davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-09-26
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

The Republican campaigners during
the summer months have run into
defeatist attitude on the part of strong
opponents of Roosevelt fourth term.
Those who have had this psychology of
defeat have been saying: We hate the
idea of fourth term-but it does not
seem possible to defeat Roosevelt, with
his millions on the Federal payroll and
with the war on"
Since Gov. DeWev's active campaign
ing got under way, the number OF these
Cassandra-like Republicans and anti
Roosevelt Democrats has materially oil
diminished. The New Workers. reception
on the West Coast, plus his hard-hit-
ting speeches-particularl the one last
night in Oklahoma City-have given the
antifourth termers courage.
Jouett Ross Todd of Kentucky. chair
man of the Republican National Finance
Committee, told a story at Republican
luncheon in Washington last week which
illustrates this. He approached. he saic.
a potential contributor to the DeWey
campaign. This was some weeks ago.
The reply of the gentleman ran some
thing as follows: IN give YOU thou
sand dollars. but, of course, l do no,
believe We can win
To this Mr.. Todd answered: If that
is the way you feel, do not want your
money. You had better contribute
thousand dollars to a cause in which
you have faith
Recently, Mr. Todd continued. he re-
ceived a check from the same man for
IS 600. With it came a statement he
was now convinced that Dewey will win.
Republican campaigners are not wor
ried for fear that any of those who have
had defeatist attitude will vote for
Roosevelt. The greatest damage which
their plaint-"you can't beat Roosevelt
might do is to lower morale of some of
the party workers In order TO combat
this the Republicans are straining every
nerve to build up their organizatio
throughout the States. If reports pour
ing into Washington are to be credited.
they are succeeding in this organiza ton
drive beyond expectations. Under the
leadership of National Chairman Her
bert Brownell-and of Gov. Dewey him.
Evening star., 1944-09-26
Politics and the Charter

To the Editor OF The Star:
For the thousands of WASHINGTON
workers who live in Montgomery County.
the coming election perhaps is more
important in local issues than it is in
national issues. The local issue to be
decided Is whether the charter form OF
local government is to be adopted.
Ihere has been much table pounding
on the part of anticharter publcists to
the effect that adoption of the charter
would mean abandoning the two-party
system of government The inference
is that only followers of Earl Browder
could support such a program But
neither the statement nor the infer
ence has any basis in fact A Democrat
or Republican could vote for his
partys candidates for all national and
State offices. Yet the issues and in
herited prejudices which make people
Democrats or Republicans in State and
national affairs have absolutely no place
in county government Strictly local
issues, involving such matters as zoning.
sanitation, schools, etc, should not be
decided one way or the other merely on
the basis of the majority's preference
for the Democratic or the Republican
candidate for President Under the
charter system. the county council would
be elected by the voters, not as Demo-
Gratis or Republicans but as citizens in
terested in good local government. ANY
group could put up a candidate, but he
would be elected on his own qualif1ca-
tions rather than on his appeal as a
Democrat or Republican to voters who
inherited their party affiliations from
their grandparents. JOHN C. REID.
Bethesda Nd.
Evening star., 1944-09-26
Where Sweden Stands

