Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 1 March 1941 — Page 8

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SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1041

MEDIATION, NEW STYLE

THE Japanese can work wonders with words. Take

“mediation,” which we have always understood to mean impartial intercession. Ee ~~ Japan announced that she was mediating the dispute between Thailand and French Indo-China—which was thoughtful of her, since she stirred up the dispute in the first place. Anyway, delegates of the two countries were commanded to Tokyo, where the mediators told them what was what, namely that Thailand was to take over lafge chunks of Indo-China. The French demurred, and now the mediators apparently have laid a few guns on the table and said, “Take it, or else—." : : That sort of mediation is on a par with- the streamlined “non-intervention” of German and Italian soldiery in the Spanish Civil War. Or with the “non-aggression” that Hitler has so often pledged to nations just before “rescuing” them from themselves. Or with the Japanese practice of reférring to one of the bloodiest wars of all time as “the

China incident.”

NOT “VENTURE CAPITAL” ee ; MILLION S of Americans ought to be keenly interested in

the life-insurance report and recommendations made to the Temporary National Economic. Committee by representatives of the Securities & Exchange Commission. : Many of the findings and proposals are constructive. Perhaps they should result in changes of state laws and ‘even in Federal legislation, though we're not convinced of ‘the need for that. : Unfortunately, everything else is overshadowed by the statement that “the vast assets of the life companijes are only available for big business” and by the suggestion that | ‘Government may have to do something to. correct that alleged situation—specifically that the companies should invest part of their assets in common stocks, "This is, in plain effect, a proposal to use life-insurance ‘reserves to meet the demand for ‘venture capital.” It is | alarming to every policyholder. What the policy holder ‘wants is safety for the estate he is buying for his family. ‘That's why he pays insurance premiums instead of buying common stocks. He does not want an insurance company to invest in enterprises he considers too risky for himself. The need for venture capital is great, and we think the insurance companies may be doing more than the report concedes to meet this need. Almost 30 per cent of their 98-billion-dollar assets is secured in farm and urban mort‘gages and policy loans, much of it undoubtedly helping small and new enterprises. : The Government could and: should do a great deal to encourage, and to stop discouraging, investment in such ‘enterprises by wealthy individuals. But the mere hint that the Government has its eye on life-insurance savings, and ‘may be seeking a way to compel their use as venture capital, ds enough to make policy holders suspicious of every recom‘mendation in the life-insurance report.

d MR KNUDSEN'S MEMO

vote for a strike in a secret election conducted by the U. 8. |

PEFORE a Congressional committee last week William

=. 8. Knudsen agreed with Sidney Hillman, his co-director | of the Office of Production Management, that strikes were |

not seriously delaying national defense and that no new legislation was imperative. © Yesterday Mr. Knudsen submitted to the same committee a memorandum suggesting: f That notice of intent to strike be permitted only if at least 60 per cent of the employees

Conciliation Service. That, after notice of a strike, the OPM he given 10 days to study and report on the controversy.

That, after the report, a 30-day cooling-off period be | | enforced, during which attempts would be made to settle | |§

the controversy.

That a union or employer refusing to comply (pre-| i

sumably with the report of an OPM fact-finding committee) be deprived of rights before the NLRB.

££ nn » 8» = IN view of Mr. Knudsen’s previously stated attitude, this * memorandum is surprising. The plan suggested apparently would require drastic legislation, and its enforcement would raise some grave questions. How, for instance, could anyone be legally deprived of “rights” before the NLRB? And the memorandum came on the same day as a settlement of the Bethlehem steel strike which had led many to believe—erroneously, we think—that a satisfactory formula had been found for preventing such stoppages of defense work. The Bethlehem settlement is gratifying, in that work is resumed. But it can’t be guaranteed as a permanent

2 ~ gettlement. Clearly, it was brought about by pressure on

the employer—by intimations that the Government would

‘take over the plant unless the employer agreed to terms | lo

which a union leader hailed as “a 100 per cent victory for us.” . ] » " » » » # # MAYEE, in this case, the union was entitled to a 100 per "cent victory. That’s not the point. The point is that this method of settling strikes can’t be depended on to rk with all employers; that it sows the seeds of future uble because the company—or the union—which agrees

: to settlement under pressure of ‘this kind is bound to be |

; and that it gives the public no means of judging ether a strike has been settled justly. So we can well understand why Mr. Knudsen might that a better method must be provided. But it’s not

rtain the method outlined in the memorandum wouldn't

me respects be worse. We'd like to see public opinion | more chance to prevent strikes. That would call for ation and fact-finding by impartial citizens from whom

