Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent

              A  Paper I     For The  Home
r
SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
Weather
¦undJLy:  Cloudy,  ihewtn,
much cooler. Mendajr: Generally fair.
33RD YEAR, NO. S&-44 PAGES
WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER  24, 1939
PRICE TEN CENTS
SIGNS OF MAJOR OFFENSIVE ARE REPORTED BACK OF BOTH LINES
1^
Mussolini Calls for Peace^rzW of
'Ploch Ton   I^^^'^^'«^ ^^'^^^^^ ^^«^^ ^<^ f'^ffht  lN6lltr3ilty
Be Avoided'' ¦imJlm ..Itf« ^'^^^
Pittman Plans to Present New Act To Senate Monday
Says Polish Defeat Wipes Out Cause; Justifies Hitler, Sees Allies Prudent As Russia Moves
Bv REYNOLDS PACKARD
Rome, Sept. 23. (UP) —Premier Benito Mu.5!iolini told Kurope'i warring nations today that the time has come to call off hostilities —now that Poland has been "liquidated".
"Europe has not actually entered into war." the Fascist Premier de¬ clared in a speech to 1.30 Fascist leaders from Bologna, emphasizing that Italy will remain neutral.
"The armies have not yet met. The clash can be avoided by real¬ izing that it is vain to attempt to maintain or reconstruct that which history and the natural dynamism of peoples already has con¬ demned." To Strengthen Armleii
Muiisolini said that the destiny of Europe if not of the world was now at stake and that "in the style of Fascism" Italy must strengthen her armed forces for any eventual¬ ity and support every effort for peace as she remains neutral in accordance with "our national in¬ terests, and political accords and our treaties."
Arguing that Qermany haa now "liquidated" the Polish problem and that peace could b« restored on that basis, Mussolini referred to the failure of Great Britain and France to declare war on Soviet Russia when the Red Army march¬ ed into Poland. Hitler Justified
"It has been with the prudent intention of not spreading the con¬ flict that the governments of Lon¬ don and Paris have not done more than face the Russian fait accompli but the consequence is that these governments have compromised their moral justification in taking action against the German fait ac¬ compli," he said in supporting his •rgumenl that Adolf Hitler's con¬ quest could rca.'ionabiy be recog¬ nized.
The premier's statement was taken to indicate hope that his peace suggestions would lead to Important developments.
(All indications in London and Paris have been that the allied powers have no intention of mak¬ ing peace on Hitler's terms and that they are pushing ahead with plans to fight the war to a finish.) Balkan Peace Bloc , Mussolini said that the "destiny tof Europe and perhaps of all the continents la at stake" at the present  time  and  that  the  people
COUNT ON APPROVAL
Limits Discretion Given President; Opponents Meet
Washington, Sept. 23. (UP) — Administration leaders tonight fin¬ ished a tentative draft of a meas-
T
Soviets Keep^^^^^^^^^ up 4.000,000 ^^^'^ ^'^^ ^^^^' Under Arms
Moscow Announces 'External Conditions' Make Army Needed
TURKEY TO CONFER
No Buffer State; Polish Peasants Hunt Down Landlords
DECISION IN YEAR
Usual Nervousness Before Start Of Attack Called Apparent; Berlin Says Germany Will Not Sit Idle Behind Westwall While England Squeezes With Navy
Moscow, Sept. 23. (UP)—The government radio announced to¬ night    that    all    Russian     troops
ure revising the nation's Neutrality i mobilized since September 7, would Law   and   called   the   Democratic strategy    committee    into    session Sunday   to  approve   It. An informal check indicated that majority   of   senators   approve
enacting the principles of the pro¬ posed  changes.
British censor let jhis picture be   waiting   in    line   to   enlist   in   tlio   duties will include nioto sent from London, showing women , Women'.'! Auxiliary Air Force.   Their   well as routine in Air Force offices
By UNITED PRESS
With the (Jernian high command proclaimings the "end of the campaign in Poland." all signs pointed early Sunday to increased activity in the western theater of the war.
Reports from neutral sources indicated that remain under arms indefinitely preparations Were afoot for a major French assault "owing to external Conditions". on the (Jcmian west waU. Nazi sourccs in Berlin, soTut rorruTh?d^ropp"ng''u;:" "'<^«";vhile. predicted that the Reich would soon un- activities in the three-fifths of dertake a vigorous Submarine and airplane cam¬ paign to break the British blockade.
