The Charlotte News

Monday, September 12, 1938

SIX EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: "It Looms" reminds us that fall comes later and later to us these days than it did a mere 67 years ago. It has been awhile in our experience since we saw the leaves changing as early as mid-September, though come to think of it, they probably still did that in the 1960's. Weather changes sometimes from year to year, but weather changes, as you will note if you have a memory or consult some old newspapers, have changed markedly over the last several decades--as the accumulated fluorocarbons up there gradually warm us all up. And the hurricanes swirl more mightily in the heated ocean.

We heard an expert on hurricanes today, as Hurricane Rita, #17, dervishly swirls its way toward the Texas-Louisiana coast line this night, tell one of our favorite broadcasters emphatically that there is no connection between big hurricanes. Each is sui generis, in other words.

But is that really so? If it is the case, and we understand also from the experts that it is, that the hurlecanoes gain their power from warmer ocean water over which they course, then they are inevitably connected, aren't they? Warmer water generates more furious hurricanes. Thus, with warmer water extant, as it is out there on the roiling surf, there will more likely be more intense hurricanes; hence, we conclude, not on expertise but on ordinary logic from the facts presented, that, with the presence of warmer water curling up to form their swirling power, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, two category 5 hurricanes when they were at seas, unprecedented in coincidence of such intense hurricanes back to back, did not occur merely by desultory happenstance. They are related, their intensity being a function of the warmth of the same warm water over which they course to get here. Thus... But we'll listen to the experts to see what they say about it all, that is if the Crippled Creek during the Bad Moon don't rise afore that.

So, go on there, fella, and drive that Hummer, harder, harder, more harder--right over a cliff.

Speaking of rising tides at work in the world, we include the following editorial by General Hugh S. Johnson for its presentation of plentiful information on the keys to waging war, the availability to Germany of the fuel for making war, food, oil, iron ore, rubber, tin, wool, cotton and the other raw materials necessary for men and materiel to maintain fronts and exert putsches. The General had a good background in assessing these necessary facets to supply of an army as he was the Quartermaster General of the Army in World War I--and so his comparisons between Germany in 1938 and Germany at defeat in 1918 is of interest historically. The General's analysis, however, of the effect of the extant supply then available to Hitler, as his analysis more often than not was, left much to be desired, as subsequent history elucidated. For one, he discounts with the wave of the hand the potential for Hitler's ability through brute fear in attracting other madmen, to enable the manifold alliances he managed to muster, notably Italy, Japan, and, for awhile, even Russia. Second, he did not understand, as no one at the time did, that is no one outside Mexico's and Germany's innermost circles, a few tanker captains, a few at the Bank of Boston, and some others, that Mexico was bartering its expropriated British and American oil to Germany in exchange for railroad equipment and other necessities for modernization of Mexico under President Cardenas at the end of the long 30-year revolution there, leaving in its wake lots of dead leaders of revolt, and no middle class. Third, he failed to account that continuing Depression conditions in the United States and an excess supply of cotton stored up by the Government would supply further means to make this barter profitable for opportunistic little enabling, amoral businessmen like William Rhodes Davis.

But nevertheless, informationally, it is interesting to examine the General's views for his military background, if lacking the prescience which Cash usually brought to the table, witness the other editorial of this date, "A Fateful Speech" (contained on a different page since we group it with Cash editorials reprinted in 1941 in the giant book of representative nationwide editorials, What America Thinks), also on the topic of Hitler's Nurnberg speeches. This consistent failing of the General, leading to his isolationist stance, no doubt engendered by a genuine desire for peace, accounted for Cash's perpetual irritation with him, especially as time went on. Cash, too, desired peace, but not one purchased at the price of enslavement of all of Europe--the pax Germania.

Often, of course, a fault in waging war and assessing danger of war comes precisely through military experts engaging too much in analysis based on too much expertise in the particulars and not enough backing off from the particulars to the larger picture utilizing in the means that old-fashioned intuitive prescience, sometimes known as common sense. Better, in other words, to ring the tocsin and be prepared but wrong than to sit idly by on the notion that madmen will behave logically, when as usual they behave, well, as hurricanes behave. So:

By Hugh S. Johnson

Bethany Beach, Del.--A striking part of Mr. Hitler's first Nurnberg speech told the German people that, if war comes, they need not fear being starved into defeat by a blockade shutting off their supplies of food and military material.

