Evening Star Newspaper, April 24, 1940, Page 11

Events Cast Roosevelt in 1940 Role Tour Plans Give Hint of Talks for Liberal Nominee By DAVID LAWRENCE. Just why has President Roosevelt decided to go on a transcontinental tour just before the Republican and Democratic National Conventions is probably known only to himself, but it will hard- 1y be denied that whatever his plan, it will not be accepted by the public as be- ing wholly “non- political.” The odd part of it is that Mr. Roosevelt is really anxious to avoid political activity in his own behalf be- fore the conven- tions take place and hence any im- pression that he has undertaken a scheme to line up sentiment for a third term is hardly logical. Some time ago, while discussing 1940 politics and the possibility that the Democrats might nominate a reactionary candidate, the President remarked that he might under such circumstances tekte a trip to Alaska during the campaign. It is to be noted that the announcement of a 21-day tour is coupled with the tentative statement that, if Euro- pean conditions permit, the Presi- dent might continue on up the West Coast to Alaska. A few days ago Mr. Roosevelt in his only political speech in a long while emphasized again that he wants the Democratic party to nominate a pair of liberal candidates. If his support is de- sired, the party will have to make the kind of nominations he wants. “Draft” Move Discounted. There are, of course, many observ- ers here who feel that Mr. Roose- velt is preparing fqQr the “draft” and that his westward trip will give him an opportunity to appear before crowds and demonstrate to the doubting Thomases that he still has a strong hold on the people. It will be noted, on the other hand, that the President’s trip is largely through Southwestern States, where he needs neither delegates nor votes in a campaign for re-election. So far as the third term idea is concerned, the President may well be in a receptive mood if European developments cause an internal crisis here, but each day that passes brings indications that Mr. Roose- velt expects to sec some one else nominated. He is naturally eager to see a Democratic victory next fall, and he will not hesitate to take an active part in the coming campaign, not merely backing up the nominee if he is liberal, but pounding away at the Republican nominee, too. Thus the coming presidential con- test will be most unusual in that it will have the President as an in- tegral part of the whole campaign strategy. He will have much to say about the way the fight will be con- ducted. He will not retire until after the election, and it is doubt- ful even then whether he will cease to be vocal on issues which he thinks represent the difference be- tweeen liberalism and conservatism. Another aspect of the forthcom- ing presidential trip is that the President is anxious to see Con- gress adjourn by June 1. His anxie- ty arises from a fear that if Con- gress stays on legislation may be passed and put up to him for veto which will give the Republicans too much campaign ammunition. Like- wise the sooner the members of Congress get back home the more chance the incumbent members will have to build up their fences against Republicans out of office, who have been campaigning al- ready. Can Answer G. O. P. on Tour. If anybody wonders why the President made up his mind to go on a tour of the country in June he may well ask what else Mr. Roosevelt might have done. The President certainly did not feel like sitting In Washington while the Republicans were lambasting him at convention time. He wants to debate with them at every oppor- tunity. His formal addresses doubt- less will be non-political except for the occasional bit of implicit po- litical argument in which he likes to indulge. But between stations back-platform comments and in- formal statements can be used to answer Republican attacks. The President is definitely going to be in the midst of the campaign both before and after the conven- tions, even if he is not the nominee of the Democratic convention. FLAVOR-AGING makes it deliciously different! Clicquot Club has a way all its own of making ginger ale. The flavor-ingredients —choice Jamaica ginger and fine flavorings for rare bouquet—are blended and allowed to age at least six months before water and sugar are added. The result is a uniform taste of won- derful delicacy and balance. You'll like it! At dealers everywhere. Order today. Full Quart... 10C 12-0z. Bottle ... 