The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-09-09
UNITED STATES
VERY DOUBTFUL
CONTINUED from Page u


ton Of limited national emergency
which Is as far as Mr.. Roosevelt
believes 1t Is necessary to 60 now To
put the United States In position
to meet the war crisis abroad.
Other executive orders issued I'M
der, the emergency proclamation
provided for expansion Of the army
navy and marine corps and Of the
staff Of G-men and others charged
with preventing espionage, sabotage
and certain propaganda.
Skyrocketing Food Prices
But the order did not touch two
immediate sore spots. Skyrocketing
food prices, notably for sugar, are
disturbing the public and annoying
the administration, especially be-
cause there are adequate supplies
of all kinds. Some comment seems
to divide blame for the price boom
between wholesalers inclination to
hold stocks for better prices and q
sudden move among housewives to
stock up on staples far beyond nor
NAL needs.
Difficult as the food price question
may appear at the moment, 1t Is
simple In comparison with the adj
ministration's problem Of establish
ing q policy with respect to the
Athena singing. Some 300 Ameri-
cans were aboard when she was hit
and more than 1000 other passen-
gers and crew members. There was
loss Of life, including American lives
Question of Protest
The question washington is ask
ing today is whether Mr.. Roosevelt
will deem information now obtained
sufficient to make q decision as to
whether a protest shall be sent Ger
many. II not, then another difhcult
decision awaits him: shall he seek
further information or let the whole
matter drop?
It Is q decision which would afs
feet our future relationship with
events In Europe although one pro-
test far from makes q war. The
British government asserts that the
Athena was destroyed by torpedo
fired by a German submarine. The
German version Is first, that no
German ship had anything to do
with the Athena and, second, that
the vessel probably was sunk by a
torpedo fired by q British submarine
In a machiavellian strategy to
arouse American sympathy for the
Anglo-French cause.
Hit BY Torpedo
Assistant Naval Attache Norman
B. Hitchcock filed a report to the
state department from London yes
terday that on the evidence Of sur
vivors the Athena was hit by q tor
pedo. Hitchcock did not say shoe
torpedo. II the state department or
Mr.. Roosevelt were convinced 1t was
a German torpedo q protest doubt
less would 60 forward. Failure to
protest might persuade the Germans
to make much Of that fact and to
suggest, as well, that failure Of the
United States to act, supported their
contention that Germany was guilt
less In the Athena attack.
Anti profiteering Developments
here are confusing. Attorney Cen
eral Frank Murphy, assigned the
task Of determining whether exist
ing laws against profiteering are
adequate, said yesterday that they
were not. Almost at the same time
Mr.. Roosevelt was assuring press
conference questioners that he did
not expect to ask the special ses-
sion Of congress to enact anti
profiteering legislation.
No Profiteering Report
Persistent inquiry at the justice
department failed to discover any
one who would cite any actual anti
profiteering laws on the statute
books beyond vague references to
the inherent authorities to that end
in various regulatory legislation such
as that dealing with coal, meat
packing and interstate commerce In
general.
In response to almost nation wide
clamor against rising food prices
the administration showed no other
weapon yesterday than the perfect
ly sound but 50 far ineffective assur-
ance that boarding food In this
country Is both foolish and costly
to the hoarders. Persistence Of these
price rises beyond tolerable limits
undoubtedly would provoke price
fixing laws.