That is exactly how Germany was beaten in 1918. That was not merely because she was shut off from the sea by Allied navies and her land routes were blocked by hostile armies. There were a few gaps left, but even these were closed by an almost world-wide Allied economic strategy. She was denied vital Chilean nitrates by several clever enemy financial moves which cornered the whole supply. Similar action beat her at the sources of her Swedish iron, Spanish mules, and elsewhere for hides, leather, rubber, oil and various rare metals necessary for indispensable alloys. For lack of wealth and credit, Germany is now far less able than she was then to counter and resist this kind of financial blockade.

The "home front" was starved to its knees in 1918 by lack of food before the military front began to crumble. Then the armies were deprived of munitions and transport in sufficient quantity and quality to reduce their early striking and resisting force.

GERMANY OF 1938 NO EQUAL OF 1914 GERMANY

But Germany entered that war with far greater resources at home and access to others abroad than she has now. She started with a war chest of gold and foreign credits--absolutely necessary to a besieged nation which has not enough of everything within her walls. She has little gold and credit today. She started with final supplies of iron ore in the ground in Alsace-Lorraine, which hse no longer has. She started with a greater reserve supply of arms, ammunition and technical equipment than any of her enemies. She is not in such great advantage today and what advantage she has is fast disappearing through rapid preparation by potential enemies.

Her conquest in Rumania and on her eastern front saved her from an earlier starvation in oil and bread-stuffs in the World War. She is a long way from being able to count on any such break now.

BLUFFING PRACTICED AT HOME IN EMERGENCY

Such figures as have been published or estimated on her reserves of munitions and materials of all kinds, allowing for even grotesque margins of error, indicate that, if Hitler's assurance to the Germans means that he has enough reserves and domestic sources to make blockade an "ineffective weapon," he is trying to bluff the world from a worthless hand and cruelly to deceive his own people.

There is only one other thing that the first Nurnberg speech could mean, but the text indicates that it doesn't. That is that Germany would have access to outside sources for shortage items--iron, oil, rubber, food, wool, and cotton--to mention only a few.

In the first place, she has neither sufficient cash nor credit to buy. In the second, if the alliance against her should be as it now appears likely, her only clear physical opening is through Italy, which is itself lacking in what Germany needs.

HOW ADOLF MISSED HIS BEST CHANCE

To what extent could sea-borne commerce be landed in Italy and forwarded to Germany? To the precise extent that the combined British and French navies would permit it and, on the precedent of the World War, they would blockade not only the high seas but the ports of origin of any supplies destined to Mr. Hitler.

Of course, there is the remote possibility of a great Italian naval victory in the Mediterranean, but even an Italian alliance is too thin a chance for Hitler--much less alliance plus an Italian sea triumph.

Mr. Hitler's boast of military self-sufficiency is bunk and bluff except on one assumption--a swift and successful invasion of Czechoslovakia plus French and British inaction. That is a long chance and if Hitler intended to take it, why didn't he strike when he had the immense advantage of ten days' mobilization? A German attack seems incredible now. But how can you tell what a desperate madman may do?

Several things point to it, and fetch the people to an awareness of it. The autumn war scare is one thing. The children crowding into the schoolhouse doors is another sign, and the reappearance of the coal companies' salesmen is another. The migratory birds twitter nervously and then, suddenly, the hushed air only recalls their songs. The sharp edge on the winds bring a reminder that the fests again move to a climax. The trucks cease to bring in cantaloupes, and grapes cluster in their stead. One by one straw hats disappear as the leaves fall, and more somber and weightier clothes appear on the streets. That something impends is disclosed again when the Community Chest begins to hold budget meetings, and Nature takes on flaming yellows in defiance of the coming brown. The dime stores relegate the rubber swim caps in their windows to some mysterious oblivion, and pencils and tablets bring their grim message of duty and endeavor. Abundant portents of a great shaping of the cosmic course present themselves and singly and in groups proclaim the removal of the barriers and the opening of the way to this climatic annual achievement of man and of Nature. For, gents, barring horrendous calamity, it won't be long now until the time comes for locust beer.

