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Show News Review of Current Events the World Over Drouth Damage Estimated at $300,000.000 Steel Fight Brings Union Labor Crisis Landon Reconvenes Kansas Legislature. By EDWARD W. PICKARD Western Newspaper Union. WHILE relentless heat drove the nation's farm losses from drouth toward the $300,000,000 mark and sent grain prices soaring, soar-ing, long needed rains in scattered scat-tered regions of the drouth belt brought temporary relief. In sections sec-tions of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio which faced the prospect of the disaster already confronting the Northwest, the rains were a Godsend God-send to sun-parched corn fields, pastures, and crops of spring wheat. Rains in the Northwest revived re-vived portions of North and South Dakota, Montana and Nebraska. But a heat wave lasting nearly a week had brought temperatures ranging from 90 to 114 in the Great Plains territory. Twenty-three states, eight of them in the South, were listed as suffering in some degree from the drouth. Ten of them North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Virginia and South Carolina Car-olina were already in a critical stage. Five others Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and West Virginia were borderline cases. Eight others where the full severity of the drouth had not yet been felt were: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wiscon-sin, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Kan-sas, Indiana and Ohio. The sweltering heat and drouth spread into Canada. The prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan Saskatche-wan and Alberta Canada's bread basket had begun to suffer like their neighbors in the United States. Except for scattered local lo-cal showers, there had been no rain from Ontario westward to the Canadian Rockies since June 16. With the full extent of the damage dam-age in the "dust bowl" area of the Northwest not yet known, the federal fed-eral government made plans to deal with a long-range disaster. President Roosevelt, taking personal person-al command of the relief program In Washington, announced that he would make a personal tour of the drouth-stricken areas within the next few weeks. The President announced that the federal government had prepared a comprehensive plan whereby 170,000 out of 204,000 farm families impoverished by the drouth in the Northwest would be given immediate immedi-ate cash assistance. He declared that he will make his trip after the relief program has had an opportunity opportu-nity to get under way, to see for himself exactly how much damage was caused by the drouth and whether financially-ruined families are receiving the proper assistance. ROMANCE outmaneuvered diplomacy di-plomacy in the life of Mrs. Ruth Bryan Owen, American minister min-ister to Denmark, and former I y i member of congress. con-gress. The engagement engage-ment of the daughter daugh-ter of William Jennings Jen-nings Bryan to Captain Cap-tain Boerge Rohde, an officer of the Danish army, was announced in - Denmark Den-mark by the lat-ter's lat-ter's mother. Captain Cap-tain Rohde is a member of King Ruth Bryan Cnristians personal wcn bodyguard. Captain Rohde arrived in America Amer-ica on the liner Drottningholm a day or two after his fiancee had reached the country. The couple were married at an estate on Long Island. In political circles the opinion was expressed that Mrs. Owen will probably resign her diplomatic post In a short time. While there are no formal regulations which compel com-pel an American woman minister to resign when she weds, it has been customary for women in minor mi-nor positions in the American foreign for-eign service to retire when they marry. Mrs. Owen was the first American Ameri-can woman ever to be made minister min-ister to a foreign country. She will retain her American citizenship in spite of her marriage. GOVERNOR Alf M. Landon returned re-turned to Topeka, Kas., after a vacation in the Colorado mountains, moun-tains, for the reconvening of the state legislature and to prepare for the acceptance speech he will deliver at the Republican notification notifica-tion ceremonies July 23. The Republican presidential nominee nom-inee appeared before a joint session ses-sion of the legislature and urged passage of amendments to the state constitution to provide adequate social so-cial security measures. Governor Landon declared that care of the needy aged and others, suffering misfortunes is a "public obligation." obliga-tion." Following his address, the Kansas Kan-sas senate adopted a constitutional amendment by a vote of 35 to 1, empowering the legislature to enact en-act a uniform system of direct aid for needy aged persons, indigent