Evening star. [volume], January 04, 1939, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Weather Forecast
Rain tonight and tomorrow; rising
temperature tomorrow; lowest tonight
about 38; increasing east winds. Tem
peratures today—Highest, 44, at 1 p.m.;
lowest, 36, at 4 a.m.
Full report on page A-2.
Closing New York Markets, Poge 18.
First in Washington—
First in the news coverage that
builds public confidence—First in
circulation and advertising that
reflect public confidence.
(£*) V«»n» A«»octaf d Pro*.
87th YEAR, No. 34,581.
WASHINGTON, D. 0., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1939—THIRTY-SIX PAGES.
THREE CENTS.
Peace Not Assured at Munich,
President Informs Congress;
Urges Continued U.S.Spending
Lays Down Program, Foreign
k And Domestic, to Meet
Troubles 'as One People'
By G. GOULD LINCOLN.
President Roosevelt today called on Congress and the American
people to prepare to defend their religious freedom and their way of life
' from forces abroad and at home.
Time, he said, was the essence, in the face of storm signals from
across the seas. He emphasized that peace had not been “assured” at
Munich.
Addressing a joint session of the Senate and House in a packed
House chamber, the President, after stressing the danger from dictator
governments abroad, wove into the whole picture of national defense the
need of continuing the New Deal program of social progress.
‘ "Our Nation’s program of social and economic reform is, therefore.
r. part of defense as basic as armaments themselves,” Mr. Roosevelt said.
He prefaced this statement with an assertion that the united strength
c-f a democratic nation can only be mustered when its people are con
vinced that they are “receiving as large a share of opportunity for de
, velopment, as large a share of material success and of human dignity as
they have a right to receive.”
Defends bpending Program.
The President defended the administration's spending program,
which he termed "Government investing." and said it must continue if
this country is to have a national income of $80,000,000,000, instead of
one of $60,000,000,000, as at present.
> He declared the country today is suffering from a “great unemploy
ment of capital." Private as well as public capital must be put to work,
be said.
Republican members of Congress burst into wild applause arid cheers
when he spoke of curtailment of enough Government activities to balance
the Federal budget. The President paused and smiled. His next sentences
denounced that method of budget balancing and said it would result only in
keeping the national income at approximately 60 billion dollars instead of
_ permitting an increase.
"" Immediately the Democrats applauded and cheered loudly and
Mr. Roosevelt looked toward the Republicans with a rather grim smile.
Congress Must Be Responsible.
A moment later the President said that if the activities of the
‘ Government and its expenses were to be cut by one-third Congress would
nave to accept the responsibility for such reduction. The Democrats
egain burst into applause, and this time were heartily joined by the Re
publicans, who seemed perfectly willing to accept the responsibility.
After both sides had applauded and cheered the whole assemblage burst
into laughter.
This mild heckling of the Presi
dent by the Republicans was the
first instance of the kind during the
delivery of his address to Congress,
and seemed to indicate a different
spirit in the Congress.
The President, when he entered
the House, was greeted with pro
longed applause and cheers, al
w though some of the Republicans and
some of the anti-New Deal Demo
crats were noticeably silent. An
other ovation was given him as he
left the hall.
The President’s audience for the
most part was rather cold, although
it warmed to him occasionally when
he stressed the patriotic need of
defense.
Mr. Roosevelt laid great emphasis
on the need of preparation against
,‘ttack from abroad. He asserted
that “undeclared wars," “deadly
armaments’’ and “new aggression"
threaten the three institutions in
dispensable to Americans—religion,
democracy and international good
laith. And, he added, only through
p. Nation united both physically and
spiritually can these storms be kept
from American shores.
No Mention of Munich by Name,
v- The President did not mention by
name tjie Munich pact, resulting in
the disarmament of Czecho-Slo
vakia. Nor did he name any foreign
ration. But he referred to “events
in Europe,” where Czecho-Slovakia
. was dismembered by Germany’s in
sistence; "in Africa,” where Italy
conquered Ethiopia, and “in Asia,
where Japan has invaded China.
Mr. Roosevelt said that next week
r.e would send to the Congress a
special message dealing with na
tional defense, presumably giving
tne details of preparation which he
r hopes to see Congress provide for.
