Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 2, Number 42, DeMotte, Jasper County, 2 March 1933 — News Review of Current Events the World Over [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

News Review of Current Events the World Over

Hull and Woodin Head the Roosevelt Cabinet--Congress Puts Prohibition Repeal Up to the States--Japan Invades Jehol.

By EDWARD W. PICKARD

SO THAT his administration might get a running start in the negotiations concerning war debts, world economics and other related matters

that are worrying the nations, PresidentElect Roosevelt made public two of his selections for his cabinet. These were Senator Cordell Hull of Tennessee as secretary of state and William H. Woodin, New York capitalist, as secretary of the treasury. These gentlemen, who, Mr. Roosevelt said, were “drafted” against

their will, were at once associated with him in the preliminaries of determining the policies of the incoming administration in its relations with foreign powers. They became members of what Mr. Roosevelt has called his “unofficial” committee to advise him on world economic problems, and met with that group, which includes Bernard Baruch, Prof. Raymond Moley and others. Mr. Hull, long considered one of the ablest men in the Democratic party, is not an orator or an accomplished debater but is studious, resourceful and has served his country ably for many years in the house and the senate. Before entering congress he was in the Tennessee legislature, and he served in the Spanish-American war as a captain of volunteer infantry. He is devoted to the policy of tariffs for revenue only, and believes that one of the basic causes of the business depression has been nationalist isolation, started by the United States in 1920 with the erection of tariff walls which other nations were quick to copy. Prohibitive tariffs, he holds, have helped stagnate trade by creating a productive capacity in excess of domestic demand. Senator Carter Glass of Virginia was Mr. Roosevelt’s first choice for secretary of the treasury but he declined the post solely because he be-

lieves he can better serve the country in the senate. So the President-Elect persuaded his close personal friend, William H. Woodin, to accept the portfolio. Mr. Woodin formerly was a Republican, but he joined the Roosevelt camp before last summer’s convention and afterward was treasurer of a special finance committee that

raised a large fund for the Democratic party. He has an international reputation as a manufacturer of railway equipment and as a banker and is now president of the American Car and Foundry company. His interests are not all in business, for he is an accomplished musician and composer, a numismatist and an art collector. He is sixty-five years old, married and has four children. UNOFFICIALLY, the other members of the Roosevelt cabinet were announced to be these: War--George H. Dern of Utah. Attorney general--Thomas J. Walsh of Montana. Postmaster general--James A. Farley of New York. Navy--Claude A. Swanson of Virginia. Interior--Harold L. Ickes of Illinois. Agriculture--Henry A. Wallace of Iowa. Commerce--Daniel C. Roper of South Carolina. Labor--Frances Perkins of New York. GIUSEPPE ZANGARA, the brickmaker immigrant who tried in vain to assassinate the PresidentElect in Miami, must spend 80 years in prison at hard labor, if he lives so long. He pleaded guilty to deadly assault on Mr. Roosevelt and on three others whom his bullets reached, and was sentenced by Judge E. C. Collins. Two of the victims of his mad deed, Mayor Cermak of Chicago and Mrs. Joseph H. Gill of Miami, were still lying in the hospital severely wounded, and so there was a chance that Zingara, should the victims of his mad act die, would be put on trial for murder. Mr. Roosevelt wrote a graceful letter of appreciation to Mrs. W. F. Cross of Miami, who probably saved his life by seizing Zingara’s arm as he was shooting; and Representative Green of Florida introduced a resolution to have congress vote a gold medal of honor to the courageous woman. Government agents in Washington were investigating a second apparent attempt on the life of the Presi-dent-Elect, following the discovery of a package addressed to him containing a crudely wrapped shotgun shell. It was mailed from Watertown, N. Y., and was found in the Washington post office. Postal inspectors thought it was the work of a crank but said the shell was wired to explode if jarred

or struck and might have resulted fatally. SIR RONALD LINDSAY, British ambassador, immediately after his return from London held conferences with Mr. Roosevelt--Secretary of State Stimson approving--and reported to Sir John Simon, foreign secretary, that the conversations had been “useful.” What was said was not revealed, but Sir John said: “The conversations are, of course, at present in a wholly preliminary stage and of an entirely general character, but it is not too soon to say that we believe that by a frank and intimate interchange of views between ourselves and the United States over the whole field of current economic problems, the way will be best prepared for the effort which the countries of the world must make together to assist in promoting world recovery.” Mr. Roosevelt also conferred at length with Paul Claudel, the French ambassador, and William Duncan Herridge, the minister from Canada. In Paris Foreign Minister Paul-Boncour said war debt negotiations between France and the United States would be resumed after the inauguration of Mr. Roosevelt, but did not explain what form the negotiations would take.

REPEAL of the Eighteenth amendment is now up to the states, for the senate’s Blaine resolution submitting the action to state conventions

was passed by the house by a vote of 289 to 121, or 15 in excess of the required twothirds of those present and voting. For the repealer were 108 Republicans, 180 Democrats, and 1 FarmerLaborite. Against it were 89 Republicans and 32 Democrats. The action of the house was a reversal of its attitude of the first