Russia continued to be an important and enig¬ matical factor in the East Having occupied the eastern three-fifths of Poland, the Red Army had
Assessors Office to Purge All but Dozen
Poland allotted to  them by agree-
, ment   with   Germany   and   as   the
The   tentative   draft   was    com- ; Soviet   press   publi.shed   maps   in-
pleted   in   a   session   lasting   from   dicating that the  idea of a Polish
3 p. m., EST, to 7;20 p. m. in the   buffer state had been  dropped,  at
office   of   Chairman^Key ^Jt'^an^   least for the time being.
testing as;comm^itt'ee" piumaTw^iu 8u*bmit"it    ^,'^^* Soviet mobilization, which nothing left to do but "mop up" in those arcas whcre
to  the  14 Democratic members  f   ;';'"^Xr„ Poland  laTweT^'nT   rCSistanCC Continued. 3   p.   m.   Sunday   and   he   expects ' °'  'Cistern r-oiana  lasc weeK  ena.
it   to   be   In   shape   for   considera-
OF
GOP Veterans Scheduled to Go; 19 New Selections
Just one dozen of the present attaches of the assessors office will remain on duty after the big purge of Republican names on the heavy payroll of the county's assessment office takes place on Wednesday or Thursday of the coming week.
This cleanup is likely to be given added interest in court house life by what will take place at the county prison and house of deten¬ tion on North River street at about the same time, though it is not expected thSt as many heads will fall victims lo the political guillo¬ tine in the Water street bastile or at the refuge for unfortunate wo¬ men.
While no announcement will be officially made until after the meet¬ ing of the county assessors, the list of political tragedies is com¬ plete and it will require only a few minutes to pass sentence when County Assessors Correale. Dud- rick and Langan gather in the pri¬ vate house for the momentous ses¬ sion. To Spare Evana, Orace j
Of the dozen who will be spared, at the head of the list is Hayden
in
 
•hould   support   every   attempt   to   Evans  of  Wilkes-Barre  Township, end fighting and return to peace.
Well-informed circles viewed Mu«.iolini's speech as designed espe- ''inlly to build up the Balkan peace l)loc which he has been attempting (o create as neutral  ground.    This
who  has   been   the   chief  clerk the office for several years.
Best known of the other eleven is Thomas Grace of Pittston, who has  been  identified  with  the  office
Berwick Reports Big War Orders
Berwick. Sept. 23—Although no official announcement has been made, it was reported authentically today that the American Car and Foundry Compan.v, one of whose plants is located here, had been given an order totaling in the neigh¬ borhood of $2.5,000,(K)0 for the 1 oiistruction of several hundred tanks.
They are said to be of great sire, valued at more than $.50,000 each. It was understood Great Britain was the purchaser, with confirmation awaiting change of the present neutrality law, which forbids export of war ma¬ terials.
It was believed quite likely that, if this first order is con¬ firmed and filled, still more or¬ ders for tanks will be received here, giving Berwick one of its greatest  booms.
On Friday it was announced here that the local plant has been awarded orders for one thousand railroad cars. Of these, .500 will be riveted steel hopper cars for the D. * H. and the other 500 riveted box cars for the Erie. In addition. 400 under- frames for tank cars are to be built, as well as 80 Ice cream trucks for the Good Humor Company.
L
First Since War; Mussolini to Get Firm Refusal
Bv FRKDERKK Kl H
London, Sept. 23.  (UP) -For the first   time   since   the   outbreak   of j against long time credits to bellig-
raised tion   bv   the   full   committee  Mon- | Army day.    Sen.   Bennett   C.   Clark.   D, i ">«"' Mo.,   Isolationist   leader  and   mem¬ ber   of   the   committee,    was   not invited  to the session  Sunday. Cut President's Power
Those who drafted the proposed changes, details of which were not revealed, were Pittman, Senators Tom Connally, D., Tex., and Elbert Thomas, D., Utah. Aiding them was Green H. Hackworth. legal adviser   to   the  State   Department.
"These changes will give dis¬ cretion to the President only in the direction of keeping us out of war," Connally said. "It defin¬ itely limits an.v discretion in the direction   to   taking   us   into   war."
Connally indicated that the change     would     retain     the     ban
the   strength    of   the   Red to   an   estimated   4,000,000
Await Turkish Minister
the war, Russian Ambassador Ivan Mai.sky today visited Lord Halifax, foreign secretary, at the latter's invitation.