infirm persons and others suffering misfortunes which give them a claim on society for aid. It likewise like-wise passed by a unanimous vote another proposed constitutional amendment authorizing the state to levy taxes on employers and employees em-ployees for systems of old age pensions pen-sions and unemployment insurance to which the beneficiary must contribute. con-tribute. Meanwhile, Governor Landon opened a series of major conferences confer-ences with farm leaders for the purpose of drafting a farm relief program for inclusion in his acceptance ac-ceptance speech. He conferred with former Governor Frank O. Lowden of Illinois, and former Senator Otis F. Glenn, Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas, Representative Clifford Hope of Kansas and R. K. Lauben-gayer, Lauben-gayer, a Kansas farm publisher. AS THE long-awaited campaign to unionize the nation's steel industry was under way, one of the most serious crises in the history of the American labor movement arose when strife broke out between Wil-' Wil-' liam Green, president presi-dent of the American Ameri-can Federation of Labor and John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers of America Ameri-ca and head of the Committee for In dustrial Organiza- William tion, who has pro- Green moted the unionization drive in the steel industry. Meeting in Washington, the executive exec-utive council of the American Federation Fed-eration of Labor considered the matter of suspending eight national and international unions on the ground that these eight unions have begun the formation of a rival, or duel labor federation. John L. Lewis announced that he would not respond to a summons of the executive council to answer charges that he had violated the federation's policy by trying to organize or-ganize 500,000 steel workers into one big industrial union instead of into several unions divided by crafts. Should the rift widen and a break occur, observers believe it would split the organized labor movement and affect its prestige and power at a critical time. Denouncing the action of the Lewis group, President Green declared: de-clared: "It is sincerely to be regretted that the committee for industrial organization thwarted the purpose of the American Federation of Labor La-bor to inaugurate an organizing campaign in the steel industry. "A very serious if not a fatal mistake was made when it flouted the decision of the last convention of the American Federation of Labor La-bor . . . and prevented the executive execu-tive council from carrying out the convention's instructions 'to inaugurate, inaug-urate, manage, promote and conduct con-duct an organizing campaign among the iron and steel workers at the earliest possible date.' " Back of the collision over the attempted at-tempted unionization of the steel industry are two contending schools of thought over the future of organized or-ganized labor in America. Ona is that sponsored by Mr. Green which rose to power on a policy of trained craftsmen, trained by crafts. The other is championed by John L. Lewis who visions a powerful labor machine organized regardless of crafts, which includes the semiskilled semi-skilled and unskilled workers as well as the trained craftsmen. The success of either Green or Lewis, it is believed, will herald a turning point in the history of American labor. SENATOR William E. Borah, about whose future political plans considerable doubt existed, exist-ed, formally announced that he : V-. , s" i'-.V '- a . j would be a candidate candi-date for re-election to the senate. Several days before be-fore making his announcement an-nouncement the Idaho statesman had pledged allegiance alle-giance to the Republican Re-publican ticket and platform, thus removing re-moving the ex- " pressed doubts of Senator many political lead-Borah lead-Borah ers throughout the country regarding his stand in the presidential campaign. Previously Senator Borah had commented favorably fa-vorably on both the Republican and Democratic platforms, praising both for the stand they had taken on the question of monopolies. The seventy-one-year-old senator in clarifying his position on the Republican Re-publican platform said: "I have no intention of bolting the ticket. "I am supporting the platform and I have been supporting the platform from the beginning." SOON after returning to his desk from a three-day pilgrimage to Virginia, President Roosevelt announced an-nounced that he had granted Postmaster Post-master General James A. Farley leave of absence without pay from August 1 to November 5, the day after the presidential elections. Thus Mr. Farley will be freed from official duties to devote himself him-self during the next three months to the direction of the President's