davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-10-18
FDR's LONE HOPE

In the meantime, the prospec-
tive Democrat plurality in Kansas
City has been knocked down
almost 20 the vanishing point,
and il is agreed that unless the
President is able 10 come out of
ST. Louis with at least $1,000
plurality he hasn't a chance of
carrying the state, and it's not at
all certain that he can do so even
then.
Ever the most hopeful Demo-
Gratis said that $4,000 to 10000
votes is the best they can hope
for, here in st. Louis. The polit-
ical editors and reporters said
that 10000 is a wishful thinking
top.
Several of them said that the
Gallup Poll figures, showing
Missouri TO be on the $3.50 bal
ance line, as between Dewey and
Roosevelt, is just plain crazy and
that Mr.. Gallup had better re-
examine his poll-taking machin-
cry In this state.
VOTE REVERSED
AS a little indication of how
badly off the Democratic situation
is, here in st. Louis the Demo-
Gratis normally outpoii the Re-
publicans about 2 to /, in pri-
mary elections.
AT the primaries here recently,
the Republicans actually outpolled
the Democrats by about 10000
votes, in spite of the fact that the
really holly contested primary
fight was In the Democratic party.
One Democrat told me that the
swing in this state is not so much
a matter of voters who formerly
voted Democratic now switching
over and voting RepublieanIthat-
instead it's a matter of the Demo
Gratis merely staying home from
the polls and refusing to vote at
all, while, on the other hand, the
Republicans are more aggressive
and intent about their voting than
ever before.
You must realize that Missouri
is heavily populated in the south
ern portion, with old-school south
ern Democrats. and they will not
vote Republican, but they will
register their disapproval by re-
fusing to vote at all.
MACHINE CRUMBLES
So far as the old political ma
chine of Mr.. Bob Hannegan is
commemorative so-called Dick
man-Hannegan machine - which
was the city machine here. 1t has
crumbled in decay, and almost
vanished.
It broke up in 1941 when the
Republicans won control of the
st. Louis city government, which
they have held ever since. That
took away from the Democrats
all of the political patronage and
every thing else that a political
machine has to feed on. Mr..
Hannegan himself went to Wash
ington as commissioner of internal
revenue, and from there he was
made Democratic national chair
man.
The long and short OF the whole
thing seems TO be that Missouri
as OF the present time. is def
nitely in Gov. Dewey's column.
The Detroit Times has far more
nationally famous features than
Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-10-18

Store Hours, weekdays s,4s 10 e4., Saturdays until
Evening star., 1944-03-06

not lived up to the expectations Of some
military men, they are not too bad.
The italian Army has been Of some
help to the Allies, not so much because
Of their love for US, but because they
believed that by cooperating with the
United Nations they might be able to
save something out Of the wreckage.
The news that portion of their fleet
was earmarked for Russia was known
in Italy within six hours. The effect is
said to have been depressing. When
the fleet surrendered the Allies were
careful not to say anything that might
give the Italians definite hope that they
would still have the fleet after the war.
But they believed that by sincere CO.
operation they would get recognition at
the peace table.
The British are worried that Fridays
announcement might have an adverse
effect on the future active co-opera-
ton Of the Italian fighting forces. And
while at the outset of the campaign
the military assistance of the Italian
forces was of no real importance the
British have been counting more heav-
lily on this support.
The British government is said not
to object to the increase of the Russian
sea power. In order to avoid complete
breakdown of the morale of the freed
Italians, Britain is reported to have
suggested that some British naval units
be given to the Russians as compensa-
ton for their claims to Italian war
ShipS
Evening star., 1944-03-06

have learned from the mistakes OF the
Nazi themselves.
But, says the Times, TT is unthinkable
that Germany's essential industries and
systems OF power and transportation
should remain exclusively in German
hands. Germany's economic capacity
must be firmly welded into European
system maintained by backing of
force
We are highly suspicious Of this argu-
ment. If Germany's essential industries
are not to remain exclusively in German
hands, in whose hands are they to be
put? If they are to be welded into an
all-European system, into what kind of
system? They are already welded into
an all-European system backed by
force-the new order The chief but not
exclusive stockholders Of this new order
are Germans. Are we to keep it, and
just remove the Germans?
Germany's essential industries were
not exclusively in German hands after
the last war, nor during the entire
period of German rearmament, and the
non-German owners collaborated as &C
lively or passively with Hitler as did
the Germans.
|. In fact, without non-German COLA
borators and their powerful connections
with European industries and chan
Evening star., 1944-03-06
Constantine Bro1vn

