Newspaper Page Text
Frank R. Kent The Great Game of Politics Revival of Klan Attributed Largely To Southern ‘Drive’ by Labor Recently the Ku Klux Klan, which evil and ugly organization apparently had shriveled up and passed away, announced a “re birth,” with fiery crosses on Georgia mountain tops and elaborate plans for expansion on a large scale. It was quite an impressive demonstration and brought back memories of the 1920s when the Klan was potent in local politics in many biates and, as aoie Com mentator Thomas L. Stokes points out. became a dread factor in na tional politics, having been thrown. a spuung ven o m o u s snake,” I Into the 1924 | Democratic con vention ‘‘to fight the nomination ] of Alfred E. Smith who hap pened to be a ! Catholic.” Pro spects of j the Klan's re- j vival have' caused vigorous comment in all parts of the country, ranging from the mildly Frank K. Kf nt. contemptuous to the violently de nunciatory. By far the most vehe ment and furious attacks have come from the extreme left-wing spokes men in Washington and the extreme radical press of New York. Though the language of these professional liberals lincluding some of acknowledged Communist affilia tion i has been unrestrained, it Is passible—for once—fully to agree with them. Mostly their lurid phrases are Justified. Mostly their charges, this time, are not exag gerated at all. Black a Leading Liberal. Nevertheless, it is difficult to re frain from mentioning two some what interesting facts, one of which has been almost forgotten and the other of which is not fully appre ciated, but both of which seem to put these raging “liberals” in an i inconsistent and rather ridiculous position. The first fact is that one of the great “liberal'' heroes of the day,’ the man looked up to by all of our most "advanced thinkers,” the lead- j ing exponent, of “Roosevelt ideal-! ism” oh the Supreme Court, himself was once a member of the Ku Klux Klan. This is none other than Jus tice Hugo Black, recognized leader of the “liberal” faction of the court. The other and not fully appre ciated fact is that the agency which more than any other is promoting, aiding and inspiring this “rebirth' of the Klan in the South is the CIO and its political instrument, the PAC. w ith which all “true liberals'' are in sympathetic accord if not enrolled members and financial sup porters. Unquestionably, it is true that the CIO with its PAC cam paign to organize the South as it has “never been organized before” Is contributing help to the Ku Klux revival, without w'hich it could hardly make progress, which is, in fact, essential to its existence. Natural Incentive. Of course, this help is unwitting, Involuntary and unplanned. Of course, this contribution is the last thing the CIO and its PAC has cal culated on or desires. Of course, it will be vehemently denied. How ever. if there is a more effective way to stir up the horrid racial and re ligious prejudices on which the Klan leaders so completely depend, and at exploiting which they are so ex traordinarily adept, than by a cam paign led and directed by Sidney Hillman, and largely aimed at or ganizing the Negroes of the South for political purposes, it is hard to think what it is. When this PAC "drive” comes at a time when feeling in the South has already been stirred by the widely advertised Communist cam paign (particularly in Flpridai to have Negroes register as Democrats in order to put "your friends” in Congress, the situation seems ideal for the Klan wizards. The fact is that thoughtful men in both parties deplore this extravagantly ballv hooed and publicized "drive” in the South. To those who hate religious bigotry and are anxious for better relations between the whites and the Negroes, both the "drive” it self, the personnel of its leaders and their blatant and bellicose methods seem extremely unfortu nate. Fuel Added to Flames. The AFL, which also has a "drive' on in the South, was forced into action by the CIO initiative, and is certainly not hurting the Klan movement by its raucous charges, however well based, of CIO com munism. The ridiculous and inconsistent position in which the above facts put the "true liberals” who are tearing their hair about the revival of the Klan. Is unimportant. Your average "true liberal” never knows Dr. J. K. FREIOT, DENTIST PLATE SPECIALIST Plates Repaired While Yon Wait 407 7th St. N.W. NA. 0019 NEWER THAN