Galleries were crowded, with
standing room at a premium, as the
President spoke. Hundreds of curi
ous visitors unable to get in to hear
him were kept in check by wooden
barricades set up in the Capitol's
marble corridors.
Arrives at 12:44. *
Mr. Roosevelt and his party went
to the House chamber immediately
ion arrival at the Capitol at 12:44
p.m. The President wore an ordi
nary gray business suit, with no hat
or overcoat, on his ride in a closed
V
automobile down Pennsylvania ave
nue from the White House to the
Capitol.
The Chief Executive was accom
panied by a family party including
Mrs. Roosevelt, his mother, Mrs.
Sara Roosevelt; his daughter-in-law,
Mrs. James Roosevelt, jr., and her
daughter Sara, and his unCle, Fred
eric A. Delano, in addition to Col.
Edwin Watson and Capt. Daniel J.
Callahan, military and naval aides.
Standing on the Speaker's dias in
the House chamber, the assembled
members before him and Vice Presi
dent Gamer and Speaker Bank
head seated at his back. President
Roosevelt pointed out that while a
war which threatened to envelop the
w'orld had been averted, “it has be
come increasingly clear that peace
is not assured.’’
In a modern civilization, he said,
“religion, democracy and interna
tional good faith complement each
other. All three have been attacked
or disregarded.”
Must Prepare for Defense.
"There comes a time in the af
fairs of men when they must pre
pare,” the President continued, "to
defend nbt their homes alone, but
the tenents of faith and humanity
on which their churches, their gov
ernments and'their very civilization
are founded. The defense of re
ligion. of democracy and of good
faith among the nations is all the
same fight. To save one we must
now make up our minds to save all.”
Mr. Roosevelt said Americans
know what might happen to them if
the “new philosophies of force” en
compass the other nations and in
vade their own.
The desirability of what the Presi
dent has in the past called “conti
nental solidarity,” although he ap
! plies it to the whole Western Hemi
sphere, was stressed in his message
today. He said in this connection:
“We no more than other nations
can afford to be surrounded by the
enemies of our faith and our hu
manity. Fortunate it is, therefore,
that in this Western Hemisphere we
have, under a common ideal of
democratic government, a rich di
versity of resources and of peoples
functioning together in mutual re
spect and peace.
Pledged to Secure Protection.
“That hemisphere, that peace, and
that ideal we propose to do our share
in protecting against storms from
any quarter. Our people and our
resources are pledged to secure that
protection. From that determination
no American flinches.”
The President thus in his own way
reiterated the basic reasons behind
the Monroe Doctrine.
The Chief Executive added, how
(See CONGRESS, Page A-5.)
-•—-—
World Hears
Roosevelt Talk
To Congress
Seven separate broadcasts have
been scheduled by the National
Broadcasting Co. to carry President
Roosevelt's message to Congress to
every corner of tne world today. The
Columbia and Mutual networks car
ried the address on Nation-wide
hookups.
The President's speech, broadcast
Nation-wide over N. B. C.’s combined
domestic networks, was to be heard
over directional radio beams in
1 Europe and Latin America from sta
tions in Pittsburgh and Schenectady.
At the same time a short-wave sta
tion will begin “beaming” the ad
dress to Europe in an Italian trans
lation.
Broadcast of the German trans
lation begins at 3 p.m. and the
French translation will go out an
hour later. South and Central
American audiences will hear the
speech, in Spanish, between 6 and
7 p.m„ and the Portuguese version,
for Brazilian listeners, will follow
immediately. The final overseas
^broadcast will repeat the presidential
address in England by means of a
special transcription at 10 pm.
The message also will be rebroad
» cast by means of electrical transcrip
tion tonight by WMAL at 9 and
WJSV at 10 o'clock.
Mrs. Dieckhoff Sails
To Join Ambassador
E» the Associated Press.
. NEW YORK, Jan. 4.—Mrs. Hans
Dieckhoff, wife of the German Am
bassador to the United States, sailed
for Germany early today to join
her husband, who was summoned
home by his government recently
to report on the reaction of the
United States toward the intensified
Nazi anti-Semitic campaign.
Mrs. Dieckhoff’s name was not on
the passenger list of the German
liner Europa and she could not be
found aboard the ship at sailing
time, but officials of the North
German Lloyd Line confirmed her
departure.