Now that the announcement of plans
for the transfer has been made there
is real concern in London over the pos
sibility that we might lose even the
meager assistance we have been getting
from the Italian fighting forces.
The French, Yugoslavs and the Greeks
also are dissatisfied. They repeatedly
have indicated that they would like to
have Italian warships to compensate for
their own naval losses. The French lost
most of their Mediterranean fleet at
Toulon when it was scuttled by its
crews; the Greeks and the Yugoslavs
lost most of their navies. small as they
were, in 1941. The Poles have lost most
of their warships since 1899.
While these losses did not occur In the
Mediterranean, the countries involved
expected some compensation at the
expense Of the Italian navy. The Poles
have a good claim inasmuch as about
$4,000 Poles are fighting on the Casino
front. None of these associates Of ours.
with the possible exception of the
French, have asked outright for Italian
warships. But now that we have started
distributing bonanzas they don't see why
their losses should not be replaced from
a nation which was their enemy for
longer time than 1t was Russia's
enemy.
While the military aspects of the
grant" to Russia are important, the
political repercussions from the an
nouncement are regarded in London as
even more important.
Evening star., 1944-03-06

cellries Hitler could not have rearmed
at all.
German industry, thoroughly car
telized inside Germany was joined in
intimate collaboration with French,
British, and to lesser extent, American.
Its non-German leaders were the pre-
Munich appeasers and, on the CONT
nent, the postdefeat collaborationists.
Germany had no adequate war poten-
tial until the Nazis succeeded by the
conquest of Austria, Czech -Slovakia,
Norway and France in securing sufficient
supplies Of iron ore Germany produced
only per cent of the iron needed even
for peace purposes, and had little cop
per, no nickel, and had to import all
alloys Had it not been for the Anglo
German clearing agreements made in
October 1894, and for the liberal terms
on which the Nazis were later supplied
with alloys, ore and oil, Germany could
lowed to do so.
A large part Of the shares Of German
heavy industry belonged to French ma
tionals. Practically the whole iron and
steel industry of the AK la Chapelle
lCSAOl dIlO tIlc UCSI lIOll, COdl dliO Stcel
business in Westphala-the "Gutehoff-
nungshuette"-were wholly in French
possession. The French held a large
part of the shares in the best mining
companies of Westphalia and the great
steel trust.
The iron ore of Austria fell into Ger
man hands by British and French con-
sent. Without the occupation of Czecho-
Slovakia-the most highly armed of the
small neighbors, with the greatest arms
industry and the most critical stra-
tegical position-the war could not have
begun. The British Runciman COM
mission opened the way for this.
Even American firms assisted Ger
many to rearm. Large automotive
works in Germany were of American
ownership and under political pres
sure expanded their works for re-arm-
ament
The German ownership of firms was
not basic to this war. 1t was the policy
Of the heavy industries of all Europe
Evening star., 1944-03-06
Maj. George Fielding Eliot

ators would not become permanent resi-
dents. No doubt Turkish thrust into
Grecian Thrace. backed up by Allied
airpower pouring from the Aegean and
by an Allied amphibious descent upon
Salonika, offers attractive possibilities.
They can hardly be described, however,
as decisive possibilities within the imme-
diate future. At best, we could not hope
to do more than effect the liberation Of
Greece and to begin to bring more
effective aid to the Yugoslav Patriot
forces.
The situation has changed since the
days when q strong Allied army was
available in Africa. Most of that has
been absorbed in Italy, more certainly
will be needed for that theatre Even
II We gain early successes in the Bal
kans, the farther back the Germans are
driven the more difficult will be the
going for the attacking force. the
stronger the German defense
Thus Balkan operation, even with
the Turks as active allies and even
supposing that We can effect q quick
and complete conquest of the Aegean
Islands, seems under the circumstances
that now exist to promise no more,
in the terms of grand strategy, than a
diversionary effect: Unless the Allied
high command is willing and able to
put into the Balkans really powerful
forces, forces whose use in that area
would sensibly diminish our chances OF
victory elsewhere. But as diversion.
the value of the Balkan attack should
not be underestimated, because as long
as we are not putting too much Anglo
American power into it, we are divert
ing German troops from Russia and
the west by the use of Turkish troops,
Yugoslav and Greek partisans. which
we cannot ourselves use on any other
front.
(copyrisht. 1914. \. =. Tribune MsJ
Evening star., 1944-03-06

