Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 21 February 1941 — Page 20

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~ paper Alliance, NEA

PAGE %

The Indianapolis Times

(A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) ROY W. HOWARD " RALPH BURKHOLDER MARK FERREE President Editor Business Manager

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we RILEY 5551

Give Light and the People will Find Their ‘own Way

Service, and Audit Bugeau of Circulations.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1941

ANOTHER UMBRELLA ABANDONED

RITISH appeasement in the Orient, as in Europe, has -died hard. During a decade of imperialist expansion by Japan, England has pussyfooted, compromised, yielded. Since 1931-Japan has grabbed Manchuria, then North China, then Shanghai and all of coastal China, plus Hainan and the Spratly Islands; she has’ destroyed naval limitation; she has quit the League of Nations but blandly retained (and fortified) her League-mandated islands; she has hemmed in British Hong Kong; she has abused British subjects at Tientsin, and machine-gunned a British Ambassador; she has allied herself with Britain's enemies. And during all that time, while Washingtqn was ad- _ hering steadfastly to the doctrines of the Open Door and "of non-recognition of aggressive conquests, England was beating a steady diplomatic retreat. In 1939 she finally humbled herself so far as to acknowledge the “special requirements” of the Japanese Army in China, and to promise ‘non-interference. : Even so late as a few months ago, in a further effort to propitiate Japan, she closed the Burma Road, the jugular of beleaguered China. Australia, too, was full of appeasement. It is said the Australians encouraged, if they did not actually initiate, the closing of the Burma Road. Today appeasenient appears as dead in the Far East as in Europe. The Burma Road is open again. Singapore has been reinforced. British officers at Singapore are talking tough. The British Empire, in spite of its multiple troubles elsewhere, appears to have drawn a line in Malaya and the South China Sea and in effect said to Japan: “You have come far enough; thus far and no farther.” : America’s good-will flows to the British and Australians in this as in other corners of the world. But it is only human if we speculate on what the situation might have been if, in these 10 years, England's Orient, diplomacy had matched in stiffness that of Secretaries Stimson and Hull.

HOW THE LEGION CAN HELP

THE Merit System bill appears to be snagged in committee by a conflict over the extent to which service men should be given preferential treatment in civil service examinations and final standings. We think the American Legion is well within its rights in asking such consideration for its members. There is precedent: for it in civil service regulations throughout the country. As a matter of fact, judging from the debate at the hearings, supporters of the bill do not seem averse to giving veterans a 5 to 10-point credit beyond their actual grades. However, they make it clear that they might be compelled to withdraw all support from the bill if the preferential treatment were extended beyond that concession. - Since this is one of the few genuinely . worthwhile measures brought out at this session of the General Assembly, we regret fo .see it endangered by a controversy which seems susceptible of quick settlement. Supporters

_ of the bill have indicated a willingness to accept a reason-

‘ the viewpoint of defense.

able comproniise. Can not now the veterans temper their demands so that the bill can be sent on its way? It would be a mark of veal statesmanship if they did so.

THEY'RE IMPORTANT, TOO

THE 17 major air lines, following the railroads’ example, are preparing to sell tickets on the pay-by-the-month _ installment plan. After March 1 passengers whose credit is good can obtain personal loans at moderate interest to cover fares in excess of $50, the loans to be repaid over 12 months or less. It’s a logical development. Air travel is constantly growing in popularity, and the air lines, like the railroads, are alert to create new business. We hope they can be equally alert to provide adequate, safe equipment for the expected additional travelers, as well as the present ones. Unfortunately, it isn’t certain that they can be. There’s an argument just now in Washington over whether defense needs should be given almost complete priority over American commercial air lines for the next year. If that’s done, there will be few if any new passenger liners for replacement of old equipment, let alone for expanded business. We understand the need for military planes, but the need for more commercial planes is also great, even from It’s important not to interrupt the progress of the air travel business, and more important than ever just now when speed in carrying out defense plans depends on rapid transportation of officials, business-

men, blueprints and even some materials from end to end

of the big country in commercial planes.

IN PARADISE VALLEY

E have certain doubts, but we hope the news from Nevada is on the level. Constable Jack Larry of Las Vegas is receiving reports that a beautiful blond, attired becomingly if sketchily in a flour sack, is roaming through Paradise Valley. To a rabbit hunter who claims to have

encountered her she is said to have cried, as she fled into

the purple sage, “Let me live my own life!” Paradise Valley, alas, is far from here, and previous engagements will prevent us from undertaking a personal

investigation. Later, perhaps, at a season when the climate

of Nevada will be more suitable for flour-sack raiment—but, no! It were better to dismiss all idea of joining this desert |

nymph. After all, who are we to be thinking of intruding | upon anyone—even a beautiful blond—who believes she has |

. found a retreat in THIS world where she can lead her own

pay the existing taxes. | blige no matter how large or small his income.