It was learned also that she left
her daughter, Charlotte, in school
in Washington, indicating that her
absence from the United States
would not be permanent.
Ambassador Dieckhoff sailed last
November 23.
I Roosevelt Text |
President Roosevelt's message
to Congress follows:
To the Congress of the United
States:
In reporting on the state of the
Nation, I have felt it necessary
on previous occasions to advise
the Congress of disturbance
abroad and of the need of putting
our own house in order in the
face of storm signals from across
the seas. As this Seventy-sixth
Congress opens there is need for
further warning.
A war which threatened to
envelop the world in flames has
been averted, but it has become
increasingly clear that peace is
not assured.
All about us rage undeclared
wars—military and economic. All
about us grow more deadly arma
ments—military and economic.
All about us are threats of new
aggression — military and eco
nomic.
Storms from abroad directly
challenge three institutions in
dispensable to Americans, now as
always. The first is religion. It
is the source of the other two
democracy and international
good faith.
Religion, by teaching man his
relationship to God. gives the in
dividual a sense of his own dig
nity and teaches him to respect
himself by respecting his neigh
bors.
Democracy, the practice of self
government, is a covenant among
free men to respect the rights
and liberties of their fellows.
International good faith, a sis
ter of democracy, springs from
the will of civilized nations of
men to respect the rights and lib
erties of other nations of men.
In a modern civilization all
three—religion, democracy and
international good faith—com
plement each other.
Attack From Sources
Opposed to Democracy.
Where freedom of religion has
been attacked, the attack has
come from sources opposed to de
mocracy. Where democracy has
been overthrown, the spirit of
free worship has disappeared.
And where religion and democ
racy have vanished, good faith
and reason in international af
fairs have given way to strident
ambition and brute force.
An ordering of society which
relegates religion, democracy and
good faith among nations to the
background can find no place
within it for the ideals of the
Prince of Peace. The United
States rejects such an ordering
and retains its ancient faith.
There comes a time in the
affairs of men when they must
prepare to defend not their
homes alone, but the tenets of
faith and humanity on which
their churches, their govern
ments and their very civilization
are founded. The defense of
religion, of democracy and of
good faith among nations is all
the same fight. To save one
we must now make up our minds
to save all.
We know what might happen
to us of the United States if
the new philosophies of force
were to encompass the other con
tinents and invade our own.
We. no more than other nations
can afford to be surrounded by
, the enemies of our faith and
our humanity. Fortunate it is,
therefore, that in this Western
Hemisphere we have, under a
common ideal of democratic
government, a rich diversity of
resources and of peoples func
tioning together in mutual re
spect and peace.
That Hemisphere, that peace,
and that ideal we propose to do
.our share in protecting against
storms from any quarter. Our
people and our resources are
pledged to secure that protect
tion. From that determination
no American flinches.
This by no means implies that
the American Republics disasso
(Continued on Page A-4, Column l7
r ■ .. '■"
Insurgents Bomb
War Refugees
On 2 Trains
Heavy Casualties
Reported as 12
Planes Find Mark
BACKGROUND—
Less than two weeks ago Gen.
Francisco Franco launched an in
tensive drive against Catalonia
in an effort to take Barcelona,
provisional seat of Spanish gov
ernment. and to cut off Loyalist
supplies from France. The Loyal
ists staged a brief counter attack,
but the crushing insurgent drive
has made flow, but steady, prog
ress.
By the Associated Press.
BARCELONA. Jan. 4.—Twelve
insurgent warplanes today dumped
bombs on two crowded passenger
trains' In a raid on Tarragona, on
the coast. 60 miles southwest of
here. First reports indicated heavy
casualties.
The trains were crowded with
refugees from the war areas, which
have come closer to Tarragona with
the progress of the insurgent
offensive in Catalonia.
The planes also raided Tarragona’s
bomb-scarred port area.
Three British ships were hit and
slightly damaged in another in
surgent air raid on the port of
Barcelona, but no casualties aboard
were reported. The ships were the
Stanwell, Transit and Neufchatel.
Ariesa’s Fate in Doubt.
B> the Associated Press.
HENDAYE, France (at the Span
ish frontier) Jan. 4—-The fate of
Artesa, keystone of vital highways
in Northern Catalonia, was placed
in doubt late today as insurgent and
Spanish government forces were
locked in bloody combat for its
possession.
