The Pittsburgh Press (October 31, 1944)
NAZI LINE SMASHED IN HOLLAND
British troops reach bank of Maas River
Allies gain in drive to clear Antwerp route
By J. Edward Murray, United Press staff writer
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NAZI LINE SMASHED IN HOLLAND
Churchill: War in Europe may continue six months
Another year and half fighting against Japs likely, Commons told
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Americans near Leyte’s west coast
MacArthur plans additional operations
By William B. Dickinson, United Press staff writer
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President will speak Thursday
Byrnes hints GOP victory may cost Russian aid in war on Japs; New England trip next for Roosevelt
Washington (UP) –
President Roosevelt, adding another political speech to his campaign schedule, will speak by radio from the White House Thursday night.
White House Secretary Stephen T. Early said no decision had been made on the time or networks to be used.
Proposals for trips to Cleveland or Detroit have been dropped; the President will definitely campaign in Connecticut and Massachusetts Saturday and make a major speech in Boston that night.
Largest radio coverage
The Boston speech will be from 9:00 to 9:45 p.m. EWT over the Blue, NBC and CBS networks – his largest radio coverage of the campaign to date. Fenway Park probably will be the scene of the speech.
About 10:00 a.m. Saturday, Mr. Roosevelt will speak from the rear platform of his train at Bridgeport, Connecticut. He then will go to Hartford, arriving about noon. Mr. Early said that if the weather is good, the President will motor to a bandstand in a centrally-located park in Hartford and make another extemporaneous speech.
The President plans to drive from Hartford to Springfield, Massachusetts, arriving there about 2:00 p.m. for another informal talk. Then he will board his train again for the trip to Boston.
Change ‘would prolong war’
James F. Byrnes, the President’s chief home front aide, entered the fourth-term campaign with an implication that a change of administration now may remove any hope of Russian cooperation in the war against Japan.
In a nationwide radio address marking his first major appeal for Mr. Roosevelt’s reelection, the director of war mobilization and reconversion asserted last night that victory for Governor Thomas E. Dewey, Republican nominee, would “inevitably delay the winning of the war and jeopardize the peace for which our boys are fighting and dying.”
Doubts Dewey could do it
Mr. Byrnes hinted the United States might obtain Russian cooperation in the war against Japan. But he raised doubts that it could be obtained by Mr. Dewey who, he said, “as late as 1940 denounced recognition of Russia by our government and who Is now criticizing the efforts of our government to bring about a friendly accord between Russia and Poland.”
Mr. Byrnes’ speech opened the last full week of the fourth-term campaign, which will be climaxed by Mr. Roosevelt himself with an address in Boston Saturday. White House Secretary Stephen T. Early indicated the Boston trip, which will probably include platform stops at Bridgeport and Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, may be Mr. Roosevelt’s last of the campaign.
Mr. Byrnes hammered the theme that a victory for the “Republican candidate” might prolong the war.
He asked:
Will it not take time, when time means lives, for the Republican candidate to secure the cooperation of Russia in the war against Japan, without which cooperation the war will be unnecessarily prolonged?
The other important issue of the campaign, he said, is safeguarding the peace when it is won. And, he added, the present Republican leadership in Congress cannot “be relied upon to carry through effective, nonpartisan peace plans for our active participation in world affairs.”
Isolationism thorn
He named seven Republican Senate leaders who. he said, failed to help the late Wendell L. Willkie in his efforts to “turn the Republican Party from isolationism" and said it would be “unwise” to place the nation’s hopes for future peace in their hands.
He said:
It would be equally unwise to believe the Republican candidate, who himself gave no notable assistance to Mr. Willkie… could not obtain the support of his party in Congress for an effective international organization to preserve the peace by force if necessary.
Indirect ‘praise for Roosevelt’
Mr. Byrnes said Governor Dewey’s statement that he would retain such military leaders as Gen. George C. Marshall and Adm. Ernest J. King “indicates he realizes the danger of changing men who are making decisions as to military strategy.” This, Mr. Byrnes declared, could only be interpreted as praise for Mr. Roosevelt, who selected them.
