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This newspaper page contains 16 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
May 20, 1940
Page
4
A partial news snippet notes a clash in a forest town between local residents and outsiders over land rights. The report highlights tensions, a crowd gathering, and officials attempting to calm the situation as negotiations begin.
A collection of public sentiments urges support for Roosevelt and faster defense, questions census accuracy, and calls for immediate use of Muscle Shoals. It notes suburban growth masking city gains and praises Cullman’s festival while lamenting war anxieties and migration trends.
The 1158 graduates include 66 girls and 49 boys from Decatur High School, marking the largest class in the city’s history. Officials note steady forward progress since 1932, with steady advance rather than rapid changes.
The piece notes speculation on Alabama governance reforms and discusses possible federal appointment for Congressman Sam Hobbs as comptroller general of the United States. It cites the long 15 year term and $10 000 annual salary and praises Hobbs as a strong Alabama representative.
The Decatur census drive seeks a thorough town by town check to correct preliminary figures. Officials urge residents to verify they were counted, citing an estimated 17,500 residents and a need to prove Decatur’s growth for the next decade. Cooperation is urged immediately.
Washington May 20 Hitler's attack on Belgium and France surprised Allied staff but matched a two wedges enveloping tactic. The plan aimed to crush Brussels, bypass strongpoints, and erode French will, challenging Britain and the Anglo French order without conceding Paris.
The article credits assistant War Secretary Louis Johnson as the moving force behind the Presidents large scale plane program. Others doubted it could be done. Johnson fought to push the 50 000 plane project through and secured approval just 24 hours before Roosevelt addressed Congress.
Montgomery May 20 The state industrial relations department reports a 20 percent rise in workers returned to private employment in the first four months of 1940, with 11,878 placements vs 9,882 year earlier. Unemployment benefits rose to 1,524,312 up 77,117 from 1939, while the unemployment trust fund stood at 13,746,987 on April 30, boosted by 3.38 million since early 1938.
Dr Adrian Gibbs tells a patient her stomach is fine and her distress stems from attitude not physiology He advises a big breakfast and to discard laxatives and restricts no foods before encouraging her to enjoy cucumbers lobster beer ice cream a movie and dancing
A mix of humorous lines and short items from a paper page includes a narrator's playful verse about a woman's ages and titles and a long quip about stamp collecting as educational. It also features an 8th grade Maine boy, Cuvier Kittridge, described as 6 feet 5 inches tall and 348 pounds, still growing.
Editor notes readers may obtain seven Dr Clendening pamphlets each costing 10 cents. To order send 10 cents, a self addressed stamped envelope, and a three cent stamp to Dr Logan Clendening care of this paper. Pamphlets cover diet digestion infant feeding diabetes feminine hygiene and hair skin care.
A fragmented reading blends a poem urging forgetting with a comic exchange about lonely advertisers seeking companionship. The passage hints at social norms and the role of advertisements in city life, referencing light and gas company replies amid a playful school reference.
The Central Methodist church plans an auditorium project with plans and specifications ready as bids are welcomed. Pastor Archibald and lay leader John Peach emphasize wartime as a motive for church support and the need to keep nations from warring by strengthening worship.
A speaker cites good parents teachers and books as essentials. A banter between Pat and a friend references a brother lawyer and a bad carrier. Mrs Meeker laments indirect taxation while Meeker explains it as money taken in sleep. The dialogue closes with a boast idea about confidence and prudence.
The column surveys first nights and reviews from American Jubilee to The Tavern with George M. Cohan and Lillian Russell films. It notes rain delays, press reactions, and upcoming fall plans while citing World Digest pieces and political commentary from Pierce and Look magazines.
A collection of quoted remarks from Ann Sothern, Jeanette MacDonald, Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young and others. The comments cover romance, acting plans, marriage, happiness in leads, and attitudes toward love, companionship, and on screen intimacy. Some remarks mix humor with self critique.
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