- 3

‘workers and employers,

blic could be certain of getting the truth about con- |

| tive intellectuals, and suddenly emerged from

in a defense industry |

‘nough By Westbrook Pegler

High Military Men, Most of the ‘Time in Mufti, in ne Position to

Criticize Dress of Rank and File |

X TASHINGTON, March 1.—Although some of the |W goldiers of the new Army and some of the young Navy flat-hats are setting new standards in 'bearing and dress which follow the influence of the ‘Sloppy Joe army of France, the high-ranking officers of the staff are in no position to pull any snoots at any of them. rge Marshall, the Chief of Staff, a general who could go around with four stars on each shoulder, is so bashful that he doesn't wear his soldier suit regularly, and any officer who should dress up in the quaint costume of his trade in Washington, except for a fancy-pants party at the White House or a high-class scuffle at the home of some refined meillionaire, would be accused of insufferable swank and might be soldiers for making himself con- | spicuous in public,

In % way these officers, of whom it seems that ‘there are some huge number in the capital and in New York, recall the stories of Adolf Hitler's tourist invasions of Norway and Rumania, in which swarms

| of Nagis masqueraded as salesmen, buyers and Sua 8.

sent back to the

hotel rooms’ attired for the fray. Cappy Wells, the press officer who made football

publicity fo West Point in the days when it was decided to let the public know that those young men

in gray were cadets and not letter carriers, has been

| brought on from Louisville, where for several years

he exercised his rank of major over two enlisted men

and a lady civilian clerk. . { . u 8

BgeTe0 to lieutenant colonel now, the cap still goes around in mufti, and, now that I think of it, I believe the only time I ever saw him with his stuff lon in all these years was one day at Gen. Smith's garden party in June week, when the general noticed a spot of powdered sugar on the tip of his nose and inquired genially, “been in the flour barrel, Capt. Wells?” " How do you suppose that infantry soldier got powder on his nose? Well, June week is a festive time at West Point, g¢nd did you ever dip your bill into a tall frosted glass of refreshment containing mint leaves dusted with powdered sugar? That was how, as I can safely tell you, now that the statute of limitations surely mush have run against a solemn violation of a warTior's/oath truly and faithfully to preserve and defend the United States Constitution, including the foul amendment. "Philip B. Fleming, graduate manager of sports at the academy then, is a brigadier now, but serving in wages and hours, so perhaps he may be excused for not putting on his gear and clanking as he walks. But Col, Robert C. Richardson who was commandant

of cadets is now a major general and director of the

Army's Bureau of Public Relations, and he wears a black suit and looks as if he were fixing to clear his {hrast and say. “Brethren, let us bow our heads in two minutes of pious meditation.”

NEN. TOOEY SPOTTS of the Air Corps, recently J hack from London, goes around wearing some tweedy thing that he picked up over yonder, and the town is full of rank and importance, and anyone less than a major is practically an okie. But they all go ground pretending to be grocers, morticians and veteran clerks at the Department of Commerce, and the odd part of it is that, although they look pretty imposing in their soldier clothes, Army officers in raufti, as a rule, look as if they had just crossed the continent by day coach in a slow train and hadn't undressed for a week. | They say the main reason for this is that they ton't want to give Congress the jumps strutting their rank around the Government buildings,. and the second reason given is that they like to be able to drop in for a dram at the hotels without creating an impression that the whole United States Army has no occupation other than just that. There is a little more truth to the second excuse ‘han to the first, but the real reason, as this keen, srained observer has discerned, is that in mufti they tan go baggy or half shaved and don’t have to suck it up and pull in their ears as an example of fine military bearing to the laity and the enlisted personnel. But that is life for you, ain’t it? They fret and grind through school and eat their hearts out for slow, gradual gains in rank, and when they get up

‘there they go around posing as suburban taxpayers ‘and leaders of the P.-T., A.

Business

By John T. Flynn Ceiling Should Be Applied Now If Price Control Is to Be Effective

yEW YORK, March 1—The price-control headache is getting more and more commanding. Up to now all that has been done about it is for

| sore muscular gentleman in Washington to announce | that he is “going to do something about it.”

Gen. Hugh Johnson insists that a ceiling should be put on prices. The only trouble with that suggestion is that it is too obvious for the Washington bureaucrats to adopt. It has in it the fatal flaw that it might work. Certainly it would work for a while. But the whole trouble lies in the fact that high prices are not at all unpopular with the people in Washington. And high prices look good to lots of other : people all over the country whe Just movement which has so mueh promise in it.

