Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 June 1941 — Page 14

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The Indianapolis Ti imes

(A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) ~~ ROY W. HOWARD RALPH BUREHOLDER! MARK FERREE President \ - ui; Manager

in Marion“ Coun-

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Give Light and the paipte wit ring Their Own Way ~ TUESDAY, JUNE 1 | 1941

| NAZL CON SULS THE President's decision to close German consular and information agencies in this country next month is : only one step short of breaking diplomatic relations, and two steps short of war. ~ As such its significance is serious. : This action is all the more important because it follows quickly the Washington order freezing German assets in the United States, German resentment over the U. S. naval-patrol “reconnaissance” for British shipping, dis- ~ . agreement over the combat or non-combat status of the Red Sea zone through which American ships are carrying British supplies, and the Robin Moor case. The reported safe arrival at Capetown of the missing survivors of the - torpedoed American freighter does not settle that case of * apparent Nazi treaty violation. With American-German relations so strained already, the President in his desire to prevent hostilities would not have banned Nazi consulates here without extreme provocation. How great that provocation was the public cannot know, until Washington sees fit to publish the facts.

But enough stories have come to light in the last year - to convince the public that some German consular establishments have grossly abused their legitimate functions. More than once there has been evidence that Nazi agents received funds and. instructions for subversive activities, especially in strategic Latin American areas, from persons connected with German consulates in this country. Consul General Fritz Weidemann of San Francisco, Hitler's World War commander and friend, has been a chief suspect. : The German Library of Information in New York, the German Railway and Tourist Agency and the Transocean News Service, also ordered closed, are propaganda agencies —if not worse. To what extent these consular and other agencies have tied into fifth-column and sabotage activities in the United States, on the familiar European pattern, awaits official revelation. Hitherto the United States counter-espionage agencies usually have considered it more effective to watch the birds than to flush the covey; hence the failure to arrest fifth columnists—often a necessary strategy which the public does not always understand. At any rate Americans don’t like to be made suckers, particularly by Naai officials enjoying our hospitality only to abuse it.

or i

MORE EFFICIENT RELIEF

TRUSTEES HENRY MUELLER of Center Township and Herbert McClelland of Wayne Township deserve praise for their move in notifying the Federal Government that they are ready to adopt the Federal food stamp plan for their townships. : How great an improvement this is will soon be apparent to Marion County. No longer will relief clients get food orders on one particular grocery. They will receive, instead, books: containing orange-colored stamps in 25-cent denominations and they will be able to shop for bargains in any grocery in the county. In addition, the relief clients will get half as much in blue stamps, provided free by the Govern-. ment, and cashable at any grocery for any food on the Federal surplus commodities. list. : Mr. Mueller and Mr. McClelland who now supervise 95 per cent of this county’s relief load are taking a long step

* forward in improving not only the lot but the morale of

their clients, in attaining more efficiency in relief handling, and in the general path of simple good government. We congratulate them.

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

(Excerpt from an editorial in’ The New York Daily News) E think it is time to pull the air force out from under

the land and sea commands and unify them under a | |

Cabinet Secretary of Aviation, Secretary for Air, or some such title. The term “United States Air Force” would seem to be the simplest and best name for the new unit, but such details could be decided later. The main thing is to get this service co-ordinated under its own airminded chiefs—it being understood, of . course; that: the air’ arm will co-operate whenever and however necessary with the land and sea arms. The argument

that such co-operation would be impossible was knocked pe

galley west by the 100 per cent co-operation of German _ planes, tanks and infantry in Flanders and France, and by the 100, per cent co-operation of the R.A F. and the Royal “Navy at Dunkirk. : We should think a new set of ratings and grades, replacing the sergeants, majors, ete., with titles suggesting air war, would be advisable. The Army-Navy retirement age of 64 would obviously not do for the air force. It would be seb. economy to: retire ; these” men on pension at, say, age

100 MANY - KINDS OF TIME

\AYLIGHT savings time is a fine thing. It ‘Works to “= great advantage in many communities. But we don’t | know of any: step more calculated to throw the state of In-

diana into complete confusion than the City Council’s pro-

posal to give this capital sity. daylight time on a “voluntary.

basis.” >.

In other words, if you want to have daglight time. you B can. If your neighbor doesn’t, he doesn’t have to. Con-

fusion is hardly the right word for what will result.

AL is sous ibe izvlved 3p walling 3 ov wel 3

til the Acts of the Legislature are printed. Then City Council can do the ob b property.

