POLITICS L*T* " SUNOCO - Sept. 11, 1356. (Friday) Let’s look at the political barometer for a moment. Let’s study the way it works, some of the peculiarities about that Maine election which is supposed to give a forecast of the national result in November. On Monday Maine will elect a United States Senator, three Congressmen and a Governor. Of these five posts, three are now held by Democratsthe governship and two congressional seats. The Senator whose place will be fought for is a Republican, and so is one of the Congressmen. So the fight is for local offices a contest for power within the state. Local issues figure prominently, with many an argument that narrows down to local communities. The barometer of national politics is tangled up with such parochial twisters as - Quoddy, fish, a bank failure, and a liquor store. If you go anywhere in the neighborhood of Eastport, Passamo - Quoddy dominates the situation - that ambitious engineering scheme to POLITICS - 2 harness the tide and get electricity from the power of the sea. Quoddy is ft New Deal project that has been kicked back and forth^ Eight now the work is held up, because of bitter political as opposition. £*** <errtly in- f ar^r-of 4^-,-...* apubl i« liemeeTat^-aiti^ A few miles away, ait Lubec, the reigning issue is fish. Herring is that fishing town’s main industry, and there*a plenty of grief because of the way the Roosevelt Trade Treaty with Canada permits Canadian herring to-be imported. For that reason, Lubec is likely to go Republican. In still snother^community the election may be swung by a long drawn out controversy over the failure of a bank a few years ago. In still another town there’s a big wrangle on a*J over the management of a liquor store. The beverage angle may determine the election there. Ttt ^ to-(k _ SoAMaine election this year^gi^S¥^^wPi4*^c oaf used picture of local issues. What kind^of national barometer would you call that? The answer is - the record. In prey ion years. the Maine election has been complicated by local tangles. Yet LITIPS - 3 ■a (L ^ ^has missed a time or two, tut^nas “been right so many times, that it * s now political axiom - that the Republicans score their usual big victory in Maine, they* 11 win the Presidency two months later* ’While if the Republican victory is skimpy, or if the Democrats win, that means a Democratic President. Deal is drawn so sharply everywhere, that the politicians will scan the Maine results with redoubled interest. That’s why we find Governor Landon on his way to Maine this evening, and he’ll deliver a last minute broadside at Portland tomorrow night. With him are his friend and political advisor, Lacy Haynes, and foimer Under Secretary' of State William R. Castle. Today, the Republican candidate stopped off at Chicago to talk things over with big time Illinois, Republicans; ^ lie i'his year the line between New Deal and anti-New luncheon conferej Kmtrinnal Committeeman^ Chicago, meanwhile, is the scene of a rally of the Liberals, a conference of advanced political thinkers headed •pfiLlT ICS - 4 by Senater^LaFollette of Wieconain. Republican Senator Morris of Nebraska is there, also Democratic Senator Black of / Alabama. And there’s Mayor LaGuardia, the insurgent Republican of New York. The purpose of the gathering is to endorse a candidate for the presidency, and Senator Black declares there won't be much diaputejpsff*# choice will be Roosevelt. The President himself,h*» returned to Washington from A A his Green Pastures rally in North Carolina last night. He made a ringing speech the ye and h»w>adUi another today -- before the World Power Conference ATYD TO POLITICS He told the lords of electricity from the world over how important electrical power is in its modem era. Then ■before the delegates of the thirty-two nations, the head of the V_ United States Government solemnly pressed a golden key and said: "Boulder Bam, in the name of the people of the United States, to whom you are a symbol for greater things in the future; in the presence of guests from many nations, I call you to life*" And the pressure on that golden key did things thousands of miles away in the Far W^st* It put the greatest \ power plan in the world into operation. ^ Six years ago this month Secretary of the Interior, Kay Lyman Wilbur of the Hoover Administration, drove the first spike into a railroad tie. That was the beginning of the work at Boulder 15am -- that giant project to store and utilize waters of the Colorado River and provide electric power, irrigation, and flood control over a great area in Utah, Nebraska, Arizona, New Mexico and the Seven and a half months ago,* on the last day of January, seven o ’clock of a cold morning -- the dam was declared completed, two and a half years ahead