Despite semi-official insurgent
dispatches saying the little textile
town, only 65 miles from Barcelona,
had been reduced to a mass of
rubble and then occupied, blunt
government denials left its fate in
doubt.
Insurgent Generalissimo Francis
co Franco's veteran Navarrese
troops, who had smashed their way
slowly into the Artesa triangle
against fierce resistance, were
matched against fresh government
fdrces hurled into battle in an ef
fort to stop the insurgent drive that
began December 23 with Barcelona,
government capital, as the ultimate
goal.
First insurgent field bulletins
reaching border stations said the
town, only 65 miles from Barcelona,
fell shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.
An hour before, two of the insurgent
army corps—the Urgel and Maes
trazgo—moved into zones on the
northwest and west to join forces in
the face of withering fire from the
Spanish government defenders.
All mention of Artesa's reported
fall were omitted from government
communiques, although bulletins did
admit insurgent advances in the im
mediate sector.
C ontrols Three Highways.
Capture of Artesa is highly impor
tant to the insurgents because of its
position as control point for three
main highways. It dominates the
road from ZTemp in the north to
Tarragona ,r
About 25 miles east of Lerida this
highway joins the main road be
tween Lerida and Barcelona, objec
tive of the insurgent offensive. The
little town, with a normal popula
tion of about 2,700, also is on the
main road from Balaguer to the
French-Spanish border. A number
of secondary roads reaching gov
ernment positions converge on Ar
tesa.
An advance of almost identical
strategical importance was proceed
ing. meanwhile, in the Aspa sector
just southeast of Lerida.
Insurgent troops there were push
ing into the Urgel tableland, where
they were attacking the village of
Castelldans, junction point for
seven secondary roads directly west
of the government base at Borjas
Blancas.
These two operations, insurgent
commentators said, indicated prepa
ratory phases of the Catalan offen
sive were being terminated.
Summary of Today's Star
rage. rage.
Amusements, Obituary _.A-12
B-16 Radio_A-16
Comics . B-14-15 Sports . A-14-16
Editorials - A-10 Society_B-3
Financial - A-17 Woman’s
Lost and Page_A-13
Found_B-10
Foreign.
Nazis charge U. S. persecutes Ger
man minority. Page A-l
insurgents bomb train, killing many
passengers. Page A-l
Tunisia is safe, Daladier says, after
inspection. Page A-2
National.
Democracy threatened by foreign
forces, President says. Page A-l
Some relief recipients found able to
afford luxuries. Page A-l
Pacific Northwest braces for new
gale. Page A-3
Quick approval likely for new naval
air bases. Page A-5
Washington and Vicinity.
Margo Couzens Chewning to wed
tomorrow in Detroit. Page A-l
Arlington County notes decrease in
traffic accidents. Page A-9
Non-resident pupils in D. C. schools
now total 2,482. Page B-l
Maryland authorizes improvement of
of Connecticut avenue. Page B-l
New memorial parkway first unit
finished soon. Page B-l
Editorial and Comment.
This and That. Page A-10
Answers to Questions. Page A-10
Letters to The Star. Page A-10
Davkl Lawrence. PageA-11
Alsop and Kintner. Page A-ll
Frederic William Wile. Page A-ll
Jay Franklin. Page A-ll
Lemuel Parton. PageA-11
Sports.
Big advancement seen in school and
college sports. Page A-14
Budge shines In pro net debut
against “Golfer” Vines. Page A-14
Patty Aspinwall, 12, hailed as com
ing swimming queen. Page A-15
Slim crowd at near-champ Scalzo
win puzzles Ahearn. Page A-15
Lou Jenkins, new bowling ace,
hikes average to 126. Page A-16
Miscellany
Winning Contract. Page B-6
City News in Brief. Page B-6
Nature’s Children. Page B-6
Vital Statistics. Page B-10
The Holy Terror. Page B-10
Bedtime Story. Page B»14
Cross-Word Puzzle. PageB-14
lietter-Out. Page B-14
Uncle Ray’s Comer. PageB-15
They say the president will talk
on national defense., that's V/hat
WE NEED AND WE ARE FOR IT._
Nazis Charge U. S.