campaign for re-election. The announcement an-nouncement did not come as a surprise sur-prise to those in informed political circles in Washington, but it had been rumored in some quarters that Mr. Farley would resign his cabinet post and retain his job as chairman of the Democratic National Na-tional committee. Mr. Farley announced that Representative Rep-resentative Sam Rayburn of Texas would be chairman of the Democratic Demo-cratic speakers' bureau. The campaign, cam-paign, he said, would be in full swing by Labor Day, with cabinet members, ambassadors and senators sena-tors taking the stump. President Roosevelt's sojourn in Virginia took him to the dedication of Shenandoah National park, to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson and to Williamsburg, capital cap-ital of the Old Dominion from 1699 to 1779. In an address at Jefferson's Jeffer-son's home, the President called on the nation to rekindle the "sacred fire" of "true freedom" which had lighted the "golden age" of American history. He declared the present emergency required the same leadership as that displayed by Thomas Jefferson, founder of the Democratic party. DEFYING the threats of Communist Com-munist members of the chamber cham-ber of deputies, the French government gov-ernment decided to use armed force "with care" to oust French strikers who refuse to evacuate their places of business. The announcement of this new policy was made by Minister of the Interior Roger Salengro, following fol-lowing the outbreak of fresh "folded "fold-ed arm" strikes in Paris and the provinces. It was estimated that 80,000 workers were still on strike in various industries throughout France. In the meantime the government's govern-ment's project to nationalize France's arms industry was approved ap-proved by the army committee of the chamber of deputies. CUTTING a big cake to celebrate his ninety-seventh birthday, John D. Rockefeller predicted that he would live to be one hundred. Despite temperature of 92 in the shade, the famous nonagenarian donned a sun helmet and went outdoors out-doors on his summer estate near Lakewood, N. J. The multimillionaire oil man and philanthropist did not let the celebration cele-bration of his birthday interfere with his daily nap or his daily afternoon aft-ernoon automobile ride. . Mr. Rockefeller long since has given up all forms of athletic activities, activ-ities, including golf, formerly his favorite pastime. A few years ago he was down to a few holes of golf a day, but now he has given it up entirely. It has been his custom to spend his winters at Ormond Beach, Fla., and his summers either ei-ther at Lakewood or at his other estate at Pocantico Hills near Tar-rytown, Tar-rytown, N. Y. T 1TAR-WORRIED Europe shifted its anxiety from the Italo-Ethiopian Italo-Ethiopian sanctions problem to the newer and baffling question of what l V f ' , - I 'i X 4 to do about the Free City of Danzig Dan-zig now seeking to free itself from the bonds of the League of Nations. The league disposed dis-posed of the sanctions sanc-tions problem by voting to abolish them, thus to all practical intents Adolf Hitler moving Ethiopia from the family of sovereign states. Appearing personally before the league assembly, the refugee emperor, em-peror, Haile Selassie, made a last moving bid for Ethiopia's freedom. The "king of kings" denounced France and Great Britain without mentioning their names. To the generally expressed desire to reform re-form the league, he said the weakness weak-ness was not the league covenant itself, but a lack of international morality. The Negus' request for a loan of $50,000,000 to Ethiopia was voted down. Previously Haile had informed Capt. Anthony Eden, British Brit-ish foreign secretary, that he would return to Ethiopia immediately to join his loyal tribesmen and fight for Ethiopian independence. With Mussolini given satisfaction, the Danzig situation brought into the foreground the figure of Adolf Hitler, chancellor of Nazi Germany. It was a Nazi follower of Hitler, Dr. Arthur Greiser, president of the Danzig senate, who demanded independence inde-pendence for the former German city now surrounded by Polish territory ter-ritory and who denounced the league and Sean Lester, league high commissioner for the port Observers were of the opinion that Greiser was acting under orders or-ders from Chancellor Hitler. In view of Germany's expansionist program and its rearmament, they feel that Danzig will be the next Nazi objective now that the Rhine-land Rhine-land is remilitarized. By the elimination elim-ination of Commissioner Lester or by the curtailment of his authority over the international affairs of the city, it is believed the Nazi would be able to crush the opposition party. |