5€C (plus bettle deposit) id Lawrence. Clicquot Club PALE DRY GINGER ALE ¢ GOLDEN GiNG!l ALE SPARKLING WATER (SODA) The Capital Parade De Kauffmann, Danish Minister, Defies Foreign Office; U. S. Held Likely to Back Him if Recall Comes By JOSEPH ALSOP and ROBERT KINTNER, As stirring a flgure as there is in ‘Washington is Henrik de Kauffniann, Danish Minister to the United States. A pleasant, culturad man, slightly built and easy-mannered, he does not seem the fellow to attempt gestures in the grand manner. Rather he looks to be one Who would take life as if comes, intelligently and with a shrewd instinct for accommodation. A He might well have accepted the brutal German invasion of his country as a fait accompli, calling for no demonstrations on his part. Yet he has not. He has family and friends at home who may be subject to German reprisal. He has a career which may be broken by his daring, Yet from the moment German troops reached Copenhagen, he has acted with complete independence. So long as his country’s government is under duress from an enemy power, he will neither reply to the com- munications nor obey the commands of his foreign office. Immediately he learned that Denmark had been seized by Ger- many, De Kauffmann communi- cated his position to the State De- partment. The situation has been carefully considered at the depart- ment, and the President himself is reported to have discussed it with De Kauffmann in their interview following the Danish capitulation to crude superior force. The matter is just now coming to a head, and every indication is that the President and the American Government will support De Kauffmann to the utmost when the inevitable message of recall is sent to him. He will continue to be recognized as the true Danish Minister. If another man is sent to replace him, the new appointment will be ignored. And if this leads the Germans to drive the Danish Foreign Office into demanding tHe recall of Ray Atherton, our Minister in Copenhagen, Atherton will come home under protest. Moral courage of the first order is not a quality common among diplomats, and De Kauffmann's display of moral courage has evoked a corresponding admiration among the Americal officials with whom he has dealt. De Kauffmann's Weapon At this writing, De Kauffmann's official status has not been changed. In dealing with the extremely difficult problem confronting him, he has adopted the expedient of informing the State Department of all messages of any importance reaching him from Copenhagen. One ordered him to ask all Danish ship captains to return either to home ports or to make for Spanish or Italian harbors. ‘This, so he told the department, he tossed in the wastebasket. Another ordered him to inform Secretary Hull that all was well at home, and to establish close co-operation with Hans Thomsen, the German Charge d’Affaires. And this, it may be sup- posed, will draw the final issue between him and his foreign office, for he has said that he does not mean-td allow his chiefs to remain in ignorance of his stand. Not many days ago, leaders of one of the national organizations of Danish-born Americans came to Washington te confer with him. As reported, the sad meeting might stand as a .symbol of the strength that a great occasion will call up in decent men. For when the Danish-Amer- icans asked De Kauffmann what they could do to help, he did not offer them an easy way. Do not organize Danish relief, he told them. The Ger- mans will take all our people have. At the end of this war our country will be stripped bare, and if we send relief now, the Germans will take it with all the rest. Until the time when we can help to rebuild the ruins, it is our job to use all our engergies in the cause of Danish freedom. And if there is nothing else we can do as yet, let us, he said, keep alive the burning indignation which is the best of all weapons against tyranny. On the Unarmed Man Thus De Kauffmann spoke, facing the harsh facts, knowing the devastation, and hunger, and death that threaten his people, yet refusing to relinquish the fight for liberty. His personal problem—the risk of reprisal to all who are close to him at home—he did not even mention, nor has he done so to any one, He does not criticize his government. He has said at the State Depart- ment that when an unarmed man has a pistol pointed at his head, he has no choice but to yield. Indeed, he admires the different kind of moral courage shown by his chiefs at home, in staying on to become the vehicle of German rule, in the hope that the cruelty of the German demands may be tempered by mildness in their execution. But for himself, another course is possible, and he has taken it. (Released by the North American Newspaper Alliance, Inc.) U.S. Officials to Address Trade Executives Speakers from the administrative side of the Federal Government will be on the program when some 300 American Trade Association executives meet Monday at the Mayflower Hotel. The morning session, starting at 10 o'clock, will hear Dr. John R.