Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 March 1941 — Page 24

PAGE 22

The Indianapolis Times

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THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 1941

NOT OUR CHILDREN’S WAR

EVEN BILLION dollars is the big round figure which the President asks of Congress, to start our program of munitioning friendly nations in Europe and Asia. That figure should surprise no one. Wars are costly. And through the Lend-Lease Law our Government is committed to a policy of helping to finance the wars of any and all nations whose defense the President deems vital to our own defense. Our Government is so committed by specific sanction of Congress, and with the apparent consent of the governed. We live by majority rule, and all of us, those who like it and those who do not, will have to see that policy through. This huge new sum, added to the 32 billions already appropriated, authorized or recommended in this emergency, gives a total of 39 billions.

part of this stupendous total to he saved. including the President, can be sure that before it is all over the sum will not be much larger. The end is not in sight. Thirty-nine billions is a figure too astronomical for the lay mind to grasp. And it doesn’t help much to compute how many dollars a day that would be since Methuselah

was born, or how many times that many dollar bills end-

to-end would encircle the globe. But for those who like comparisons we offer a figure from the recent report of Chairman O'Mahoney of the Temporary National Economic Committee—that the total assessed valuation of the 22 states west of the Mississippi River is only $34,720,000,000. n EJ 5 » 5 ” Who should pay? Some part of the blame, no doubt, attaches to generations that are gone. But by no rule of conscience or reason can any portion of the responsibility be fixed upon our children or their children. Yet under the present Federal tax structure nearly all of these defense outlays are being charged to the future. This emergency belongs to this generation. While it is true that no modern war could be entirely paid for while it was being fought, we ougth to do the best we can. We ought to pay and pay and pay every dime we can, for what we don't pay will be added on, with interest, to the debt burden which Americans of the future must carry from cradle to grave—and they will have emergencies of their own to finance. : Congress has been quick to spend, slow to tax, postvoning the reckoning from one election to another, for 11 long years of deficit finance. Now it is said that a real revenue bill will be proposed as soon as the March 15 tax returns are tabulated. In view of our enormous commitments for defense and other purposes, what would be a “real revenue hill”? Well, here is one rule-of-thumb which suggests itself. To young American draftees who are giving up a year of their lives to prepare themselves to defend their country, we are paying $30 a month, plus food and clothes. Any American

| nevertheless they went.

Fair Enough

By Westbrook Pegler

Mrs. Spelvin Takes Part in One of Those Radio Forums and Has Quite a Time Making Herself Heard.

EW YORK, March 13—Mr. and Mrs. George Spelvin, Americans, were abashed to receive an invitation to take part in one of those radio forums on topics of great national importance, but Present also were a lady

and a Doktor Kurt Schultz, late of Vienna, an intellectual refugee, who was introduced as one of the great free minds of Europe and the author of “When It Is Night-Time Comes the Night.” Mr. and Mrs. Spelvin had never heard of the Doktor or his book, but felt ashamed of their ignorance and pretended to be awed. In fact they were. The proceedings were as follows: & By the Announcer—And now, ladies and gentlemen, we present our question, “What Do You Think of the Lease-Lend Bill?” Mrs. Spelvin, will you tell us what you think of this bill? By Mrs. Spelvin—Well, in some ways,

columnist

it has

{ always seemed to me if it comes to declaring war

why then I always thought the best way to— Lady Columnist, interrupting—If I may be permitted to interrupt I should like to remind this lady that this is not a question of declaring war, because if one is to assume that the ideological imponderables are inhibited by a willful, as it were, economic liquidation, why, then, it seems obvious to me that— Mrs. Spelvin, meekly—Well, I haven't come to that, but 1 just wanted to say that war is a terribly serious thing and if you put yourself in my position why I raised my boy up the best I could and, as a

| mother, why—

With the President, all | of us will hope that the wars may end in time for some

But none of us, | | and yet, if I may interrupt a moment, I should like

= EJ n ADY COLUMNIST, rather shrilly—Lest there be any doubt on that score, I, too, am a mother,

to inform this lady that the interplay of schrecklich=keit and democratic dolce far niente, as Mazzini truly told us in the tragic story of the well-fed complaisance that seems to permeate our thinking as mothers to the utter neglect of our moral awareness— Mrs. Spelvin, faintly—If I may say a word, I think Mrs. Spelvin means— Doktor Schultz—As I zaid in mein book “Ven Iss Nighd-Dime Gums Der Nighd” iss de zame difference mitouid liberdy you god nix, und zo— Lady Columnist, now quite shrill—Yes, of course, Doktor, but, if I may interrupt, I should like to direct the discussion back to the question which, after all, it seems to me, after all, concerns not so much a problematical or hypothetical orientation of sheer intellectual innovations disguised though they be in the poisonous plausibilities of Machievellian sophistry— Mrs. Spelvin, a little sore by now-—Well, if you will only let me speak because, after all IT am only a plain woman and I don’t have your wonderful gift of expression but if you put yourself in my position as an ordinary citizen with a son 21 years old and I just think if Congress— Doktor Schultz—Bud, Madam, iff I may zay zo—