1Ile oWeulSl government 5 an
nouncement that, beginning tomor-
row, all foreign shipping will be
denied access to its ports and terri
torial waters along its entire Baltic
coast line constitutes step as
drastic as it is significant. Although
general in form, this prohibition will,
in practice, hit only Germany, and
will indeed hit the Reich an eco
nomic body blow which will be
keenly felt
Ever since the start of the war,
neutral Sweden has been a prime
source of supply for German indus
try. The chief item has been ore
from the rich iron mines in Northern
Sweden, shipped largely in German
bottoms from ports at the head of
the Gulf of Bothnia to the Reich.
Other important items have been
highgrade steel products, notably
the ball bearings which caused such
a diplomatic furor between the
Swedish and Allied governments a
few months back. Sweden'S answer
to protests regarding trade with
Germany has been, not merely the
legal argument that she was merely
observing the rules of traditional
neutrality, but also the irrefutable
fact that she was dependent upon
Germany for imports such as coal
which were vital to her economic
life. Ever since the German con-
quests of Denmark and Norway in
the spring of 1910 Sweden has been
cut off from the outer world and
has been compelled to do business
with Germany whether she wished
to or not
Sweden's position in the present
war has been hard one. Long be-
fore the war actually started the
aggressive, despotic character of the
Hitler regime had alarmed and dis
gusted the bulk of Swedish public
opinion, SO that Sweden was, from
the first, pro-Ally in sentiment The
German conquest of 'SWeden's Scah-
dlnavpn neighbors intensified its
aversion to the Third Reich, but
placed it in position where discreet
neutrality was inevitable Caution
combined with an intensive arma-
ment program tided Sweden over
its most critical period. AS soon as
German power began to ebb, the
Swedish government Stiffened in its
diplomatic attitude towards Ber-
lin, Withdrawing certain transit
privileges, refusing commercial cred
it's and cutting down on the volume
of trade. The fact that Sweden has
now taken step which virtually
embargoes commerce with Germany,
and this on the edge of winter when
Swedish coal necessities are at their
maximum, indicates a belief that
Germany will soon collapse mill
tarily or at least that the German
grip over Norway and the North Sea
will speedily be broken, thereby re-
opening contact with the Allied
world. Swedish policy has been so
canny and so we'll informed that its
present step is of the deepest sig
nifcance to us.
Evening star., 1944-09-26

Wan states has, not yet been oficially
learned. it seems doubtful that Norway,
the Netherlands and Denmark, which
have been fully satisfied in the past
with their national territories, would be
willing to assume the responsibility OF
ruling large minorities. None of these
kingdoms had expansionist ambitions In
the past
They desire a weak Germany which
will no longer rattle her saber under
their nose at the slightest provocation.
But neither have their people any desire
to expand their present boundaries.
They may not mind some frontier recti-
f1cation to give them better strategic
position and increased security. But
they have never Endorsed the idea of
controlling alien territories.
Russia alone Is in a position to deal
with large minority blocs Her terri
tory has plenty of room for new settlers
The recalcitrant population in the alien
inhabited areas she has occupied in the
past have been removed to the eastern
section of her vast empire. The Moscow
government expects that these peoples
established in regions far from their ma
tive lands eventually will become dena-
tionalized and give little trouble.
The Morgenthau plan is sufficiently
drastic to please everyone who believes
that the ills of Europe will end when
the Germans cease to be an independent
and prosperous nation Both the
Morgenthau political and economic pro-
posals give the German people chance
in the future to exist and nothing more.
Certain members of President Roose-
velts official family. including Mr.. Slim
son, oppose the Morgenthau plan because
it is contrary to previous pledges of the
President. Mr. Roosevelt has said he
desired tough peace, for the Ger
mans, who must be reduced to i'm
potence as far as future aggressions are
concerned, but he also has said he
wanted a peace based on justice.
Mr.. Morgenthau and his friends ex-
press the views OF some groups in this
country that inasmuch as the idea Of
justice is alien to the Germans 1t should
not be applied to them.
However, these groups, whose opinions
Mr.. Morgenthau has reflected in his
blueprints, form only vociferous minor
ity in this country and do not represent
the bulk of the Nation which eventually
will have to approve the final settlement
of this war.
Evening star., 1944-09-26

self, who has laid great stress upon
party organization in his meetings with
Republican Governors and party lead
ers across the continent-a great mass
of groundwork has been accomplished.
Elections are won and lost often by the
activity or lack of activity of the pre-
cinct political worker.
In many of the important States this
year the Republicans are firmly in
irenched through control of the county
and State governments. They have also
al the patronage which goes with the
county courthouses in many of these
States. More and more it looks as
though the vote in the coming election
would be light as compared to the more
recent presidential elections-so light
that the New Deal leaders are greatly
worried and are relying more and more
en- the CIO Political Action Committee
10 get potential voters registered and to
the polls on election day. In the past,
in these larger States. the Democrats
nave had all the advantage of the State
and county patronage.
The Democrats have sought for
months to convince the country that the
great mass Oh SOlQleT voters Will support
the Commander in Chief" There is moth
ing in the record SO far TO prove the cor
rectness of this claim. The soldiers are
doing a magnificent job on all the war
fronts-but it is job that has nothing
TO do with partisan politics Many re-
ports are to the effect the men are more
interested in getting the war won than
in politics. Whether they are or not. it
is quite evident from other reports that
the Army is made up of Republicans as
we'll as Democrats.
In the coming election women will
play part far more important than in
any previous election-due to the fact
that so many men are away. either in
the armed forces or in war plants. The
women also for the first time in our
history outnumber the men, by more
than half a million. even taking into
consideration all the men in the armed
forces. Intensive organization by both
parties to line up the woman vote is
under way. In this effort the Republl-
cans have been signallv successful.
Evening star., 1944-09-26
The ChoI|enqer's Round

