Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 8 March 1946 — Page 1

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THE POST-DEMOCRAT The Only Democratic Paper In Delaware County Carrying the Union Label

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VOL. 26—NO. 38.

MUNCIE, INDIANA, FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 1946.

PRICE: FIVE CENTS

Shively Strongly Protests Program Of Registration

TO KEYNOTE CONVENTION Indianapolis — Chairman William E. Jenner of the Indiana Republican State Committee said today that he had accepted an invitation to keynote the North Dakota state GOP nominating convention at Bismarck, March 13. Jenner said he was advised of his selection by Thomas Whalen, North Dakota party chairman. The Indiana chairman recently was associated with Whalen in 1 meetings of midwestern Republi- 1 can chairmen at Chicago, Des Moines and Detroit.

SUCCESSOR TO BROWNELL Washington — Sen. Homer E. Capehart, R., Ind., today suggested Ewing Emison, Vincennes, Ind., attorney, as a successor to Herbert E. Brownell as Republican national chairman. Capehart, according to his secretary, considered Emison to he well qualified for the national post because of his long experience in the Republican party activities in Indiana.

GENERALS LOSE RANK Washington — The Army is trimming its ranks of Generals as well as GPs. The War Department has announced the reduction of 212 temporary generals to the rank of temporary colonels. The Navy meanwhile appointed Adm. William F. Halsey Jr., to head a board for the retirement of excess rear admirals and commodores. Halsey, who plans to retire himself, will serve on the board until his retirement becomes effective.

FIRE CAUSED BY SABOTAGE Southampton — Sabotage was blamed for a mysterious fire aboard the 85,000-ton liner Queen Elizabeth today and Scotland Yard agents were called in to help smash what was believed to be an arson ring operating in Britain^ major ports. The entire Southampton dock area was placed on an anti-sabo-tage alert and fire patrols were doubled on all berthed ships as police began a minute check-up on all workmen and loiterers in the district.

PEACEMAKER GOERING Nurenberg — Reich Marshal Herman Goering tried vainly to prevent war and only built up the Luftwaffe for use if Germany’s neighbors started it, his onetime second in command testified before the War Crimes Court today. Before 1935, Milch said, there was no German air force and only 3,000 industrial workers in aircraft. That year the building “for defense” — in case someone else began the conflict — began. TRUMAN SILENT Washington — President Truman cautiously declined today to say whether he approved or disapproved of Winston Churchill’s plea for an Anglo-Ameri-can alliance. He was asked at a news conference whether he endorsed the principles of the speech delivered by the former Prime Minister of Great Britain in Fulton, Mo., in the presence of the President. Mr. Truman replied that he did not know ahead of time what Churchill was going to say; this is a country of free speech; and that his role in Fulton was that of Churchill’s host.

Action of Jesse Greene, Delaware County Clerk Is Protested By Democratic Chairman Shively — Greene Plans To Permit Only Two Registration Deputies From Each Political Parties In Addition To His Own Office Assistants—Thousands May Be Denied Right To Vote Under This Procedure — Green’s Excuse Is To Save

Taxpayers Money.

Fully convinced that hundreds of Delaware county voters will not get to vote in the primary election next May under present registration plans the Democratic Central Committee through its chairman Oscar Shively sent a letter of protest this week to county clerk Jessfe Greene who is responsible for the newly adopted program. In spite of the protests Greene is reported to be determined to continue his plans regardless of the results.

The protest by Chairman Shively came after the county clerk announced several days ago that he would allow only two registration deputies from each political party besides his own office assistants to register voters this year while one deputy was allowed from each during past election years at least of the 46 precincts to secure a full registration of the voters in coun-

ty.

The new plans of County Clerk Greene are to set up substations in each of the precinct areas during an 8-hour period and voters may go to such station at the stipulated time to be registered by one of the four field registration deputies. It is contended by the Democratic chairman that in many of the heavily populated precincts where numerous voters are not properly registered that a total of eight hours is inadequate for them to be registered even if a standing line was formed during such period of time. The plan of Green as publicized by him would have the voters believe that such a program would save between $5000 and $6000 in registration costs. This statement was also attacked by the Democrat chairman after checking records revealed that the clerk’s 1946 budget provides for $3,590.59 more funds than the 1944 budget during the last election year. Two years ago all the field registration costs in the county amounted to $664.60 while this year appropriations would expend $960 for such work and it is claimed that a full registration cannot be taken with the use of only the four field dep-

uties.