TO M. DABLAN

Subaicat Indians, 6 6 | pi

sacrifices.

s | Fair [SP

By Westbrook Pegler

Degenerated Into. Subsidized Press.

less journal and say to myself, - “nice fat paper” or “kind of skinny today.” Some dumb instinct tells

Pp. time ever should come hen ‘the radio makes 1 possible for the papers to operate at a t on Jegsts imate advertising revenue, the big: advertising would be-as sorry as anyone else, When that happens, your press goes wrong. It then takes subsidies from’ political parties and foreign governments, from financial interests and groups led by deriagogs, and your free system goes to hell in a hand For ‘examples, you have only to er the. scurrilous intemperance and anti-American treachery of the Communist papers which Receive their editorial policy and their support over the party line from Moscow, and the sheets. produced in the name: of organized labor. # #8 = NOTHER fine example, now fortunately eliminated, was the late Huey Long's Lo Progress which passed from his hands into those of the incredibly bold but stupid SIoek, Governor Dick ‘Leche, and shook down even e ' poor® houses and lunatic. asylums of the state ~ ® dopiay ads. This thief and his associate larcenists forced all state and municipal employees to subscribe, and then forced on them a course of propaganda intended to vindicate Leche and company. No paper serving a party or group under subsidy can ever be expected to tell the truth objectively, as the French people have reason to know and regret, and a country reduced to such sources for its information on events and issues will surely fall into bloodthirsty groups or come together under one bloodthirsty group as in Germany, Russia and Italy. There have been a couple of experiments in the ad-less newspaper, with one of which I was fairly familiar as a cub reporter in Chicago. I used to hang around the. little cellar office on the west side, and saw it falter a little while and die for various’ reasons, chief of which, I think, was the fact that .it was not a newspaper at all. It was just one man’s opinion, translated into news stories and interviews, and a very sour opinion, at that. The other experiment, currently runging in New York and under subsidy from a multimillionaire, has made a big issue of anti-fascism, but, very strangely, it started off with an editorial staff which included the most numerous and representative cell of Communist Partyliners ever gathered under one roof in the United States. ES ”® »

DON'T" believe you collect a cell of the most notorious party-liners in the bysiness just by accident, but I am puzzled by this one, because the party line instructs the comrades in this country to lay off Hitler and sabotage the American war effort. If this experiment succeeds we may have something to go on, but again we may not. I don’t think it would prove that the ad-less press was the answer, because not every publisher can promote a multimillionaire for himself. : Our advertisers, of course, are all businessmen, but they are also American citizens and a little above’ the average in intelligence and citizenship. As businessmen only and apart from their citizenship they might stand to gain some temporary business advantage by patronizing the radio with their advertising money to the exclusion of the press. But as citizens, they would suffer with all the rest of the people if the free, independent, commercial daily press should degenerate into a subsidized press. And I suggest that newspaper employees, mechanical as well as white collar, might also give a thought to their own stake in the free American press and turn in an hour’s work for an hour’s pay instead of slowing down the job in the belief that they are stretching the work. A dollar will stretch just so far, and if the employees make it impossible for the publisher to rake a dollar he will call in the junkman, hock the equipment and walk off. True they might then work for the subsidized press, but not as free Americans.

Business By John T. Flynn

Sacrifices Are In Order But So Far Soldiers Only Ones Making Them

EW YORK, June 17.—Despite all the talk about everybody making sacrifices for national defense, Congress and the Government generally are managing to evade the obligation to impose these A tax bill has been in the hopper, and the Treasury, the Congressional joint tax staff and the Congressional committee have been trying to agree on a plan. While increnses in taxes are being voted, they will be ridiculously inadequale to meet even a moderate fracvion of the defense program. The Treasury proposed increases on lower incomes, but not such as seriously to affect the taxpayer. But the final plan will’ be a good deal less than these proposals. : With the exemptions remaining high, it will be found that a married man with a’ child or two who gets as high as $3000 will pay very: moderate taxes. A married man with two children and an income of $2800 will pay nothing. There is another quarrel about married couples and their joint income. The Treasury wishes to rmit married people with separate incomes to make separate returns or joint returns at their option. But there is a fight on that. Congress is insisting that the two shall lump their incomes and pay on the total at the rate fixed for that bracket. This would very much increase the tax which such fortunate couples must pay. But Mr. Morgenthau's departthent opposes this. The truth is that we are in the midst of a gigantic

rearmament effort for ourselves, but chiefly for the

British. It is costing us as yet unknown billions. It has got to be paid for by someone. Therefore we hear daily about all the sacrifices that the country must make. :

young men who go into the Army. Farmers get. higher prices and bigger subsidies. Workmen strike for more pay and far more get more pay without striking. Material prices go up. And millions who had no jobs before go to work in the war industries at good wages. Instead of paying the cost of all this, we borrow - more billions and these borrowed billions. make more national income to swell payrolls. farm prices, farm subsidies, ernment contracts, profits.

