Show 1 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS BY JOSEPH W. W LaBINE Lengthy Congress in Prospect Despite Peace Overtures New Tax Measure Faces Fight EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE NOTE When When opinions arc are e expressed In these columns they ar are arc those of ot the news news news' analyst and not necessarily of tI this s newspaper Released by Western Newspaper Un Union on CONGRESS Keynote Dear Alben Barkley settled down for six months in Washington I We Well ll be here until June he told reporters but Ii I doubt if there willbe will willbe I be much new legislation There probably will be efforts to amend the Wagner Vagner act and the wage-hour wage law Jaw The rhe reciprocal trade treaty program probably will wiIl cause the I greatest controversy He told no lie there and President President dent Roosevelt knew it Striking I last before the opposition had a chance chanc to open its mouth the Pres Prest- Prest ident i- i dent keynoted the second session of the sixth seventy-sixth congress con in a state- state union the speech which attacked the destructive mine-field mine of trade restrictions Plumping for renew- renew I v x rt s f j KENTUCKY'S BARKLEY Well be here hore until June Juneal al of his nation most nation favored program program program pro pro- gram gram in which the administration administration- not congress congress has has the power to sign trade pacts he offe offered ed this defense defense it is advisable to provide at times of emergency some flexibility to make the general law adjustable to quickly changing conditions Only one other c concession did he want in 1940 because it is an election election election elec elec- tion year I I am asking the congress congress congress con con- gress for army and nav navy increases which are based not on oX panic pani buton buton but buton on common sense Conservation of reso resources protection protection protection tion of national health extension of social security and the merit system system system tem were also mentioned but in ina a moderate voice Only out-and- out out political d dart rt w was s a crack at G. G O. O P. P Hopeful Tom Dewey who recently accused the New Deal of defeatism Said the President To warble easy platitudes s that if we will only go back to the ways that have failed everything will be beall beall beall all right right-is right is not courage Next day congress got the budget Items and total National defense Work relief programs programs' Agricultural programs Public works and Investments Invest ments 1100 Pensions retirements and assistance Interest on the public debt Regular opera operating Ung I Total This said the President was an estimated d cut of from the current fiscal year while treasury treasury treasury treas treas- ury receipts are expected to rise Estimated net deficit for 41 1940 2 compared with this year But to further cut the deficit Mr Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt recommended that his O- O boost in defense costs be paid through new taxes Commented loyal Sen Pat Harrison from Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- Its uIt's not easy to raise right off Im I'm not strong g gon on this tax business Rolling up its sleeves congress found the Democrats enjoyed a aC 1 J I a Mf S' S y Jf J p t li f i f e news news' t h l C Harry Bridges West coast C. C I. I O. O leader freed on deportation charges announced he would seek naturalization naturalization naturalization at the earliest possible mo mo- ment C. C Charles Edison inventors inventor's son named secretary of the navy began studying means of speeding up the naval construction program I. I LLouis Louis Lepke Buchalter sentenced sentenced sen Sin to 14 years in prison for violating violating violating vio vio- lating the federal narcotics law heard that New Yorks York's District Attorney Attorney Attorney At At- torney Thomas Dewey hoped to put him away for years on racket charges C. C I. I James H. H R. R Cromwell economist and husband of Doris Duke richest girl in the world was named U. U S S. S minister to C Canada nada C. C I. I John W. W Finch W.-Finch Fin Finch h director of the bureau bureau bureau bu bu- bu- bu reau of mines was requested to resign resign resign re re- re- re sign by Interior Secretary Harold arold Ickes because the bureau needs a director who has enough iron in h hi his s blood C. C L Neville Chamberlain pr president o of f Britain's Midland Salmon and Trou Trout t club wrote his cronies I fear that there is little prospect of m my y finding fending time for r thing Ashing hing under present present pres pres- ent ent con conditions it ns to three-to-one majority in the senate and a two to lead in the house Major issues aside from the reciprocal cal trade act and national defense 1 Whether to raise the national debt limit now nearing its legal peak 2 What to do about new tax proposal proposal proposal pro pro- such as Secretary of Agriculture ture Wallaces Wallace's certificate plan in effect a processing tax to pay farm benefits 3 Whether to amend the Wagner labor relations act under fire froman from all an sides 4 Whether to continue Martin Dies' Dies un-Americanism un committee COl COMMUNICATIONS WI Wire ire Merger Western Vestern Union maintains branch offices employing peo peo- pIe Postal Telegraph its competitor tor ha has offices and em em- Thanks to air mail telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone and radio Western and Postal are both having financial troubles This month as a result came a paradox While Trust Buster Thurman Thurman Thurman Thur- Thur man Arnold was busy breaking up monopolies the much-concerned much federal federal federal fed fed- eral communications commission recommended to congress that Western and Postal be allowed to consolidate INTERNATIONAL Something in the Wind It wa was big news in early January that hardy Finnish troops had cut Russians off from their b base se seat at Salla SalIa had trapped another division division division divi divi- sion near Suomussalmi had captured captured captured cap cap- a