It is contended by Shively that the only excuse which Mr. Greene

can truthfully give for his new ana, as Democratic Deputy Regis-

wl O W l c* 4" Tv *1 E i E w-»nxr -KVA «~11^- r\ T-\ i c* i i * 1 r

REP. GILLIE IN BALANCING ACT

Makes Every Attempt To Retain Status With The Old Guard

KEEPING PEACE NOW UP TO US

All 34 American Delegates Are Full Of Praise For Success Of UNO

Mr. Stassen Unsound And Wrong On Labor Policy

Republican Representaive Gil L

,

lie of the 4th District is tryin to do a very clever balancin ;

act, these days.

The press of the country, in re- j porting Secretary of State Byrnes’ j radio “Report to the Nation” on j 1 the first meeting of the United [ Nations’ Organization in London, were quick to publicize the fact that he advocated a stiffening of our attitude toward Russia. Printers’ ink is so much more effective, it would seem, in “scare” headlines, than in plain reporting of facts. It is therefore wise to emphasize some of the other things which Mr. Byrnes said, and which Mrs. Roosevelt had said the night before, and which Senator Vandenburg said in speaking to

ure time to check their voting privileges, it is estimated that the Democratic party supporters would be the more greatly affected by the new proposal of registration without an organized ef-

fort by field representatives to ^ see that all voters are properly j trical, Radio and Machine Workregistered and not disfranchised < ers > Union of Ft. Wayne,who

Indeed, the thing which cannot be over-stressed was said in his

Mr. Gillie, keenly aware tha; | the United States Senate

this is election year, is trying t> ' ~ keep his status with the reaction ■ ary old guard, of which he ha; always been a consistent member and at the same time is making and unprecedented bid fo 1 liberal votes. In other words, h< is trying not to let his right ham see what his left hand is doing —

and at times, vice versa. He voted with the other reac

tionary members of his party ir support of the Republican-spon-» sored viciously anti-labor Cas^ bill. But now (while the Repub-f lican party is all-out in a driv4 to kill off all price control) Gillifi unexpectedly comes forward with' statements which he introduced; into the Congressional Record, by a prominent labor organization of his district, and others, favoring price control. The labor organization was the United Elec-

INDIFFERENCE OF VOTERS HIT

Lethargy Of U.S. Citizens Is Imperiling American Democracy

That you, Mr. Average Citizen, are not getting representative government,, is proved by a recent survey of the recent municipal elections throughout the

country.

The political lethargy of

our

national broadcast by radio Com- , people is the gravest threat to

our Democratic system, is the

to cast their ballots on election

day.

Chairman Shively named Mrs. Betty Reynolds of Yorktown and Shirley Pietro, 2800 South Vine St., to sferve on the registration board which together with two Republican members will begin their work Friday moving from precinct to precinct for a 8-hour registration shift daily from 1 o’clock to 8 o’clock Ihvthe afternoons. During the 1944 campaign more than 10,000 new registrations were taken by a group of field deputies from each party working throughout the precincts from door to door. It is deemed impossible to properly register the voters in Delaware county with four field representatives of the clerk’s office. The following is a copy of the letter that Chairman Shively wrote Clerk Greene in protest to his announcement on registration

procedure:

March 5, 1946 Hon. Jesse Greene, County-Clerk, Delaware County, Muncie, Indiana.

Sir:

This will serve to advise you that I, as Chairman of the Delaware County Democratic Central Committee, am appointing Mrs. Betty Reynolds, Yorktown, Indiana, and Shirley Pietro, 2800 South Vine Street, Muncie, Indi-

were joined in their petition for the renewing of OPA by a committee of Ft. Wayne World War II veterans, and a number of other citizens of that city. It is also noteworthy that while Gillie took the floor to speak against the principles of the bill to provide federal funds for school lunches (on “states’ rights” lines) he never?* theless voted for this bill, obviously because he deemed it expedient. This, of course, he expected to win the approval of both sides. ■ This is probably what is meant by getting ’em, coming or going. Votes that is. A good trick if it can be made to

work.

mentator Raymond Gram Swing: “The most significant and highly encouraging thing about it is that everyone of the 34 Americans attending this first world conference, came home full of enthusiasm, and confident that UNO is

going to work.”