fighting

MAY THE GHOST of Woodrow Wilson ‘evil spirit of ‘Adolf Hitler, Jursver nd ever James, N. Y. Times man editor, “dress a

EW. YORK, ‘June - 11=For a small bet T would: &

ing only when I i up one fear |

But when it comes down to brass tacky: the only ; ones who are really asked to make sacrifices are the |

LL ee | € coliec and | §

‘Businessmen Along With All Other Lo . Citizens Would: Suffer If Free Press |

PIII

The Hoosiers Forum

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

A KIND WORD FOR THE PLANE STRIKERS = By George Maxwell, 450 N. Senate Ave. By his justification of the strike of the workers at the airplane factory in his state and his denunciation of capital in its efforts to reap ‘enormous profit at the expense of labor, the Governor of California has set himself up as the supreme champion of the rights of the common people, As Gen. Hugh Johnson has said and everybody in this‘ country has experienced, living costs have increased tremendously, and the only way for workers to meet this increase is to receive an increase in wages. President Roosevelt can call his army out and, if need be, order them to shoot the poor devils down,

‘as Hoover did before him, but the

fact remains that these workers were striking for a chance for a decent living. They can preach patriotism as much as they please; they can yell “Red” or any other epithet they wish, but the fact remains that these workers were striking only for a chance for a decent living. ¥ 88 ? SOLDIER AT SHELBY PRAISES CAMP LIFE By Pvt. L. A. Schneider 150th | F. A. Band, 38th Div., Camp Shelby, You may not find this ile for publication, but I am very much interested in “placing the actual facts of Camp Shelby before your

readers. Especially to the parents

land relatives of the boys here.

We get letters almost every day from someone back home inquiring about the lack of food, poor recreation, and the untold agony the soldiers go through. I've been here for 10 weeks, and as a selectee I can only truthfully say that the boys in Camp Shelby are getting the best food"available. The noon and evening meal usually consists of well prepared meat, potatoes, two other vegetables, dessert, and of course bread and butter and a drink, which most of the time has been chocolate milk. For recreation we have band concerts every night. Two nights a week there are boxing matches, of which members of the different batteries form this program. Baseball diamonds, tennis, volley ball, and basketball are also represented in our ‘recreational activities. Then too, seldom is there a night without a dance here in camp, with the girls supplied by various civic groups of Hattiesburg. If none of these activ-

(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.)

ties seem to interest our bewildered soldier he has his choice of three theaters or a service club, which contain ping-pong tables, the best of reading material, and the perfect relaxation in very comfortable lounge chairs.’ So I can not see why any of the boys should seem discontented from lack of recreation. I hope this may help to clear up some of the unworthy stories we have heard so much about, here in camp. : ” ” 8 VIEWS SEIZURE BILL AS UNFAIR TO EMPLOYERS B- James R. Meitzler, Attica, Ind. The bill giving the President authority to take over strike-bound plants is a-curious perversion of justice. At no time have the newspapers reported a case of the employers cutting wages, "increasing working hours, or locking out labor. In all cases it is the unions who have made the demands and it is the unions who have quit work and stopped production. The employer had made his contract with the Government and was willing to produce. The striking union prevented him. Nor will these unions agree to any bargaining in the usual meaning of the word in which both parties have equal voice. Bargaining to the unions means giving in to all their exactions. Our drafted boys are training

every day in sun or rain and get $21

per month. These unions, getting from $20 to $50 per 40-hour week, making arms soldiers must have if this country is to be defended, refuse to work or allow anyone to work unless their every demand is satisfied. They are willing to send our country’s young men out with empty

hands against planes, tanks and

guns. Every time they strike they stab our boys and our couniry in the back. - They are the guilty ones. Nas =» =» : THINGS ‘MILLIONS OF AMERICANS FEAR’ By a Fearful American. ‘Among the “so-called” war aims we find one to be “Freedom from

Fear.” What to millions of Americans

Side Glances — By Galbraith

— um oe,

fear, with a dread hitherto un-

known in, this “Land of the Free”?

