davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
Willful Men

'"Tke German has to be hit with everything
we've got . =. I want more supplies than we are
getting. Z. To get peace we've got to fight like
hell for it, Thus spoke General Eisenhower
Ard even as he was speaking. East Coast
truckmen were saying that cannon rifles and
bayonets-supplies that the General wants
were being held back from ports of embarka-
ton.
Why the tieup? Because of truckers strike
in Boston. And why were they striking? Be-
cause of a squabble within the union over an
election of officers.
Thus little group of willful men, can de-
lay victory and cost lives Incidentally they
can also give responsible labor a black eye.
And for that reason. if no other, it would seem
appropriate that the ALL Teamsters' Union.
to which the truckers belong, follow the ex-
ample of Ahe CLIO Auto Workers Union and at
least threaten union discipline of the parties to
such costly and. under the circumstances, rep
rehen5ible disputes.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
Wallace And The Cabinet

Vice President Wallace is said to have
,,,bisrered into the ear of some confidant that
come January q he is to have place IN the
cabinet The news Is without Whlte House
confirmation, but considering Mr.. Wallace
talent for taking administration punishment
and the conscience debt President Roosevelt
owes him for casting him adrift when vice
presidential eligibles were knocking at the
CHEF Executives door, it is altogether prob
able thai what he says of his future is fairly
accurate Mr. Wallace's willingness to come
I'D with smile whenever he is knocked down
naturally gives him an edge over other cabiaet
eligibles.
The post he would rather have, Mr.. Wal
lace is reported to have told the same friend
in strictest confidence, is that OF secretary
of commerce, which Jesse Jones now holds
In addition to being chairman OF the Recon-
struction Finance Corporation From other
Washington sources it is understood that Mr..
Jones will be offered either position but will
not be permitted to hold both after the fourth
term starts. This means, Of course, that if
Jones remains as Secretary of Commerce
Wallace can't have that job which spurs some
SPECULATION as to what other portfolio may be
offered him.
The matter could be settled easily and with
cut throwing somebody else out Of work if a
new cabinet post were created-that of Of
fetal crystal gazer-and given to him. He
appears to have greater ability at that than
vt any practical work.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
A Sucker

Some men find the right job young and
sick to it with the tenacity Of bulldog who
gets grip on the seat Of somebody's pants.
There's police reporter on a Washington
newspaper, for example, who served in the
same capacity for fifty-four years.
Now here is IT'S George Keisling Of the
infantry school at Fort Benning. Keisling is
So years old and the one thing depressing him
RICH. now is that his retirement is only two
weeks off, Note his record:
He's been in service nearly 80 years and.
he has:
Never been late for any formation.
Never missed formation, meeting or mess.
Never been on sick call.
Never taken furlough, three-day pass or
an hours pass.
Never been off an Army reservation except
IN line of duty. ..-..'
Personal habits?
Well, IT'S Keisling. a bachelor. doesn't
smoke, drink, chew swear.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps when he
was 80 In World War I he served with the
Marines on Guam. At the end Of his hitch
he was returned to San Francisco and dis.
charged.
One day as a civilian was too much for
him. The next morning he enlisted in the
Army
Service In the Army has taken Tvs Keisling
to China. the Philippines, Alaska, and to Attu.
where he fought the japanese.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
Far From A Hoax

The snipers are already in the trees and at
windows taking potshots at Dumbarton Oakes
but there is nothing new in that It has fol-
lowed every effort, since history was reduced
to the printed page, to eliminate war by writ
ten agreement or verbal OATH But the latest
shot at Dumbarton Oaks, that is, to call it the
Dumbarton Hoax, is more witty than sensible.
Hoax hybrid word probably stemming
from hocus-pocus, is defined as "a DECEPTION
for mockery or mischief; practical Joke"
Even those who find least reason to favor the
Dumbarton proceedings could find mockery or
mlschlef in them. Whoever it was called the
conference hoax had no better excuse than
the manufacture of wise-crack
But there is this about it, in common with
other documented peace programs - the
League Of Nations, for example: unless it is
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
THAT CIGARETTE SHORTAGE

recurrent change on Capitol hill, growing
out OF the cigarette shortage, is that tobacco
growers are being blamed for the shortage
by some unknown interest in an attempt to
break the AAA tobacco quota system. Rep.
John H. Kerr of Warrenton, who appeared as
a witness this week before the House Agri-
culture committee, denies the implication
there was more tobacco planted produced
last year under the quota system than there
ever was under the old open SYSTEM he
commented. 1.-THE stocks are stored away
in warehouses and the figures show that there
is plenty of tobacco. You can't blame the
growers in any way" Pertinent fact about
the quota system is that prices paid on the
market have been consistently higher than
before.
But as to the real reason for the shorta &c
Of smokes, Rep. Kerr admits frankly that he
doesn't know. All the various factors and
figures just don't jibe.
Despite the cause, the cigarette shortage
has really hit Washington to the Capitol
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
Five New Amendments
Placed In Constitution