nants Of Berlin can look forward
to nothing but a systematic, round
the-clock aerial bombardment, ris-
ing steadily in destructive fury until
the whole place is blotted out. The
appearance of Americans over the
capital is a clear sign that the
worst is yet come, and the enemy
will see in it further confirmation of
Prime Minister Churchills recent
prediction that the Allied air offen-
sive is going to be carried out on a
scale whose magnitude has not
hitherto even been imagined. To-
gether with the introduction of the
new British six-ton bomb, this pros
pect must rest with a terrible weight
upon the German mind.
Evening star., 1944-03-06
On to the Courts

1lle TRANSFORMATION OF the Dis
trlct Public Utilities Commission
from an administrative agency,
charged with regulation of local
utility rates, to a three-ring circus
has provided entertainment for the
spectators and rosy future for the
utility lawyers. But the change has
raised number of questions which
will have to be settled before it is
possible to determine the eventual
public benefit.
One of these relates to the tactics
adopted by Commissioner Hankin,
who, one may be sure, is prompted
by an extraordinary zeal to protect
the public interest and a profound
belief that he is best equipped to
do 1t. AS a continually dissenting
member of the commission, he has
shown very plainly that he suspects
not merely the judgment but the
motives which influence his COL
leagues, past and present, on the
commission as well as the commits
sion's own expert personnel. 1t was
that sentiment which so obviously
led to his performance last week,
when, with the greatest of ease, he
vacated his role as a commissioner
long enough to take the witness
stand and introduce evidence which
he later will analyze as a commits
sloner. The practical difficulties of
fllling this dual role with satisfac-
ton to the interested parties are
obvious.
Another question relates to the
part that the Office of Price Admin
lstration is to play in local utility
regulation. This question is in the
process of at least partial settlement
now, for the gas rate case, now be-
fore the United States Supreme
Court, involves the OPA's powers as
an intervenor to prevent rate in
creases. But in it's petition last
week the OPA raises another point
relating to it's powers as an inter-
venor not merely to prevent in
creases but to bring about reduc-
ton of utility rates. The OPA has
joined other petitioners for an i'm
mediate hearing on streetcar fares,
despite the Public Utilities Commits
slon'S recent refusal to proceed with
such hearing until it has disposed
of other pending business and OBJ
tanned certain basic data. A novel
sidelight is presented here in the
fact that the utilities counsel of
OPA, joining in this petition, is also
appearing in the current proceed
ingS over Pepco rates as special
counsel for the Procurement Divi-
sion of the United States Treasury.
The public is naturally anxious
to obtain lower utility rates. The
agency established to pass on such
questions, in the public interest, is
the Public Utilities Commission. If
the commission becomes a mere
skirmish field, with its decisions so
prejudiced in advance by unusual
pressure from within and without
as to be unacceptable to anybody,
the real rate-making powers in
evitably are transferred to the
courts. This process, which is by
way of being established here in
WASHINGTON. is of doubtful benefit.
Evening star., 1944-03-06
The Worst to Come