Fair Enough By Westbrook Pegler

A Reminder to Critical Youth Of Some Things This Generation Has Done Toward Better Living

EW YORK, Feb. 21.—To those members of American youth who ‘may be inclined to find fault with the state of the nation and to blame the present senior elass for neglect and sloth I shoulé like to address a message—unsolicited, to be sure, but prepaid. It goes this way: If you think things are bad now you should have seen the mess which we inherited around 1900. Hardly anyone had electric lights then, even in the cities, and gas light was still a luxury, and, of course, there were no automoebiles to speak of, nor any paved roads, and the plumbing was about what you would find in a modernized French or English mansion at this time—which is to say very primitive. Wages were low, but you could get a soup bone for a nickel and liver was free for the cat, but fresh vegetablés vanished from the people's diet for the winter znd oranges were a Christmas delicacy.

Up %6 some time around 1915 the river front In

" Chicago was a revolting mess of garbage, literally, and old buildings infested by rats big enough to saddle and"

ride, ant in most cities the transportation consisted of streell cars only, which in winter were heated by coal stoves. 2 8 8

N New York, up to then, the subway came up the East Side to 42d St. then forked off to Broadway and uptown, by comparison with a present system so intricat® that even some of the policemen don’t know their way around.

Only a dozen years ago a drive from New York to Philadelphia was an expedition, and it took at. least two and a half hours to get past Newark. Our generation built those vehicular tunnels and the George Washington Bridge, the Pulaski Skyway and the concrete tlirough-route which avoids the hard going in the congested districts. Our generation just obliterated 5. Water St, Chicago, shoved back the lake and made those boulevards which whip you swiftly and smoothly to areas which were country then.

Of course, I, personally, made no contribution to these linprovements, but if you gre going to blame my generation, generally, for neglect and failure in certain matters, you have to count us all in on the credits. Those who deserve the greatest credit as individuals or groups were the dirty capitalists who created the motor industry and other. productive lines for sordid gain. In the matter of public improvements, credit belongs to the party politicians—many of them grafters, I gran} you, who were constantly trying to put the public in debt to them for material improvements to which they could point with pride in campaign time. They furnished the drive. You should have seen St. Louis about then. You should have seen Indianapolis. *

0 we have neglected you, have we? Well, in 190Q there were only 114,000 students taking regular college courses, fewer than one-tenth of the enrollment in 1938, and while it is true that the population also grew, that increase was only about 60 per cent. Work that out on your polished intellect and see how many mors of you are going to college in proportion to the population than went to college then. Why, in those days Miami was a little isolated tradinz post and the soil which is now shoving up green vegetables and even strawberries in winter and all that citrus was shoving up only weeds, vine, pine and palmettoes. If you think the Indians or nature made that change you are crazy. That was all done by this generation, which also produced the airplane, the telephone system, the radio and discoveries in healirlg that now cure people who similarly ailing then just had to die. And all this time my generation somehow contrived to preserve the American liberties under the Constitution which you will not appreciate until and unless; they are taken away. And if anyone tries to tell apout the marvelous advance in Russia, ask him how. many ordinary Russians own automobiles and

‘what happens to a Russian who says a word against

Joe §talin. Ask how things are in Germany and Italy and make your comparisons. If your generation does half as well as mine you will Lave run a very good score, and I hope you do.

Business By John T. Flynn

Economy League Urges "Overall" Gross Tax to Balance U. S. Budget

‘EW YORK, Feb. 21.—The National. Economy League has a plan to put America on a cash basis. Slowly it is dawning on people that it is not quite possible to “knock the silly old dollar sign out of this picture” as the President once so joyously hoped, It's in. And how! Serious-minded men who know a little something of how our economic system works now begin to see with grave misgiving what the vast borrowing program will do to us. So the National Economy League suggests a new tax—a kind of over-all, cover-all, comprehensive and apparently gross income tax of 10 per cent. This, it confidently tells us, will balance the budget, even with all the vast national-defense-of-Brit-ain costs included. As I gather, here is the way it would work. The tax would be imposed at the source. Every person who found himself called on to pay money income to another person would deduct 10 per cent from the peyment and turn it over to the United States Government, If in the course of a year a man was entitled to receive from various sources $5000, he would find that the person obliged to pay him this would deduct £00 from it and send it to the Government. The taxpayer himself would actually receive $4500 in cash. {Hz would then have to make up his income tax return, just as if this $500 had never been deducted, and This would apply to every

‘This, of course, is the most drastic and most inejuitable form of taxation. But the demand for it glows out of a perfectly reasonable and just examina-

tion of the economic situation.

