The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-12-14
Economic +. E. .


the grave Importance Of RusSia's at
tack on Finland. 1t came as a fear
full shock to the European neutrals
which have been attempting to move
heaven and earth to keep the war
from spreading. The repercussions
were felt strongly in the United
States. Paul Mallon, speaking of the
reaction of our own officials, said of
the Finnish invasion, that "there is
not a mind on high which does not
privately believe this is Sarajevo"-
other words, that the fuse has been
lit which may blast a localized war in
to a general European war.
One thing is apparent, in view of
most reporters-and that is that Rus
sia's action was an example of totali-
tartan power politics at their worst
and most brutal. Russia's argument
that the Films started the trouble and
threatened her territory is discounted
exactly 100 per cent in most quarters
it isn't reasonable for nation of
100000 people to threaten one of
100000. The logical explanation,
say the observers, is that Russia saw
an opportunity to gain at minimum
cost a long-desired territory. 1t is
VIRTUALLY impossible for England and
France to give aid to the Films. Ger
many, whether she likes it or not,
claims to be solidly behind the Soviet
desire to dominate the Scandinavian
nations. And the other Scandinavian
countries are in no position to give
military aid to their neighbor.
Prime fear now is that the invasion
of Finland was simply the first step
in a grim plan which Stain has long
had in mind-and which has been held
in allegiance until other major powers
were so engrossed with other matters
that they couldn't effectively oppose
his ambitions. Experts foresee the
possibility of Russia slowly and stead
lily moving forward until all the small
Balkan and Baltic nations are either
absorbed or made puppets of the
Kremlin--a technique which the Nazis
pursued with great success in Central
Europe when they placed the Swas-
tika over Czechoslovakia, Austria and
much of Poland. And then they en-
vision a combination of Russia and
Germany (whose ideologies are OBJ
viously coming nearer to jibing all the
Itime) to dominate the entire hemis-
Iphere.
So much for prophecy When it
Icomes to facts, it does seem that Rus
Isia's latest adventure has served to
clarity the European situation. Ger
Imany and Russia apparently really
are allies and are working close to-
gether in questions of policy, even
though their troops have not fought
side by side. The smIMs. cations are
definitely lined up now on the side of
the democracies. And Italy has just
about severed the Rome-Berlin axis
The Italian press denounced Russia s
Finnish invasion, and uniformed fas-
cists held public meetings, which were
not disturbed by the police, in protest.
Best guess is that Mussolini hates
Stain more than he loves Hitler, and
that if he is at last unsuccessful in
his desperate attempt to keep out of
the war, he will throw in his lot with
the democracies.
Interesting phase of Russian Ger
man cooperation it what has happened
to the Communist party in the u. S.
To put it mildly, it had been split wide
open-well known sympathizers have
resigned from it's councils, unable to
stomach what they regard as Stalin's
cynical diScardance of Lenin's princi-
pies. And the public generally seems
to view Russia with almost the same
profound distaste with which it re-
CARDS Nazi Germany. Gone is the day
when the world at large looked to-
ward the Soviet as a potential ally of
the democratic powers.
X X \
There is much activity on the do
mestic political front. The hopefuls
are busy as bird dogs as time marches
on and the convention dates come
nearer.
On the Republican side of the fence,
the Dewey-forPresident movement is
getting underway; is well organized
and being aggressively pushed. But
the political experts don't give the
young prosecutor much of a chance.
1t is thought that men high in the
party, such as potent Herbert Hoover
feel that he hasn't yet had enough ex-
perience, and that his views on big
policies aren't well enough known. He
has far better chance for the Vice
Presidential nomination. At the mo-
ment, the odds seem to favor the NOM
tlnation of some man long experienced
in public office. A considerable group
backs minority leader McNary, re-
gardless of the fact that he comes
from such a politically insignificant
state as Oregon-a tough obstacle to
overcome.
On the Democratic side, handsome
Paul McNutt, ex-governor of Indiana
eX-High Commissioner of the Philip
pines, is we'll out for the nomination
His friends claim he has the support
of everyone from the President down
But again, the political experts gen
erally consider the McNutt drive as