The Charlotte News

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1939

TWO EDITORIALS

Italian Hand

Robert Rice Turns Out To Be Present, After All

The latest issue of the Vindicator leaves us a little puzzled. Robert Rice Reynolds occupies no such amount of space as is ordinarily devoted to him. He appears only twice in the whole eight pages. Instead, the whole issue is given over to an industrious effort (1) to 'identify liberals and liberalism with Reds and Communism, and (2) to stir up a pogrom against them. That is, except for "Uncle Sam's Lettergram", which sets forth the following interesting explanation of what the war in Europe is about:

Germany wants colonies, economic outlets for her goods; she wants to dominate the Eastern Baltic and northwestern portions of the Balkans. She wants goods and raw materials.

England wants to dominate the whole picture and to maintain her control markets, export trade and shipping. France is right in step.

The German Library of Information, a propaganda agency maintained in New York by the Nazi Government, couldn't have phrased the apology for Germany, the charge that England and France are really to blame for this war, more neatly.

Somehow, on reflection, we do not feel that Robert is as completely missing from that issue as, at first thought, we supposed.

Whirligig

Only Fact-Finding Can Ever Settle This Argument

Secretary Hull had a lot of fun addressing the American Farm Bureau Federation at Chicago the other day. Republican spokesmen had been busily denouncing his reciprocal trade pacts --the thing most dear to his heart--and one of the arguments they had been using was that we have imported $790,000,000 worth of agricultural products this year.

But, said Mr. Hull gleefully, they had neglected to say that two-thirds of that bill was represented by rubber, coffee, raw silk, cocoa beans, carpet wool, tea, and bananas. And even the simplest farmer knows that the answer to that is--he didn't use the words but he might have --"Yes, We Have No Bananas." As for the other one-third, it did "not displace . . . our deficient domestic supplies."

There, however, it may be that the Secretary was doing a little hasty slurring over on his own accomplishment. We seem to remember that last year, at least, we were importing a lot of beef from Canada, which seems a little odd.

On the whole, our heart is with Mr. Hull. But this argument is much too complex and obscure to be settled by anybody's heart, including those of Mr. Hull and his enemies. He maintains that his policy contributes at once to world pacification and our own prosperity. His enemies, backed by many private interests, shout that it is ruining whole segments of our industry and commerce.

What is obviously needed is facts. But we'll never get them out of these passionate arguments. Which brings us back to our pet idea of a fact finding body on the order of the British Royal Commissions. It is the only way we'll arrive at any sound solution of the case.

Framed Edition

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