The paying for the immense defense-of-Britain costs can be dome only by taxes or loans. If it is done by. loans it means the complete unbalancing of the whole price structure, which will get out of hand, will send prices soaring, since control will be difficult if rot impossible, with a consequent increase in the cost of defending the British Empire and finally a collapse of our own economic structure in the end ¢nd the spreading of the burden of Britain's war over several generations of Americans. All this the Na{ional Economy League points out, . But if we are to tax we had better find some better vay ‘to do it than with an over-all, gross income tax. For one thing, such a tax will never get through {Jongress. But at least it is a good thing to have the subject brought up now. The good times that are spreading everywhere as a result of the war are proitucing a wide degree of tolerance of the war and its risks. Once again the war ig turning into a great “con-

I ‘cession for Americans, even though we «re going to

have to pay for it ourselves. The payment is in the future—people think—and we'll worry about it later. The National Economy League, therefore, does a servce by bringing this subject to the attention of the

So They Say—

FREEDOM OF thought and of speech is guaranteed to the alien as well as to the citizen; and . . . includes ‘freedom for the thought that we hate.— | Wirin, Civil Liberties Union lawyer, in/a court the ® * $

oy ERNMENT 1a neually bods as Sood 8 J. Swope, on assuming: the

"THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

But Will It Remove ‘Greece’ Spots P

The Hoosier Forum

I wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

SEEKING LIGHT ON THE ENEMIES OF DEMOCRACY By E. A. Are we to imply that every country England declares war against is a natural enemy of democracy — such as, maybe, Rumania? And if England does declare war against Rumania, whence comes the oil for the Nazi machine, why can’t we expect England to declare war against Sweden, whence comes the steel for the Nazi machine? In this case shoudn’t Sweden be an enmey of

democracy? 8 2 2

SPEAKS A GOOD WORD. FOR ITALIAN PEOPLE By John O. Spahr

The Tragedy of Italy. Nothing is easier (or more despicable) than to kick a man when he is down. It is easy, at long range, to administer a verbal kicking to the Italian people, especially now that their armies have taken such a literal kicking around in Albania, in Libya and in Ethiopia. It is unjust, however, to use these failurcs as a blanket indictment of the Italian people, and especially to allow it to reflect on Americans of Italian descent. It is the strutting, bombastic, truculent leadership that has fastened itself on Italy that must bear the blame. There is nothing wrong with Ital- |™ ijans as such. They did all right when they were kicking Radetzky out of Milan a hundred years ago, and Garibaldi’s red shirts and Mazzini’s legions were the admiration of the world when they made their gallant but hopeless resistance to the Austrians. But they were fighting to defend their country, fighting for freedom. And that makes all the difference. People who like to bring up Caporetto forget the Piave and the fact that Italy, almost knocked out, rose again and delivered a knockout blow against the Austrians, losing 600,000 dead and a million wounded. But, again, Italian soldiers were throwing Austrian invaders out of northern Italy. They were willing to fight and to die for that, and for the bright dream of freedom promised by their allies. Men who served with the squad-

Side Glances=By Galbraith

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Make your letters ‘shori, so all can have a chance. Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request.)

-

mates of Italian origin in the World War know that such men were good men; loyal companions and brave fighters. But they were fighting for a free land, their land, to keep it free and to make their motherland free, not for a mad imperialist dream of vanished empire.. They will do it again, if need be, apd do it well. 2 2 2 ADMITS BEING ‘NOSEY’ ABOUT QUACKS By Inquisitive

Charlotte Huston has a very flattering definition for “inquisitive.” To me it is just a two-dollar word meaning “nosey.” And that I have been, particularly concernirig. the quacks. I have investigated the records of some of them ang find them so unsavory it makes me wonder if any member of the public could possibly have any confidence in quacks if they knew of these records. One, for instance, has conducted “institutes” for curing cancer, tuberculosis and venereal diseases until the town marshals of several cities drove him out of town. Now, for some reason, he is very respectable although the “cure” he currently offers is as doubtful as the others. Perhaps there are drugless healers who are not frauds. But how is the public to know? The state grants them a license but on what basis? Do quacks—or drugless healers, if you prefer—have to pass an examination as regular doctors do to maintain a certain standard? If so, what is that standard? Or can any buzzard out to make an pasy living get a bright idea for “curing” something and obtain a license in the same way a butcher or a grocer. gets one?

