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■5M
Lowell Thomas Broadcast
For the Literary Digest
Monday» February 1, 195S
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^ood Evening, Everybody:-
^Well, I1® loaded with news tonight — big news.
It concerns a great nation-wide poll, the largest in all
history. Twenty million men and women will take part in the
poll* And the subject of that poll is to be --- the most
vital subject of the day —— FrohIbition.
(PROHIBITION) AMENDMENT? DO YOU FAVOR A REPEAL OF THE EIGHTEENTH
(PROHIBITION) AMENDMENT?
That is all the ballot card says. Are you for,
or are you against?
Millions of these cards will be mailed to men and
women of every class, every political faith, and every creed, in
Are you for Prohibition* Are you against Prohibition?
These are the only two questions asked
'Hf
Here is how the ballot card reads;
DO YOU FAVOR THE CONTINUANCE OF THE EIGHTEENTH
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PROHIBIT IQM POLL - 2
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every state, city and hamlet in America.
Well, this will be my first Literary Digest poll.
And X*m all set for one of the most exciting adventures of
my life — reeling off the returns as they come in.
One million, four hundred thousand letters a day!
Xhat*s the number that are being stamped, addressed, and
mailed every day. And that1 s the number of letters Uncle t»am
will handle for the Literary Digest Poll every day for several
weeks!
Four thousand extra workers have been taken on by
the Literary Digest for this job, and are getting welcome
employment at the enormous task of sending out those twenty
million ballots.
Millions of postcard ballots have already been mailed
Watch for your ballot; vote it; and mail it at once. It
doesn't even require a postage stamp. The Literary Digest takes
care of that.
There is only one way to get a ballot, and that
is through the mails. Don't write for a ballot. The postman
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PR0HBITI0N POLL - g
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will bring you one. Just watch for your ballot-card. On
the envelope is printed in black and white the followings-
"YGUR SECRET BALLOT
IB
THE LITERARY DIGEST STATE-BY-STATE
NATION-WIDE POLL OF TWENTY MILLION VOTERS ON PROHIBITION,n
f
Remember the Digest Presidential poll In 1924?
V
ft
Well* it was more than ninety-nine per cent accurate in fore
casting the election of Mr. Coolidge, And, we all remember the
way The Digest Presidential Poll in 1928 foretold Hoover,s
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overwhelming victory. ^hy, it predicted that he would capture
such states in the old solid South as Virginia, North Carolina,
Florida and TexasI
Whether you are a Prohibitionist or an anti-Prohibition
ist, you can1t help being thrilled by this enormous counting of
noses. \ A roll call is nearly always impressive and stimulating.
Every red-blooded man and woman welcomes a chance to declare
what side he or she is on, and that is why the National Broad
casting Company and Affiliated Stations bring you this
anno unc em en t.
Whichever way this Poll goes, mighty exciting times
PROHIBITION POLL - 4
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are ahead. And just a few days ahead.
Tomorrow night we will have another announcement and
will be able to tell you some more about this, the largest poll
in all history.
2-1-31-SM
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T O
the roar and
clamor of war.
the roar of Japanese big guns
firing on the Chinese capital at
Nanking. ^This evening, cables the
United Press, two Japanese cruisers ancl a
destroyer lying off Nanking opened firej
on forts defending the city, «askTT-i i s
oi extends the sphere of conflict from
Shanghai to the very center of power
the Chinese Nationalist government.
•feh^t^gy±ieja=e==fl^=e-e-iTr 1 i ot -h-a-s—
arptre3cW=og=: - - Manchuria,
Shanghai
and now Nank i
^
The Ch i nese J^S^^aba nd oned Nanking,
JAr,^
smd np-movea
m-ty farther inland.
^Nanking is 120 miles up the Yangtze
River from Shanghai, and Japanese
warships lying in the broad stream turned
their guns on the Chinese forts. The
shooting began at 10 o'clock tonight.
Nanking is 13 hours ahead of New York
time. The firing lasted until 12:40 Or—fm
tomorrow morning -- that is, tomorrow
morning at Nanking. The Chinese guns
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ClilUA - 2
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replied, belching forth flame and smoke.
With the first roar of the 8-inch
guns of the Japanese cruisers, the
crowded population of Nanking fell into
a panic of terror. In the city is a
drum tower which in the days of the old
P^iing dynasty erf-- C-hiim. used to give
warning to the people in times of danger,
with a beating of drums. It still gives
warning, but nowadays
shrieking
When the shots boomed out.
ofsiren.
the siren began IT loud
A
A
The people fled to their cellars.
terrified, milling around in a mad rush
for she I ter.
i
One report has it that the Japanese
warships used blanks in firing on the
city, and that's the only report tonight
that may tend to itaBBA lighten the dismal
darkness of war.