We fear that any moment we

we had no part in making. We fear our sailors may be blown to bits carrying contraband of war to a belligerent nation, which is engaged in carrying on “trade as usual in its own ships We fear for the lives of the flower of our youth who would be sent, perhaps to Dakar, Singapore and all points north, .south, east and west. We fear for the broken hearts of those relatives where there would be the vacant chairs of young innocents sent to inconceivable horrors on foreign battlefields. We fear for the future of. this glorious country where a dic ship may arise in a land where men had been free and happy under our Constitution. We fear bankruptcy and poverty as a result of excessive taxes to pay

cent of our people oppose. We fear the propaganda in news-

“| papers, on the screen and on the

radio. Fear, fear, fear, -in a country where we may be forced to give our all for the “Four Freedoms,” one of which is “Freedom from Fear.” 2 8 8 | POSITION OF. UNION LABOR MEMBERSHIP By 8S. 0. M.. Indianapolis The suggestion that labor. should voluntarily give up the right to strike should be addresded not to the workingman but to some of our

may be demanded of it during the emergency, but the union member,

mand that he should strike.

sence of a forum where the rights

be protected. tJ » oo» 3 3 OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS BESIDES DEFENSE STRIKES By E. D. W., Indianapoelin . ‘ Indignation at strikes in defense industrfes is fully justified, but they are no more outrageous than statements appearing from time to time that “We don’t need to worry about Hitler. Our real danger is the strikers right here at home.” + If I were a mechanic in a defense plant who had been persuaded. by this kind of talk that the fate of England is of minor importance and that invasion of this hemisphere by the Nazis is “fantastic”; that, in other words, the whole defense effort is just a “gag,” I should not have much hesitation in striking for higher wages If Hitler is “no threat” to us it is

|of no importance whatever whether

we build bombers and tanks or not. If he is a threat, as we dll know he is, we must do a whole lot more than keeping the factories running —important as that is. 8 # ” PROPOSES A PETITION FOR AVIATION DEPARTMENT By R. L. D.. Indianapolis Your clear-cut editorial pleading for the creation of a separate aviation department .could be written by millions of average Americans. Do not let it die. Start a petition demanding that an organization so vital to our defense be put into effect at ohce. Millions will sign it.

SOLDIER LAD

By ANNA E. YOUNG God give you patience—Soldier Lad And grant you equal poise .

To be—one of the Boys! : God grant you constant peace of mind . And—Faith—embossed with love

| And may you ever—Soldier Lali

Be watched—by Him—above!

——

DAILY THOUGHT

If ye continue in my word . shall know the truth, and the

may be plunged into a war which}

for the avoidable war which 83 per|

arrogant labor leaders. Labor is |} prepared to make any sacrifice that |§

as & rule, dare not raise his voice : in protest to the labor leader's de-|§

It is idle to talk of the necessity] of preserving democracy in the ab-|&

of the individual union member may |§

To do the fask and feel it pays|

Gon. Johnson

Says—

Texas, California Once Independent

And Have Right to Subdivide, Buf Are Unlikely te to Favor Such a Move

ALVESTON, mex., June 17. —~—There are two stated

in our Union that were once independent repule

lics. They left an imprint that still remains.

are, of course, Texas and California. I have lived in !

both for. years. The more frequently you leave themx for long periods-of time and them return, the more this impression . of state-consciousness among the people is confirmed. In California ‘it. goes “to the - clannish but understandable ex tent of ‘making you feel ‘some<’ thing "of art outlander if you ard not a “native son of the Golden West.” It isn’t too easy to get hold of an important business job in a California-controlled ' com= ‘pany if you can't qualify in that RE category. The “Grapes of Wrath" ? Okie Stulf fas pretty much exag ted, but the roots o are there. Bre is ‘some justification. California, especially Southern California, attracted the poor, deluded paper-wealthy or well-to-do of the 1928. boom .in multitudes. The depression wiped them out and left that area with one of the heaviest relief loads in the country. The “native son” prejudice became stronger than ever. For that and many other reason 1

that state enjoys or, if you prefer,.is afflicted withg

a greater state loyalty than any other, groept perhaps Texas. i 2 =» 8 :

