Daily Post - 13.09.1941, Qupperneq 2

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DAILY POST
THE CHUNKY SIGNOR
by Leon Kelston
Mayor La Guardia, New York’s chief citizen, is one of
the most colourful personalities in American life today.
And he is a vigorous apostle of all-out aid to Britain.
Blunt, straightforward, dynamic, La Guardia has never
stopped to consider consequences when something, he felt, had to
be said. He never uses a two-syllable word when a shorter one,
more concise and forceful, will do. He earned the enmity of Hitler
and Mussolini by his outright denuncations of dictators and dicta-
torships. New York law enforcement bureaux have hounded Nazi
and Fascist groxlps in every conceivable “legal” way.
DAILY POST
is published by
Blaðahringurinn.
Editors: S. Benediktsson.
Sgt. J. I. McGhie.
Office: 12, Austurstræti, Tel.
3715, Reykjavík. Printed by
Alþýðuprentsmiðjan.
Saturday, Sept. 13, 1941
Imerica Gives Battle
President Roosevelt is hand-
ling his end of the Washington
—London axis with great skill;
move by move Hitler is being
out-manoeuvred in a way
which, if he is at all a realist,
must astonish and frighten
him. Even if he cherished
lingering doubts of the effic-
acy of that axis now ranged
against him these must been
shattered by Mr. Roosevelt’s
wiords yesterday. It must be
clear to the wretched man of
Berdhtesgaden that he is up
against forces he never con-
sidered when first he planned
his world conquest perched in
that dreamland eyrie.
Now not only will he be
matched tank for tank, plane
for plane by the two “decad-
ent” nations he thought to out-
do also he is bejng beaten at
his oWn favourite game of
waging undeclared war of tim-
ing his blows.Now it is London
and Washington who time their
bljows; they will falU at the
right moments and with
measured weight. The Presi-
dent has told Hitler in so
many words. He will be crush-
ed beneath the relentless
pressure of he U,S. war effort
without being paid the com-
pliment of formal intimation
‘that it is being applied; with
those words America has mov-
ed in to the attack as surely
as if she had marched her divi-
sion across a frontier and the
only end to that attack is the
fall of Berlin.
To us in Iceland the latest
, American move of offering
battle in the Atlantic has a
special interest. We defend the
key point in that battle just as
we do in our own, for the two
are one.
“I think we ane bcmnd to try to
secune an arrangement in the
peaoe which, for a substantiaj
period — for it is no use talking
about indefinite periods — will
really make any further such
aggnession impossible.“ — The
Archblshop of York.
Should war come to New
York the city will be prepared
because of His Honour’s fore-
sight. He is ready for prompt
action against Nazi, Fascist,
and Communist groups, or any
other would-be saboteurs. He
has foreseen and planned for
the remote possibility of at-
tacks on New York by air.
Every subway, every tunnel,
every s,ub-cellar that might
serve as a bombproof shelter is
being mapped and listed for
future eventualities.
* * *
As head of the National
Mayors’ Council La Guardia
has impressed upon the mayors
of American cities the import-
ance of preparing against
possible invasion by sea or air
in the not-so-distant future.
Washington has been urged to
supply industrial cities with
special mobile, self-contained
fire-fighting apparatus with
which incendiarism might be
fought.
* * *
Canada has formed a defence
committee, which works with
a similar one in the United
States.. Heading this joint com-
mission, the Mayor combines
war preparedness in the U.S.A.
and Canada — a first step in
Continental unity.
La Guardia is a big man —
for all óf his 5 ft. 4 in. He is an
intemational figure, spoken of
once as a Presidential candi-
date, known for his patriotism
and dependability in a crisis.
As a member of the House of
Representatives he gained wide
prominence by his attack on
the high cost of living. Sensa-
tional tricks have been his
forte. On the floor of the House
he' once pulled a lamb chop, a
beefsteak, and a pot roast from
his capacious pockets to illu-
strate a vital point.
Usually up at 6,45, he is in-
specting a building project at
8. A typical day sees him at
the mail on his desk by 8,30,
making a speech at 9,30, in con-
ference by 10,30. Some days he,
flies to Washington ahd is back
by 4 p.m. for City Hall ap-
pointments. On the way home,
at 7 or so, he listens to police
calls on the radio, and rushes
over to a fire if it appears im-
portant and is not too far away.
Dinner is usually with city offi-
cials who have not had time to
see him during the day. To
break the monotony of busi-
ness, he runs out to a public
concert, returning in time for
a bit of reading and bed by
11.30.
* *
The Mayor loves “odd” pic-
tures of himself. It’s great'
publicity. One day he is shown
wearing a 10-gallon cowboy
hat, throwing a lariat. The next
day he leads la secondary school
orchestra. Or he is turning up
the first steam-shovelful of
earth for a new tunnel. He has
acquired some choice nick-
names — “Butch”, “Little
Flower”, “Sawed-off Musso-
lini”, “Chunky Signor”. His
violenf methods with the old
Board of Aldermen were re-
ferred to as “blackguardia”
tactics.
H: *
Young Fiorello La Guardia
wanted to be a jockey, his
father made him into a corn-
et player, but when only 20 he
was in the diplomatic service
with the . American Consulate
at Budapest. He learned Ger-
man, French, Slav, Italian,
Croation, and when he return-
ed to New York in 1906 he
learned Yiddish. (His mother is
of Italian-Jewish stock).
The. upper East Side ÍRepu-
blican) sent La Guardia to
! DP THE GARDEN |
PATH |
By George
I — •
Brave words of brave men.
“How silly of me to
asleep in the sentry box.”
While fraternising with the
boys the other evening,
friend Colonel Brass-Hattery
lost two week’s pay at pontoon.
As he had arranged a date with
Etta the Taxi Terror and the
Adjutant had already threaten-
ed to foreclose on Jhe mort-
gage of his best bad and
favourite jodhpurs, what ac'
tion should my friend the Col-
onel take? Challenge the boys
to a return matclji with his oWn
pack of cards? Take on the
PRI at Crown and Anchor? Or
institute. a stoppage for damago
to public property?
Boris, our tame Fifth Col'
umnist, wishes to announce to
his friends that his official
number is now V (censored).
He has also just received neWS
that" Hitler XXXVI. has been
executed for the non Aryan
offence of shaving off his
moustache because he believed
it looked silly and tickled his
frau.
Our Cookery course — Dady
Recipe.
Bread: Avoid the cutting
edge of the slice or superficiai
biit irritating injuries may be
caused. For a really hearty
meal, prop the slide up against-
the toast-rack or coffee-pot
gaze steadfastly and with con-
centration uiitil one sees six
■ slices. Go through the motions
of picking up each in turn and
chew every mouthful 26 tim"
es. Keep the real slice back for
supper.
I must write a ditty
To say I don’t pity • 9
That chap Risto Ryti,
The Finn.
For the country he sold
He’s a grand cross in gold
Which I suspect is rolled
Round tin.
Congress for the first time in
1916. After voting for entry
into the World War he volun-
teered for the Air Force. (The
Army had refused his servic-
es because of his short stature).
He came out of it a majoN
With three medals and a wound
stripe.