of schedule. The largest dam in the world, seven hundred and twenty-seven & feet high, built at a cost of forty-nine million dollars. That frosty January morning water began to flow into the reservoir to create the largest man-made lake in the world, ^Lake Meade, a hundred: and fifteen miles long. When full it will store ten. billion gallons of water. crUttCtie «d~Erviljk7 Today, with the President pressing the button, -t£* ^largest power-producion plant in the world was put into operatic • The first of the giant generators began to hum -- to begin the production of a million and eight hundred thousand horsepower. INDIANAPOLIS Today the United States Cruiser INDIANAPOLIS put out to sea for a trial run. The INDIANAPOLIS is not a new ship Just built. She*3 been undergoing extensive repairs at the Brooklyn Navy Yar , an over-hauling. Today was the trial run after repairs. I can report tonight that the INDIANAPOLIS steamed along in good style and now returns to lie at anchor in the Hudson River — no accidents, no mishaps, no fires. It is a sinister thing to give the reassurance about the INDIANAPOLIS and her trial — no f i^es. Because the real news today about that powerful United States Cruiser is that she did have a fire two and a half weeks ago, on August twenty- fifth. That happened while she was being repaired. The word was kept secret until now. For the fire aboarc the INDIANAPOLIS was no common—place, accidental affair. It was caused by sabotage. There was a short circuit of an electric cable, that started the flames. An investigation showed that the cable had been tampered with. Somebody had driven nails into it. This was cone while, during repairs, the cable ha Hu power - ld INDIANAPOLIS - £ it. The Sabotage idea was that when the Juice was shot into the cables, the nails would cause a short circuit - and a fire. And that was exactly what happened. Tonight the Navel Intelligence is busy, looking for the plotters, who schemed to destroy the crack warship. It’s an ugly and sinister affair, with the under-cover, sneaky hand of sabotage working against the Navy, threatening to cause a great ship disaster. It all becomes the more ugly and the more sinister, when we hear that there was a dangerous fire and a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of damage aboard the battleship Colorado six years ago. And — this was found to have been caused by phonograph needles driven into an electric cable, followed by a short circuit and fire; much the same as aboard the INDIAN­ APOLIS now. Moreover, not so long ago there were two fires aboard the Cruiser Quincy, while she wtes being built. Each was caused by an electric cable, a short circuit. Sabotage was suspecteo. especially when the Quincy had stil- another kind of trouble JlflDTANAPOLIS - 5 whil© she was ruaking her trial run, A turbine was ruined. A big bolt in a gear case did the destructive trick. The Quincy has a sister ship, the Vincennes. The Vincennes is still under construction. Today, naval officers let out the fact that only a few days ago, there was a fire aboard the Vincennes caused by electricity. Add up all these signs of dirty jrk, and it locks like a wide-spread conspiracy against the Navy. SPAIN Tonight the famous city of Oviedo is in flames. But first let’s go back a thousand years ago, to the days when Spain was in the grip of the Moorish conquerors, all Spain except the northern fringe of the land — the Mountains of Asturias. There in the wild and rugged hills, the Christians held out against the Moors. There they began to build their power - the power which century after century they pushed southward, slowly winning their age long struggle against the Infidel until the Moor was completely subdued. There the & first Christian Kingdom grew up, in the Mountains of Asturias, and its capital, the city of Oviedo. The old-time Spanish Kings established their royal arms factory at Oviedo, for the making of weapons, and right down to the present day the city has continued to be a vital center pf the Spanish armament industry, with many a great munitions plant. That’s why the city is of vast importance in the present Spanish Civil War. And that’s why tonight Oviedo is an addition to the series we’ve been hearing about, the series o± sieges. Spain the Land of Sieges. Tonight at Oviedo. SPAIN When this revolt began a powerful force of Fascists - rebels - seized Oviedo and Its arms and munitions plants, and they have been under attack there ever since. Week after week, the fo ces of the government have vainly tried to take the city. Today, the culminating attempt began. Tonight Oviedo is in flames, shelled by artillery, bombed from the sky. Even its cathedral has been blasted, a venerable, priceless Gothic monument built In