Is Persecuting
'German Minority'
Paper Says Police
Protection Is Denied
Against Attacks
By WALLACE R. DEUEL.
Chicago Dally New« Foreign Correrpondent. i
BERLIN, Jan. 4.—The “German- j
American minority” in the United i
States is being subjected to the
worst kind of persecution and op
pression. the Hamburger Fremden
blatt charges in a long article pub
lished here today.
German-Americans are denied po
lice protection against attacks by
their enemies, today's article claims.
They are being dismissed from their
Jobs by the thousand and pre
vented from earning a living; their
meetings are broken up by violence
and attacks and impositions on
them are constantly growing worse.
The tragic picture which the
Fremdenblatt paints of the lot of
German-Americans in the United
States is, in fact, almost as bad as
the picture the Nazis painted of the
lot of Germans in Czecho-Slovakia.
American "public opinion is hope
lessly poisoned and its attitude to
ward the Reich and toward German
Americans is unfair and prejudiced,”
today's artiole says, and it declares
that a "senseless agitation against
everything German” is sweeping the
United States. “The success" of the
German-American Bund should be
a warning to the United States and
above all to American Jews, it says
of the consequences which may fol
low continued persecution of the
“German-American minority.”
“Thousands of German-Ameri
cans have lost their positions during
the last few years,” the Fremden
blatt declares, “either because the
manager of a business did not want
to have any ‘bloody Nazis’ in his
employ or because Jewish and Com
munistic fellow employes or the gen
eral public, stirred up by agitation,
demanded their immediate dismissal.
“Freedom of speech and of the
press are provided for in the Con
stitution, it is true, but only too often
they fail to extend to the German
American.
“No only is it made difficult if not
impossible for thousands of Ger
man-Americans to earn their daily
bread—the protection of law also is
more and more* being denied the
German-American minority. Amer
ica is their home and (yet) in their
own homes and in their own houses,
they are subjected to constant perse
cution.”
(Copyright, 1939.)
Students Hitler Lampoon
Draws Nazi Attack
t; the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Jan. 4.—Das Schwarze
Korps, official organ of the black
uniformed SchutzstafTel Guards,
bitterly attacked West Virginia
students and the magazine Life to
day for making fun of Chancellor
Hitler in connection with the “Hit
ler Party" pictured in Life’s Decem
ber 5 issue.
A full page editorial was cap
tioned in huge letters “USA,” but to
each of these were added other let
ters in small type, which made the
caption read “Unverschaemt” (in
solent) , “Schamlos” (Shameless)
and “Albem” (silly).*
Das Schwarze Korps said in part:
“If we were not such barbarians
who resolutely decline to imitate
the kultur of others, the students
of Heidelberg University would
have to put on a beer stunt at which
everybody would have to appear
in the mask of President Roosevelt.
“If the mass imitation of that
noble head should present dif
ficulties, there still would remain
the possibility of troubling the in
mates of the monkey reservation
of the Berlin Zoo, because then the
mask molders would not have the
least difficulty.”
In its pictorial feature, Life showed
a party given by students of Phi
Sigma Kappa Fraternity at the
University of West Virginia, at
which every male guest wore a Hit
ler mustache and Brown Shirt uni
form.
•
Effort Made to Free
Grounded Ferry
By the Associated Press.
ST. IGNACE. Mich., Jan. 4—At
tempts were being made today to
free the 352-foot railroad car ferry
Chief Wawatam, which went
aground Tuesday on the North Gra
ham Shoals in a snowstorm.
The ferry carries a crew of 33
men. It has enough fuel and food
for a week. Although its route is
the 7-mile stretch across the Straits
of Mackinac and its ordinary run
ning time is 52 minutes, no chances
are taken during the bleak and j
dangerous winter months.
Norman Quits London
For Berlin, Hoping
To Avert Trade War
To Discuss With Schacht
British Financial Aid
To Germany
B> the Associated Press.
LONDON, Jan. 4.—Montagu Nor
man, governor of the Bank of Eng-:
land, left for Berlin today in an ef
fort to prevent an Anglo-German
trade war.
Attempting to depart secretly, the
bearded banker cancelled his reser
vations on the Continental Express
and left from a suburban station.