These are the things in Mr. Brynes’ speech which every American should hear and heed: “Loose talk of the inevitability of war jeopardizes our own peace. There is room in the world for many ideologies and governments. Viewing the wreckage of war, we

conclusion of the National Citizens’ Committee which conducted the survey. Here are some of the figures on the alarmingly small number of voters who turned out at the polls — figures especially significant now, in view of the need now for an intensive campaign for registration, and the necessity for getting out a full vote, next

fall:

In New York City, where William O’Dwyer, candidate of the Progressive forces was victorious

all must see that the problems ot i “ = (1 ?; c ° r " er r ?£ e ', the

on election day turnout was the low-

gression. It will be subject to i

HELL SHIP STOPPED Tokyo— Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters, disclaiming responsibility for crowding 200 Formosan and Korean women and children on the “Hell Ship” Yoisuki, today ordered them transferred to a Japanese hospital

ship.

Mac Arthur’s headquarters requested Australian authorities to debark the Formosans and Koreans at Rahul or some port near Sydney and transfer them to a hospital ship for the remainder of the trip home. A supreme headquarters statement labeled as “completely erroneous” suggestions that authorities in Japan were responsible for the incident and said that responsibility for loading the ship was entirely in the hands of local commanders. o MOSCOW TALKS Moscow. — Soviet press dispatches, in the first accounts here of Winston Churchill’s speech in Missouri, said today that United States congressmen opposed his proposal for an Anglo-American military alliance. A Tass dispatch from New York reporting the congressional opposition cited comments of Sens. Claude Pepper, D., Fla., George Aiken, R., Vt., and Owen Brewster, R., Me., in one or two sentences each. j

plan is that it may make his work easier in his office. The new proposal by the county clerk is based on an Indiana statute which provides that such sub-stations may be set up in counties of 80,000 or more. Delaware county does not come within that scope and the Democratic chairman protests that. Greene has acted beyond his authority to adopt such a program

here.

It may be well remembered that deliberate plans to retard the registration of voters in Marion county during the 1944 campaign resulted in many thousands of voters being disfranchised on

election day. It is earnestly be-, of $3,590.59.

tration Clerks.

I also wish to vigorously protest the action you have taken in this matter, and to inform you that the County Attorney has advised me you are acting beyond

your authority.

I also wish to set forth that after carefully going over the budget for registration in the last General election of 1944, in which a total of $8,116.41 was expended, I cannot see how you can claim to save the taxpayers of our County from $5,000 to $6,000 and still have a budget set up for your Registration office of $11,707 for 1946 or an increase in expenditure

lieved by party workers that a similar situation will result from the present registration proposal and thereby it has been protested as being wholly undemocratic. Including large numbers of rank and file working people who are more apt to frequently change their addresses and with less leis-

Actually, figured on a basis of

$5 per day for each of the four clerks you propose to have do this work you will expend $980 this year in the field, where in 1944 a total of only $664 was ex-

pended for field registration. Your plan is totally inadequate, (Continued On Page Four)

Mr. Willis Is Boosted Down Stairs Indiana “organization” Republicans, who are backing Republican State Chairman and Gates-Righthand-Man William E. Jenner for the Senate, are openly peeved by the fact that the Chicago Tribune has stated editorially that “Senator Willis is beyond all doubt the strongest candidate the party can present to the voters.” Jenner and his friends, according to report, declined to comment on the editorial: but “other Republicans who speak the organization view, said that while Mr. Willis’s record is above reproach” (again we say, what record?)- “His years and his ‘lack of color’ handicap him. They consider Mr. Jenner a youthful, colorful possibility with a good campaign personality.” Mr. Willis’s isolationist views and background make him, of course, an ideal candidate in the estimation of Col. Bertie McCormack and his kind. The Tribune was not infrequently quoted by the Nazi propagandists before and during the war. A boost from the Tribune should be the equivalent of a kick down stairs.

POLITICAL POT IS SIMMERING

Candidates May File Declarations With County Clerk Beginning Friday Today, aspirants for party nominations to public offices need not only announce their intentions to be a candidate but they may also actually file their declarations with the county clerk and such declarations may be filed during the next thirty days. Also, precinct committeemen w* h o make up each party committee organizations may also file such declarations with the clerk as well as party delegates to the state conventions held next June. So far, Democratic candidates have made announcements for all county officers except for county auditor and judge of the superior court. It is reported that Leo Voisard, recently discharged from military service and a party worker for a number of years, may be a Democratic candidate for auditor while it has also been suggested that Earl Manors deputy prosecutor, may seek the nomination for superior court judge. During the past week, Tom Cannon, former prosecuting attorney and yet in military service will be a candidate for the circuit bench. Judge Clarence Higi has announced himself not to be a candidate for a second term. Larue Leonard, labor leader, and J. Erwin Walsh, present state representative, are at present.the Democratic candidates for state representative. Richard Dowling and Ed Rawlings, both present deputy sheriffs, will oppose each other for the sheriff nomination since Sam Gray will not seek the office again. It is known that Charles Guffigan, state police officer, has also thought of entering the race for sheriff and another possible aspirant is Fred DeElliott, former police officer. Hubert L. Parkinson, present county treasurer, will seek another term in that office for the Democrats while to date Claude Jones appears the only candidate for county clerk. Gailon Stephens, present coroner and Alfred Ellison, county surveyor, are expecti (Continued on Page Four)