Russian base at had lad repulsed countless shock troops on the isthmus had even blasted a Red air base in Estonia But the biggest news came from froma a little Madrid newspaper called caned Alcazar Said its editorial Finland Finland Fin land and is defending with its flesh and bravery the treasure of occidental civilization Fighting so bravely for independence she fights also for all Christianity and it is inexplicable that hat after a long month of war she hasn't received tangible aid Looking about them European observers observers observers ob ob- servers wondered if the Alcazar plea wasn't being answered They saw sawa a series of potentially related moves t f PAUL rAUL EMILE Lonesome in IU Moscow that hat might eventually lead to peace among the allies and Germany and ando to o a European attack driving the Russian bear to his den Indications Isolation Home from Moscow to London went Ambassador Sir William William William Wil Wil- liam Seeds to write a white paper on Russo-British Russo relations Gossip had lad it that his conversations with Premier had been stormy and that he probably wouldn't return Also homeward bound was Augusto Rosso Italian ambassador Left in Moscow 1 uncomfortable uncomfortable uncomfortable un un- comfortable and lonesome was French Ambassador Paul Emile Shakeup The newspaper Petit Merit Parisien reported from Italy that Germany was planning a drastic political political political po po- reorganization to woo the al al- al- al lies It would include Adolf Hitler's becoming president succeeded to the by moderate Herman Herman Herman Her Her- man Goering purging of radicals like Heinrich Himmler Joe Goebbels Goebbels Goebbels Goeb- Goeb bels and Dr Robert Ley management management management manage manage- ment of foreign affairs by a moderate moderate moderate mod mod- erate like Dr Hans von Mackensen Macken- Macken sen ambassador to Italy slackening slackening slackening slacken slacken- ing of relations with Russia and provisional provisional provisional pro pro- visional recreation of Poland and Czecho Czechoslovakia Aid In an em embarrassing spot Germany announced she would wink at allied shipments shipment of munitions to Finland but could not tolerate troop movements Thus it was obvious the Reich would like to see her ally ally ally al ly Russia driven back yet could not risk exposure to allied troops from the North sea s a. a WI Western estern W War ar Following custom there was more horseplay than warfare The western western western west west- ern front was a tomb but at BuenosAires Buenos BuenosAires BuenosAires Aires German sailors from the scuttled scuttled scuttled Graf Cra Spec joined their enemies from British battleships in a night of revelry British preparations included included in in- in- in eluded a plan to call can more m men n to the colors this year and a report that 20 freighters had been scuttled at the mouth of Scapa Flow Purpose To prevent Nazi U-boats U from entering the harbor and sinking sinking sinking sink sink- ing more ships like Royal Oa Oak Oal COURTS Tell It to Congress Well timed if its intention was to heighten congressional demands for revision of the Wagner act a decision decision deci deci- sion by the Supreme court upheld the much-criticized much National Labor Relations board on three counts 1 For refusing to place an allegedly allegedly allegedly al al- al- al dominated company-dominated union on ballots used in a bargaining agency election at the Falk corporation corporation corporation corpora corpora- tion Milwaukee 2 For designating a C. C I. I O. O union as collective bargaining agency for waterfront workers along the Pacific ic coast 3 For ordering employees of the Jackson Mich l power company to vote on the question of affiliation with C. C I. I 0 O. after a ballot on C. C I. I O. O versus A. A F F. F of L L. L had brought no majority vote These decisions offered no particular particular particular ular commendation of NLRB how how- ever Commented Justice Harlan Stone this failure of congress congress congress con con- gress to provide for a court review of NLRB decisions is productive of peculiar hardships But these are arguments to be addressed to congress and not to the courts TREASURY Easy Taxes Tenderly breaking the news that income tax time is just around the corner Guy T. T 1 Helvering commissioner commissioner commissioner commis commis- of internal reven revenue e soothed taxpayers with the announcement that this years year's report forms have been simplified Instructions once as complex as the report form it itself itself itself it- it self have been pared down and shaved of technical phrasing POLITICS Appointments Fast on the heels heels' of President Roosevelt's judicial and justice appointments appointments appointments ap ap- came a bakers baker's dozen of explanations Among them Attorney At Attorney Attorney At At- torney General Frank Murphy was named to the Supreme court a popular popular popular pop pop- ular appointment to get him out of the 1940 presidential picture Solicitor Solicitor Solicitor tor General Robert H. H Jackson was reclaimed from obscurity and made attorney general as grooming for foI a n place on the 1940 ticket pr probably bably as vice presidential candidate under Cordell Hull Judge Francis Biddle of the circuit appeals court a lifetime life time job was boosted to the lor generalship to make a place foe foi unpopular Warren Madden NLRB chairman Thus were several birds killed with with one stone Other political news dl 41 O Democratic Chairman J James mes A Farley announced the national corn com would meet in Washington February 5 to select a time and city probably Chicago for the 1940 1941 convention Thus he made the G O. O P P. P victor in the winters winter's biggest stalling game permitting Republicans to hold their convention an and d name their candidate later Q L Secretary of State Cordell CordeIl Hull Hun disavowed dis dis- avow avowed d presidential ambitions an and d denied knowledge i l of reports that tha t President Roosevelt had picked hi hias him himas m as No 1 choice for 1940 candidate |