The Charlotte News

Thursday, April 18, 1940

FOUR EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: "And--the Japanese threat to the Dutch East Indies, undoubtedly made in full collaboration with the Nazis and probably with the Nazi promise that Japan may have these islands when the war is over, effectually cancels out the possibility that the United States might come actively to the rescue of the Allies.

"It promises to be no picnic upon which the bandit combine seems about to embark, certainly. It is more than probable that the move in the south will be combined with an attack on the Western Front, perhaps a swing through Holland and Belgium. Indeed, the Dutch East Indies business suggests that exactly the latter is coming."

While things would transpire at a good bit slower pace than Cash predicts in this regard, that while the move on the Western Front, precisely through Holland and Belgium into France, by the Nazi, would occur within the next few weeks, the forecasted move south by the Japanese in collaboration with the Nazi would await another time, six months after the blitz into Russia, after its progress had stalled by the fortuitously combined forces of the early October winter in 1941 and the fortitude of the Russian citizen-soldier behind the sandbags of Stalingrad.

All to keep the machinery of war on the march and well-greased with plenty of iron ore for steel, wheat for bread, tin and rubber from the East Indies, and oil from both the latter and Rumania, as the shipments from Mexico of this most precious commodity via the western route were fast drying up.

"Good Timing" displays in little Cash’s note of that whimsical fay we name Serendipity, and lets us know that its recognized presence at The News Tower long preceded our occasional encounter here with it as we recapitulate these editorials for your consideration. (And for a little more on Martin Burney, of whom the Lamb quote makes reference, see Lamb’s letter of August 14, 1814 to William Wordsworth, as Lamb praised the newly penned narrative poem, “The Excursion”, the manuscript of which Burney with, diamond-handed, had made haste away.)

Time flies; it is his melancholy task,
To bring, and bear away, delusive hopes,
And re-produce the troubles he destroys.
But, while his blindness thus is occupied,
Discerning Mortal! do thou serve the will
Of Time's eternal Master, and that peace,
Which the world wants, shall be for thee confirmed!

On The March

The Bandit Nations Have Chosen Their Time Well

In itself the Italian uproar and naval maneuvers might mean simply that Mussolini was trying to help Hitler and Norway by making the Allies feel that they had to keep a very large naval force in the Mediterranean to watch him instead of drawing off most of their ships to speed the northern decision.

But, when other developments are taken into account, it seems more probable that the Nazis, the Italians and probably the Reds think that the time is now opportune to put what look like well-laid plans into execution.

All the evidence suggests that the Balkans are the chosen ground for the Nazi-Red-Italian attack. The Nazis and the Reds will jump Rumania at the same time that Mussolini jumps Yugoslavia and Greece. Perhaps at the same time Russia will strike Turkey overland. There is the bare possibility, of course, that the Reds may not be active partners in the apparently approaching move, and that their concentrations of troops over against Rumania may be intended to forestall any attempt of the Nazis to continue on into the Ukraine. But to suppose it is almost certainly willful thinking. However much thieves may hate one another, they can usually get together when there is a prospect of booty for all.

Perhaps Italy will also strike in French North Africa and Egypt at the same time, and it is not impossible that she might attempt a lightning blow to close Suez and the Straits of Gibraltar, with Franco perhaps co-operating with the latter move from the Spanish side.

The time has been admirably chosen and the Nazi-Red-Musso cards have been played with great skill. The British battle fleet is far away, 2,500 miles northward from the Mediterranean, and must remain there willy-nilly until the German hold on Norway is broken, if it can be. Else Britain will be at the mercy of the Nazi bombers and will soon be hopelessly crippled. Mussolini has had time to greatly strengthen his defenses against the French border. And--the Japanese threat to the Dutch East Indies, undoubtedly made in full collaboration with the Nazis and probably with the Nazi promise that Japan may have these islands when the war is over, effectually cancels out the possibility that the United States might come actively to the rescue of the Allies.

It promises to be no picnic upon which the bandit combine seems about to embark, certainly. It is more than probable that the move in the south will be combined with an attack on the Western Front, perhaps a swing through Holland and Belgium. Indeed, the Dutch East Indies business suggests that exactly the latter is coming. If so, then the French will have no great armies to spare for Italy. But even small French armies have always been able to whip the bandy-legged and uncourageous race beyond the Alps at will, and Frenchmen promise to be in a grim humor this time.