The visit aroused diplomatic  In¬ terest   and   it   was   believed   that
Pouring up to Maginot Line
Nevertheless   the   Presidium   of   the   Supreme   Soviet
ordered hundreds of thousands of reservi.sts, mobilized since
The radio announcement came September 7, to continue indefinitely under arms "owing to
while    Foreign    Mini.ster    Sukru  external Conditions." saracoglu of Turkey was en route to  Moscow  to  confer  with  Soviet authorities.
The order continuing the reserv¬ ists under arms was Issued by the presidium of the Supreme Soviet and effected men called up in the Moscow, Kalinin. Leningrad, Byelo Russian, Kiev, Kharkov and Orel apparent. military areas.
Upon completion of their now In¬ definite period of service, the order   IVaZtS to Fight Blockade
The French army leaders gave no hint of any impend¬ ing offensive, but Italian war correspondents with the Ger¬ man army reported that German air observers had seen great numbers of men and artillery pieces being moved up behind the Maginot Line. One reported that all the ner¬ vousness usual before the start of a major offensive was
erents but would relax the per¬ missible present short time credits .so that they would be available for purchasing any material, either food or munitions. It was under- .stood the credit limit would be 90 | southern frontier—hut made no al-
said,  the  reservists  must  be  rein stated in their former jobs. No Buffer State
The maps of partitioned Poland In the Russian press showed the line of demarcation between the Soviet and German armies—ex¬ tending from East Prussia through
Berlin, Sept. 23. (UP)—A well-informed Nazi official told the United Press toniglil that Gemiany would carry the fight to the Allies on the Western Front and would attempt to force a decision within a year.
"It i.s ridiculous," he said, "to assume that Gennany
_ will sit idl.v behind the westwall while England unhindered
the eastern secTion" of Warsaw"T<j' continues her attempt to force Germany to her knees by
the  Carpathian   mountains  on   the i means  of the  blockade."
both the resumption of contact be-   day.s.    The   Texan   said   that   the ; lowance for any Polish rump state. He e.xpre.ssed the Opinion, however, that German action
tween   the   two   governments   and | administration  leaders  had  no  Ob-I with  Warsaw as  its  capital,  such   would  not   be  Confined   to  army  operations   in  the  field  but
Woe, the Fascists hope, will be able   legislature,    serving    first    as    the (Continued on Page A-10) heads of the office for six years.
Two   other   veterans   in   service,
who   will   be   retained   are   Miss
since it was established by act of   Mary  McGroarty  of  Plains   town-
' ¦¦      .ship   and   John   Mock,   Larksville
the substance of the conversation between Maisky and Halifax were of   extreme   importance.
Whether Maisky's call had any bearing upon the situation in Poland or upon Premier Benito Mussolini's speech today wag not disclosed.
The Italian premier's address found British circles close to the government appreciative of his solicitude in behalf of peace but in disagreement with him that the time was at hand for cessation of hostilities. Must End Nazi Threat*
Prime Minister Neville Chamber¬ lain's statement to the House of C^'ommons was recalled in which he said the intent of Britain was "to redeem Europe from perpetual fear of  German   aggression   and   to   en-
(Continued on Page A-10)
(Continued on Page A-10)
Warsaw Radio Station Goes Silent Once More
Budapest,   Sept,   2S.    (UP)—The | be strengthened by reinforcements Warsaw radio went silent tonight, I from  the  Poznan  army. a few hours after announcing that \ s«y  Poznan  Army  Safe the Polish capital was still in Po- ' lish  hands,  and a German  broad¬ cast on  the same wave length as-
Bulletin!!^
councilman and outstanding mem¬ ber of the (X)P command in that territory.
Three other attaches of the main office also will remain, they being
perate.
The Warsaw radio had failed for
brief periods before and there was
no    way    of    knowing    this    time
able the peoples of Europe to pre-   ^vhether or not it had been silenced
The Poznan army fought Its way out   of   the   German   encirclement .   ,   , ,,      .. „  1 . 1     '"   Western   Poland   and   suffered
serted that the city was completely   ,,,^,,y    „,u,,ti,,     t^e    radio    at
surrounded and the situation  des-; Warsaw   announced,   but   after   a
T«o Finnish Ships Sunk
I Oslo, Norway, Sept. 23 (UP)—German submarines sank '»"*¦¦ wo Finnish  steamers  today.  They  were  the  lielsingfors  *"*'"
serve   their  independence  and  lib erty." The prediction was made that in
 -     -   "*'"'• w^^'''" sessions of the House ' was   exaggerated   or   whether   the
Joseph'sergo'tt. MVchael Dougherty   of   Commons   and   the   House   of I capital, after 15 days of siege, ac- of Wilkes-Barre  Township,  Frank | Lords    Chamberlain    and    Halifax j tually was about to fall. Scrudatto   and   Harold   Price,   the   would take the opportunity to make      Before  going silent  the  IVarsaw r   the   county's   assistant   coal   a courteous but firm reply to Mus-1 radio    had    expressed
.solini.
permanently.