In Battle-torn Shanghai a sort of
peace still prevails, an armistice that
is tense and uneasy. There is stiI I
sniping, and sk i rm i sh i ng,
■
!
The United Press reports today that
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300 Japanese marines landed at Kaichow
Creek, across the river from Shanghai,
where they took up a position.
From Tokio comes word that the
Japanese cabinet today has decided to
send regular Japanese trjaops to Shanghai.
The city was taken by marines of the
h i kado 1 s fleet. The Powers asked Japan
not to send her regular Army in, but the
latest word is that the authorities at
Tokio have decided to land a unit of the
regular Japanese Army at Shangha i
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And this is only part of the warlike
picture on the China coast. From every
quarter cornea tales of fighting, and
threats of more fighting, signs of new
aggressive actions by the Japanese,
ominous warnings that desperate
movements may be made by the Chinese,
perhaps a mass attack by China's millions
aga inst a I 1 foreigners .___
And then on the wi de spaces of the
Pac i f i^"%e^ h ave a picture of warships
steaming, fighting vessels converging
upon theihfocus o f fetes, tr oub I e at
I
£iilMA - 4
Page
Shanghai. A wire from Washington to the
New York V»or I cl-Te I e gr am declares that 8
American warships and 1600 American
troops have been ordered from Manila to
Shanghai. These are designated to
protect the lives and property of
Americans in the threatened district.
And British warships are sailing for
IF*
Shanghai too. ^France and Italy today
announced that they would co-operate fully
with the United States and Great Britain
in the Far Eastern trouble. A French
cruiser has been ordered to Shanghai.
A correspondent of the F'iew York
Evening Post describes the international
action by saying that today the four great
neutral powers rattled the irons of war.
At San Pedro, California, this
afternoon the American battle-fleet
sal led out of the harbor with the New
York, the Oklahoma and the Nevada leading
a long line of f i ght i ng Nsh i ps . v The
armed might of Uncle Samson tite^eas Ns>
s t e am i ngpticfr'os s the Pac i f i c^*^^ f or
These are the maneuvers
maneuver s.
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scheduled some time ago to take place off
Hawaii. The American fleet will deploy
its might in battle practice in
mid-Pacific.
In V/ashington the various branches
of the government are busy debating the
stand this country should take in the
mix-up between Japan and China. The
New York Sun declares that in Congress
there is a good deal of talk about the
United States Navy today. The naval
economy policy of President Hoover was
sharply criticized. Voices were raised
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declaring that £ this was no time to cut
down Uncle Sam's naval strength. Some of
the lawmakers made the claim that as
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things stood we were no stronger on the
seas than Japan.«eesL ca I l ed for a naval
policy which
build the American
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fleet right up to the limit allowed by
the treat ies.
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scheduled some time ago to take place off
Hawaii. The American fleet will deploy
its might in battle practice in tte*
mid-Pacific.
In Washington the various branches
of the government are busy debating the
stand this country should take in the
mix-up between Japan and China. The
New York Sun declares that in Congress
there is a good deal of talk about the
United States Navy today. The naval
economy policy of President Hoover was
sharply criticized. Voices were raised
declaring that this was no time to cut
down Uncle Sam's naval strength. Some of
the lawmakers made the claim that as
things stood we w§re no stronger on the
seas than Japan .aSsst c a I I e d for a naval
policy whi c h
build the Amer i can
fleet right up to the limit allowed by
the treaties.
ojiMemJ-
<#S“" expM<x7
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fch. >T
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INTRO TO BERTRAM THOMAS
Page
Well, let's get away from all this turmoil and take
a jaunt to a distant secluded country. In fact letfs talk
about the Wueen of Sheba. Several months ago I had occasion
to tell how Bertram Thomas, British political officer on the
Persian Gulf, made a trip all the way across the Hub el Khali
desert. This is in the depths of forbidden Arabia and
Forbidden Arabia means just what it says -- Forbidden. His
feat in crossing Arabia^ Hand of Emptiness is one of the great
events of modern history in exploration. It ranks with
Peary's journey to the North Pole and Amundsen^ discovery of
the South Pole. He iS in America on a speaking tour.
