The Lexington advertiser., 1939-06-08
Current Comment
BY HENRY WILLIS

Another Submarine Dives and Stays
Under. But this timeit is a British under
sea boat Apparently it stuck its bow
in deep mud of the river Mersey's mouth
and could not be freed in time to save
ninety-eight men aboard who had air
for only thirty-six hours. When tina.
was exhausted all perished. Four men
escaped to the surface in air bubbles
and were rescued. The British do not
have the complicated diving bell ar
rangement by which our Navy rescued
thirty-three men from our sunken sub
marine Squalus. Further. they were
gravely hindered by a tide which varies
as much as fifteen feet and the rapid
current Of the Mersey River. The strong
cross currents and the deep mud made
operations by divers very difficult.
Coming so soon after the brilliant res
cue of thirty-three men from our dis
abled diving boat, lying on the bottom
two hundred and forty feet down, the
British acknowledgements to our
Navy Department-failing to rescue any
men from a submarine disabled in only
one hundred and thirty feet of water.
a
be necessary for them to do some good
explaining. Likely, very little will be
made public, however, no matter what
the finding is.
"Worship no Past-Neglect no Pres
ent--Fear no Future"
"Crump Warns Licker Dealers" says
news item. Not the Mayor of Memphis,
not the Chief of Police, net the District
Attorney, none of these issue warning.
Mr.. Crump assumes that role. Who is
Crump? He is a political Boss in west
Tennessee. Any would-be office holder
in that section must "see Crump" and
he has very effective lot Of followers
for the enforcement of his decisions
One of our neighbor states once had
political Boss whose power was absolute.
From school teacher to crossroads fill
ing station it was necessary to be "for'
that Boss if teaching contract was to
be had or if gasoline was to be sold, in
sufficient quantity to keep open the sta
ton. Bosses-Dictators-o power
by the gradual build-up of machines.
small favors widely distributed, big fav-
crs to more influential few. "Fav-
ors" mean preferment which in turn
means opportunity, easy money. 1t has
happened in cities, counties, states.
Could it happen to the Nation?
Its Franchise many years ago to what
has become the Southern Bell Telephone
e. Telegraph Company. Attorney Walter
p. Tackett, an able lawyer of that day,
drew the sales contract. His foresight
was responsible for the provision in the
sale that there should be countrywide
free service thereafter. There has grown
up such an abuse of the privilege that
a regulation has been rendered necessary
whereby the free time is now limited to
ten minutes, very liberal allowance. II
you talk longer than that it will cost
1Oc for each overtime ten minute period,
or fraction thereof. Every business man
has been much annoyed at times by in
terminable visiting over the wires and
the regulation will be welcomed. But
it shall not be precedent for an at
tempt to abrogate all free countrywide
service.
National Unity Ia Essential in preserv-
ing this country, or any other. in an
emergency. Any such referendum as
proposed in the Ludlow resolution in
Congress would certainly act to destroy
unity. 1t is quite conceivable that Sec
tions, even neighboring states, would
vote on opposite sides in war referen-
dun and whether the result was ma
jority for peace or war the government
All ft,o oil knr NA
nor win a war, as effectively as if such
a referendum were not held. Congress-
men are rather carefully chosen after
all and are very responsive to the will
of their people. They are in much
better position to get information than
we and are better fitted to make an in
telligent decision. In a representative
form of government some m must be
trusted-the alternative is seizure of
power by one man-and if we get
wrong man in high place we can and do
displace him before long. "Some of the
people can be fooled all of the time. All
of the people can be fooled some of the
time but you can't fool all of the people
all of the time" Lincoln said that and
you can't beat it for clear statement of
democracy's functioning.
A Service Magazine Carries This: "a
| chap paid his telephone bill so he could
talk; paid his water bill so he could
| drink paid his grocer bill so he could
eat; paid his light bill so he could see
Next day he died, leaving his life nsur-
ance unpaid" Morale: ask his wife ard
three infants.
Seventy-five Years Ago This Week the
Confederate forces under General N. B.
Forrest fought one of the most brilliant
battles of the Civil War at Brice's Cross
Roads near Baldwin in northeast Mis-
sissippi. Forests forces were widely
separated that morning but his able
Brigadiers arrived as they were most
| sorely needed on the battle field. For
rest was everywhere, placing his forces,
encouraging his men, co-ordinating the
charges. The Confederates totale e
| about 5400 the Federals about 500. 1t
| was hot day and the Yankee infantry
was double qaicked for several miles to