Though apparently limited in
scale, the first American daylight
bombing of Berlin must chill the
spine of Germany. From Britain to
the Reich capital, the round-trip
flight is over 1000 miles, a distance
which in earlier days led Hermann
Goering to laugh off the possibility
of an attack and to say that if ever
one occurred, his name from then
on would be Schultz"
1t is long time now since Goering
became Schultz" He became that
when the Royal Air Force began it's
spectacular series of night assaults
on Berlin-assaults so massive, so
pulverizing, it has been estimated
that half of the great city already
lies In ruins. But never before,
except for negligible British raid
carried out to mark the tenth an
niversary of Hitler's rule, has this
shattered Nazi nerve center been
bombed in the full light of day.
Never before has it had a taste of
American air power.
Saturdays attack, in fact, was
not so much taste as a foretaste,
for we may assume that our flyers,
having thus made their debut over
Berlin, will be back again and again,
carrying out their grim daytime job
with the same precision and dev-
astation as have distinguished
their assaults on many another city
throughout Germany. The distance
involved no longer acts as a deter
rent; our fighter planes-notably the
P-38 Lightnings and the P-51B
Mustangs-have been built with
such extraordinary range that our
big bombers now can count on them
for a protective escort all the way
to and from the tottering capital.
BY day. the Americans; by night.
the RAF. AS in so many other
scarred and blackened cities Of the
6eicn' the population of the rem
Evening star., 1944-03-06

There are, thus, II States where this
is true and they are the indispensable
States with the largest electoral votes.
In addition, the Negro group is not only
the largest voting group in the country,
but it votes more nearly as a unit than
any other racial, religious of economic
group. Considering these things, it is not
hard to understand why the national
political leaders should be deeply con-
cerned over the vote in those two Har-
lem wards.
1t is useful to understand one or two
other things about the Negro vote. Dis
tinctly, it is not vote which Is affected
by either foreign or domestic issues. 1t
is not vote that concerns itself much
with anything except the attitude of
parties and candidates toward its group
1t measures that attitude by the recog-
milton it received politically, socially,
economically. Certainly, it has received
more recognition along all three lines
from the Roosevelt administration than
from any previous one, Democratic or
Republican. Why. then, it is asked
should there now be a diminution in
Roosevelt ardor upon the part of Negro
leaders, Negro newspapers and the rank
and file of the Negro vote? There are
q number of reasons.
One is resentment among Negroes
over alleged segregation and discrimi-
nation in the armed forces. They have
looked to Mr.. Roosevelt to stop that
and he has not done so. Another is
discrimination against Negroes by some
labor unions and the railroads, which
Mr.. Roosevelt has failed to combat.
Another is that the Fair Employment
Practice Commission set up by the
President under pressure from Negro
leaders has been almost wholly futile,
largely through lack of presidential
support. And, finally, there is the very
potent fact that the WPA no longer ex-
lists to hand out relief money to hun
Evening star., 1944-03-06

strike a powerful blow at the Aegean
Islands. This is the first order of busi-
ness in any offensive in the eastern
Mediterranean region. We cannot help
Turkey very much until we have direct
and uninterrupted access to the ports
of Smyrna and Istanbul We canssend
in munitions through Alexandretta and
Mersina, but the flow Of support neces-
sary to sustain large offensive opera
ton cannot be handled by those ports
nor by their long and difficult rail COM
munications with the Bosphorus.
An attack on the Aegean Islands
would be immensely facilitated by the
use Of Turkish territory for air and
jump-off bases. This is the first and
greatest help the Turks could give us
Immediately. The next most important
thing they could do for us would be
to open the Dardanelles to our ship
ping, once the Aegean Islands were
clear Of the enemy. This would give
us . direct sea route to Russia, much
Evening star., 1944-03-06
Could Turkey Help?