2 o ” . ADY COLUMNIST, mn a modulated shriek—precisely, Doktor, but if I may be permitted to interrupt, my only purpose in interrupting, and I apologize to this lady, because if anything makes me lose my temper it is interruptions, but here we have two intransigeant and utterly irreconcilable postulations breeding a spirit of defeatist isolationism in an atmosphere of gaseous parliamentary subterfuge whereas— Mrs. Spelvin, real sore—Well, even if vou break it up into little words I still don’t know what vou are talking about, because you sound to me like if

you ever got your hands in the sink for once, why

maybe you think you are pretty hot but leave me tell you something, sister, if you interrupt me again when I am trying to say I don’t care how many long words you use and you say you are a mother, but how much time do you spend with vour kid because I will bet you— Doktor Schultz, placatingly—Bud, Madam, bleace, bleace don’d loose de demher— Mrs. Spelvin, fit to be tied—you shut vour dumb Dutch trap— Lady Columnist, with hauteur—Madam, if T may interrupt— ; Mrs. Spelvin, raving now—You interrupt more and I will slap you silly, you flannel-mbuthed— Mr. Spelvin, jubilant—Atta gal, Maw, pour it on ’em, Maw,! gong. By the Announcer—You have just listened to a round-table discussion of the Lease-Lend bill,

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES Is There a Carpenter in the House?

once |

Sb mk TREN on Reb pe x

The Hoosier Forum

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

FINDS LEGISLATURE DID A CREDITABLE JOB By Claude Braddick, Kokomo, Ind,

Well, the 82d session of the Assembly is ended, and considering its poor start, and the amazing crosscurrents of conflicting programs that harassed it to the very end, its total accomplishments were quite creditable. That this is due to the tireless efforts of a few outstanding figures, such as Senator

Jenner and Speaker Kn: , than toj,... " ’ " the body as a whole, few will deny | P¢ing killed. ‘They do nothing about

Perhaps its greatest, if not its| it, I also know to be untrue, so these

(Times readers are invited their in these columns, religious cons excluded. Make your letters short, so all can Letters must

to express views

troversies have a chance.

be signed, but names will be withheld on request.)

of the “merit” system. As for the| Just why should we be looking for reorganization bills, most peo-|a stranger to come into this city and ple feel that the party was over-|solve our weak system and straighten zealous in stripping the Governor out our traffic mistake of his power; that it went much| However, I happen to be the right farther than the Constitution or| ne to straighten out this accident

farther than it would have Bone | stop at least 30 per cent of our had Mr. Hillis been elected. | present mishaps, and this is no Its other accomplishments—relief guess work. . . . for retailers, job insurance reform,| For me to get the proper results etc.—were merely adjustments injon this program, I must have the existing laws which everybody whole-hearted support of the Board agreed were necessary. Why such|of Public Safety and certain

the last moments of a session, and| spent to make the proper changes,

is hard to understand.

only, advance was in its extension |traffic experts are wrong again. . . .

policy warrants, and certainly much | situation and cen safely say I will |

[into

unless the former condition would relieve the latter. . As for the City Fathers visiting St. Louis, does anyone infer that we in Indianapolis should inclose ourselves within a wall of complacency and care nothing for the social and civic improvements of other cities? Smart though we are, there is much to learn from others, and I for one am capable of doing my housework and at the same time keep eyes and ears open to alleviate a most annoying condition. . ” ” ” | DISTURBED BY STRIKES |IN DEFENSE INDUSTRIES By Samuel Schaefer The writer wishes to publicly express his chagrin and disappoint-

| ment at the alarming rate of strikes

and other tie-ups in the industries fulfilling national defense contracts. We are sending conscripted men the military service, among which are found doctors, lawyers,

(dentists and young prosperous busi-

nessmen. All sacrifice their lucra-

eed ; > (tive employment for a $1 per day legislation is perilously shunted toamounts of money will have to be stipend in the Army, while large

numbers of men of draft age em-

then crowded through in a hurry, to make all the spots safe that are| ployed on national defense projects

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 1941 |

Gen. Johnson Says—

Soldiers Can-Be Very Lonely and

It's Good to See an Effort Made To Put Their Idle Time to Good Use.