The simple fact is that a ceiling over prices should -

have been declared many months ago—seven or eight

‘at least. Every month this was delayed the problem

became more difficult. Every month it is delayed now the problem will become progressively more difficult. A few years ago a Senate committee was strug‘gling with the problem of prices in war time. I submitted to that committee a study of prices in the last war. That study revealed that the whole trouble begins with the unbalance of prices. # » ”

(CRIA products are subject to immense demand immediately. The prices of this limited number of products go up. But these products are used, not merely in war goods, but in peace time goods. And

| s0 those peacetime goods go up in price because of

this rise in the price of the ingredients. At the same time certain other goods lose their market and the prices of these goods go down. After a few months we get a very seriously unbalanced price structure—some Prices very high, some just rising, some at normal levels, others lower and others very

Ww. It is difficult to put a ceiling over these prices, once this unbalance has gone very far, because it freezes the price structure at a dangerous maladjustment. The ceiling should be put over the prices the minute the war effort starts and before the unbalance gets under way. The longer this obvious device is delayed the more difficult it will be to adopt. It could be done now, and

probably some correction of the already disturbed | price structure could be made, But if it goes much

further it will be too late. . Editor's Note: The views expressed by columnists in this newspaper are their own, They are not necessarily those of The Indianapolis Times.

So They Say—

THE OVERWHELMING majority of the people of Latin-America live today in a state of slavery just as inhuman and unnecessary as that which Lincoln denounced. —Francisco Castillo Najera, Mexican Ambassador to the United States. * »

piccolo players—Arthur T. Cremin, director, 2

York Schools of

cannot hate a war-time:

NERVOUS, tense people—like Hitler—make good New:

: ! es " Sn The Hoosier Forum I wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

CLAIMS BUND FORCES BACK AMERICA FIRST GROUP

By Kenneth Ogle, chairma mittee for National Defense

Citizens of Indianapolis who are

“America First” Committge have a right to know that the German-

Nazi organization, is supporting the “America First” Committee with enthusiasm. I quote: (1) From the Chicago Daily News, Feb. 12, 1841, “Pro-Nazi Group Rallies to Aid of Isolationists,” by Frank Smothers. “A ringing appeal to assist the America First Committee and the Citizens Keep America Out of War Committee in ‘their fight for you’ has been issued to the members of the German-American National Alliance. “The pro-Nazi alliance, also known as the Einheits-front—United Front —makes the plea in the leading article of its current ‘News Letter.’ “Signed by Paul A. F. Warnholtz, head of the organization, the article urges the members to ‘demand’ of their senators and congressmen that they ‘oppose steps leading us into war or into dictatorship’ and that they ‘defeat the dictator bill, H. R. 1776, completely.’ “Warnholtz then plugs for ‘America First’ and the C. K. A. O. W. committee as follows: ‘Assist these committees in their fight for you, Assist them financially and morally, They need money to arouse the publie. Assist these committees at once!’ : “Citizens Keep America Out of War Committee, 77 E. Washington 8t., Chicago, Ill. America First Committee, Board of Trade Building, Chicago, Ill.” and (2) From

941, “Einheitsfront Spurs Drive of ‘America First, ‘German-American Alliance Backs Isolation Drive of C. K. A. 0. W,, Too.’ : “By Frank Smothers: “The German-American Na - tional Alliance is putting full steam behind the isolationist = campaigns of the America First Committee and the Citizens’ Keep America Out of War Committee against the Ad-

| ministration.

“The alliance—or Einheitsfront

an, Indiana Com-

currently being solicited to join the.

American National Alliance, a pro-.

The Chicago Daily News,” Feb. 22,

Side Glances=— By Galbraith

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

(United Front) as it is commonly called—has sent out thousands of petitions to be filled out by its followers, asking congressmen to vote against the Lend-Lease Bill. “ ‘We have included the petitions with from 6000 to 8000 of our news letters in the last 10 days or so,’ it was explained by Paul A. F. Warnholtz, head of the Binheits front, when asked by The Daily News how the drive was getting along.”

“ALSO ANOTHER SIDE,” SAYS AMERICA FIRST

By Merle. H. Miller, Chairman, Executive Committee America First Committee of Indianapolis, Ine. We are opposed to the involvement of our country in Europe's war because of the tragic cost of such involvement—an incalculable cost in resources and in the lives of the young men about us who deserve a better fate. That terrible cost is not rendered less by the unsolicited support of any group—if such has been given, 5 I have great respect for Mr. Ogle and the splendid men who are supporting his committee. There is much to be said for the views they advocate, but there is also another side. We hope to present that other side in a manner that will clarify the issues: so the American people can make an intelligent choice. To accomplish that, we must confine our energies to the merits of the grave issues confronting our

| country.