But let me have the explorer himself tell us something
about it, especially about those strange inscriptions he discovered
deep in the heart of that burning desert. That country is sup
posed to have been part of the realm of the Wueen of Bheba.
And now letfs hear the Prime Minister from Muscat
tell about It? I mean Mr. Bertram Thomas.
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There are two traditions -- the
Abyssinians say that the Queen of Sheba
ruled over Abyssinia, while the Arabs
declare that her kingdom^ was in Southern
Arabia. It m ay b e tha"~ both traditi on s
are correct.
That seems to be a I ikely meaning
of the inscriptions I found.
It was in the frankincense region
beyond the Moon Mountains. There I found
a curious monument. It consisted of three
stones set up on end with piles of pebbles*
w here
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g E R T R ALl_IH£kl AS--_£2
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ancient sacrifices may have been made. I
These three stones are very Iikely a
symbol of the Trinity in the religion
of the ancient peoples of those parts.
They were s t ar-wo rsh i pp ers and ther
trinity consisted of the Sun God, the
Moon God and t he P 1 anet Venus.
On this monument was a series of
inscriptions, old writings in characters
much like the anc i ent writing of Ethiopia
cr Abyssinia, as it is now called.
Abyssinia and Southern Arabia are just
across the narrow Red Sea from each other
and finding in Southern Arabia inscriptions,
that seem to be Ethiopian, would indicate
that Ethiopia and Southern Arabia in
those ancient times were parts of one
kincdom. And that might harmonize the
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traditions of the „by ss i n i ans and the
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Arabs, scxpaiEKt and point to the possible
fact that the Queen of Sheba ruled over
both Southern Arabia and abyssinia.
Those inscriptions '-ave not yet been
deciphered. Then they are, they may tell
us something fac mating about those
Biblical days of King Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba.
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1
RAiUMaa
y/
Today that long expected cut in
pay Tor raiIroad workers went into
effect. It is a ten per cent reduction
which will save for the railroads 215
million dollars in the course of one
ye ar.
The raiIroad officials today are
warmly praising Jhe unselfish spirit of
I1-23-31-5M
the railroad
all t he way from
sect ion-hand5 to engineers who run crack
trains. They hope that by taking the
cut they will help to put some of the
6 or 700,000 jobless back to work.
The United Press reports that,
while railroad executives turned down
several proposals made by the Union
leaders, they agreed to appoint a
committee to study various measures in
the interest of the workers, such as
retirement insurance, workmen's
compensation, the establishment of
employment bureaus, and so on.
iiL^ELfiIMEKL_E£LJ£.E
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The long-threatened Congressional
battle on the subject of Unemployment
Bel ief seems to be at hand. Today,
relates the United Press, Senator
LaFollette o4 .7 i scons in laid before tie
Senate a 300,000 word report, tel I ing
of Unemployment conditions in various
-ftTfie~7,~rcE3N» c i t i es.
T-be—S-arhator wants—to—orove—t-hat—the •
S-e-ve-r-ament - s hou4d—anaor-opr^ a tarnm^m^-y^-t-e—be-
s-p-efvt—4-or—t-h-e—eH-re^-t—ie-t—e-4-
Urvemp-I oywen
t-r-
Tbs L e g i s I at i ve bills
are no\v before both the House of
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Representatives and the Senate. One is
.
the LaFoI Iette-Costigan bill, which wants
*
to provide 3285,000,000 for Unemployment
Relief. Another is sponsored by
Reo re sentat i ve Huddleston of Alabama and
r ...
its purpose is to spend 3100,000,000
to help the unemployed.
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Pa.ge
It looks as though the cotton crop
in Texas might be as big as usual tSrgp
•ana* t hat is if a legal decision handed
A
down today is upheld.
The Texas legislature recently passed
a law which commanded Texas farmers to cut
down the amount of cotton to be planted
this year. The law specified that
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farmer must plant in 1932 mar e than 3 0$
as much aotton as he did in 1931. The
idea was to try to cure the over-product ion
of cotton by cutting down the amount to
be pI anted.
In spite of the law a farmer at
Calvert, Texas, went ahead and olanted
his land 100$ in cotton. The local
district attorney went to court and opened
proceedings against the farmer, but
today, wires the United Press, the Judge
of the District Court declared that the
law passed by the Legislature was
illegal. He declared it was contrary to
the principles of free government and told
the farmer to go ahead and plant as much
cotton as he liked. The District rvttorney
said he is going to mate an appeal and
call upon the higher courts to uphold
I aw.
a
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t he