shorter and of far greater tonnage ca
pacity than any now at our disposal.
One result of this, aside from direct
aid to the Russians, would probably
be to enable British and American long
range air power to begin striking from
Russian bases at industrial and rail-
way targets in Poland and Eastern Ger
many, hitherto immune from bombing
attack to a considerable extent because
the Russians have not yet developed
much long range bombing strength,
and because under present conditions
it Is not worth while to put too much
effort into hauling bombs and sup
plies into Russia by the long detour
through the Persian Gulf.
So far so good. What then?
Do we expect the Turkish army to
invade Bulgaria? If so, we must aban-
don any idea of getting Bulgaria out Of
the war by diplomatic means, and we
must offset our gain In Turkish troops
by accounting the Bulgars an active and
bitter enemy, whereas hitherto they
have been more or less inactive. This
Is because, whatever else may betide,
the Bulgars will assuredly fight to the
last man against Turkish invasion.
If no such invasion takes place, it is
entirely possible that the Bulgars may
decide to get out of the war by them
selves; and it is also possible that it is
this conclusion which lies behind much
of the maneuvering and apparent con-
fusion in Allied Turkish relations at
the moment.
But If Bulgaria is not to be invaded,
how do we propose to use the Turkish
army2 Obviously, the only way is an
attack on the German forces in Greece.
This might be possible; and Turco-
Greek relations have become so cordial
Oh late that the Greeks might welcome
Turkish army Of liberation, especially
with an Allied guarantee that the nber-
Evening star., 1944-03-06

to washington, where they warned Mr.
Roosevelt's political advisers that unless
effective steps to check the trend are
taken the result easily might be loss Of
the States electoral vote. They pointed
out that these two wards, which on last
Tuesday went to / for the Republican
candidate, voted to for Mr.. Roosevelt
in 1910 And they further expressed
the conviction that this shift of the
Negro vote is national, not local, citing
a number of recent election figures to
sustain it.
The question is whether the undis-
puted tendency Of the Negro voter to
return to his Republican home" can be
halted by Mr. Roosevelt's candidacy.
No understanding politician will mini
mize the importance Of the answer to
that question. In New York there are
approximately 250,000 Negro voters; in
Pennsylvania even more In New Jer-
sey, Maryland, Delaware, Missouri, Ken
lucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Mich
igan the number of Negroes is sufficient
to give them balance of power in any
close election.
Evening star., 1944-03-06
Dorothy Thompson

and of the governments attentive to
them, that treated Hitler with re-
spect withheld from the German Re-
public. They swallowed the idea of an
armed Germany as bulwark against
Russia and encouraged Hitler in dreams
OF eastward expansion
If then, the idea of The Times OF
London is an all-European cartel, with
part Of the German shares transferred
to non-German owners, and perhaps
with European governments buying in
to 81 per cent of the stock, there is
nothing in the record to indicate that
this would guarantee peace 1t would
only internationalize the interests that
In some future might profit by German
rearmament.
The first charge on German industry
should be the reparation of damages
caused in the countries of Nazi victims,
by the output of these industries. Their
shareholders, who have profited by this
war should win no additional profits
from the reconstruction. Under such
circumstances no one will want their
shares and German industry will clear
ly learn that war does not pay.
A new German democracy must be
man cartel monopolies that have exer-
clsed so pernicious a political influence
and strangled economic freedom and
genuine private enterprise, and a lib
Grated Europe must be strong enough
to smash the interlocking trusts that
have been Hitlers most ardent collab-
orators. A centralized economic sys-
tenn, maintained by force, with weak
political governments, means the servi-
tude of Europe to a supercartel. no
matter in whose hands the ownership
may lie, and that servitude would cer-
talnly have to be maintained by force
as the Times realistically recognizes.
Fortunately the prelude to this war is
well enough known to the peoples OF
Europe to preclude their acceptance of
foreign or domestic shareholders as
arbiters of their destinies.
Nor do I see American boys main
tanning that servitude over Europe
not for long.
tReeased by the Bell Syndicate 1nc)
Evening star., 1944-03-06
Forced Neglect

The siluer chains OF loue are tarnished
noW.
We tried to put them carefully aaDau
Within darkened cupboard, ,Dith the
DO1O
We made upon our Joyous wedding day.
TIE patind OF happiness has dulled
And all the brightness turned to drab-
like gray.
The fingers that ,Dere silken-tipped and
lnlIed
And sn,oothed the roughened edqes
OF our thought,
To make it softer, after it ,Das culled
OF all the finer things that patience
sought,
Are folded now and clenched into fist,
For all our nurtured lope has come to
7duSht.
! wonder it you think of Uhdt ,oe'De
missed
These long and Uar-torn months since
last toe kissed?
roRAzI RocKwooD.