: » » 8 CHARGES POLITICS IN TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS By J. C. Cartwright, 330 8. Butler Ave. One thing we Hoosiers have to be thankful for is our schools and our

educational system. We have a grand school system, and our

“lk ain't visitors, Ma—only the neighbors! Kin | take ‘my coat

method of running consolidated schools is one of the best. However there is some corruption in our school system, that is in township schools where politics has crept in. Our township schools are polluted with politics. Politics is a wonderful science, and we need it in government, but it certainly has no place in our educational system. The township trustees hire school teachers for their political belief rather than for their efficiency. They hire school bus drivers in the same way. School bus safety is another thing that is lack-

ng. March 15th, Dr. C. T. Malan becomes Superintendent of Public Instruction. Mr. Malan understands how to work with teachers, and how to manage pupils’ problems. Dr. Malan is sehool man who knows the faults in our present school system. :

® x = URGING STRICTER LAW

TON MARRIAGES

By Pat Hogan, 1120 Illinois St., Columbus,

Some sage has said, “To those

who think, life is a comedy; to those who feel, it is a tragedy.” And sometimes it is a mistake. The subject of paupers, pensioners and unemployment demand serious thought and action. The situation is not new—Adam invented it. Adam, you recall, lived the more abundant life when turned loose in a paradise of opportunities to write his own ticket, but he laid down on the job and when the boss called to check up on him, he was so ashamed that he hid. The situation has not changed, but the modern Adam has, and when opportunity calls, “Adam, where art thou?” he replies, “Lo, here I am the father of nine sons on the WPA, but they can’t support me and I am barely a lap ahead of the world, with five years and 500 miles of red tape between me and an old-age pension.” t Statistics say that families on “relief” average two children; the fathers’ average age is 47 years. WPAers average 33 years with three children, but these boys have 14 years to beat the record, and chances are they will; some have doubled it. Sweet land of liberty to marry and multiply and replenish the WPA. We now have a law requiring med-. ‘jcal’ examination before marriage, but this does not scratch the sur-

| face of the trouble. What we need

is an amendment to the Constitution which will prohibit marriage unless the parents are physically, mentally and financially able to support a family. Cruel, heartless, you say? One-third ill-f illclothed and ill-housed? How about the other two-thirds who work, save and sacrifice to support their own he-emd the other third. Do you think they enjoy paying for the ghastly show? Pensions, WPA and direct relief are like trying to sweep back the ocean tides with a broom.

YEA, AMERICA By SIDELINE SITTIN’ LIL

We send sick dogs in airplanes And rush about in streamlined trains. For silver spoons or jewelry fine Just send a box top and a dime; Hold movie “pre-meers” in every state, : Throw ripe tomatoes at candidates; Add 25 words and win a car,

war. ; Send valentines to a big gorilla And fear the Japs will take Manilla.

The screwiest people under the sun

| Rut man, I'love us, by gosh, by gum!

DAILY THOUGHT

Hate Hitler like heck, but don't want

But God said une him, Thou

Gen. Johnsor Says—

Plight of Italy Seems Sufficient Answer to Th Only Dictatorship Can

ASHINGTON, March 1.-—Before foray by his right flank on Western and when there was still some Mi Lil whether he would not team up with Italy s France by his left flank, Hitler is reporte said that he didn't et Mussolini to enter the with Benito neutral hed to worry about that secte Il Duce came in he he detach 30 German diy protect him. :

There was good sense in The French general somewhat the same idea Benito. The only offens had planned against Hi to strike Mussolini and th ill pected it to be a Joyride, Befe that could develop, Adolf | sideswiped them on the other side and Benito what he thought was his opportunity. = The world knows the result. Mr. Hitler was the first time. Reports make it clearer daily he has simply had to appoint himself receiver in. bankruptcy for busted Benito, with all the yisks and responsibilities that the job implies. Italy a vassal state to Germany and, for however 3 may last, it is a fact worth remark that Hitler has thereby restored approximately the boundaries of the empire of Charlemange in which the inclusion of Italy according to the great world historian Dupuy “Jost thereby its independence for 10 centuries.”