RALEIGH, Dec. 2.-(P)-Gover-
nor Broughton yesterday signed an
order incorporating into the state
constitution the five amendments
passed by vote of the people in
the Nov. general election. Each
amendment passed by substan-
tial majority.
The Governor also officially
called on the states electoral col
lege to meet here December IL to
cast the states IA electoral votes
for Franklin D. Roosevelt and Sen.
Harry S. Truman for president and
vice president.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
CHEFANC TAKEN
BY CHINESE FORCE

CHUNGKING, Dec. q R IN
Chinese high command announced
today the capture of Chefang' last
japanese held town on the Burma
road in Yunnan province short Of
the Burmese border town OF Want
ing.
Chincge forces and American lia
son and combat command uhlS
took the town. "a miles from Want
ing against scant resistance yeSlel
day.
Gan Allied communique FRO m
Handy, Ceylon, said Chinese forces
ere consolidating positions SCUM
east of the by passed enemy oaSs
of Bhamo. so miles west OF Want
ing) a..
Capture of Chefang kept up tns
pressure on the japanese, who al
falling back south burning villa e
as they 60, and climaxed a ~,
day drive from Mangshih. m 0 .
than 80 miles up the Burma [oa a..
Its fall opened UP the road loi
SIS miles from Running the Caps
tai of Yunnan province.
Orig. Gen. Frank Dorm c tl.t
manding the American forces 'Do.
trained the Chinese forces IN 'u''
area, was quotel in a Kunmins ~ ~.
terview as expressing the nope ..I'
I,edo Burma road would be open
ed by Christmas, but 1t was ..' Nd
certain when the first trucks "0uI0
enter China)
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
U.S.S. BROOKLYN
HOME FROM WARS

NEW YORK, Dec. a. tR The
light cruiser U. S. S. Brooklyn re-
turned home today from three Med
iterranean invasions, it's personnel
disappointed in but one thing, eve
failed to break the bank of Monte
Carlo-with six-inch shells"
AS the ships commanding Off
Ger, Capt. Frank n. Dodge, Of Adri-
All, Mich, and Philadelphia, ex-
planned it during a press tour of
the seven-year-old battlewagon in
the New York navy yard at Brook
lyn:
THE Brooklyn, workshore ship
not the spectacular type-follow-
ed American troops from Cannes
along the southern coast of France
during the August invasion. We got
within range of the Monte Carlo
casino too late.
eve had hoped TO break t h e
bank with six-inch shells but the
Germans had left when we got
there. There were too many
French flags flying in the town,
50 we held our fire"
The Brooklyn took part in COW
cring landings sir the invasion OF
Salerno and Arzio, as we'll as in
southern France.
Through all of these, Capt. Dodge
said, the ship came through wit
out scratch and without battle
death, although one aviation radio
man suffered minor injuries in
southern France.
The Brooklyn has SO Brooklyn Of
ficers and mer in its crew.
''And they are all good fighters,
Captain Dodge said.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
By KENNETH L, DIXON

ON THE WESTERN FRONT,
Nov. 27. -Delayed)- Up You
wouldn't have to read history to
know that Alsace Lorraine has
been the scene of many wars.
It's like haunted nouse-only
more so. 1t seems a perfect set
ting for mass murders.
First there are the forts.
You have read of the Metz for
tresses, how long they held back
the attackers, how they finally fell
one by one and how they combined
the modern and ancient machin-
ely of Mars. But those are not
the only fortresses. Large and
small they are gscattered through
the countryside, sometimes obvi.
ously bastions but more often
seemingly something else.
Hundreds of private home are
veritable little fortresses. They
are thick-walled for defense and
high belfried for observation.
Under these houses the people Of
Alsace-Lorraine have dug t h e i r
grim philosophy deep. They may
nave hopel for peace, but they
planned for waI-they and their an
cestorS.
Almost every building has a
basement of stone or concrete,
thick walled and heavy ceilinged.
Some are new but even those obvi-
ously centuries old still can with
stand most Of modern warfare's
methods.
Countless infantry command
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
Valley OF Upper Rhine
Now Vital Battlefront