NYLON i PAINT OVER WALLPAPER SPEED-EASY WALL FINISH £ Thins with water. Dries in 1 hour. ; One coat covers most Interior aur f faces. One gallon enough for aver [ age room And It's P WASHABLE INEXPENSIVE ► SPEEDY-EASY $795 Z. Gal. PAINT DEPARTMENT 1334 N. V. AVE. N.W. GLASS DEPARTMENT 926 N ST. N.W. Phone NA. 1703 when he is ridiculous and never be ! lieves he is inconsistent. What is important and unpleasant is that an agency such as the CIO, which ! seeks to dominate our Government for its own selfish interests and which promotes class hatred and economic strife, should in the fur I therance of its grandiose ambitions . bring back into politics an agency such as the Klan, even more abhor rent and un-American. r Answers to Questions A reader can Rot the answer to any question of faci by writing Tl.o Evening Star Information Bureau. 3J« I men N E Washington D C Please in close 3 cents for return postage. By THE HASHIX SERVICE. Q. How many people live in the (Western Hemisphere?—L. C. G. A. The number is estimated to be 300.000.000. A simultaneous census of all the nations included in this area is planned for the year 1950. Q Of w'hat material is a snail’s shell made?—K. A. P. A. The snail forms its shell by extracting the calcium carbonate from its food and water. Q What was Rembrandt's first famous picture?—B. E. W. A. "The Anatomy Lecture,” paint ed in 1632, was the artist's first masterpiece. Q. When was the Chateau Fron tenac in Quebec built?—F. X. F. A. The Chateau Frontenac was completed on December 17, 1893. A few extensions have since been added. Q. In what part of the jaws Is the strongest pressure exerted?— C. M. A. The strongest pressure of the jaws is in the molars. They come together with a force of from 100 to 160 pounds, with a ■ maximum of 270 pounds. Q. Has a naval base been con structed at Guam?—J. W. A. There is a large naval base at Guam, built by the Navy after its recapture from the Japanese. Advanced headquarters of , the Pacific forces were established there on January 28, 1945. There are ex tensive building and harbor im provements. Many of the buildings are quonset huts and other types of temporary buildings which will, no doubt, be replaced with perma nent buildings if Guam is made a permanent base. Q. What is the significance of the towers surmounting the George Washington Masonic National Mem orial at Alexandria, Va.?—-L. E. S. A. They are inspired by the zig gurat towers of antiquity, which the men of old built at the harbor entrances of the great Mediterra nean Sea to carry burning flares as guiding lights to homeward-bound, storm-tossed mariners. The temple rises to a point over 400 feet above the city of Alexandria. Q. What States are dry by vote of their own population?—N. R, S. A. Kansas and Oklahoma have constitutional prohibition but permit the sale of beverages containing up to 3.2 per cent alcohol by weight. Mississippi has prohibition by statute but permits the sale and manufac- ; ture of wines and beer containing up to 4 per cent alcohol by weight. Certain counties in Alabama. North Carolina and Tennessee are dry. Q. What post office is farthest north?—B B. A. Postal authorities consider Barrow, Alaska, the world’s most northern post office. Q How often does a person swal low?— K. L. E. A. Tests show' that most persons swallow less than once a minute and this may be regarded as the fairly usual rate. McLemore— GIs Signing Up For Or Rocking Chair By Henry McLemore DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—"Sign ing up for the ol' rocking chair." “We’re proud of you, General , . . Mud . . , Leyte.” What wine goes with turnip greens? Geor gia . . These were a few of the scrib bled notes I ! came across to 'day when I was I cleaning out m.v desk, a beautKul roll-top affair which I was lucky enough to pick up at an auction years ago for less than half again Henry McLemore. - what it was worth. "Signing up for the ol’ rocking chair.” Now w'hat was I thinking about when I wrote that down? Let's see. Oh. yes, I remember. It I w’as to remind me of a story told to me by Perrin Shoemaker, a coach at the University of Chattanooga. Perrin, home only a few months after fighting through Europe with the 36th Division, had jVist returned from a football talent search when I saw him. "I had had my eyes on a certain high school tackle before I went in the Army,” Coach Shoemaker said, "and as soon as I started coaching again, I made a beeline for the little mountain town in which he lives. The tackle, as big as an oak tree and just as tough, had also gone in the Army. When I got to his little town I went to the general store and asked where I could find him. The proprietor said I'd find him up at the school house 'signing up for the ol’ rock ing chair.’ ‘Doing w'hat?’ I asked. The mountaineer said, ‘Dang it, I said he was up at the schoolhouse signing up for the ol' rocking chair. There's a passel of boys up there with him, too, doing the same thing.' ” Line Around Schoolhouse. So, Perrin said, he made his way to the schoolhouse and found his big football player standing in a sizable line that wound Into the schoolhouse. Perrin spoke to him and asked him what he was doing. “Were all signing up for the ol' rocking chair,” the ex-GI said. “That's what us folks around here call it when you put your name down for that 20 bucks a week Uncle Sam pays soldiers without jobs Get it. and r’ar back and rock. If you haven't signed up you must be crazy.” The next note, about the general, the mud, and Leyte, kindled a spark in my mind right away. It has to do with Gen. MacArthur, and I'll always remember it when I hear his critics say he is a man writh no feeling for the GI. It happened in Tacloban, Leyte, not long after that Philippine town had been se cured and Gen. MacArthur had es tablished his headquarters in a big house near the center of town. The mud was 3 feet deep and the rain was falling in sheets. Two GIs, much the worse for the stuff the natives were peddling as wine, were staggering past the gen eral's house. Dirty, unshaven, half out of uniform, they passed his gate just as he came out, stars, gold braid and all. They managed to recog nize him, and came to a w'obbly at tention. They threw two of the worst salutes in military history and one of them said, “General, we're i proud of you.” “Proud of You Men. Too.” Five-star MacArthur returned the salutes with a magnificent one.: right out of the manual, looked the GIs in the eyes, and said, “And I'm proud of you men, too," and passed on. “What wine goes with turnip greens? Georgia.” That note goes back half a dozen years or more. I was driving through a forsaken reach of Georgia and came to a wide place in the road and saw a hay and grain store, a post office and a grocery store. And. over the hay and grain store was a brand-new. big. shiny sign that read: /'Finest Wines and Liqueurs.” I wondered then, and I wonder now, what is the best wine to serve with turnip greens and sow belly, and at what temperature it shouid be served. 1 (Distributed by McNaught. Syndicate. Inc.) KASSAN-STEIN CUSTOM TA ILO RS always has your Size Situation welMn-hand Your size raises no problem* with Kassan-Stem. We don't shiver in our boots if a size 35 walks in , . . and a 48 long stout follows him. We just greet him with a cordial smile . . . beckon to our fitter. . . and he's all set. Simply, we're Cus tom Tailors . . . taking the trop ical suiting you select in the Ityle you prefer . . . and tailor it to your exact measurement* for a cooler, smarter suit. ASS AN - STUN 110 Eleventh Street N.W. Harold L. I ekes Man to Man Appointment of Allen to RFC Board Called Worst Choice Made by Truman The President recently recommended that Congress add five years to the life of RFC. This makes imperative the closest scrutiny of the past operations of this biggest corporation in the country. But it also gives a golden opportunity to do something about Mr. George E. Allen, whom I regard as the worst appointment so far made by President Truman. I would like to think that the Senate, which ought to be more careful than it is when nominations*—-— --- are presented to it, may have an urge to amend the RFC Act by re quiring that .no member of the board undergo the strain of attempting at the same time to serve both the Government and Victor Emanuel, Wall Street executive. Senator Mur dock recently told the Senate that RFC offi cials were per mitted to hold corporate di-< r e c t orships so long as they did Harold L. Irkes. nui pai ucipaie in mailers Deiore th» board which were of interest to those companies, and he added. | “There has not been one director I of the RFC, including Mr. Jesse Jones, or including any of the Re publican members, who has not maintained every directorship that he had before taking office.” But is