governor dewey demonstrated at
Oklahoma City last night that he
can slug it out with "the champ"
The Republican nominee came
into Oklahoma's capital city in
fighting mood. The speech that ne
had prepared for the occasion was
torn up and thrown away Over the
week end he wrote a substitute, a
brlstling reply to the Presidents ad-
dress to the Teamsters Union last
Saturday night
Mr.. Dewey said that he had hoped
to keep his own campaign in tune
with the times, to discuss the serious
issues before the country and not
to deal in personalities. But the
President, he declared, had resorted
to ''mudslinging, ridicule and wise
cracks" BY plumbing "the depths
OF demagogy' in his talk to the
teamsters, Mr.. Roosevelt has asked
for it" and he was going to give it
to him.
The Governor made an impressive
case. He said that his figure of
100000 unemployed in 1910, after
seven years Of the New Deal, came
from the American Federation of
Labor. IF that is fraud or false
hood" he said, "let Mr.. Roosevelt
tell it to the AFL."
Recalling that Mr.. Roosevelt had
told the teamsters that not even
Goebbels would have attempted the
classification" that the administra-
ton had failed to prepare the coun-
try for war, the Republican candi-
date answered him with quota atoms
from an impressive list of witnesses
General Marshall, General Arnold.
the Presidents own running mate,
Senator Truman, and the Demo-
cratic Majority Leader, Senator Al
ben Barkley. Then he topped this
OFF with three quotes from Mr..
Roosevelt himself, in 1885, 1887 and
1910. In it's entirety, the indictment
was effective, and the President is
going to be hard put to answer it.
For the first time, also, Governor
Dewey lashed out at the groups with
which Mr.. Roosevelt is associated in
this campaign, the people to whom
he is Indispensable On this list
the Governor placed Harry Hopkins,
Secretary Perkins, Harold Ickes ard
Earl Browder Shall we expose our
country to. a return of the seven
years of New Deal depression" he
asked, because my opponent is in
diSpensable to the ill-assorted,
poWer-hungry conglomeration of
city bosses, Communists and career
bureaucrats which today compose
the New Deal?"
In the sports vernacular, this was
the Challenger's round. Governor
Dewey bounced back from the verbal
pounding administered by the Pres
ident and proved that he could
dish it out as we'll as take it. This
campaign is going to be real fight
from now on in.
Evening star., 1944-09-26
Arnhem

Two weeks ago the average Brit
ish or American citizen probably
never had heard Of Arnhem. Now,
for reasons displayed on the front
page of every newspaper, the name
of that once pleasant capital of
Gelderland is assured of immortal
remembrance. People who will not
be born for another century or two
will read Of how the Allied para
chute troops came down out Of the
sky to take a bridge needed as a
gateway into Germany. Alan Wood
of the London Daily Express sums
up the story of what has happened
to that valiant advance guard of
air borne fighters IN these fortnight
words: The few of Arnhem will
rank in glory with the few of the
battle of Britain" to whom all the
civilized world owes so much.
Something more than their geo.
graphical position makes the Low
Countries of Northwestern Europe
heroic territory, but what that
Something is may be beyond the
power of human genius to guess. In
any case, the battle now raging
at Arnhem is nothing new. Every
acre of it's environs has been strug-
gled for again and again. Near ad-
jacent Zutphen, at a place called
Warnsveld, Sir Philip Sidney, the
flower of English chivalry in Eliza
beJh'S reign, was nlortally wounded
defending the cause of Holland and
the Dutch against the Spaniards and
Philip II, September %, 1885, The
dying man was carried to Anthem
and there succumbed His legend
still persists and will be frightened
by association with the knights of
this modern crusaae for freedom.
Arnhem itself has been the scene
of repeated contests. Louis XIV
took The town and dismantled it in
1872 and the French also captured
and more or less completely wrecked
it in 1895. One reason for its value
in military strategy is that it stands
where roads from Amsterdam and
Utrecht meet. High above the streets
of the older portion of the city in
times before Hitler rose the tower
of the Groote Kerk, famous for it's
beautiful peal of forty-five bells.
The StadhuiS dated back to the
period when no such building was
considered complete until its facade
had been decorated with hand
carved wooden figures representing
the arts. the Aades and the folklore
Evening star., 1944-09-26
Action in the Philippines
By Mai. George Fielding Eliot