reconversion absorb all our energies. There will be no peace, no comfort, and little hope for any of

us, otherwise.”

The essence of our democracy is in the life and growth and in the right of our people to their own lives, he declared. That right we must no less concede to others. We must maintain our power, he said; we alone cannot disarm, unless all others disarm; but he made it clear that our power will never be used for purposes of aggression. It will be subject to a

__. .... mS

for the purpose of maintaining

peace.

“To ban war,’’ he continued, “nations must refrain from doing things that lead to war. The great powers have the power to maintain peace, if they have the will to maintain peace. “No one power can make war, if the others stand together. No one can act without upsetting the whole UNO.” And he expressed unqualified confidence in the workability of UNO—if the peoples of the world back it, and work together with patience, and understanding, and toward the common and universally desired goal of world peace. In the last analysis, as Mrs. Roosevelt also strongly emphasized, it comes back to us—the people; the peoples of the world. (Continued On Page Four)

est in 4 elections since 1933. In Detroit, where Richard Frankensteen, vice president of UAW-CIO, met defeat at the hand of the incumbent, Edward J. Jeffries, only 63 per cent of the registered voters went to the polls, despite the work of the CIO-PAC and the Michigan Citizens’ Committee and the provocative anti-negro and anti-labor propaganda of the Jeffries sup*

porters.

In the 4th New Jersey Congressional District which sent

His Labor Suggestions Are Unfair and Partial — Errs By Showing He Is Poorly Informed On Several Points—His Remarks Tend To Indicate That He Is Against a Closed Shop — Unions Are Conducted Along Democratic Lines — Mr. Stassen Shows Ignorance In Several Statements. A certain faction of labor for some time has looked favorably upon Harold Stassen as a liberal and a friend of labor whom they might find it advantageous to have in the White House. It is doubtful if, after his suggestions for “a Republican labor policy,” they will continue to feel that

way.

Mr. Stassen’s labor suggestions, 1TT 7 77 7TZ H 71 on analysis, are seen to be by no L 1 }™ the ‘ ruth ° f the matter .s, means as “lair and impartial” as |that the umons are c O" ducted a-

he himself appeared to think. And Mr. Stassen also erred lamentably by showing that he is poorly informed on several

counts.

For one thing, Mr. Stassen in speaking for mainteance of the rights of workers, stressed not the rights of unions or union members, but of “individual” workers. That, to a union member, can mean only one thing: That Mr. Stassen is against the closed shop. That is a point which every union member in the United States will hotly contest, because no union can bargain effectively if the factory is only partially organized. And on all contract and other matters, such a situation would mean continual intra-factory war. Furthermore, at the same time that he declared emphatically

Purple Heart Hero Recorder Candidate

VERNON THOMAS Vernon Thomas, 25, a double amputee victim of World War II, is a candidate on the Democratic ticket for recorder of Delaware County. A resident of Muncie for eighteen years, he lives temporarily at 412 North Elm street, while awaiting possession of his own home at 2710 South Monroe street. As a private first class with the infantry, having entered service on April 15, 1943, Thomas served in the European theatre of operations and was injured, losing both his legs while in action on the Rhine river. Thomas attended Muncie High School, after completing grade school here, and later was employed as cab driver and a mechanic before entering service with the armed forces. He is married and since his return home has been employed as a dispatcher for the Ray Cab Company.

easily be used to hog-tie the unions over a period of years. This

registered voters went to the polls and the victorious candidate was the choice of less than 24 per cent of the registered elec-

torate.

In Lansing, Mich.,, only 2500 out of 44,000 went to the polls. Fifty-five per cent of the registered voters cast vallots in Reading, Pa., only 43,521 out of 110, 000 voted from Dayton, O.; 17, 407 out of 28,844 in Lancaster, Pa.; and 60,389 out of 83,421 in New Haven, Conn. From all of which it will be seen that we have our work cut out for us, in “this year of decision”: To register the voters — later, to get out the vote; but now and then and continuously to work to awaken the people to the crucial importance to themselves, their country, and the world, of the issues at stake.