Senator Bilbo, the Mississippi Man, has been to see the President about doubling the present old age pension rates of $30 month (the average in these parts is less than $15). Senator Bilbo reported after his conference that the President said he would have no objection if some way were found to raise the necessary money, which The Man estimated at $250,000,000. Bilbo said he had not yet figured out how to raise the money but he would have something worked out by the time Congress met again.

A good guess is that the President, when he seemed (to Bilbo) to be taking Bilbo seriously, was only humoring the fellow and putting him off with an impossible task. But we are not so sure that it is impossible, not by contemporary fiscal practices, anyhow. Witness the $20,000,000,000 raised painlessly, without taxation, during the last six years. Witness Bob Reynolds' blithe idea of paying a mere matter of a billion or two as a bonus to the veterans:

We always wondered whether Robert was putting a rhetorical question are really didn't know. Now we are afraid that he might have known and will tip off his colleague Bilbo.

When the $2,000,000 development of an ocean at Morehead City was being urged upon the PWA a couple of years ago, one of the favorite arguments of its advocates was that the volume of shipping would increase traffic on the Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad, the old Mullet Line from Goldsboro to Morehead, which at that time was leased to the Norfolk & Southern. The Norfolk & Southern needed traffic. In fact, it was in receivership and behind on the payment of rent to the State for its railroad. But if the port were just in operation, everybody said, the Norfolk & Southern would get a lot of business and catch up.

Eventually, the State had to take over the operation of its railroad. It lost some money to begin with, but vast quantities of scrap iron bound for Japan were shipped through Morehead, and for awhile the Mullet Line's business was good. Then, with the falling off of this specialty, business got bad again, and now the State is looking around for a railroad or railroad interest to take over the Mullet. One of Governor Hoey's contentions is that a railroad, by being able to route traffic through Morehead City, would help the port.

This is putting the shoe on the other foot, but it is possible that this time it is on the right foot. At any rate, we feel safe in conceding that an increase in traffic would help both the Mullet Line and the $2,000,000 port at Morehead City.

It is pretty well understood that justices of the peace have to make a living and that one of the likeliest ways for many of them to make a living is to act as collection agencies for landlords, time merchants and shyster lawyers. There isn't, of course, much that can be done by civil action to get blood out of a turnip, so these jaypees, with the connivance of their patrons, have evolved the neat little method of holding the criminal law over the head of a debtor until he comes across. Usually, it is necessary for the creditor to persuade the debtor to sign a check--"it's all right; just a memorandum; it doesn't make any difference whether you've got money in the bank or not"--and when it comes back marked "insufficient funds" or "no account" to hand him over to an accommodating and uninquisitive jaypee. Thereupon his constable serves a criminal warrant, brings the person in, and the twain hold him at their pleasure until the prisoner makes the check good and pays the costs of the case, which is where the jaypee gets his.

This is a disgraceful business for the State, which commissions jaypees, to tolerate, much less to permit in its own name. But it is so openly practiced that in a town not far from here one of the jaypees is actually advertising for trade. See for yourself:

"Satisfactory Justice guaranteed!" the notice almost seems to say. In other words, the authority and the obligation of the State available to be hired for purposes never intended, but still, we say, tolerated.

Ever since Mr. Roosevelt has been President, he has been going to call a conference on overlapping, conflicting state and Federal taxation. Before he went into office he was going to call such a conference. Just after he became President he circularized the governors of the states on this and related topics, and they actually came to the White House for a conference. But the banking crisis had interposed. The President had time only to say again that overlapping taxation was something that would have to be looked into and corrected.

Periodically ever since, the Federal Government has been on the point of calling a conference to apportion Federal and state spheres of taxation. It is on the point today. It will be again tomorrow. But something will always bob up to prevent it. Something always has.