fifteen months. Senators Robert Taft and Richard Russell were seeking to cut funding to 1.037 billion dollars for the ensuing fifteen months. Senator Tom Connally said that the vote on the proposed amendment would be close. Other amendments to cut the aid program to three or two billion dollars were also pending.
The President, saying that the recent drop in prices was only a temporary respite from inflation, urged the Congress to pass his package of economic controls and higher taxes. He asserted that his request for standby price controls had contributed to the lowering of prices.
Housing Expediter Tighe Woods ordered a survey of landlord incomes to determine what rent increases would be granted under the new rent control law.
In Birmingham, Ala., a witness testified that Senator Glen Taylor of Idaho had called police officers of the city "sons of bitches" when he was arrested the previous May for disorderly conduct for using the black-only entrance to a church where he was scheduled to speak to the Southern Negro Youth Congress. Senator Taylor, candidate for vice-president with Henry Wallace on the Progressive Party ticket in 1948, was appealing his conviction the previous May 4 on the charge, claiming that the segregation laws violated the Federal Constitution, an appeal which would lead to affirmance of the conviction.
That Consatuson, it don't apply down heya. Mr. Connor, he is the Law ova heya, tomorra, tomorra, and fawevah. You don't go callin' his boys names neida. Theya things can be done 'bout smawt-mouthed boys come down heya fum Washin'ton like 'at.
In Raleigh, the Speaker of the State House said that there was a chance that the Assembly could wrap up its business for the session and adjourn a week from Saturday.
In Edgar Springs, Mo., an Air Force C-47 transport plane crashed into a pond, which was then drained to search for the bodies. Two had been discovered. Four others were believed to be in the wreckage.
Snow fell across Nebraska and the Dakotas, Iowa, and Minnesota, with up to 23 inches recorded at Hayes Center, Neb.
In New York, a nine-year old girl of a European refugee family who had recently arrived in the U.S., had sent a letter to Ringling Brothers saying that she had seen a picture of a funny clown advertising the circus and wanted to attend with her four-year old brother, neither having seen one before. The Circus sent a reply saying that two seats had been reserved for them at Madison Square Garden for April 12. The little girl, upon receipt of the letter, laughed and cried, said she had seen a monkey once in Antwerp but never a full circus.
You could just travel
On the editorial page, "Major Legislative Issues Still Undecided", a by-lined piece by new Editor Pete McKnight, is the first in a series of pieces on the General Assembly's remaining legislative agenda for the biennial session, begun in early January. There were three major issues, schools, roads, and liquor, as well as several minor and subsidiary issues. None of the three major issues had yet been completely resolved because of intractability of both the conservative Assembly and Governor Kerr Scott, adherent to his "Go Forward" program.
The most progress had been made in the area of liquor, nixing for the session the statewide referendum on same, championed by the Governor.
Some progress had been made on the Governor's 200-million dollar rural roads program, with two measures passing the House, one for the bond issue and another for the one-cent sales tax on gasoline to help finance it. But in the State Senate, the bills were given unfavorable recommendations, and a substitute measure was passed, making the gasoline tax contingent upon approval by the voters of the bond measure, a position contrary to that urged by the Governor, wanting the gas tax passed without dependence on the bond referendum.
In education, the forces of advocacy were trying to obtain State financial assistance for building school buildings and higher teacher salaries. The Senate had approved a 50 million dollar school building bond measure, providing that each of the 100 counties would receive $500,000 from it, regardless of population density or need. The House Finance Committee reduced that amount to 20 million and supplemented it with the 30 million dollar postwar surplus fund. That move upset those urging increases in teacher salaries because that fund was considered to be the best source for the increases. Meanwhile, a Joint Appropriations Committee approved use of the fund for increasing teacher salaries, per the Governor's requested schedule of increases.
The remaining decision was whether the surplus would be used for teacher salaries or school building.
The Governor's program was far from lost, and the resistance to it, while still noticeable, was becoming weaker.
Mr. McKnight concludes that if the Assembly decided not to pass the Governor's program, then it would only delay matters until 1950 when the mid-term elections would act as a referendum on State Government.
"Mr. Marshall, Duke Power President" tells of E. C. Marshall becoming president of Duke Power. He had long been a vice-president of the company and was a trusted pupil of its founder, James B. Duke, the tobacco magnate. The piece finds him a good choice for the position.
"A Birthday Salute to Governor Cox" tells of former Governor James Cox of Ohio, 1920 Democratic presidential candidate with FDR as the vice-presidential nominee, having purchased in 1939 the Atlanta Journal and made it into a courageous and enterprising newspaper. It salutes Mr. Cox, a newspaper publisher for 52 years, on his 80th birthday and recommends his autobiography published in 1946, Journey Through My Years.
It laments the fact that the voters had chosen in 1920 to put into the presidency a weak man, also from Ohio, Warren G. Harding, who would surround himself with corrupt men. Governor Cox otherwise would have been president at a time after the war when the country needed his strength of character and leadership talents.
