The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-02-01
BRISBANE
THIS WEEK
One Thing Important
Paid for Not Doing
$40 a Month
What Do We Want of Japan?

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| $40 Month
| What Do We Want of Japan? ]
One piece of news In the world Is
important to the United States. IL
Washington doesn't know it, the gov
ernments of Europe and Asia do know
it.
That news is Amelia Earharts flight,
nonstop in eighteen hours, across 2.4OO
miles of the Pacific ocean, from Hawaii
to the United States. All American
citizens; especially those on the Pa
cific coast, and elderly, Out-Of-date gen
tlemen who are supposed to provide
for the defense of this country, should
ask themselves:
If young woman, entirely alone,
without sleep, no assistant TO help with
navigation, can fly. unseen, across the
Pacific ocean and land in California
to receive a bunch of roses, eighteen
hours from Hawaii, what do you think
five or ten thousand powerful bombing
and swift pursuit planes could do, COM
ing from Asia or from Europe?
Pennsylvania is an important tobacco
state. The government is paying farm
ers not to grow tobacco, just as il
pays them elsewhere not to grow cot
ton or wheat and not to raise pigs.
After you have spent your whole
life driven by necessity's lash to pro-
duce the utmost possible. this brings
sweet peace to have the government
pay you for not doing ii, even if you
can't quite understand it.
Nobody has yet arranged to pay
newspaper publishers for not writing
editorials, but that may come, in the
glorious new era, and, here and there,
it might be a great blessing.
Washington reports that President
Roosevelt's message to congress about
pensions for the old will suggest only"
$40 a month.
The Washington correspondent who
says "only" does not know what $40
a month would mean TO millions of old
people whose lives are made bitter not
by deprivation, not by poverty, hunger
or cold, but by the fact that they de-
pend upon the cold charity of others.
particularly on the charity of relatives
Give $40 a month TO the old that
are dependent and you win bring hap
piness into the last years of millions OF
lives, and that would be worthy of a
great nation.
The honorable Japanese chief Of in
formation in the foreign office says the
United States is planning an attack on
Japan. Any Japanese who believes IL
lacks the usual intelligence for which
you give all Japanese credit. Nations
thing. What does the United States
want from Japan?
Uncle Sam, in a mild fit of idiocy, Is
now giving away the Philippines. Ash
attic islands richer in resources than
the Japanese islands.
We got those islands from the Span
ish war. Should we start another war,
spend billions, kill many of our jap
anese friends and burn up their coun-
try by fire bombardment from airplanes
merely to get more Asiatic islands, to
be given away later?
The thirst of the people means profit
to the government. Uncle Sam during
1884 collected an average of more than
S1,OOO,O00 day in liquor taxes. total
amount of S374,5O6, go. Beer alone
yielded S2OO,OOO,OOO; spirits distilled in
America. s121, 100000; imported spirits,
$15,0O0,O00; imported wines, $4,000
1t is easy to understand why tens
of millions follow the trial of Bruno
Hauptmann for the kidnapping and kill
ing of the Lindbergh baby with such
intense interest. The trial is a mys-
terry in itself. Gradually unwound in
court like the chapters in a detective
story, it holds public attention, the
horrible nature of the crime increasing
the interest tenfold.
Eighty-nine Russian fishermen, liv-
ing on the edge of the Caspian sea,
ought to be grateful TO the American
Wright brothers that invented the air
plane. With their boats they had drift
ed ten days on an ice foe and were
starving.
Along came big Russian plane, fly
ing low. to drop tiny parachutes that
brought food, tobacco and alcohol.
Then the fishermen. hopelessly lost, out
of sight of land, got in tlIeir boats and
the airplane guided them to the short
est route to shore.
This reporter sat next to Amelia
Earhart at a dinner recently, did not
recognize her, thought she looked, as
the French say, like somebody" asked
"Do you write, fly, or WIZ. do you dor
She said 81 fly little, and / write a
little"
Europe continues ''edging along" to-
ward war. The Associated Press re-
ports Italian troops being concentrated
along the Austrian border. Italy fears
that Germany may start an attack on
Austria, aiming at absorption, now the
Saar voting is over.
Italy calls this movement of troops
along the Austrian border "Winter
maneuvers," but Europe knows what
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