Mr. Byrnes said:
The Republican candidate may honestly believe that in these fateful hours he could become Commander-in-Chief and do a better job than the President, but do we know that? And do our Allies know that? I do not know of any experience he has had with such problems as are daily decided by the Commander-in-Chief.
The Republican leaders whose records Mr. Byrnes attacked were Senators Hiram Johnson (R-CA), Arthur Capper (R-KS), Arthur Vandenberg (R-MI), James J. Davis (R-PA), Gerald Nye (R-ND), Wallace H. White Jr. (R-ME) and Henrik Shipstead (R-MN).
Dewey aims big guns toward East
Buffalo address tonight is reply
Albany, New York (UP) –
Governor Thomas E. Dewey today aimed the last week of his campaign at four of the most populous states of the industrial East.
The Republican presidential candidate scheduled appearances in the last seven days before the Nov. 7 election in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland.
There was a possibility that he might add other appearances in New Jersey.
Buffalo, Baltimore speeches
Mr. Dewey, concentrating on New York’s 47 electoral votes, will speak at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo tonight.
KDKA will broadcast the speech at 9:00 p.m. EWT.
Resuming his role as a political candidate after a one-day respite to push through the New York State Legislature a bill to extend voting time by two hours next Tuesday, the New York Governor suddenly added to his last week’s itinerary appearances in Maryland and a return to doubtful Pennsylvania.
He will speak in Baltimore in a bid for that border state’s eight electoral votes, at 12:30 p.m. Thursday EWT.
To challenge Roosevelt speech
Mr. Dewey’s schedule for the final week remains flexible. There was still a possibility that he will swing into New Jersey for short appearances Friday and be prepared to match any last-minute stratagems by President Roosevelt.
Governor Dewey’s executive office indicated he will use tonight’s speech to challenge the President’s Saturday speech at Chicago.
Paul E. Lockwood, secretary to the governor, announced that Mr. Dewey would talk about “promises unfulfilled which are no better for a fourth term than for a first term,” and would present a “specific, constructive program for the future of America, with special emphasis on small business and jobs.”
En route to Buffalo, Mr. Dewey scheduled a station appearance at Rochester. En route to Boston, he plans rear-platform appearances at Pittsfield, Springfield and Worcester, Massachusetts.
WANTED: 35 big electoral votes –
Dewey to visit state again, speak in hard coal area
Importance of Pennsylvania in election emphasized as parties turn on the heat
By Kermit McFarland
The teetertotter position of Pennsylvania in the pre-election dope was emphasized again today when it was announced that Governor Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican presidential candidate, would make two more speeches in the state, both in the anthracite region.
Mr. Dewey will speak Thursday night in the Kingston Armory, across the river from Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County, and about an hour later in Scranton, Lackawanna County.
The presidential candidate’s double appearance in the hard coal section is a result of special pleas by Governor Edward Martin and other Republican leaders who believe they have a chance to crack the hitherto solid Roosevelt support in this area.
The fact that Mr. Dewey is making a special trip into these two counties, third and eighth in population in the state, and that these eleventh-hour addresses will not be broadcast over a national radio network add to the significance of the plan.
The direct purpose of the Dewey visit is to split the coal mine vote, generally regarded as overwhelmingly back of President Roosevelt, but to which the Republicans in the anthracite area have undertaken a special appeal as a result of John Lewis’ opposition to the fourth term.
When this reporter last week visited Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, Republican leaders were disappointed because they thought Mr. Dewey would be unable to appear in their area. At that time, it appeared that. Lackawanna County was safely in the Roosevelt column, although by a reduced majority as compared to 1940, and that the race in Luzerne was closer although Mr. Roosevelt was favored.
Fourth speech in state
This will be Mr. Dewey’s third appearance in the state since the campaign began and the Scranton speech will be his fourth in Pennsylvania. He previously has spoken in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and in July was here for conferences with local political and other leaders.
Mr. Dewey’s running mate, Ohio Governor John W. Bricker, will speak in Philadelphia Friday night, his fifth speaking engagement in the state. Previously, he has delivered addresses in Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre.