| Steelman, director of conciliation, | Labor Department, and Dr. Theo- dore J. Kreps, economic adviser of the Temporary National Economic Committee. At a luncheon meeting at 12:30 Undersecretary of Commerce Ed- ward J. Noble will present the Margaret Hayden Rorke award, which is bestowed annually on the trade group official whose work dur- | ing the year has been outstanding. Speakers at the afternoon session will include Edmund M. Toland, general counsel for the House com- mittee investigating the National Labor Relations Board, and J. For- rester Davison, associate professor of law at George Washington Uni- versity. W. F. Haber Appointed . William Frederick Haber, an East- ern High School graduate and a resident of this city, has been ap- pointed by the Maritime Commis- sion as engine cadet to the S. S. Flying Cloud, operated by the Grace Line. His appointment followed a national competitive examination. Gore to Be Speaker Representative Gore of Tennessee will speak at a luncheon meeting of the National Democratic League of Washington at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Grafton Hotel. Choral Club Concert The choral clubs of American Uni- versity will present their spring concert tonight at 8:15 o'clock in Hurst Hall. James L. McKain will direct. CHICAGO 5 hrs. 5 min, DENVER 124 hours CALIFORNIA SEATTLE Overnight sleeper flights (v PCA Doghss 1 Ciomid) “Kep experience blissful nightly slum ber.” We will Zabenize your old mattress and put in in- ner-springs for as little as $9.00 wp. Phone us today. YOUR with ZABANIZ Let us convert your old benumbing mattresses into the new, more comfortable innerspring type. The family will exclaim, “Why have we lived all these years without knowing what utter relaxation means—what it _hes cost us in energy—not to ‘T necessaril; Star’s effort readers, themselv Washington Observations HE opinions of the writers on this page are their own, not The Star’s. Such opinions are presented in The 0 give all sides of questions of interest to its although such opinions mazy be_contradictory among es and directly opposed to Thi e Star’s. Do-Something-for-the-Allies Sentiment Is Seen as Gaining in Momentum By FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. My fellow columnists, Joe Alsop and Bob Kintner, in their bold and brilliant “American White Paper,” forecast that the United States by 1942 must make up its mind to aid the allies “by methods no longer short of WAr” or face the consequences of § Nazi victory The conductors of “The Capital Parade” dare to envision the time when we may have to de- cide “whether tolet Britain and France be beaten, or treble Frederie William Wite. our Navy, radically alter our eco~ nomic system, and meet the ultimate issue between us and the dictator- thips bent on dominating the world.” If our side loses, Alsop and Kintner opine, “we may then bid farewell to the historic freedoms for which the founders of this Republic toiled and fought.” No timelier warning could be sounded. It is the plainest speaking to emanate from an authoritative quarter—authoritative because one of the authors, Joseph Alsop, is a cousin of the President, enjoys his confidence and manifestly is writing, if not on White House inspiration or at its instigation, at least on the basis of information available only in that exalted region. It does not seem without significance that Mr. Roosevelt's recent broadcast to the Young Democrats of America on foreign policy synchronized with publication of “American White Paper.” * % % x Tar and Feathers, In this quarter, “American White Paper” is particularly welcome be- cause its conclusions about the eventual possibility of the United States’ aid to Britain and France corroborate what was discussed in “Washington Observations” on April 5. The Alsop-Kintner book makes it easier to laugh off some character- istic isolationist “warnings” in my mail-bag, that tar and feathers are the only punishment that fits the crime of columnists who are ven- turing to wake up the American people to the realization that ostrich policy may not be our salva- ti6n in a Hitler-dominated world. * X X X Help for Allies Imminent? “American White Paper’s” 150,000 words must have been in manuscript a month ago. It's up to date enough to deal with the announcement of the Welles mission, though not its results, but it was published before the current crystallization of a “help - the - allies-soon” movement. There is plentiful evidence that such a project is now on the march. President Roosevelt's April 20 thrust at Thomas E. Dewey’s foreign pol- icy—a_do-nothing-about-it attitude toward Hitlerism—speaks volumes. If F. D. R’s Warm Springs address to the Young Democrats means