ton, including the vineyards for
which the Rhine lands are noted.
Outstanding in military strategy
is the fact that the mountain
ranges, rising back of the valley,
east and west, are steep-faced to-
ward the river, while descending
gradually On the far slopes. Thus
military history has recorded the
difficulties of offensives launched
against the enemy who command
ed the crests of the barrier hills
and mountains, and the easier
slopes in the rear.
West of the Rhine in its upper
middle sections, the regions of Al
SAGE and Lorraine (taken by Ger
many in the war of 1870, and re-
turned to France after the first
World War; have long and bit
ter history as buffer lands.
Today's war dispatches on Asa
tan Mulhouse, Colmar, and Stras-
bourg recall the earlier struggles
for these important cities of the
Rhine valley. On the other side
of the river, facing future Allied
offensives, leading German cen
tiers of communicate and pro-
duction include Karlsruhe, Often
burg, and Freiburg.
Railroads and highways parallel
the Rhine, east and west, and
meet branch routes coming into
the valley from several directions.
At four points between the Swiss
border and the end of the German
French boundary, railways nor
mally cross the Rhine.
In peacetime, the Rhine river
is one of the main traffic arteries
of Europe. 1t has been estimated
that more than 100,OOO,00O tons of
freight annually were carried over
it.
Because of its use by various
nations. the Rhine has long been
considered an International water
way. The Treaty of Versailles
placed it under an internationa
commission along with other riv-
ers. Normally, the Germans had
the largest commercial fleet ply
ing the Rhine.
The building of the Notifications
that now rise along the river
against the further progress of Al
lied. armies inside Germany first
became possible in 1886. In that
year, the Nazi government march
ed troops into the Rhineland in de-
fiance of the demilitarization of
the area under the terms of the
Versailles treaty.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03

posts have been located in these
easements. Above those Easements
buildings have been torn down
twice by war during my lifetime
alone, and several times during the
span of some Of the more ancient
residents here.
But these people havo rebuilt
their homes and business estab.
lishments on the same sites. They
have improved potential living con-
ditions in the easements and thus
have been prepared for the next
war.
The countryside itself has many
features, both natural and man
made which seem designed for de-
tense. There are hills, razor-back-
ed slopes and forests for conceal
ment. You find countless rivers
and canals, and they m It be
bridged anew after the old spans
are blown up by retreating forces.
Too, there are dams which, can
be blown to flood the countryside
in front of an advancing army.
The road system also seems to
have been planned with an eye 10
possible military traffic. While the
secondary roads soon give way at
least partially to weather and be-
come ribbons of mud, still even
they manage to hold some SEM
b]ance of solidity underneath. The
main highways seem to stand up
miraculously under t h grinding
streams of modern military wheels.
MANY of these roads we're built
littrally hundreds of years ago.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03

The French break-through from
Belfort Gap to Kembs on the up
per reaches of the German Rhine
brought the battle front to the his
toric river across which French
and German forces faced each
other in the opening months of the
war.
Kembs, says the National Geo.
graphic Society, lies on the west
hank of the Rhine about ten miles
north of the point where French,
German, and Swiss borders meet.
Stretching northward from Basel,
Switzerland, the river forms the
German-French boundary for a
distance of some 100 miles. At the
northern end of this portion of the
frontier, little to the west of the
important German city of Karls-
ruhe, the Rhine continues it's
meandering course deep inside
Germany, before it finally turns
off to cross the Netherlands and
join the sea.
The great rift valley "a drop in
the earth's surface) through which
the Rhine flows on its way from
Basel to Karlsruhe has special
significance for both geographers
and 3nilitarists. A broad break be-
tween the Vosges Mountains on the
French side and the Black Forest
heights of Germany, it's structure
has long influenced the patterns
of normal life, as well as the for.
tunes of war, in this area.
The valley is wide and flat.
About 20 miles across on an aver
age, it provides a fertile alluvial
soil for peacetime farm produce
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03

restaurants where the senators
and representative dine.
Drug and tobacco store shelves
which formerly displayed 80 to 40
brands are empty and most Wash
ingtonians try to visit their favor
lite store early in the morning
when the days quota of a few
cartons arrive. A few stores. which
have adopted a system of requir-
ing the customer to turn in an
empty pack before selling him a
new one, do have cigarettes on
display, which would seem to indi-
cate that part of the blame lies
on the old wartime boarding in
stinct.
On the hill, the shelves of the
House and Senate restaurant are
bare but there are cigarettes un-
der the counter for the senators
and Observation-Disclosures.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
WITH THE AEF
War Is No Stranger