Led by Governor Martin, who is speaking almost nightly, state Republicans have scheduled an intensive series of rallies to wind up the campaign. Mr. Martin will speak tomorrow night in McKeesport and Wilkinsburg.
Democrats also busy
Meanwhile, the Democrats were also gunning for the state’s “crucial” 35 electoral votes.
Senator Harry S. Truman, vice-presidential candidate, will spend Thursday in the district, capping off his tour with a major address in Syria Mosque at night. On the same program with him will be Gifford Pinchot, former Governor, and top CIO and AFL officials.
The Republicans will hold a local rally Thursday night in North Side Carnegie Hall.
Nice, if he can do it?
Italian says he’ll stop war tonight with cosmic ray
Rome in flurry as scientist claims his device will halt all motors and engines
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A sobering influence –
Civilian production, reconversion delayed by Nazi resistance
Earlier optimism blamed for lag in war output and drift of workers to peace jobs
By Dale McFeatters, Press business editor
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PAGOP’s head called in booklet quiz
Senate investigates story about Hillman
Washington (UP) –
Senate Campaign Expenditures Subcommittee today called on Chairman Harvey Taylor of the Pennsylvania State Republican Committee to testify on distribution of campaign literature linking President Roosevelt with Chairman Sidney Hillman of the CIO Political Action Committee.
The committee sought to determine whether the Pennsylvania GOP organization played a part in the reported distribution of three to five million copies of a pamphlet reprinted from an article entitled “Hillman Takes Over the New Deal.” The original article appeared in the Trades Union News of Philadelphia, published by George Simmons.
Mr. Simmons and S. E. Blodgett, auditor of the R. H. Donnelly Company, which was said to have contracted to distribute the pamphlets, were called to testify along with Mr. Taylor.
Jack Kroll of Columbus, Ohio (CIO regional director for Cincinnati), was also summoned to appear in connection with the publication of another pamphlet, this one attacking Senator Robert A. Taft (R-OH) and urging his defeat.
Dewey foes cite ‘sweatshop’ fear
Democratic leaders of McKeesport last night were warned that a Republican victory for Thomas E. Dewey over President Roosevelt in the November election would mean “a return to the old days of sweatshops and the days when to strike meant getting your brains knocked out.”
The speaker was William Morgan, head of the National Citizens Political Action Committee in McKeesport, who addressed Democratic leaders of McKeesport’s 41 districts at a pre-election rally in the Penn-McKee Hotel.
‘Ambitions’ denied
Mr. Morgan declared that the PAC has no political ambitions and “we don’t want to take over the Democratic Party.” He said the only purpose of the PAC was to see that people vote and that records of the candidates are publicized.
Dr. C. C. Kline, chairman of the Speakers Committee of Allegheny County and welfare director for the City of Pittsburgh, told the McKeesport Democrats that Democratic leaders are exultant over the overwhelming sentiment noticeable among the rank and file favoring the reelection of President Roosevelt. He prefaced his remarks by commenting on various endorsements of the Roosevelt candidacy by Republicans.
Others also speak
Other speakers at the rally included Will J. Yester, Democratic incumbent in the 9th Legislative District and Congressman Samuel Weiss, incumbent from the 33rd District who is also a candidate for reelection.
Senator Harry S. Truman, candidate for Vice President, will speak in McKeesport on Thursday.
Christian Science Monitor endorses Dewey
Boston, Massachusetts (UP) –
The Christian Science Monitor today endorsed the presidential candidacy of Governor Thomas E. Dewey in the belief that “changing horses is the best way to get across the streams ahead.”
In 1940, the Monitor favored Wendell Willkie for President.
Asserting that “we do not believe that Franklin Roosevelt is going to make himself a dictator,” the Monitor said that nevertheless “long tenure smothers alternative leadership. The third term was advocated as a necessity in a crisis. So is a fourth. Will there be no grave national problems in 1948?”
Long tenure, the Monitor added, develops a “papa knows best attitude which is the antithesis of democracy.”