this really working for the Govern ment? Time fo Forbid Practice. It is difficult to see why any man would want, to place himself in a position where any of his public actions as a member of the RFC Board might be suspect because of his business connections. If the directors of the RFC do not recog nize the principle of renouncing pri vate business connections, then it is time for the Congress to forbid this questionable practice. This problem is particularly press ing now since George E. Alien, the modern version of Falstaff, has beeni namen to tne Hoard oi Directors of the RPC. At the time that, hold ing its laughter-quivering sides, the Senate confirmed Mr. Allen, the gentleman in question confessed to being a director In 25 corporations, most of them large. None of these. I assume, would be bashful about applying to the RFC for money now that their playboy is on the board, or about asking him to reach for them favors that he is in such a good position to get. It may be that since Mr. Allan appeared before the Senate he has collected a few more directorships. This would not surprise me, since this has been his specialty. The number of directorships of which lie boasts has always varied almost directly in proportion to his sup posed influence in Washington. An other curious circumstance is that this former small-town hotel em ploye has apparently become an expert in every type of business from making steel to banking. In addi-‘ tion to being a protege of Victor Emanuel, he has had the distinc tion of insinuating Tom Girdler into the White House where Franklin D. Roosevelt was once top man. I think that it is so improper as to be indecent for a man with active outside business interests to be a member of the RFC. It is an open secret that an easy-going President intends him to become chairman of that body. He is certainly in no po sition to serve, in view of the rais ing of eyebrows, the Government and the 25-odd corporations that, for reasons apparently not con nected with any particular training or business ability, have made him a director. “By and with the consent of the Senate” President Truman ap pointed this man to a most Impor tant post. Thus the Senate shares an unenviable honor with the Presi dent. At the same time, the ease with which this White House Jester laughed and joked hts way first through the Senate Banking and Currency Committee, and then through the Senate, reflected upon the disposition of that body to take seriously its powers to confirm presidential nominations. There would have been no objection if the Senate had created an official White House Jester and voted for Mr. Allen a salary commensurate with his ability to amuse. It may be that the Senate was willing to slap Mr. Allen's back be cause it thought that the RFC would soon expire by limitation of law. But it will be no laughing matter for these hail-fellow-well-met Sen ators to extend the life of this act and with it the tenure of Mr. Allen. They should atone for their prank In confirming him by requiring that no director of the RFC simultane ously hold a directorship In any privately owned corporation. (Copyright, j946* Chevy Chase PTA to Meet The annual meeting of the Parent Teacher Association of the Chew Chase Elementary School will be held at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the school. Brakes Relined OLDS BUICK "Special” PONTIAC free AHuttmente Duvltcote D. C. Tettina Maehtnt CLIFT'S ?oo-» k at. n.w Brake Service ME. S«5 FLOOR SANDING & POLISHING MACHINES For Rent A. P. BOVELLO 391* Gm. Are. HA. 1023 Hardwire—Paint* DON’T JUST WISH... for good coffee. Have it every time. Just follow the directions on the Beech Nut Coffee container and rely on the rich, mellow . flavor of Beech-Nut. Beech-Nut COFFEE VACUUM PACKED DRIP GRIND • STEEL CUT . . . for all Good Graduates to receive a Nationally Famous Watch from SCHW ARTZ F ST. We proudly pre sent this splendid selection for your consideration. The collection at SCHWARTZ F ST. includes: Benrus, Bulova, Elgin, Girard-Perregaux, Gruen, Hamilton, Longines, Defender, Helbros, Wittnauer, Omega, Vacheron-Constan tin, Hafis, Gotham, Mido, Certina and others . . . for the young lady and man. Observe, too, the remarkable price range. In fact the prices begin as low as $17.75. Prices at $71.50 and under include 10% tax. Above $71.50 include 20% tax BUDGET ACCOUNTS METROPOLITAN 0060 hpv • 1 305 F STREET