There's plenty of evidences OF
VI evious wars besides the fortress
es and Easements and road sys-
TENS. There are trenches, snell
craters and ruins still here from
he last war. Even all healing
grass has failed tc cover many Of
the scars.
There are cemeteries. Somehow,
armies always seem to fight near
cemeteries. Last winter in Italy,
some of the boys actually moved
into vaults and crypts near grave
yards in order to keep dry and
warm.
Most of those in Italy were CT
william cemeteries but in Alsace-
Lorraine many are military ceme-
teries, grim reminders to the SOL
diers who fight here again today.
Amidst all this setting the peo-
pie take war for granted. 1t prob
ably would be strange if they didn't
but such public attitude confronts
you.
Today I ate dinner with a French
farm family who deplores war
this or any other-but these are
people who have gone about their
business much the same, regard
less of who held Alsace-Lorraine.
AS soon. as they saw I was an
American they pointed to strange
flowerpot in a window. 1t was an
American helmet from the | a
war. Another souvenir was a mess
kit knife, bearing the printed let
ters "Fehary," which a family
msmber said had been presented
them by soldier visitor f r o m
Michigan.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
Interpreting
The War
.sl BY kakk i l.. SIMPSON
Associated Press W.
m 'eSs War ANALYST

- The I'll war in Europe has tgr1ss . :.
TO the December year END oG'. .' n
with '. no certainty as tc T,. s-.e'ch
it will end. u '0S> When
Military observers sill u..
zled by Prime Minister C1, ~: 2-z'
statement volunteered to o. p Jus
ment during the week. cbso-'. s''-
previous estimate tina, o.e.5. IS
Nazi resistance would be 49, l,.'-
early summer, 1916 He arr T,s- ?
to read just Summer -.
year. Since his unampljfiA6 AeA
followed his recent cunferen 5-,.sES
Moscow with Premier Stain s ses N
latlon arose as to whether !, 49, rpvr],
out OF knowledge gained tbe +r"so
to when, where and how P Nv ~
would be ready to strike for 49,.
from the east. ~ III
Vigorous Assault Needed
Authoritative Russian co,,,r,..,
shared the Allied view. ref,eo<.s
from both sides of the AtIan,;.
seemed even now substan,iaJly ~,
for the final two way sc1,ooS ~
upon the foe. A Russian enbas,N
information bulletin issued in VA.
ington said "a vigorous assault r.,
armies of the United Nations :,
crush Hitler Germanv with -.
shortest delay was all that v..
needed.
In the west the main Allied =,
tack was still to come althoueb =.
upper Rhine. the Saar and the RI.
had been reached in prelinin.,,
moves of the winter campaign :,
drive the foe behind the Rhine +.
his last stand. In the East sin1i];.
preliminary Russian moves ba
made even more marked progrq,
by the week end. A t/nsidersb.
segment of the Nazi forces in r,
east was trapped on the Bali
flank. In the southeast the Dany..
below Warsaw had been CROSSE
on a wide front by the RUSSIA,
and the foe also was being squee7a
out of eastern Slovakia; but a.
most critical front in Poland yg
dormant.
Meanwhile the onset of a real
Russian winter that would lapoyf.
into Poland seemed at hand and
there was speculation that Stain
had been waiting for just that II
signal forward his armies along The
vistula. 1t remained to be disco,.
ed. however. whether the Churchill
intimation that the war n Eutooe
mgt last deep nto mkt summr
more definite as to Russian inter,
tions than the belated freeze ups
in the east to harder the ground
for mass winter maneuvering.
Moscow thus held the key it mil.
tary probabilities in Europe and
perhaps. in Asia alike as 1914 drew
to its close. There seemed no es.
cape from the conclusion that while
victory over Germany and apan
alike is inevitable the time it will
take to achieve it as inevitably de-
ponds upon what Russia does in
either war sphere within the next
few weeks or months. That is so
obvious that the unexplained delay
in the long foreshadowed second
meeting of President Roosevelt with
Prime Minister Churchill and Pre-
mier Stain to round out the agree.
ments made at Teherar just year
ago and since put into execution
is difficult to understand.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
Bishop Hobson Ayers =,
More Shells Needed