It seems to me that anyone

i

COPR. 1941 BY NEA

ING. T. M. REG: U. 8. PAT. OFF.

"Now go out and have a good time—but don't call an up every

h ff-hour. as s + 0 gh | were a di mwit who: wou

wanting to patronize quacks would be wise in looking up records and asking a few questions before putting any confidence in them. Where quacks and such are concerned one ought to be nosey with a vengeance. Such devotion as Miss Huston's, in« cidentally, is worthy of a better subject, I maintain.

” » o URGES SCHOOLS TRAIN YOUTH FOR INDUSTRY By Lettie Sawyer, Greencastle, Ind.

I'm deaf. So all I know is what I read. And it seems to me this egislature has let itself run a litwild. If bills it has passed and 0 s in the making pass, the state will be in the red some eight to twelve million dollars. There is talk of a sales tax. People who have traveled through . states with a sales tax will all agree that it is a perfect nuisance. This Legislature is seriously lacking in good leadership. And I'd like to know who is Governor, Arch Bobbitt or Schricker? It is common knowledge among our best educators that our school system is falling down on the way our youth should be educated to meet the world of today. Less than half of our high schools are equipped to give the vocational training in shop work that is necessary for a boy to be able to get a job in one of the new industrial plants. My son who has always been an excellent mechanic was asked if he graduated from Tech in Indianapolis when he applied for a job at the new Allison plant. . Parents are to blame for not seeing that the school boards furnish the proper shop tools to train the boys. If the school boards haven't the money then the P.-T. A.’s and the businessmen should see what they can do about it.

® 8 8 FAVORS AIDING BRITISH BUT URGES COMPENSATION By Claude Braddick, Kokomo, Ind.

An overwhelming majority of right-thinking Americans are convinced that the more U. S. aid to Britain—short of war—the less likely we are to get into the war. Those who object to the Lease-Lend Bill as a “step toward war,” do so because they believe the powers delegated to the President therein are too broad and indefinite, and they do not trust the President. I recognize that as a valid objection, though I do not at present agree with it. I object to the bill (in case anyone cares), not so much because of its provisions, but because it rests on the false assumption that England is at the end of her resources and cannot or will not continue the war unless we undertake to finance it. That is a manifest untruth. If we cannot afford to see England lose, how much less can England afford it! We are not a part of the British Empire. England's defeat waquld dismay us, but not automatically end our career as a nation. Why, then, should we finance her war while she retains possesisons in this hemisphere of great value to us and of small value to her?

JUBILATE DEO

By MARY WARD As an antidote to the drum’s loud beat, ,

Of double-quick upon the street, THEE is a song comes wafting

ugh The marching call of the drum'’s tattoo—

“Old Hundredth,” an electric air, A hymn that vanquishes i “O be joyful in the —" Heavenly words of sweet accord.

DAILY THOUGHT

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall losé his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.— Mark 8:35.

WHO FALLS for love of God,

FRIDAY, y TTR of, 1041 E

Gen. Johnson - |Says—

Committee in Aluminum Industry To Work With Government Should Be Followed in All Defense Work

ASHINGTON, Feb. 21.—A committee is being formed in the aluminum jipdustry of leading men whose contacts and experience touch every element of aluminum production and sale. This committee will be available to an aluminum committee of * the Defense Advisory Commission and O. P. M. representing Government. Thus, in’ this industry * the defense organization of Gov- * ernment -and of the industry are ° being as closely knit together as - the clasped and interlaced fingers of your two hands. That is the path to intelligent action, control and all-out industrial mobilization —the only path. “Priority” committees are also being set up for a few industries. These will tell the manufacturers in those industries which orders they must fill first to speed defense. Whenever you do that, you have to put a ceiling on prices for pri- - ority items. This is because, if there is no ceiling, there will be frantic counter-bidding. The longest purse takes all. Prices skyrocket and there begins what we all most fear—war-time price inflation.