that this, too. is now we'll within the
range of our abilities
In fact, the Japanese do not seem
to be safe anywhere within the greatly
increased range of our carrier borne
planes We achieved what appears to be
complete surprise in the strikes in the
Manila area. and even returned to the
scene after the first successful strike for
another Furnishing blow 1t is clear that
our feet is ranging unchecked in the
waters of the Philippine Sea, and that
it is not only ready to deal with any
Japanese naval interference, but is doing
everything it can to induce the japanese
to try to interfere with it.
1t is altogether possible that more ex-
tensive operations may be very much
closer at hand than has been supposed.
Given the crushing blow delivered to
japanese air power in Luzon. there does
not seem to be any reason why we
should not land. providing there are
sufficient troops in the Western Pacific
for the purpose.
The Japanese may have been trying to
reinforce their troops on LuZon-in fact
their troops seem to be their one stout
reliance just now-and there is no way
to tell whether the ships which were
sunk or damaged had already landed
reinforcements and stores or not Most
Of them apparently were transports or
cargo ships not many were warships.
There it would be rash to try to esti-
mate the actual present strength of
the Japanese Army in the Philippines.
Certainly landing in Luzon or any,
where else in the Philippines will be
a major operation, calling for larger
American ground forces than have hith-
erto been employed in any one place
in the whole Pacific area.
But it must be remembered that Japa-
nese interisland movements have been
interrupted by Admiral Halsey's activ-
ities-that, in short. we can, because of
our air and naval superiority, continue
the process of choosing and isolating
our successive battlef1elds in the Philip
pines as elsewhere
1t Is a process which has brought us
many victories, and may well bring us
more.
(Copyraht. 1QAAN b
Evening star., 1944-09-26
This Changing World
Bv Constantine Br0wn

Secretary of the Treasury Morgen-
thau has temporarily set aside the task
Of handling the fiscal and financial prob
lens Of the United States and her many
war associates who are relying on f1nan-
cial support from this country and has
emerged as political postwar planner.
In conjunction with his aide, Harry
D. White, he has devised, after many
months of thorough study, draconian
plan for the political and economic
destruction of the Reich.
Besides proposing the transformation
OF Germany into a purely agricultural
state by transferring her heavy indus
tries to the bordering states, Mr.. Nor
genthau also has proposed to the Amer
ican and British governments a COM
plete territorial dismemberment
According to sources which have had
the opportunity of scanning the Secre-
tarys b1ueprints. Germany should be
permanently partitioned
According to the Morgenthau-W White
plan, Northwestern Germany from the
Netherlands border will become a
nominally autonomous state under the
protectorate of Norway, Holland and
Denmark
Another autonomous state under the
protection and guarantee of France and
Great Britain will be formed in the
south. composed OF Bavaria, Worttem-
berg and possibly Austria--if Russia is
agreeable that the latter should come
into the western zone of influence.
The Rhineland, that is to say the
territories on both sides of the Rhine,
will be turned over permanently to
France and Belgium as compensation
for their suffering under the Nazi domi-
nation.
Czechoslovakia also will receive ample
territorial awards. and Mr. Morgen-
thau is said to advocate that slices of
Saxony should be incorporated into
that republic.
The Secretary does not venture to
suggest what should be done with the
areas east of the Elbe River The Rus
sian government already has made it
clear that East Prussia, Pomerania and
large sections of Silesia will either be
annexed TO the u S. S. r. or given to
Poland for the loss of her eastern prov
inces which have been returned to Rus
sla. The remainder of what used to be
the German Empire is to form another
autonomous state under the guarantee
and control of Russia, Czechoslovakia
and Poland
Although the views of the Scandina-
Evening star., 1944-09-26