VOTERS’ APATHY IS DANGEROUS

Failure To Vote By U. S. Citizens A Serious Threat To Democracy

afiqns* H Vic^I^resident^Wal^

l If any further proof of the dan- ■ gerous apathy of the voting public were necessary—after the revealing figures recently oublished with regard to the mayoralty elections of some weeks ago—it is provided by figures on the special election in New York’s nineteenth congressional district. Despite a hot campaign, only 35,095 people cast votes—the total number of votes cast for the district, falling to that figure, from 95,467 in 1944. This means that twice as many people as voted, stayed at home. That is a sad commentary on the public-mindedness of our citizens. It can even represent a threat to democracy itself—since our Democratic form of government, which is founded on “consent by the governed”, can only be maintained by electing representatives who will truly represent them in the government. It also poses a particular problem and challenge to the Democratic party. For the Democratic party is the party of progress, and of the rights of the common man. Let the reactionaries get into control, and all the social gains of the past dozen years, will be wiped

out.

And it is a fact that the Democrats were defeated in Indiana at the last election, not by the overwhelming strength of the Republican party, but by the apathy of the Democratic voters who stayed at home—enough of them stayed at home to have carried Indiana (Continued on Page Four)

danger is inherent in the Case Bill sponsored by the Republican Old Guard — and also declared against compulsory arbitration, another Case Bill feature, because it cannot be made to work unless the government at the same time undertakes to compel men to work, and that would mean the end of democracy — at the same time that he advocated these things, he right-about faced in the matter of jurisdictional disputes. In the case of the latter trouble, he said that the government must develop jurisdictional tribunals; courts which would act “in the public interest” through compulsory arbitration, and which should “rigorously require respect for the law.” Where would democracy be, then? — If his own words hold

true.

Furthermore, Mr. Stassen showed woeful ignorance on two points: First, he said that “the government should require that there be democracy within labor groups — it must require officials of the unions to be elected by secret ballot at stated in-

tervals.”

And second, he said that as [things now are, a strike vote is I called — this heinp done under

called — this being done under the provisions of the Smith-Con-nally Act which was passed over President Roosevelt’s veto, Roosevelt declaring at the time that it would actually promote strikes — which it has. But, Stassen said, after arbitration has established a possible working-agree-ment, this at present is not similiarly submitted to the membership to vote upon; and he advocated government-required “af-ter-strike” vote after peace-re-commendation has been made.

long perfectly Democratic lines. Take the UAW-CIO, for instance, the world’s biggest union: Local union officials are elected every year, to serve for that length of time, and are elected by secret ballot. National officers are elected every year at the union’s national convention, by roll call vote, which is the way the United States Congress votes upon our federal laws. Delegates to the national convention are chosen by secret ballot. What could be more democratic than that? And Mr. Stassen shows equal lack of information when he says that only the strike vote, and not the arbitrators’ peace-recom-mendation, is submitted to the union membership. To use UAW again as an illustration and the General Motors’ strike which has so long been in the public eye,—• after President Truman’s Fact-

ter Reuther of the Auto Workers called a conference in Detroit to consider the matter: And this, mind you, is the procedure which UAW uses on all matters of general policy, a procedure which is completely democratic and free from any and all possible “dicta-

tion” by union heads.

This conference, and other such conferences upon national UAW matters, was made up of all the presidents and chairmen of shopbargaining committees of all the General Motors local unions over the country, and of one additional delegate from each local union having 5,000 or more members. The peace-recommendation was put before these representatives, and discussed, and finally voted upon by these representatives of the local unions. But the “democratic procedure” did not end there. For it was not in the power of these delegates to speak for the thousands of members back home. They had to go back to their local unions with the decision of the unions’ representatives, and submit the proposal to the members themselves so that each one could vote upon it. What, Mr. Stassen, could be more democratic than that? And just for the sake of the record, it should be remembered that when this vote was taken, a good many weeks ago, the union membership as well as their delegates in conference, agreed to accept the findings of the President’s Fact-Finding board. It w 7 as the Messrs. Du Pont and Pew’s General Motors Corporation which refused, and which caused the strike to drag on—GM hoping to starve the workers into submission to harsher terms. Furthermore, GM has just still further shown its hand by rejecting the union’s reasonable and

(Continued On Page Four)