ASHINGTON, March 13.— “Gee but this is a lonesome town Nothing to do but wander around.” There are few beings more disconsolate than a couple of soldiers “on pass” in a little town outside a reservation or on some line of march. The average enlisted man is timid about talking to civilians and the average civilian isn’t quite sure about the average soldier. It was so raw that it sounds like a gag but I once heard the father of a tourist family peering into an officers’ mess at dinner time with his flock, as people go to see animals fed at a zoo, and saying quite loudly and distinctly: “An’ Marie, if you go fooling around one of these here hero's camps, you'll pick a lousebug out of your head as big as a wheat.” Of course that was in old regular army days many years ago. Conditions are a lot better now and yet as recently as Pershing’s punitive expedition into Mexico, when everybody understood that it was open season on American soldiers mooning around outside our camp outposts, the natural disposition of soldiers to prowl was ree sponsible for a good many deaths until a very vigors ous boxing and intra-mural athletic program was inaugurated. :

” » ”

“YT is good fo see that an able joint army and navy board has been appointed, not merely to see that men are kept decently occupied and amused while off duty but’ also to clean up the outskirts of all camps and cantonments. That kind of thing can go too far, and there is some complaint among old soldiers of too much mollycoddling of draftees today, but, even if “welfare work” does go too far it is an error in the right direction. Kipling’s “Tommy Atkins” is the best expression of the soldier's viewpoint on this matter:

“We aren’t no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too, But single men in barricks most remarkable like you; And if sometimes our conduct isn't all your fancy paints, Why single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints.”

These draft contingents are pretty apt to ha cream-skimmed off the top of young American mans hood. Such was the case in the last war. It is of the utmost importance that they be sent home bettered and not sullied by their service. With modern and more intelligent administration and infinitely better methods of sanitation and hygiene this is almost certain to be true. Most of the great afflictions of new armies have been conquered by the doctors—typhoid, typhus and the social scourges.

” un ”

T is important that there be no loosening of essene tial discipline. A soldier must be ready to die if that is the order. That takes an almost superhuman amount of respect for authority. Men don’t care too much how tough an officer is if they are assured of two other qualities. One is his absolute fairness. The other is that he considers it to be his principal duty to look out for their welfare and that he works and thinks or dreams 24 hours a day about that job, That doesn’t mean that an officer can command the respect of his men if he is a lantern-jawed martinet whos echief glee seems to he in outraging their feelings, but these other things are more important. About the same number of great military leaders have had the knack of being as comfortable as an old shoe with enlisted men, as those who simply lacked the art of comradeship but were at heart just and painstaking for the welfare of the men entrusted to their command—and both types, in the long run, became equally beloved, It doesn’t take a soldier long-—even a young recruit-——to get the exact number of any of his officers. Just ordinary decency and consideration are the principal qualifica« tions. This year or more of military training, whether it ends in actual war service or not, is going to ba about the most valuable experience these voung men could have—whether as soldiers or officers. They should return better in body, mind and self-reliance. It makes an old soldier ache with envy to see them march away and to have to realize that for him it is “never again.”

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

| death traps in the good city of In-| are deferred from service for occuAs for the Townsendites, I'm|dianapolis now at the present time. | ational reasons, in addition to afraid they'll consider the boosting I know that the accident preven- | aarning substantial wages.

staying at home, making wages or profits in excess of what the draftee earns, ought to be glad to pay direct out of

A Woman's Viewpoint

pocket. And the fairest way to lay the assessment is by income tax, on each according to his ability to pay.

TAKE NOTE, PLEASE

0 modern traffic safety systems serve to reduce traffic fatalities in cities that adopt them? The answer is a definite “Yes,” according to a study just completed by the Safety Division of the International Association of Police Chiefs. Twenty-four cities whose traffic safety systems have been reorganized since 1936 report an average of 33.3 per cent reduction in fatality rates for 1940 as compared with fatalities for the year before the reorganizations. Chattanooga, Tenn., for example, led this group of cities with an 82.4 per cent decrease in 1940 fatalities compared with 1936. Knoxville reported a reduction of 57.6 per cent, Cleveland, 51.4 per cent, Oakland, Cal., 46.6 per cent, Louisville, 36.6 per cent, Dayton, 32.6 per cent and Detroit, 32.2 per cent. ! These figures are something for Indianapolis authorities to bear in mind as they debate the wisdom of working out a long-range traffic program.