» #" Ld

8 a modern war power, Italy simply doesn't exist and, in comparison with the rest, hasn't existed» in our time. No nation can really be formidable in’ modern war without owning or having access to three great industries—chemical, metallurgical and manufacturing. Italy has had none of these. She is just a long salient stuck out into the Mediterranean where" she is as vulnerable and uncomfortable as a sore thumb. Se Once, as a great sea power as well as a great land power, she ruled the world, but that was when it ‘was; principally a Mediterranean world and when armies meant little more than massed muscular manpower: Even then she was dependent on the rest of the world for nearly all her metal and most of her foed ‘Her principal value to Hitler was her threat to North Africa, a bottle neck in the Mediterranean and such naval and military materials and munitions as si had accumulated through the years. 4 Her equipment has been proved obsolete, th, threat to North Africa is over and, so far as she is concerned, the bottleneck has been broken. Benito

3

was the worst bargain that Adolf ever bought. No A

that bargain is his baby and the ‘care and policing of it is going to take a considerable part of his m tary, naval and airpower that he may need desper

ately elsewhere, ; ® x

[RE is something terribly pathetic about if. No | people wanted to fight the Italian people and it is very apparent that the Italian people didn't want to fight anybody else. Sere Perhaps a more cynical aspect of this terrible example is to those who say: “No democracy can’ fight a war. Only dictatorships can make the —n decisions necessary in modern conflict. Democracies must become dictatorships before they can fight dictatorships.” Well, Italy was an all-out dictatorship and now look at the darned thing. ' Stalin's is a dictatorship but, as a war government, nothing to" write home about. . = The truth seems to be that the real question is not so much of the form of government as the' quality of leadership for war. Maybe a bad leader could do more harm under a dictatorship than under a democracy. Maybe a good leader can conduct a pretty successful war under either form of governs. ment. Anyway, that is about what the hook seems to say.

. Le is da

i

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson | :

DRouy THOMPSON has a new pet cause—‘“imemediate union of the United States with other: English peaking nations.” a id It might be a good idea. I wouldn't know. But the reasons given are certainly naive. Over the air waves Miss Thompson tells us thas’ such a union would invelve dation of Britain and make . United States the center of we power. = And how alluring that “world power” is! How sm 3 it trips from the tongue, and how. sweetly it sounds upon J ihe p OAT, While we prepare tically. fight a world cenqueror, some ’ our citizens evidently want the crown for Uncle Sam. LE “But,” parry the pro-union groups, “such a move would cons the earth's wealth, And we could command peace.” :

That sounds very fine, to be sure. Only, it seems to me, it would be as wicked for us fo control twos thirds of the earth's wealth as for some other power to control it. It is probable that the smaller couns. tries might object to our peace commands, and res gard our world dominion as fearfully as we NOW Ie= gard the ambitions of Hitler and Stalin, ied “never be otherwise

trol two-thirds of

Naturally, we believe our power Wo used unjustly. We would Raver suphresto boo] wise mistreat subject peoples. e wou never a eal nor swagger nor tyrannize, but would spread 8, good will and justice over all the earth—ae to our versions of these things. aa i It seems to me to be a large order, even for million people. Too large, probably. Even Do Thompson, the intrepid swimmer, is getting into water. For surely none of us is so ingenuous pelieve power would not turn our:heads as J upset the mental balance of every other race of conquerors, including the English, who have surely usec it more sanely than mast. ON We should fear too much power for ourselves, exactly as we fear it for Germany or Russia, Besides Uncle 8am has enough work to do.at home without marrying Miss Britannia and taking on the manage-~ ment of all her relatives. ' Aut Until every nation is in agreement, any move in this direction will be economic tyranny, whatever _

pretty name we choose to call it. i

a

Questions and Answers:

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureaw will answer question of fact or information, met involving : search. Write your questions clearly, sign pame inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical er legal 1 cannot be given, Address The Times ; Bureau, 1018 Thirteenth St, Washington, Bx ©.) Q—What was the date of the Hoover A—His proposal for a moratorium on of inter-governmental war debts was 1031, and was approved by France with July 6, 1931. Payments of conditional all inter-governmental war debts were July 1, 1931 to June 30, 1932. Q—Which Presidents of the Un Masons? : Ho A—George Washington, James Mo Jackson, James K. Polk, James Buch Johnson, James A. Garfield, William M dore Roosevelt, William Howard and Franklin D. Roosevel Q—~Which is compased of “vertic: “horizontal” unions, the C. I. O or Re. A—The C.I1 O. is princi

f kind of work of Lis princip et

engaged in a

CO

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