Thirteen-Eighty. Also the university, with its halls filled with famous works of art. Another ancient city blasted by fire and explosions. Ineone suburb alone more than a thousand shells have rained down. A Convent destroyed! The home of the Governor in flames! Oviedo, capital of the first Christian Spanish Kingdom built against the Moors, seems about to be destroyed. FOLLOW SPAXH Spain presents a picture of "bombarded cities ■»— Oviedo, the Alcazar of Toledo, San Sebastian, SaiTljander. Today’s estimate of casualties for the eight weeks of Spanish Civil War counts up to ~~ one hundred thousand lives lost* Meanwhile there are more foreign complications. At Sm Seb h stian^French Ambasead.or Herbert• and his wife were rushed around and^hJt^by Government soldiers. Madrid today eased one point of tension when the Had leal Government announced that all seized properties owned by foreign interests would be returned to their owners. This applies pointedly to American factories and merchandise taken over by the Reds. Our State Department stilt keeps in mind that Spanish attempt to bomb the American Destroyer Kane* Secretary Hull has sent orders to the American Embassy in Madrid and the American Consulate at Hebei Headquarters in Seville, And these r ders are -~ "Don’t close the records, consider the case still open.* And now come those German attacks on Russia, verbal FOLLOW gPAXH - 2 attacks to be sure, but they threaten a new crisis. The German Nazi Chiefs shouting savage denunciations of communism at the &K£E Soviets* The giant Hazi Congress at Huremberg ringing howling hate against Bed Russia. London is afraid that Moscow may break diplomatic relations with Berlin. This may put a crimp in the conference of the Locarno Nations scheduled for the middle of October. Russia is not included in that Locarno gathering. But France is allied to Russia, and mi^it find it difficult to take her place at the conference table with Germany. And France is having some more' internal trouble, labor trouble. It is reported that the Red workers are planning to seize factories again and sovietize-them this time. They are said to have a scheme to seize the great Renault automobile factory and operate it on a communistic basis. 'Die workers to take it away from the owners, and run it. ---- --------------- a-------------------- To all of this .just add a new dangerous incident in that old danger-ground - the Far East, and a picture of world— FOLLOW SPAIII - 3 wide peril i* is complete, Japanese waraliipe have landed a party of the Milcado'u marines at the Chinese port of Pakhor. A Japanese there ms killed hy a Chinese mob, A commission representing Tokio is Investigating, The Japanese marines have landed to back up the investigation. Moreover four of the Mikado’s warships are steaming to Pakhor right now to do some more Backing up, I suppose it will end in the same way China will have to back down NAMES China has always had name complications, and it has been getting more and more Intricate. So the Central Government at Nanking has done something about it. All this goes back to an old Chinese custom: When a baby is born, it’s commonly named after whatever the mother happens to see first — an animal, a bird or a flower - something like ’'Bright Peacock" or "Morning Chrysanthemum", which might be He-Ying or Pang Lo. Then, when education time comes, a child is given a school name, maybe "Excellence of Study" or "Wise Goodness", which might sound something like Yang Hu or Sing' Ko. When grown to maturity, the individual frequently takes another name, expressing his ambition or aspiration. He might call himself "Heavenly Leader" or"High and Mighty Brain Truster". Then with changes of aspiration or ambition he might change his name again and again, one celestial moniker grander than the other — until finally in old age, with aspiration and ambition quieted down, he might finally call himself "Obedient Humility" or "Tranquil Resignation", Wo Yang or Sin Ho. With these frequent changes of names - you can understand how hard it is to keep the election polls straight. A man NAMES - 2 registers under one name one year, the next year something different. Right now the Central Nanking Government is preparing for elections to the Peoples* Assembly. And - the Minister of the Interior has announced - a clean po}.l, no illegal registra­ tion, no crooked balloting. To expedite this, he demands a revision of the Chinese Civil Code on the subject of names. Hereafter, A Chinaman is to be allowed to have no more than two names, and he has got to stick to them his whole ^ife long. No more spur-of-the-moment name changing. So hereafter the celestial will have to content himself with the same name — such as —Ho Wong or maybe So Long . And SO LONG UNTIL MONDAY.