day of the session, when a resolution to submit unqualified repeal failed of adoption by 6 votes. It was in a way a personal victory for Representative Henry T. Rainey of Illinois, Democratic leader, who moved the adoption of the senate resolution and argued warmly and effectively in its behalf. Though immediate steps toward the calling of conventions were taken in many of the states, the battle for repeal was by no means won when the submission resolution was adopted. Ratification by thirty-six states is necessary, and if this is not obtained within seven years the whole matter lapses and prohibition remains. Of course the wets are confident that repeal will win in the required number of states within at the most four years and possibly in much less time, and it may be they are right. Wet leaders assert that only Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Nebraska can be counted on as certainly dry, and Alabama, Vermont, Idaho and Maine as doubtful. On the other hand Bishop James Cannon, Jr., asserts that thirty to thirty-three states will refuse to validate the Blaine amendment. Disagreement as to the method by which states’ conventions may be set up may delay the functioning of the machinery of ratification. Some congressmen thought congress should prescribe the procedure, but Senator Walsh of Idaho held that all connection which congress has with prohibition repeal ended with submission of the new amendment to the states. This view also was taken by Representative James Beck of Pennsylvania, who, like Senator Walsh, Is an eminent constitutional authority. FOLLOWING a demand on China to withdraw its troops voluntarily from Jehol, actually by Japan but nominally by the government of the puppet state of Manchukuo, the main body of the Japanese army in Manchukuo crossed the border of the province and advanced rapidly toward Chaoyang, second largest city of Jehol. The opposing Chinese were reported to have fled, but immediately thereafter regular Chinese troops crossed into Manchukuo to join irregulars in an attack on the Japanese positions at Tungliao. The Japanese high command in Manchuria announced that it was determined to “annihilate” the 100,000 regular troops in the army of Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang, and that it might become necessary to occupy Peiping and Tientsin. As is its custom, the Japanese foreign office declared that Japan regarded the Jehol invasion as purely a local affair. The Japanese delegation in Geneva maintained its uncompromising attitude ns the assembly of the League of Nations began general discussion of the report of the committee of nineteen on Manchuria. This report is in most respects at utter variance with the claims of Japan, and the Tokyo delegates warned the League that a grave situation would arise if it were adopted by the assembly. Such action, they suggested, might upset “friendly relations between nations, upon which peace depends.”

PRESIDENT HOOVER, rather neglected in the news of late, surprised congress by sending in a special message urging action on eight

subjects of legislation which he thought would aid in economic recovery. He asked that the present congress pass the bankruptcy bill, the Glass banking bill, a measure to increase the amount of Reconstruction Finance corporation funds for state relief loans, a federal farm lease bill and the repeal of the publicity clause in the R. F.

C. act. The President also advised the ratification of the St. Lawrence waterway treaty, the adoption of the arms embargo resolution and the starting of study looking to the expansion of the home loan banks into a general mortgage discount system. Mr. Hoover advocated the Hyde farm leasing plan as a substitute for the domestic allotment scheme, declaring the latter seemed “wholly unworkable” and calculated to do far greater harm than good to agriculture. The senate did take up the bankruptcy bill, which had passed the house, and it also passed the Wagner relief bill, which increases the R. F. C. funds for state relief and goes farther than the President contemplated. It was generally agreed that his other recommendations would meet with no response during the short session. SPEAKER GARNER dropped his plan to make Roosevelt a constitutional dictator for two years, and the house accepted the senate provision of the treasury and post office appropriation bill conferring limited autocratic power on the incoming President to reorganize the administrative branch of the federal government. By its terms he may consolidate or abolish any administrative agencies and their functions, but may not abolish or consolidate entire departments. The house rejected the senate amendment directing the head of each department and independent establishment to effect a 5 per cent reduction in expenditures from appropriations for the fiscal year 1934. Without debate the house accepted the “Buy American” amendment sponsored by Senator Johnson of California. It provides that the heads of all government departments must buy for government use only goods made or produced in the United States or substantially composed of domestic material. Every contract for construction, alteration or repair of public buildings or public works must contain a clause requiring the contractor to abide by the “Buy American” policy. FOR the first time the navy now has a vessel designed and built as an aircraft carrier. It was launched at Newport News, Va., and Mrs. Herbert

Hoover christened it Ranger in honor of the ship of the same name that was commanded by John Paul Jones. Our other airplane carriers, the Langley, Saratoga and Lexington, were designed for other uses and were converted. The authorized design intended the Ranger to be of the “flush deck” type,

but the navy is now trying to get a bill passed through congress to authorize a change in the plans to construct with an “island deck.” In the first type of construction no superstructure is provided except a smokestack which swings out of the way so that the entire deck is available for taking off and landing. The “island deck” type has a superstructure at the extreme side of the vessel, leaving practically the entire deck free for the use of the airplanes. The change, if authorized by congress, would entail an extra expenditure of $2,000,000. AUSTRIA was greatly disturbed by a request from France and Great Britain that a shipment of 50,000 rifles and 200 machine guns shipped there from Italy be returned or destroyed, but after some indignant protests Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss announced his government would comply with the demand and the arms returned. Sir John Simon told the house of commons that he hoped the matter might be considered a closed incident. The guns, or at least a part of them, were believed to be destined for Hungary, and the French and English were inclined to hold Mussolini responsible for the seeming violation of the peace treaty. The Italian version was that the arms were sent to Austria by private citizens merely to be repaired and Returned. MORE woe for President Machado of Cuba is at hand, for the expected revolt against his rule has broken out in many widely separated parts of the island. Skirmishes between the rebels and government troops were reported at various points and there were some fatalities. Groups of armed men were said to be starting fires in the sugar cane fields and driving away the workers. RECENT deaths included those of James J. Corbett, former heavyweight champion, and Maj. Gen. William H. Johnston, an American commander in the World war, who won fame and decorations for his “extraordinary heroism in action.” 1933, Western Newspaper Union.

Cordell Hull

William H. Woodin

Rep. Rainey

President Hoover

Mrs. Hooover