The heavy attacks of Admiral Hal
seys Sd Fleet against the japanese
air forces and shipping in the Philip
pines-attacks which the japanese say
are still continuing-appear to have
scored a most notable success.
The effect of this success has been to
break the japanese air power in the
Northern Philippines and to compel the
japanese to withdraw their naval forces
from Philippine nchorages-presum-
ably because they now lack the air
force with which to protect their war
ships from our attacks.
Thus the japanese are prevented from
using the Philippine Archipelago as
station on their air and sea highways
to the southwark; they cannot send
reinforcementS by air to their be-
leaguered garrisons in the Palaus and
in the Halmahera group, nor to Celeoes.
which is also under heavy air attack
from Gen. MacArthur's forces.
The onlv Wav the japanese can re-
store this situation-Which If continued
must prove disastrous to them-ls to
get strong reinforcements to the Philip
pines by sea; which means that they
must run the risk of fighting Admiral
Halsey's fleet before they can get there.
Once more the main battle force OF
the Imperial japanese Navy is chal-
lenged 1t was challenged when we
went into the MarianaS: 1t sent out
part of its strength suffered a sharp
setback. lost its carrier based aircraft
and at least some of its carriers, and
ran away before it could be brought to
serious battle, leaving the garrisons
on Guam and >Saipan to their fate.
Is the same thing going to happen
now. not only to the japanese garrisons
in the Palaus, Halmahera and Celebes,
but to those in the Philippines?
1t is much too early to say definitely
that this is going to be the case. But
it is perfectly clear that we have full
and unouestioned ability to strike from
the sea wherever we wish to do so, even
at the largest of island outposts of
Japan.
There was a school of thought which
held that it was all very we'll to deal
with little islands by carrier-based at
tack, when we could produce such swift
and overwhelming concentration against
restricted area that nothing could
Withstand it, but that it would be quite
another matter to attack a great semi
continental area like Luzon, where the
Japanese have had plenty Of time to
prepare dispersal fields and to concen-
trate air power in considerable force.
But Admiral Halsey's men have proven
Evening star., 1944-09-26
Letters to The Star
Career Service Again Defended
for Democratic Character

To the Editor Of The Star:
In replying to recent letter Of mine
in The Star Philip Lightfoot Wormeley
~ mentions the attack made by Mr..
Charles c. Hart on Tyler Kent" code
clerk in the American Embassy in Lon
don who was convicted of taking con-
fldential papers from the Embassy files.
made no attack on Mr. Kent. I was
interested only in refuting the statement
OF another newspaper which sought to
asperse our career diplomatic service
by referring to Mr. Kent as a career
diplomat" Il simply emphasized that
no clerk in an embassy or legation
possesses any diplomatic status and that
Mr. Kent was not slowly making his
way up the ladder of diplomatic promo
ton" as the paper asserted.
My letter revealed that Mr.. Kent had
taken the examination for the career
or diplomatic service and had failed in
the oral test. I did not undertake to
pass Judgment on Mr.. Kent's guilt or
upon his academic ability. as Mr.. Worme-
ley intimates. The Department of State
mad shown its satisfaction with Mr..
kents academic standing by waving
the written examination.
The writer takes exception to my ref
erence to the fine democratic char
acter of our career service. AS proof
that am wrong he points to the large
number OF ambassadors and ministers
appointed on purely political grounds.
MI Wormeley needs to be told that
political appointees are not career
diplomats. Career diplomats arrive in
the service by passing rigid competitive
examinations without regard to politics
or political influence.
CHARLES c. HART,
Evening star., 1944-09-26

mainly on ground garrisons to hold
the Philippines. But unless their
air force suddenly begins to per-
form much better than it has for
some months past. or unless des-
peration drives them into CHANGING
a major naval engagement, their
position in the islands will deterior-
ate to the point of hopelessness by
the time General Macarthur lands
in full strength to conduct his cam
paign of liberation. The softening-
up process has already begun on
scale of the first magnitude. The
battle, when it is joined, may be the
equivalent of several Saipans, but
there can be no doubt about the
outcome.