MAYOR LA GUARDIA SPEAKS OUT

“PBULLHEADED, obstinate and stupid,” said Mayor La Guardia of the union leaders who called the bus strike in New York City. The Mayor was angry, and no wonder. He had reason to feel that the union leaders had taken advantage of his friendship for organized labor—and organized labor has no firmer friend. In Congress he helped to write one of the great charters of labor liberty, the Norris-La Guardia Act. Throughout his career he has fought to protect the rights of unions. But when he thought first of the people of his city, as is his duty, and urged the transport workers union chiefs to wait for mediation of their controversy with the bus companies, they disregarded him, called the strike and deprived a million New Yorkers of the use of busses. Well, that’s the way it’s going in too many cases in this country, with labor leaders using their power to make trouble for the friends who have helped labor to become powerful. The New York bus strike is bad, but strikers in the defense industries, called without permitting a chance for peaceful settlement, are worse. And to a friend of labor who is an honest public official the time comes when he must remember that his first duty is to the public—when he must speak out, as Mayor La Guardia did, against “bullheaded, obstinate and stupid” labor leadgrship.

Business By John T. Flynn

Guffey Act Has Brought Fascist

Control Into the Coal Industry

EW YORK, March 13.—The eternal coal question is up again—the negotiations between mine owners and mine workers about wages, hours, ete. There will be plenty of columns printed about this in the coming days. They will be about John L. Lewis, : the wickea mine workers, the wicked mine owners, the poverty of the miners, the bankruptcy of the owners and so on, But not much, 1 fear, will be printed about what probably is the worst thing in the coal industry. And that is the Guffey Coal Act. Dr. Gustavus Walker Dyer, economist of Vanderbilt University, has risen to denounce this act, He makes perfectly just criticisms of it. But he makes the mistake of calling it state socialism, The Guffey Act has set up a commission to rule the coal industry, to regulate competition and fix prices. It is all done by commissions elected by the coal mine owners under supervision and final veto or alteration by a national commission named by the President. The whole structure from top to bottom represents chiefly coal mine owners in the regional commissions and mine owners and laborers in the national commission. But nobody adequately represents the most important person in the whole set-up—the consumer, or what might be called the national economy. Dr. Dyer says this is state socialism. It is not. It is something worse, It is fascism. And when this system is applied to all industry—which is the goal of its sponsors—we will have complete economic fascism.

o n 5

HE difference between fascism and socialism {is marked. And because this difference is not understood, many people think that Communist Russia and Fascist Germany are the same. Under socialism the state or the workers in some form of organization would own the coal mines. Urider state socialism the state would own and operate them. Under fascism they would be the property of the private owners but would be regulated by those owners formed into organizations—corporatives—under government supervision, almost precisely like the bituminous coal regional and national commissions and boards. Capitalism itself js a rational system. Socialism is rational. There is a reasonable basis at the bottom of both. But fascism is an irrational system. It cannot work permanently, but must inevitably decline into collapse and be followed by a revival of rational capitalism or a drift into communism.

So They Say—

NO NEW ORDER can be introduced by people who spit upon religion.—Sir Gerald Campbell, British Minister at Washington.

. *

THOUGH SHE is still weak, Japan will become a major power if she acquires the Dutch East Indies.— Dr. William M. McGovern, Northwestern University.

of maximum old-age assistance|tion bureau can't get any of my from $30 to $40, and the substitu-|ideas put into effect because I have tion of a “prior claim” for the talked to our best men at headformer “lien,” as little more than| quarters and they say it is a hopea gesture, less proposition. By enough newspaper publicity and publie criticism, this wmecessary change can be put into effect.

” ” ” PROMISES TO SOLVE THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM By M. M. Trexler, 305 N. Senale Ave. before any board or investigating

Just what does all this ballyhoo committee, and give out facts that mean about stop accidents? [cannot be denied by any of our soI personally have lived in this city] called traffic experts. since 1898 and have seen manv| So while the iron is hot, now is things happen during thos? vears, | the time to shape out the mistake, but never knew of a time when there! 0 keep the iron hot, and keep the

who was at fault about accidents|gineer and mske corrections that and high death rate caused by mis-| Will surpass all expectations. . . . haps in Marion County and the City £ & 4 of Indianapolis. A WORD IN PRAISE OF

They accuse our judges of being too lenient with traffic violators, but| THE ANTI-SMOKE DRIVE

. I think that they use their best By Sadie Slipp Crowder judgment at all times. . . . How can a housewife fail to regis-

Then some of the traffic experts : say that the police are not doing | YT enthusiasm for the anti Smog their duty, just standing by and let | campaign? I hate dirt too but I fail

ting accidents happen and people'to connect smog and unemployment

Side Glances=By Galbraith

! i

ICOPR. 1941 BY NEA SERVICE, INC. T. M. REQ. U. 8. PAT. OFF.