any- thing, he thinks something should GOVERNMENT TRAVEL £ on UNITED AIR LINES Take advantage of United's economical fares to enjoy Mainliner speed and luxury. Before your next trip, call United for information. United Air Lines 808 15th St. N. W. Year ‘round . . . the Main Line Alrway MEtropolitan 5656 Family Tt ED Wattiessco . | for establishing allied credits through be “done about it,” and that little is to be gained by postponement. * k% % Credits, Munitions, Food. Mr. Roosevelt is as dh;rc:oluulziop- posed as ever to sen American youth to bleed on European battle- flelds. But there’s no indication he would withhold from the allies any- thing we have, short of manpower and Treasury funds. The Presi- dent seems plainly to hint his readi- ness to grant Britain and France, through non-Government channels, access to American capital credits, to our facilities for manufacturing airplanes and munitions, and to our farms, plantations and packing plants for foodstuffs and raw ma- terials of all kinds. Remaining Anglo-French assets for purchase of American war supplies do not ex- ceed $8,000,000,000 to $10,000,000,000. London and Paris authorities esti- mate that these will be exhausted within two or two and a half years. Alsop and Kintner believe “present American policymakers” (1. e, Roose- velt, Hull, Welles, Berle, Morgen- thau, et al) “would certainly prefer, it they could, to offer the allies needed economic aid” as an alterna- tive to Nazi victory. “Many of these poticymakers would oppose loans,” say the columnist-authors, “which could never be repaid. But gifts of goods or gold to buy our aid, made in return for desirable political and economic concessions, would be in a very different category.” * % ok % Johnson and Neutrality Acts. Even to draw on American private capital, through loans floated to in- vestors by bankers like the Morgans and other “houses of issue,” would require the sanction of Congress by amendment, of both the Johnson and Neutrality Acts. According to the Financial World of New York, “agi- tation in favor of relaxation of cred- it restrictions is growing, especially in the isolationist agricultural mid- west, which has been keenly dis- appointed at the lack of export de- mand for farm products. Several plans have already been advanced devices which would not violate | existing law. Although nothing is | likely to be done, for political rea- sons, until Congress adjourns, it | would not be surprising if a frst| step toward extension of credit| should be taken soon thereafter.” * ¥ ok X No Action Till After Election. Steps forecast by the Financial World are unlikely until after the November elections. With the coun- try still to be educated on the vital issues involved in unyielding isola- tion, amendment of the Johnson and Neutrality Acts is a poker which politicians in both parties at present find far too hot to handle. It is this observer's view that Franklin D. Roosevelt in a single fireside chat could convert it into the para- mount issue of 1940. His task would be to make the country understand | that far more than allied defeat is 4-HR.EN ® The “Time-Tested” Mark of Quality is sponsored by 26 laboratories representing well-known and long-established brands of paint. “Time-Tested” paint dealers are making this money<saving offer to introduce to you their full line of fine paints, lacquers, enamels and varnishes sold under this symbol of quality. FOR EVERY PA! 1317 14th St. N.W. NTS « VARNISHES « LACQUERS - ENAMELS ‘?;Ifl. U.S. PAT. OFF. “Where Washington Buys Its Paint” THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D.' C, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 71940. e A—1r This Changing World Threatening German Gestures Toward Swedén Indicate éll Not Going Well in Norway By CONSTANTINE BROWY. The operations of the German airplanes and destroyers over and around the Swedish coast in the last three days has led observers to believe since the end of the last week that the Reich was planning another “blitzkrieg” in Scandinavia. Sweden was left untouched when Hitler decided to “protect” Denmark and Norway. The German Minister to Stockholm had given all kind of guarantees and assurances that not an inch of Swedish territory would be taken by the Reich. Since Norway appeared to be abandoned, the Swedish government could do nothing but accept these assurances. How many grains of salt Sweden’s Premier may have taken with the acceptances of Hitler's promises is not known, but at that time there appeared to be nothing else he could do. Two weeks ago Sweden might have made common cause with Norway and gone to her rescue. But this was considered too dangerous then. Allies in Norway Hearten Swedes The presence of allied troops on the Norwegian coast—even if their number is not yet imposing—has put new heart into the Swedes. When, on Saturday, the German Minister at Stockholm spoke about permission for German troops to use Swedish railroads leading into Norway he was met with a firm refusal from King Gustaf's government. Sweden’s grounds were logical and within international law. She could not permit foreign troops to cross her borders and had taken this neutral attitude from the outset of the new war. The news from the Norwegian battle front is unreliable and con- fusing. Both sides claim victories and minimize the successes of the other. It is imj ible even for government military and diplomatic observers to form a clear opinion as to what is going on along the Atlantic Coast of Norway. But the German intention of going into Sweden is probably the best indication we have had so far that all is not well with the German Armies in Norway. For political and military reasons the German general staff attempteda to keep Sweden out of the war. The military reason was that the Swedish Army, Navy and air force are capable of putting up a fight at least as good as the Finns and may keep the Germans at bay. The political reason was that Russia has been flirting with Sweden and considered it as an eventual juicy morsel. Finally, there was an economic motive for Germany'’s reluctance to enter Sweden. The Reich is dependent on Swedish iron ore for its heavy armament. If the Swedes, menaced by the Germans, decided to destroy those mines, Germany would be in a bad fix. Swedish Navy Is No Setup The Swedish Navy is not large, but could cope with the Germans, who have lost some of their best units in the engagements with the British fleet. The Swedes have three battleships of the pocket type, but older than the German vessels, and a very fast, up-to-date light cruiser. These forces could beconte a real nuisance to any German landing force es- corted by destroyers. The heavy German ships are better than the Swedish. In des- troyers King Gustaf’s navy is well prepared. It has eight heavy des- troyers equal to the best in the large navies of the world and eight smaller units. These, together with the 21 Swedish submarines, could play havoc with a German fleet of transports even if convoyed by the majority of what is left of the Ger- man navy. 5 Hence, the operations of the Reich’s military machinery against Sweden could be Hitler's Waterloo. Military observers have recently compared the Fuehrer'’s campaign in Scandinavia with Napoleon’s in Spain, The beginning of the end of Napoleon's power was in the peninsula. Hitler may have made a mistake in going into Scandinavia. It is remarkable that the small and practically unarmed Norwegian forces should have given the German army such a difficult task.” When the forces of the Reich entered Norway and occupied without trouble the key cities, it was taken for granted that despite the difficulties of terrain the cleaning up operations would last only a few days. When the allies arrived it was thought there would be no Norwegian elements to support them. °This has proved a fallacy. The allied troops still receive important assistance from the Norwegians, who are taking advantage of the terrain to worry the invader. OH! So AY BaxE LITILE GIRe, E at stake, far more than a boom for | shadow of doubt that national con- American industry and agriculture— | sciousness on that score is mounting. in short, that nothing less than the | How many Denmarks, Norways—and liberties of the whole democratic | now Swedens—will there have to be western hemisphere are threatened | before our do-nothing-about-it pol- by a Nazi triumph. There's no|icy is scrapped? OF STED AMEL OR TABLE THAT LOOKS SO SHABBY! Restore its original luster and beauty with one easy coat of “Time-Tested” 4-hr. Enamel. Paint ‘it tonight—use it tomorrow. “Time-Tested” 4-hr. Enamel covers beautifully in a single coat— flows freely — dries quickly — leaves no brush marks. Comesin 18 attractive modern colors. ING NEED THERE IS A”TIME-TESTED" PRODUCT GLIDDEN PAINT STORE We Deliver HObart 0278 REG. U.S. PAT. OFF ESTED G. O. P. Drive Recalls 1920 Campaign Possibility of Dark Horse Grows As Convention Nears By CHARLES G. ROSS. The Republican National Conven- tion will open at Philadelphia just two months from today. There will be an even 1,000 delegates. To win the presidential receive the votes of 501, Two months before the con- vention of 1936 1t was fairly cer- tain that Alf Landon would be the nominee. This year, at the same stage of the race, the re- sult is shrouded in uncertainty, and it is wholly probable that this condition will last down to the time of the balloting. Dewey at the moment has a psychological advantage, one