Nor was there any way of know¬ ing whether the German broadcast
confidence
few  days'  rest  will   return  to  the front  lines. I
"This will  reinforce  the Modlin- Warsaw   sector,   where   the   Poles , are   putting   up   the   strongest   re- I sistance,"   the   announcement   said. '
The   battle   of  the  River  Bzura, i in   which   the   Poznan  soldiers   re- | portedly     participated,     was     de- ' scribed   as   "the   most   severe   and the  most  bloody  of  the  war."
The    enemy    continues   to    "de-' stroy     Warsaw,     the     radio     an-
Steamer Walma with a crew of eiglit and the Mai-tti Ragnar, With a crew of 41.
The Walma was halted nine miles west of the Ilaalow |'8:lithouse and the crew, three of whom were women, ordered to the boats.   Sailors from the submarine tiien boarded the
ship, placed dynamite in the hold and blew it to pieces. The         .
submarine took the creW to a fishing boat which returned  Walker, Frank Cannon and Daniel them to the Finnish mainland. ^sLT'old    warriors    of    the
The nature of the Walma's cargo was not reported nor gop will be oast adrift, several of
eer. To Keep 4 at Haxlelon
The branch office at Hazleton was not subjected to such a with¬ ering purge as the main office at the court house. Four of the clerks in the Mountain City office will  be permitted to carry on.
They  are  John   Watro,   Nicholas
Freud, Founder of Psychoanalysis, Dies
them  having  been  important  cogs
London, Sept. 23. (UP)—Sigmund   for   more   than  30  years   prior  to
in'ihe Republican'organization for Freud,    world-famous    founder   of , anschluss h.ad been one of its most ;
more than a score of years. Chief psychoanalysis,  died shortly before 1 celebrated citizens.
among    this    group    li    John    T. midnight  tonight.   He  was  83.         I     a   frail, wisp of a man,  he  saw
Burns, first lieutenant of Recorder Freud   came   to   England   from   the   Nazis   come   In   March   1938,
of   Deeds,   George   Stecker   in   the Vienna   as   a   refugee   after   Ger-! ^yj,), misgivings.   His passport was
area   beyond   the   Nescopeck. ""»">'   *"""   "^'f   Austria   and   in-   taken,  his   fortune   impounded,   his
Another   is   John   Goobic,    field stituted     anti - Semitic     measures   ^ooks   burned   and   his   publishing
marshal   of  the   John   Shivel   com- 'f"""*
\^as it known if her destination was an English port.
.The Martti Ragnar was sunk 13 miles off the Noi'- "pgian coast at Nendal, dispatches said.
The crew was taken by the subniaiine to a point six miles off the coast, where its members were rescued by fishermen from Arendal.
rolMl ^^''"'}''^'' lepOl'ts'Caid the Martti Ragnar was Carr.ying ^^^^ ,^ p,^._^^ Township and a He had been in poor health for "¦BlUlose for England when halted by the submarine, wnicll , brother of the tax collector in the months and in recent weeks be- Ordered the  crew  to take  to  the  boats  and  then  towed  the I same municipality. .loseph Ashber-   came   steadily   weaker.
!hip five miles before it was sunk by a charge of dynamite, fhe German wireless said the Martti Ragnar was sunk by * torpedo.)
To Keep Subs from C'ocos Island
San  Jose,  Costa  Rica,  Sept.  23.   (UP)—Costa Rican '¦uthoritie.s announced todav that the.v would send a military "etacliincnt  to  Cocos   Island  to  prevent  belligerrnls  fmm "sin? it as a submarine base. The island is 550 miles south- eat of Panama and is uninhabited.
(Continued on  Page A-10)
house  destroyed.
The man whose mind has influ¬ enced   the   thinking   of   the   world was   told   that  psychoanalysis  was He   died   at   his   home   in   Ham-   alien to Nazi philosophy.  His reply
In Today's Issue
Editarlal  <^2
(lassifled   B—II
.Movies  A—17
Politics  <;—2
Story   B—I'J
Sport*    R—1
Social     A—IS
Radio «—"
stead.