He is to be the guest of Dr. Hjal
mar Schacht, president of the
Reichsbank, and is expected to put
before German officials new pro
posals for getting Jews out of Ger
many. He will spend little more
than 24 hours In Berlin, where he
will attend the christening of Dr.
Schacht's grandson. Both Dr.
Schacht and Gov. Norman plan to
leave for Basle Friday for a meeting
of the Bank for International Set
tlements.
It was said Dr. Schacht is par
ticularly worried about Germany's
adverse trade balance. which
amounted last year to about 200,000,
000 marks ($80,000,000). Prospects
of British financial support for Ger
many will be discussed at the meet
ing.
George Rublee, the American
director, and other representatives
of the Inter-Governmental Refugee
Committee are to follow Gov. Nor
man to Berlin, probably next week,
after he lays down a financial
basis on which the Rublee delega
tion may work.
French Experts to Go
To Berlin for Parley
PARIS, Jan. 4 OP).—'The French
government today announced it
would send a group of economic
experts to Berlin this month to
study jointly with the German gov
ernment economic problems created
by the German occupation of Su
deten areas af Czecho-Slovakia.
In the regions which Germany
gained through the Munich agree
ment there had been close economic
relations with France. These have
to be made to conform with the
German financial and economic
regime which has been implanted
there.
Relief Report Notes
One Per Cent Able
To Afford Luxuries
Degrees of Need Cited
In 3d Section of
Findings
BACKGROUND—
Storm of charges against po
litical abuses in relief adminis
tration marked primary and gen
eral elections last fall. Delegated
job of policing Senate campaigns,
committee headed by Senator
Sheppard of Texas devoted most
of its energies to these charges.
For weeks past, closely guarded
report was under preparation.
Released yesterday, it upheld
substantial number of complaints
against relief abuses.
One per cent of the District relief
recipients receiving aid under the
‘‘home care" classification are ‘‘able
to afford luxuries,” according to the
third section of the report of the
relief investigator, Burdette G. Lew
is, which was made public today.
This section of Mr. Lewis' findings
was released by Ringgold Hart,
chairman of the Advisory Commit
tee which supervised the investi
gation, and other charts and ex
planations are to be issued later.
Mr. Hart has explained that he and
other members of the advisory group
have not passed upon any of the
findings by Mr. Lewis and his
staff.
classes or Need Cited.
The latest section of the report,
now in the hands of Chairmen
Overton and Collins of the Senate
and House District appropriation
subcommittees of Congress, also
shows the following:
That 25.5 per cent of all of the
297 “home care” cases, listed as of
last May. were classified by Mr.
Lewis and his staff as being in the
"comfortable middle class”; that
65.4 per cent were “fighting poverty”
and that 8.1 per cent of the total
were “continually facing starvation.”
In this study Mr. Lewis’ report
said, his investigators made an in
vestigation of a sample of 98 of
the 297 home care cases.
This section of the report also
gave charts and data on an investi
gation of a sample of 125 of the
873 cases on the lists as of last May
which were classified as “aid to de
pendent children.”
36 Per Cent Facing Starvation.
He said the results of this study
showed:
That 8.8 per cent of the A. D. C.
cases were classified by Mr. Lewis
as being in the "comfortable middle
class”; that 55.2 per cent were re
garded as "fighting poverty,” and
that 36 per cent were listed as "con
tinually facing starvation.”
Mr. Lewis explained there were
many households to which more
than one type of public assistance
was given. He said there were also
many households into which a W.
P. A. wage or government job in
corpe flows in addition to some type
of public assistance grant or grants.
These facts, the investigator sought
to show as “other income” in a series
(See RELIEF, Page A-3.)
Margo Couzens Will Be Wed Tomorrow
To Herbert Bryant of Alexandria
(Picture on page A-3.)
Mrs. Margo Couzens Chewning,
daughter of the late Senator Couzens
of Michigan, and Herbert Bryant,
Alexandria (Va.) businessman, will
be married tomorrow, according to
an Associated Press dispatch from
Detroit.
The couple will reside in Alex
andria.
Only members of the immediate
families of the bride and bride
groom will be present at the cere
mony in Bloomfield Hills, Detroit
suburb, the dispatch said.
Mr. Bryant, who is in business at
Alexandria with his father, Arthur
H. Bryant, could not be reached this
morning for elaboration on the brief
announcement from Detroit, but was
said at his office to have gone to
Winchester on business.