EXAS pride and solidarity are a little different, The vast reaches of that state need to have peopl@ on them. Texas welcomes strangers and, for some reason; the new Texan tends to become as “Texican'® as the old. There is no more cohesive group in Washington than the “Texas delegation”—whether in Congress on in the executive departments. Jesse Jones in thé Cabinet, formerly Jack Garner as Vice Presidenty with Tom Connally in tlie Senate, and Sam Rayburn Speaker of the House, were as strong a quadrumvira as there ever was in this government and they nevéek forgot the state song, “The Eyes of Texas Are Upofi You.” Their unofficial ‘associate, Amon. Carter, Ft. Worth newspaperman, acted as a sort of Chiesa leader and ambassador. Jack Garner has gone back: to Uvalde, but Jess Jones has accumulated so much additional power Texas’ strength in Washington is little impaired. Representatives of the three great cities, Jess@

| Jones for Houston, Amon Carter for Ft. Worth and a native coalition for Dallas may fight among thems

selves, but it is a private family row, from whi outsiders would do well to abstain. When an interes of Texas is concerned against any other interest they suddenly become one for all and all for one.

“HESE two great empires—for they are as largq in area and are becoming as rich in real wealth as many important foreign nations—these two em pires are fully aware of their advantage and do nof mean to lose it. By authority of its treaty of annexation, Texas

could subdivide herself into five states and gain eigh$i

Senators. Nobody believes she ever will. The name and the institution of Texas have too much sentie mental and practical value. - There } as long been talk of California also divide ing herself into two states. Like Texas, she is big enough and wealthy enough to do it. She alsa probably never will even be tempted. California is a symbol of something intangible from the past of a sentimental value too strong for even the politicians who would multiply jobs and patronage by such a move. It is probably all to the good. These great states

for all their local pride are in the forefront of na«

tional loyalty. Splitting them up would simply ine crease the cost of government and do no earthly good.

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

A Woman's Viewpoint

By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

EAR Mr. Abrams: In a private letter you chals lenged me to make a public statement in this column regarding my stand on Charles Lindnerghy whom I have previously defended. Very well, and let us be as brief and clear ay possible. You and I are on oppos< ing sides of an important national issue. This does not argue thal either is a traitor... Each mus presume the other to be a free American whose paramount ine terest is the good of our country

This as least is the latitude I aoe TR

cord to you. Cleariy, Jou have no proof I, offer that I am a Nazi sympa= thizer while I have none to smeag you as a professional war-mongevy However, if you should charge me with being victimized by subw versive pibpasanta I could, with equal reason, cons tend that you have been propagandized by the mos powerful pro-British forces that have ever beaty turned loose in this country. I do not subscribe to all the opinions of Charles Lindbergh or Senator Wheeler, any more than 1k. imagine you subscribe wholeheartedly to all those Senator Pepper or Josh Lee. It only happens tha I believe in the policy Messrs. Lindbergh and Wheelw er have outlined—full defense for this nation and ne | involvement in foreign wars.

I belong, and I suppose you must, to various om b

ganizations whose entire body of tenets I cannot ace cept. I do not walk.out of my church because tg membership includes: several ites. and rascalsy Believing in its basic -concepts, I accept the bad sion with the good.. My claims to infallibility are nil. Having wrong many times in the past, I expect to be wro

many times in the future. But until someone gives: ]

me reasons instead of ‘guesswork for going in, I m remain unalierably opposed to my country setting forth upon another .moral ia I say this ale though, being a woman, I love crusades.

The war issue demands sane thinking. I do nov §

believe any major or minor prophet now holding forth here or in Europe can foretell. what may hap pen abroad; therefore I am not in favor of amalgam: mation with the British Empire, which, in my opiniot§ would be the logical result of our entry into Britain's: war. We shall then have invested so much of oui wealth in England that it will be forever in our debi

‘and therefore in our power. : The British would not like that, nor can 1 imagine

any good that could come of it for us. I feel most sincerely that all -clear-thinking Americans must} put the interests of their own .country ahove thei emotional loyalties. I cannot accept the credo of the interventionist

—that the fate of the United States depends upon

the survival or downfall of another nation. It I di I would be traitor to the beliefs of my ‘own ancestors who were American pioneers. :

Questions and Answe

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau will’ a question of fact or information, not Involving. ex pri, search.. Write your questions clearly. sizn name and : inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical or legal a cannot be given. Address The Times Washinatop Bureau, 1013 Thirteenth St. Washington, D.

Q—Has work begun on the highway that connect Seattle, Wash., with Fairbanks, Alaska? A—Yes; the project ‘was started some time and’ is completed nearly one-third of the States a

Q—Which Presidents of the United Sta -died in office? A—William Henry Harrison, Za ; Taylor, A ham Lincoln, James A. jgartied, Ww. MCE and Watren s. 2 : Ba ie