. » ” » NDER this new plan of price and priority .and commodity committee control, Government is not moving under any direct statutory authority. The Government issues an instruction on price, priority : or other control. If the suppliers obey, that ends it. - . If they don’t, their material or facilities will be seized (commandeered) by Government. @ . Then the Government will have to dispose of that matenial or operate those factories—a task for which it is not fitted and a process involving paralyzing - upheavals. Also the Government must pay for what _ it seizes and the price will be determined by a Federal - Court. Under our Constitution it must be “just com-, pensation” whenever "private property is taken for public use.” : It is ah awkward, cunibersoine plan. We used it in 1918 when we were groping in the dark of an uncharted sea. Our conclusion was, “next time let's do it simply and directly.” Now is “next time” and we still fumble with .the same old contraption. That committee of the aluminum industry, these priority committees, this price control—all are splen- . did and necessary steps; but why have we delayed so long in taking them, and why don’t we streamline them and apply them to_the whole field of industrial mobilization? The answer given is, “Oh, we'll do it in each war commodity separately and ohly whenéver prices get out of line.” That answer is no good. Every experience of the World War proved that it no good. ”

HE price of reiile is simply a composite of the price of everything else. The price of steel, for example, is the sum of the cost of labor, mate-. rial, power and transportation to produce it, and those costs too are the sum of all the myriad ‘costs it takes to produce them. You can’t put a ceiling over the price of two or three commodities and let all their component elements of cost go free to skyrocket into the stratosphere. If you do, the cost of that thing will soon be double its fixed price, and you will either have to stop its production or let its price follow the rest upward. That process is already going on, as shown in the War Department’s confession that bullding costs have increased 50 per cent. We are never going to get the war production we need without inflation until we extend these first faltering steps to a complete price ceiling, a complete organization and integration of industry with Government for war production and conservation, and complete power in the President to do these things simply and directly. “Too little and too late” is a true bill against us. “We're in the war or nearly 50,” says Jesse Jones, and “when you do that you've got to throw money away.” You don’t have to throw money away unless you are in a panic of ignorance and hysteria—but that is where we seem to be. Our abortive organization for industrial mobilization is mostly a dismal flop.

Editor's Note: The views expre expressed by columnists in this newspaper are their own. They are not necessarily those of The Indianapolis Times.

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

HE most powerful force for propaganda. is the American husband. Any contacts with several varied groups of women convinces you of the fact, and the fact will brook no argument. Of late it has been interesting, if sad, to observe the general movement of women toward military glorification. After years of a flat-footed stand against it, after vows of renouncing war work forever, after long . labor in the fields of peace, scores of my own circle of acquaintances are off carrying banners. Amd what goes on in one circle is re-. peated elsewhere. Still other scores of those who + still hold fast to their former convictions are almost mentally ill - ; from the struggle to reconcile their position with world events. One by one they relinquish their faith to subscribe to that of their erstwhile opponents—the defenders of war. Some of these women have been candid enough to confess that their husbands falked them over, John says ‘so and so.” Henry believes “this or that.” Bob ° thinks “such and such.” So the conversation runs. We can easily imagine that.John, Henry and Bob went through periods of equal mental confusion before: deciding to run with the majority. A great many husbands feel the heavy pressure of financial re- - sponsibility. Sometimes their bread and butter .depends upon trailing with the herd. Being aware of human frailty who are we to condemn them? We're all so tied-up in economic webs": we sometimes feel neither brave nor free. And we” should never blame a person’ overmuch for succumbing to a temptation we have never faced. “There, but for the grace of God, goes Lucia Ferguson,” is the line I repeat to myself every day when I feel inclined to condemn either men or women, even * in times like these when physical courage is so highly ¢ touted and the moral kind is passed over as if ‘it were of no consequence. : At any rate, the current trends can't be ignored. Like a dark mass of lava flowing down a mountainside, the pressure has smothered and dimmed the little candles of peace which’ so many good women lighted in their homes and in their hearts. The Boss and Papa—what they say just naturally goes. In that respect we haven't moved very f=r from prehistoric days. If the Boss and Papa ever decide to heil a Hitler—will we be there heiling, to~?

Questions and Answers

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau will answer any question of fact or information, not involving extensive ‘e search. Write your questions clearly, sign name and address. inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical. of - legal - advice ca®*net be given. Addresa The Times Washingtes Barvice: Bureau, 1013 Thirteeuts Ble Wish Washingwon,. >. Oe aa

Q—When were gas maths first- wed : A—When the Germans launched their attack in April, 1915, the Allies at once. evi protection against it, which first took - form -of simple pads saturated with a solution of soda and

| thio-sulphate, commonly known as: “hypa” -Between /|the end of May and. December, 1915, thexe were. no

gas attacks, and in this period the se mask wag developed in its earlier forms. Q—What was the per capita public debt of the United States at the Heghining of © - first Ww ond War? A—Less than $20. By 1919, it had fea Stated QE her ny oy or town n United that is. run by. woment pve . Nate

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lp, New Al ny, all ¢