Incidentally, not off point, FDR, speaking privately in August, 1940, may convey some sound advice
Drew Pearson finds that while the Congress had doubled the President's salary and housekeeping allowance, the diplomatic corps still awaited their promised $330 per year pittance of an increase. Some received as little as $2,000 per year and could scarcely make ends meet. The Truman Fair Deal was thus becoming the "raw deal" for the diplomats. He notes that one of the reasons for ineptness of the diplomats was the poor pay, as only the wealthy could afford the positions and wealth did not necessarily equate to brains.
House Majority Leader John McCormack took to task Congressman John Rankin for his statement that the country was pouring funds down a "sinkhole" in Israel, Europe, Asia and Africa. Mr. McCormack took exception to Mr. Rankin singling out people for dint of their birth and religion, finding him bigoted and thus a person he did not like. Mr. Rankin bristled at the charge but took greater offense at Mr. McCormack stating that he had opposed every measure on defense since prior to Pearl Harbor. As he began his defense of his record, House Speaker Sam Rayburn ruled him out of order.
He next relates of George Stahl of Sunbury, Pa., Ambrose Crass of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Dr. Clement Listtauer of Asbury Park, N.J., Ella Allen of Ft. Smith, Ark., and Mrs. Robert Loving of Philadelphia, each of whom were unknown people who were making their communities better places to live through various forms of service.
The Senate Rules Committee was taking up a resolution to bar Marion Carpenter, a news photographer, from the Senate restaurant for her having doused columnist Tris Coffin with a bowl of the restaurant's famous Navy bean soup.
Senator Arthur Watkins of Utah wanted the President to wait longer to sign the NATO agreement, until the people of the country and the Congress had longer than 17 days to study it.
Marquis Childs tells of the climate in New York returning to the time of isolationism before the war, when America Firsters protested against American entry to the war and, for a short time, Communists joined them, while the Russo-German Non-Aggression Pact of August, 1939 remained in effect, until the June 22, 1941 invasion by Germany of Russia.
But in contrast to this climate of rising hatreds and fears, a meeting of the Americans for Intellectual Freedom took place at Freedom House, regarding the freedom of science to engage in scientific inquiry without interference by the state. Discussion centered on the absence of such intellectual freedom in the Soviet Union.
Dr. H. S. Muller, professor of
zoology at Indiana University and a recipient of the Nobel Prize in
genetics, related of his coming to know the genetic scientists of
Russia, uniformly dedicated to expanding knowledge. But the Communist
Party had declared the conclusions of genetics contrary to doctrine
that a superior environment produced a superior being and that an
inferior environment likewise produced an inferior being, the latter
presumably in reference to capitalist countries. In 1940, the most
famous Russian geneticist, N. I. Vavilov
About seven months earlier, according to Dr. Muller, the Central Committee of the Communist Party officially had repudiated the entire science of genetics. The action repeated the Nazi creed of innate master and subject races and classes.
Joseph & Stewart Alsop tell of Secretary of State Acheson facing his toughest test in his two months in the position, that of trying to work out a solution to Germany with French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman and British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin. They were going to stay in the country longer than necessary to sign the NATO pact for the purpose of negotiating a resolution.
There had been an agreement a year earlier in London to set up a West German government, but no action had taken place toward bringing it to a reality. Initially, Secretary Acheson almost abandoned the concept as a pipe dream of the military brass hats. The State Department wanted integration of Germany into Europe over the long term, while the Defense Department was more focused on the details of German administration. But, Mr. Acheson, a quick study, had familiarized himself with the issues and would enter the meeting reasonably well prepared.
The aims of American policy were to set up the West German government, merge the three Western zones, and assure that the new West Germany would later become an integral part of a united Europe.
France and Britain had to approve of this policy, and Mr. Bevin appeared somewhat reluctant while M. Schuman, emboldened by the heavy vote for the centrist parties in the recent French elections, rejecting the extremes of the Gaullists on the right and the Communists on the left, showed signs of being willing to reach a resolution on the matter.
It should be noted that in this day's news, Mr. Bevin stated that he foresaw no difficulty in resolving the remaining issues.
A letter writer says that landlords would not raise rents precipitously if there were no rent control, that all they wanted was a fair return to enable them to survive and not be forced to enter bankruptcy.
A letter from the pastor of the East Avenue Tabernacle ARP Church thanks the newspaper, especially city editor Dick Young, for covering its conference held March 20-25.
A letter writer comments on the wonders of the universe being discovered by the new 200-inch telescope at the Mount Palomar Observatory near San Diego.
A letter writer responds to the March 26 letter from an acquaintance of Frank Porter Graham, who had roomed across the hall from the previous writer for three years while they were fellow students at the University. The previous writer found him able and honest, but also not fitted well to being a Senator because of his "irrepressible" idealism. This writer believes that no greater tribute could be paid to any man. Irrepressible idealists were the prophets of the world since Biblical times, and included the Founders. He predicts that Dr. Graham would leave his indelible imprint on the intellectual advancement of the generation.
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