that he is engaged in exploiting to the full in a series of speeches over the country. There will be no letup in this effort. He is young and in- defatigable, and his campaign is amply financed. He will come into the stretch a dangerous contender, Campaign Like That of 1920. This is the most that can be said safely about the New Yorker's chances. The momentum that he gained from his Wisconsin and Nebraska primary victories may carry him in. They were highly impressive. Dewey has yet, how= ever, to transiate his advantage into the required 501 votes in the con= vention. The pre-convention campaign has taken on a shape remarkably like that of 1920. Wood and Lowden in that year ran far out in front. They killed each other off in the convention and Harding came out as the compromise nominee. Something of the same sort may happen at Philadelphia. Dewey and Taft will go into the convention with something like 650 votes bee tween them, fairly evenly divided. The Taft people claim they will have around 350 at the start. What- ever the figure, it will represent a substantial block of first-ballot votes—a greater block, the Taftites say with apparent confidence, than any other candidate will have. Van- denberg, it is estimated, will have from 100 to 150 votes. 10 Candidates Expected. If the figures for the three leading candidates are approximately core rect, there will be from 200 to 250 votes scattered around the convene tion for other candidates, at the start. Around 10 candidates will be placed in nomination and will share in the early balloting. Pennsyl- vania’s big quota of votes, pending |8 final decision by those in control, | will go for Gov. James. This State | may hold the key to the nomina- | tion. At Kansas City in 1928, it will be recalled, the *“allies” against Hoover had a chance till Pennsyle vania climbed aboard the bande wagon of the Secretary of Come merce; it was then all over but the shouting. The votes of the Connecticut dele= gation will be cast on the first bale lot for Gov. Baldwin. Massa= chusetts will plump for its favorite son, House Minority Leader Joe Martin. Senator Capper will be complimented with the votes of his State of Kansas. Iowa will hold its hand by voting at the outset for Hanford MacNider. Oregon for McNary. Oregon will throw its strength to Senator McNary. Senator Styles Bridges, who has been beating the bus&es all over the country, will have the“delegates of his home State of New Hampshire and a few scattered others. Frank Gannett, the up- State New York publisher behind whom is centered the New York op- position to Dewey, will have perhaps 20 of the 92 New York votes. Fin- ally, there is the chance that a hope- ful nucleus of votes for Wendell Willkie will be found in Indiana; his friends are working hard to this end. It is clear from this pre-view that anything can happen at Philadel- phia. Dewey may go into the con- vention with such prestige that nothing can stop him. If he is to win, however, most of the wiseacres believe he must do so quickly. Taft has a solid delegate strength that leaves him a formidable candidate despite the spectacular showing of Dewey in the contested primaries. A delegate is -a delegate, however obtained. Vandenberg is still to be reckoned with. But the shape of things is such as to open up the large possibility of a deadlock, with the consequent nomination of a dark horse, decided upon in dealings off stage. Five District Measures Signed by Roosevelt Epecial Dispatch to The Star. WARM SPRINGS, Ga., April 24.— President Roosevelt has signed five minor bills dealing with the District which were part of a group of 12 passed by the Senate two weeks ago, it was announced yesterday. One would give the Commissioners authority to erect on the Municipal Center area a memorial to deceased policemen. The funds have been raised through private sources and the cost to the District will be only maintenance of the memorial, it ‘was explained. The others will: (1) Exempt news- boys from the Unemployment Com- pensation Act, (2) allow the Capital Transit Co. to erect a comfort sta- tion at Commodore Barney Circle, (3) change name of a block of Twenty-fourth street to Williams- burg lane, and (4) compel residents with outside toilet facilities to con~ nect with sewer systems when facili- ties are made available. 8ix personal relief bills were also signed. Charles G. Ross. Sundlun Named Councilor Arthur J. Sundlun, president of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association, has been elected nae tional counclior to represent the association at the annual meeting of the United States Chamber of Commerce. John J. Hasley is al- ternate councilor, Mack Langford is delegate and Theodore D. Sloat al- ternate delegate.