—

"These are my friends, Pop—they just happened

to be walking past,"

I stand ready at any time to go|

I do not profess to know, nor desire to place the blame, for the increasing number of strikes on labor or capital, but common sense does dictate that during this period of acute crisis, where time is of the essence, work on national defense projects should not be delayed or hampered even one day. What and who are the forces hehind this “sabotage”? Why does the President of the United States delay and procrastinate in exercising his powers to issue a proclamation which would set up mediation

was 50 much passing the buck about | hammer working, and I will en-|boards on the pattern of the rail-

road act? Is it possible the Government is biding its time, giving the disputants sufficient rope to hang themselves and then take over and operate the private properties? 2 2 2 FAVORS OUTLAWING OF ALL STRIKES By Louis H. Williams T have been a member of one of the largest internation unions for

years. Today, as I did in 1917, American youth is going to camps to prepare for war that we all know is coming. Today, both the C. I. O. and A. F. of I. are calling strikes because they have the country by the horns, so they seem to think. They will share the blame if our sons go to war without the necessary arms and supplies to protect them. Before it is too late, I hope the U. S. Government will outlaw all strikes and put all labor racketeers in the Army and send them to Alaska for the duration of the emergency.

MARCH SUNRISE

By MARY P. DENNY There's a glory in the sunrise In the shining month of March. When the winds and clouds are changing And the first wild birds are ranging O'er the forest and the plain. When the first bluebirds are singing And the forest brooks are ringing And the buds of spring appear upon the tree. For it is March again and glad springtime, And the colors of the sunrise Match all glories of the skies. There is gold and blue and crimson And the shine of amber light In the glory of the sunrise | In the shining month of March,

DAILY THOUGHT

Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He hath commanded thee.—Deuteronomy 6:17.

; THROUGH obedience learn to command.—Plato,

By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

AJ. WHEELER-NICHOLSON, military expert, says in a series of newspaper articles that the United States is not yet ready to fight a first-class war, Before we can do that we shall have to streamline the Army and modernize our strategists as well as our equipment. Even to me that makes sense, although I'm not in favor of either a second or a third-rate war, yet. But tne dullest pacifish intellect can grasp the idea. Although couched in polite lan= guage, the major hints at our need of modernized military men= tality as well as bigger and better bombers. To be explicit, it seems that the prejudices of generals, which are sometimes as inflexible as their backbones, can lose a : major conflict for us. This has happened so often to various nations in the past that no one can quarrel with the statement, It stands to reason that up-to-date weapons are val=ueless unless we can develop the military intelligence and foresight to use them to advantage. In a purely practical sense, then, it might be safer to put youth into the swivel chairs as well as in engine and control rooms. For you can’t fight 20th Century wars with mid-Victorian tactics, and certain parts of the streamlining process should include a remodeling of the brains as well as the brawn and hardware of the fighting units. Some of the methods we hang to seem .quite as useless for warfare as the buggy whip is for goéing places. Maybe they'll be wanting the cavalry again one of these days, but, seeing the fleets of motor midgets pouring from the factories for Army use, it seems doubtful, Besides, everybody knows how hard it is to stream line old models. The most up-to-date designs are made from new materials, and whether it's gadgets or armies the main problem is to use them wisely, Of course, it makes us proud for our Army to look well, but before bankrupting ourselves building a beautiful body maybe we ought to have the ene gines overhauled, too. The question is: Shall we remodel to impress the neighbors, by following the limousine lines, or be satisfied with a machine marked by the sturdier and more utilitarian qualities of the tractor? The Major seems to lean toward the latter theory.

Questions and Answers

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureaa will saswer any question of fact or Information, not involving extensive ree .search. Write your questions clearly, sign name and address, inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical or legal advice oannot be given. Address The Times Washington Servies Bureau, 1013 Thirteenth St, Washington, D. C.).

Q~—Does the British Government censor all the mail to and from Europe that passes through Bers muda? A.—All mail that passes through British territory is subject to British censorship. Bermuda is a British possession, : Q—In which campaign and by which party was the slogan, “The full dinner-pail,” used? A.—In 1896 by the Republicans, when Willlam Mae Kinley was elected President, 2S vhat is the height and weight of Pope Pius ? A—He is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds.