Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

Current EventsProf. William H. Russell, Ph.D.WARMING UPThe maneuvering for next year's Democratic Presidential nomination is already well under way. With Democraticprospects improved by the likelihood of President Eisenhower's retirement, the nature of the race is completelychanged. Adlai Stevenson is making political speeches, andis expected in November to announce his formal candidacy.Harry Truman, still one of the most influential Democrats,visited New York and indicated that he preferred GovernorAverell Harriman to Stevenson. Harriman proceeded toclear his own path by announcing that he had no commitment to back Stevenson. Senator Estes Kefauver is absenton a world tour, but has said nothing to discourage hissupporters. If these three leaders should eliminate eachother, doubtless others may be induced to offer the nationtheir services.Among the Republicans, the opposition to Vice PresidentNixon is solidifying, against a possible endorsement of Nixonby Eisenhower. Harold E. Stassen is considered a candidatewho might appeal to liberal Republicans, as is Henry CabotLodge, Jr. There also is talk of "drafting" Chief JusticeEarl Warren, in spite of his declaration that he wouldnever again seek elective office.business venture, to help provide the Koreans with themillion or more homes which they desperatelycan businessmen will help Koreans to set upneed. Ameripilot plants forthe construction of prefabricated housing. The first suchplant is already being built near Seoul. These plants willtrain Korean workmen in the use of modern tools and otherhomebuilding techniques. The project sounds as if it wouldbe an excellent means of helping the Koreans to help themselves.LABORITES CLASHThe annual conference of the British Labor Party wasawaited with interest by those who hoped that the partymight recover from last spring's election defeat. It is generally agreed that the Laborites need a new program, neworganization, and new leadership. But the conference onlydeepened the split between the right-wing forces led by Clement Attlee, and the rebels under Aneurin Bevan. In theelection for party treasurer, Bevan was defeated decisively,but emerged more bitter than ever against the moderatesocialists. The British Labor party seems to be in danger ofpermanent division. Part of their problem, of course, is thatthe Conservatives have adopted so much of the Labor program. The Conservative conference produced some spiritedMOROCCAN CRISISFrance has taken a step toward solving her Moroccanproblem by appointing a four-man Council of the Throne, totake the place of the sultan who retired two weeks earlier.This came after much bitter debate in the French Assembly.The whole country was shaken by the sharp political divisions, and by the mutiny of an army unit which was beingshipped to Morocco. Premier Edgar Faure narrowly missedbeing overturned, but will now go on to try to form a representative government which can gradually assume morepower and establish friendly relations with France. Thebiggest troublemakers are the French nationals in Morocco.They have organized the Union for the French Presence inMorocco, which bitterly opposes any concessions to nativenationalism, and denounces the Faure government as cowardly. Morocco has twenty natives for every European, andnot all the Europeans are of French ancestry.DISASTER STRIKESOver thirty persons were killed in floods in New England, when a local gale brought three days of heavy rain.Nearly five thousand were made homeless in New YorkState alone, and the property damage amounted to manymillions. Helicopters rescued eighty-three persons from atrain which was trapped by flood waters. Many of the hardhitareas were still recovering from the August floodsbrought by Hurricane Diane. The Red Cross has spent $8.6million for aid to victims of the August floods, and the total may reach more than $14 million. Over 10,000 familieshave been helped.HOMES FOR KOREAA new project for aid to Korea is being started by General Van Fleet. Called "Homes for Korea," it is neither aprivate charity nor a government handout. Instead, it is aOctober 26, 1955debate, but little disagreement on basic policies. The government has promised deflationary measures to halt the current rise in the cost of living.JET AIRWAYSPan American World Airways has ordered forty-fivejet airliners twenty Boeing 707 Stratoliners and twentyfiveDouglas DC-8s. They will cruise at 575 m.p.h., and flyfrom New York to Paris in six and a half hours, comparedwith eleven hours on the fastest schedule today. The newplanes also will be able to fly a non-stop great-circle routefrom Chicago to London, making the trip in six hours andforty-five minutes instead of the present sixteen hours. Theflying time from San Francisco to Tokyo will be cut in half.Recently a Boeing 707 flew a round trip across the nation,Seattle to Washington D. C. and return, in eight hours andsix minutes. This cut hours off the previous commercial record. The flight was made at altitudes of 33,000 to 35,000feet. The time may soon come when any place in the worldwill be within a day's travel. Don't be impatient, however,for the new planes will not be in service for three years.SAVE THE BIRDSThe United States Air Force has given way to thewhooping crane. Only about two dozen of these large whitebirds are left, and they are in great danger of extinction.They are the largest of our cranes, standing about five feettall with a seven-foot wingspread. They nest in Canada andspend the winter on the Texas coast. When the Air Forceplanned to enlarge a bombing and gunnery range near theTexas home of the whooping cranes, protests came from theCanadian government and from wildlife lovers everywhere.The Air Force yielded and changed its plans.Probably thewhooping crane is of no practical value to anyone. But mostof us would feel a twinge of conscience if man should unnecessarily eliminate any living thing which God has created.275