Freud's serious Illness dated from his flight last June. He be¬ came progressively worse and to¬ day lapsed into a coma fron\ which  lie  did   not  emerge.
His dauglitcr. Ann, had con¬ tinued her father's work during his illness and had be"ome his supporter.
Freud  was born in Vieiioa and
that the Polish defense would soon : nounced,   particularly   the   suburo
of Praga (on the ea.st bank of the Vistula, In the Soviet sphere) bi' heavy artillery fire. It added that a German attack In the ZacisM sector  was   easily   repulsed.
Report 8,000 Czechs Imprisoned
Prague, Sept. 23. (UP)—Well- informed sources estimated to¬ night that about 8,000 Czechs had been imprisoned by the Germans in connection with what authorities called "prophy¬ lactic"  measures.
A larger number have been held for questioning and made to aign a pledge to discontinui^ political   activities,   it   was   said.
Czech President Emil Hacha however, assured members of the foreign press at an informal tea in the presidential palace at Lano, 25 miles from Prague, that no disorders had occurred.
He agreed with German auth¬ orities that relations with the protectorate government were "perfectly correct."
"We are working quietly with¬ in the framework of the Ger¬ man Reich." he said. "We are not at war ourselves but, nat¬ urally, we co-operate."
would include "unremitting efforts with all means at our disposal to break the blockade."
Intensiie Sub and Plane Warfare
This statement was interpreted in neutral circles as meaning intensive application of submarine and aerial war¬ fare.
Meanwhile, high German quarters who only a few days ago said "we will sit tight in the west until the enemy attacks" are now arguing the "inadvisability' 'of so wait¬ ing.
Some circles, however, believed that Premier Benito Mussolini's speech injected a new element into the situa¬ tion. On the assumption that the Italian priemier spoke as he did with Berlin's approval, these circles felt that his call for cessation of hostilities constituted a "last appeal" which, if unheeded, would be followed by intensive action in the west.
3 Nazi Mass Attacks Led by Tanks Repulsed
By  RALPH HKINZEN
Pari.-, Sept. 23 (L'T)—Kiencli troops were reported to have thrown
baclv  a powerful  German  counter-attack  along  a  nine-mile  sector of
the Saar front today and then swept forward about a mile along th«
Luxembourg bnrilvi- to seiz- an iniiiortant hill northeast of Perl.
German  troops rushed westward ! French barbed wire entanglement!,
was, "I suppose It Is."
(Continued on Page A-10)
Dispatches from Euro¬ pean countries are now subject   to   censorship.
from the Polish front under direc¬ tion of Col. Gen. Walthcr von Brauchitesch made three mass counter thrusts at the French Saar lines with swift little midget tanks, big heavily-armored tanks and infantry. Report 20 Tanks Lo«t
An official war communique said all attacks were thrown back and unofficial French dispatches estimated that the Nazis had lost 20 tanks and suffered several hun¬ dred casualties in intensive fight¬ ing. Artillery bombardment of rear lines was resumed on both sides and French messages said that aerial reconnaissance had clearly shown the smashing effect of shells on the new Siegfried Line fortifications.
The German attack was east of Saarbruecken, in the Biles Valley, where the Nazi high command ap¬ peared to have ordered measures designed to liberate Zweibruecken. Tanks Hit Barbed Wire
There was a long German artil-
French anti-tank guns were said to have smashed their thin armor and piled up the small tanki, which were followed by the heavy tanks and by infantry. The wreck¬ age of the small tanks, however, blocked the bigger attacking unita and heavy machine gun fire from the French lines turned back th» infantry charges, it was reported. Hitler Reported on Hand
There also were small local at¬ tacks to the east along the Lsuter River. The official war com¬ munique issued tonight merely said; "There was local activity by artillery on both sides and con¬ tacting units."
The French press. Including tha often authoritative Genevieve Ta- bouis, reported that Adolf Hitler had joined Von Brauchitsch on the Western Front and that it wa« believed a general offensive was planned by the Germans. Re¬ liable sources, however, expressed belief that the (Jermans would avoid   anything   more   formidable
lery   bombardment   to  prepare  the than stiff local counter attacks at
way for the counter thrusts. Then present   and.    In   Berlin,   officials
small,  swift  tanks  darted  forward said   that  Hitler   was  slil!  on   the
at   a   speed   of   about   2.^   miles   ai> Polish   front   and   not   due   In   Um
hour,  trying   to  run  througti  th« Rhineland until next WMk. ^