Mrs. Chewning separated in 1835
from her former husband, Wiliam
Jeffries Chewning, jr„ of Fredericks
burg, Va., obtaining an uncontested
divorce last January 17. She eloped
from Washington to Baltimore to
marry Mr. Chewning in 1930. She
has custody of their two children.
A suit by Mr. Chewning, seeking
a court order to the ancillary ad
ministrator of the estate of the late
Senator Couzens to set aside suffi
cient funds to insure compliance
with an agreement to pay him $6,000
annually for the next 17 years, is on
file in District Court. Mr. Chewning
filed the suit last November 1, con
tending his former wife had en
tered into a written agreement with
him in 1936, in return for his re
linquishing any claim on the estate
of her wealthy father, to pay him
the $6,000 annually until their eldest
child reaches 21 or until he should
remarry.
Fascist Called
To Form New
Tokio Cabinet
Hiranuma Is Bid After
Demands for Revised
War Policy in China
BACKGROUND—
Regime of Prince Konoye has
been under fire in Japan since
March, 1938, when dispute arose
over national mobilization law
which empowered government to
draft manpower and economic
resources in war time. Act was
passed, after Konoye promised it
would not be invoked unless
emergency was so great there
could be no alternative.
By the Associated Press.
TOKIO, Jan. 4.—Emperor Hirohito
tonight commanded Baron Kiichiro
Hiranuma, Fascist-inclined president
of the privy council, to form a new
cabinet in succession to that of
Prince Fumimaro Konoye.
Hiranuma, outstanding nationalist,
was summoned to the palace after
the comparatively liberal Konoye
had resigned with the declaration
that the war in China had come to
a stage where new policies “under a
new cabinet” should be formulated.
The 19-month-old Konoye cabinet
fell-before strong militarist-national
ist demands for reorganization at
home and abroad for renewed efforts
to fasten Japan's will on East Asia.
With the powerful war minister,
Lt. Gen. Seishlro Itagaki, presiding,
high army leaders were in confer
ence while the Emperor considered
his choice.
previous Hopes Blocked.
Before calling Hiranuma to the
palace the sovereign made the ges
ture of sending Kurahei Yuasa, lord
keeper of the privy seal, to consult
the last of the genro (elder states
men), 89-year-old Prince Kinmochl
Saionji. This has been custom for
a generation.
For nearly a decade Saionji, a
liberal, has been credited with block
ing Hiranuma s aspirations for the
premiership, but this time appar
ently the Nationalist tide was too
strong.
Prince Konoye stepped down in
face of an onslaught of Fascist
minded elements who want a single
political party for Japan, more rigid
control of economic life, and a new
administrative policy in China.
Feeling was so intense that in
some quarters fear was expressed
for the personal safety of some of
the retiring ministers, especially the
elderly finance minister, Seihin
Ikeda.
Ikeda angered extremist groups
last November when he blocked
army demands for government con
trol of corporation capital, dividends
and investments.
Favored Support for Army.
The baron headed the Kokuhon
sha (Nationalist Japan) party,
which recently had been inactive,
but which at its inception advocated
support for the army, the Emperor
and “Nipponism. which includes all
(See JAPAN, Page A-37)
*---——
Woman Pulled to Safety
On Highway Bridge
A woman who told police she was
Mrs. Helen Benton, 22, of the 7000
block of Eastern avenue N.E., was
pulled to safety by a passing mo
torist today as she hung by her
hands from a side of the Highway
Bridge over the Potomac River.
Oren A. Foster of R. F. D. No. 3,
Alexandria. Va.. stopped his car
when he saw the woman's pre
carious position, seized her arm and
drew her up to the bridge roadway.
He held her there for fourth pre
cinct police, who sent her to Gal
linger Hospital for treatment for
a cut wrist and a nervous condition.
European
Background
Constantine Brown, col
umnist and news commenta
tor on foreign affairs for The
Star, is in Europe gathering
new background material and
.renewing news contacts. He
is writing a series- of articles
based on his impression of
men and affairs as he finds
them in his travels. The first
series of articles, from Paris,
begins today on Page 2. You
will find the stories interest
ing and informative.
For News of Foreign
Affairs Read
tfte Stoning