NEW YORK, Dec. 2.-P. ,a q,
copal Bishop Henry W. Hobso W.. o,
Cincinnati, just arrived H. ,,r n,
York after a two months ~ N.
the European war theatef saw s,,n.
day it was "essential that We ,. ,1f .
ply at once more heavy aill-''
ton, trucks and tanks ,-osd
Bishop Hobson, who went ao, of Of
for conferences with I met aostusr
missionary MISSIONS problems and also viii, WIN
assignments by the gene , q chap.
mission on army and navy :.one Of
lains, spoke of 1.-The huge or ~ the
the military operations di ~, the
fanatic resistance offered W
enemy"
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
CAROLINA
FROM THE
CAPITAL:
By ALLEN J. GREEN
Star-NeWs washington Bureau

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2.-First indications of
canonaign to put another Wilningtonian in
The s.. 2OO-a.year Collector of Customs post
now held by John Bright Hill, appeared in
Washington this week and the campaign is ex-
nected to become intensive when Senator
elect Clyde R. Hoey arrives next January.
Lieut.. Col. Hill, on military leave from the
COLLECTORS office since May, 1872 is now sta
tened at Kelly Field, Texas, where he is
Judge Advocate of an Army Air Forces unit
Several prominent Wilmlngtonlans were
named by Tar~Heel sources here as aspirants
to the collectors seat. Mr.. Hill, it was point.
ed ont was appointed by President Roosevelt
m 1887 after serving as Sen. Robert R. Rey-
no1ds' campaign manager in New Hanover.
Sen. REYNOLDS will retire at the close of the
18th CONGRESS- this month and Sen. Hoey will
take over the post.
The would-be collectors. however, are faced
with the fact that the office is still officially
occupied by Col. Hill, although On leave, and
there is no definite date on which it will be-
com, vacant in prospect Mr. Hill was ap-
pointed by the President for term of four
years or until a successor is appointed -
The term officially expired back on June 80.
1941. and Mr.. Hill was held over until granted
military leave to take up a, reserve commits
sion ir the spring of the next year.
White House officials said this week that
there were no hard-and-fast rules governing
the case and indicated that the President
would probably be loathe to appoint new
collector as long as the present collector is IN
service.
Assistant Collector E. c. Snead, a Civil
Service appointee, is also in service as q
Naval officer and the collectors office is
currently being operated by Martin Rawlyns,
a Treasury Department liaSon officer.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
AUTOMOBILE QU0Ia

RALEIGH, Dec. 2-Dl'- 49, ~ al.
of only 43 new cars has o'G di,tri.
1oted to North Carolina 1o[ , ocl
button to civilians during Lrector
Of the Raleigh oPA diStflc' ''
today.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
TOP O, MORNING

When our Lord speaks the significance
os a single sparrow we may conclude with
absolute certainty that a single soul Will
not he overlooked And the whole OF the
Bible assures us of the sacredness OF per-
.onal life. 1t maintains that He whose
government comprehend worlds and ages
yearns over His frailest child and never
ceases to consider This welfare.-J. Kerr
fraser. D. n,
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-03
MORE HOUSING?


The housing shortage is not ended in south
eastern North Carolina by a long shot, Ma
't;onal Housing Agency officials declared this
week, despite de-activation of military posts
and predictions of victory in Europe by next
summer. There is an urgent need, MIA
Administrator John B. Blandford said, for
400-family unit project near the Marine Air
station at Cherry Point, and for a 200-family-
unit project for Laurinburg to service the
Laurinburg Maxton air base Both projects
are needed for civilian workers at the two
airfields. Whether they will materiallze or
not depends upon whether Congress will grant
MIA the $20,OO0,O 600 it is currently seeking for
war worker housing Chiefly to move existing
units from locations where they are no longer
needed to new war centers) before adjourn
ment. Congress has had a habit of pairing
MIA requests heavily in the past few years.
The current 2O,O00,0 900 request started as
s35, ooo ooo appropriation but $l5oooooo was
Topped off by the Budget bureau before passing
the APPROPRIATION On to Congress. MIA heads
contend that there is crying need for more
housing, despite past programs. particularly
around centers where the Superfortresses are
now being produced.