Turkey seems ready to hurl her armies into Rumania and Greece, and Turk soldiers are as terrible as the most terrible Nazi ever dreamed of being. And as for the talk about Italy's navy attempting to force the Dardanelles, that is nonsense. The Italian navy couldn't do it in a thousand years even if it didn't have the French-British fleets which still outweigh it to cope with. However, if the Italians take Greece, they might achieve the same purpose by land--if they got Nazi soldiers to aid. Or the Nazis might do it by approaching through Bulgaria, which is already a Nazi stooge.

The British-French Mediterranean fleets are perhaps still large enough to destroy the Italian fleet if they ever came up with it, but it will probably take good care that they don't, preferring instead to cut off Allied commerce through the sea and to harass British-Allied transport movements.

It all shows up the isolationist claim in this country, that the war is only another imperialistic war, as incredible silliness. The new barbarian hordes are solidly on the march, intent upon the destruction of civilization and the carrying of their iron rule and their barbarian ideology around the earth by the sword. But the isolationists need not worry about us getting involved in Europe. If we have any regard for our own interests, we will now quit dallying and throw all our economic power behind the Allies. But as for military intervention, that is beyond our power. All we can do is watch Japan, perhaps fight her, and pray heaven that the Allies can somehow win in Europe and head off chaos for mankind, ourselves included.

Alas, Poor York

It Knows Well Whence It Gets A Hundred Grand In Taxes

The form of the liquor referendum to be held in South Carolina (under the auspices of the Democratic Party) is certainly calculated to put the question to the voters in a disagreeable way. It is to be all or nothing. If they want to get rid of liquor, which runs 40-50 per cent alcohol, by George, they jolly well have to get rid of wine and beer too, which run as low as four and five per cent alcohol.

Not only that, the Legislature, in submitting the matter in the Democratic primary, has asked the voters to indicate what kind of taxes they'd like to take the place of liquor taxes provided a return to prohibition is indicated. That provision is going to make a lot of people think twice.

The people of York County (York, Fort Mill, Rock Hill) in particular, we would guess, for York, while it is the seventh county in population, was second in liquor sales last fiscal year. And the people of York, whatever their liquor sentiments, probably have no objection at all to the people of Mecklenburg County in North Carolina voluntarily and cheerfully coming across the line to pay something like $100,000 a year in taxes on York liquor sales.

Good Timing

But Candor Compels Us To Admit It Was Chance

The News editorial page yesterday set us to grinning over it as a marvel of co-ordination. In column one appeared an editorial on Dave Clark calling on Martin Dies to give the University of North Carolina a going over with a view to convincing the country that the place is a hotbed of Communism. In columns four, five, and six appeared a cartoon, by Fitzpatrick, "Yes, Mr. Dies, I'm a Rhode Island Red." And at the extreme top of the page on the folio line appeared a quote from Charles Lamb, "Martin, If Dirt Was Trumps, What Hands You Would Hold!"

But in point of fact, none of the items was placed in the page with reference to the others. The Lamb quotation was selected and sent to the printer ten days ago, without any thought of Martin Dies.

The Fitzpatrick cartoon came in rotation. In point of fact, we did not discover the co-ordination of the three items until we saw Wednesday's paper.

We are sadly tempted, all the same, to give our little readers to understand that it was a psychic, if unconscious, feat--the celebrated old "nose for news" at work. But, remembering the fate of Ananias, we guess we'll have to admit that it was nothing but coincidence.

Red, Eh?

This Is An Odd Doctrine To Come From Russia

This editorial is not concerned one way or the other with the Logan-Walters Bill.

What it is concerned with is a statement by the Hon. Gene Cox of Georgia, made in the course of debate on the bill. Said the Hon. Gene of the SEC:

"That commission has the same philosophy as most of these new agencies that have been set up in recent years whose thinking is apparently rooted in the doctrines that emanate from Russia."

Which, to say the least, seems a bit far-fetched and extravagant. There is room for argument about whether the SEC has sometimes made its rulings too strict, though for recent years even that is dubious. But there is no room for doubt at all as to what the fundamental philosophy behind the SEC is.

That commission was called into being as an answer to scoundrelism on a huge scale under which the American people were systematically duped into buying worthless securities in the 1920s. And its basic philosophy is quite simply that the American people have the right to demand that firms engaged in selling securities obey the rules of common honesty.

It is startling news that the Hon. Gene Cox thinks Russia has become the home of that philosophy.

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