Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 July 1941 — Page 12

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"ROY W. HOWARD RALPH BURKHOLDER MARK FERREE President Editor Business Manager

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RILEY 8551

TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1941

‘THE MOVE INTO ICELAND A MERICAN occupation of Iceland, and attempted naval o control of the Atlantic between the United States and ‘all other strategic outposts, is a long step toward a shooting war. Iceland and its waters are in the war zone proclaimed by Germany. German planes have bombed its bases. The ‘waters off Iceland have been the area of naval battles, including that of the Bismarck.

President Roosevelt in ordering armed forces to inter-.

~ vene in the war zone did not consult Congress in advance. So far as is known he did not consult the Latin American governments in advance. Iceland consented but did not invite the action. What is the justification? President Roosevelt in his message to Congress describes it as a defensive action. He says: : “The occupation of Iceland by Germany would constitute a serious threat in three dimensions: “The threat against Greenland and the northern portion of the North American continent, including the islands * which lie off it. “The threat against all shipping in the North Atlantic. “The threat against the steady flow of munitions to Britain—which is a matter of broad policy clearly approved by Congress. ; “It is, therefore, imperative that the approaches between the Americas and those strategic outposts, the safety of which this country regards as essential to its national security, and which it must therefore defend, shall remain open and free from all hostile activity or threat thereof.” 8 nn =» : 2 8 a : FT HE President then makes clear that he has intervened not only in Iceland and its territorial waters, but in the entire Atlantic between the United States and other outposts—which outposts, on the basis of his earlier statements, would include the Canaries, the Cape Verdes, and Dakar in Africa. He says: “As Commander-in-Chief I have consequently issued orders to the Navy that all necessary steps be taken to insure the safety of communications in the approaches between Iceland and the United States, as well as on the seas between the United States and all other strategic outposts.” Two obvious questions have been raised, among others, by members of Congress: One, whether Iceland is in the Western Hemisphere, and the other, whether the President has exceeded his Constitutional authority. : Geographers generally have placed most of Iceland in the Eastern Hemisphere, and the United States never has officially claimed that it was in the Western—though last month it was listed with Western Hemisphere nations for purposes of exemption from the oil export ban. ‘But this goes far deeper than legal technicalities. The basic questions are whether the American public, as represented by Congress, approves, and whether our armed forces are adequately prepared for war.

FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS NLY eight weeks ago the American Youth Congress, in its official call for a convention at Philadelphia, asserted that “the American people, despite their will for peace, have been led to the brink of the shooting stage of war.” The convention has now been held and has adopted unanimously a resolution pledging ‘‘co-operation with the * people of Britain and the Soviet Union” in their war with Germany and promising “to do our share to end the threat of Hitler and Hitlerism in every form.” What happened in eight weeks to cause this startling shange from extreme isolationism to interventionism on the part of the Youth Congress? The same thing, of course, that caused the American Peace Mobilization suddenly to stop its practice of con_demning aid to Britain and start urging aid to Soviet Russia. The same thing that caused the National Maritime 3 Union (C. I. 0.) to reverse its foreign policy and issue a call ‘$1 for public support of the “present struggle of Great Britain and the Soviet Union against the forces of Fascism.” Few citizens, probably, will be greatly impressed by the pronouncements of these organizations. But no one should _ be impressed when the American Youth Congress, the American Peace Mobilization and the National Maritime Union deny in the future—as they have often denied in the past—that they are dominated by Communists and follow

the party line.

‘GUARD ALASKA! THE Administration is wise in rushing Alaskan defenses. Alaska is the perfect stepping-stone. It is separated from Siberia only by the narrow Bering Strait, and Russian ! ‘Big Diomede Island is less than two miles from U. S. Little ~ Diomede. ; A year ago no combat planes, no artillery, and only 300 troops protected Alaska’s 600,000 square miles of rich natural resources and 26,000 miles of mountains and insular coastline. : ; : ', Japan's great naval and air base at Paramushiru is within 750 miles of the American Aleutians. That is the - shortest sea gnd air route between Japan and the United States proper—1400 miles shorter than the Hawaiian route. During the last year the U. S. Army has been working on a base at Anchorage, already partly occupied, and a smaller one at Fairbanks. Besides strengthening its Sitka station, the Navy is preparing bases at Kodiak and Unalaska. But other Aleutian bases are needed near the interational boundary line—probably at Agattu and Kiska. Since Hitler invaded Russia, and certain Japanese rerived the dream of conquering Siberia, Alaska has become dangerously exposed. The situation was bad enough before. Now it is an emergency. : The Army, the Navy and Congress cannot move too

Fair Enough

By Westbrook Pegler

George Spelvin, American, Does Some Heavy Thinking on the Evils of Divorce; Winds Up Late for Work

EW YORK, July 8.—Driving to work this morning, George Spelvin, American, thought as follows: So now, finally, it..says in the paper where two loving young things, well, they just finally couldn’t " wait another hour, so they got on the plane with a party of friends and flapped away on the wings of love to some place down there and they eloped and got married, and now they are wed and how about getting up a pool on how long this thing lasts? But who they are eloping from it doesn’t say, because an elopment is where the girl's old man would be sleeping with one ear out the window and her brothers would be setting up with shotguns to blow him down, whereas in a case like this, why, their worst enemy couldn't wish them anything worse than marriage, and her ex-hus-bands and his ex-wives ought to get together and pass a resolution that it serves them right.

» » 8

UT I can’t understand why they bother to get married anyway, because she certainly is smart enough to know that he is strictly on the chisel and never owned as much as a suit of clothes free and clear. And if he is so smart and a bon vivant and all like that, and a man-about-town, he certainly knows that she has been in circulation for anyway 12 years at least, and I don’t see how that makes her any shy young thing, especially when you remember those other marriages and the stink when they busted up. I suppose it is just the difference whether you hang around high-class saloons and get your picture in the papers saying you are a madcap darling, and sometimes it states you are blazing or sometimes you are on fire when, if you were just a neighborhood dame and you did like that the neighbors would just say you were drunk and. disorderly and a chaser and a little bum and a disgrace to your old parents, and the saloonkeepers around the block would brush you off, Because you take, if a neighborhood girl spends all her time around saloons and gets a reputation, why the neighbors they probably have got some daughters and sons coming along and they won’t even let their kids tell you the time, but the same

_ people when they read about this elopement they will

not think of it that way. 2 ” »

B® it certainly does make a faint trace of a pensive smile flicker about your pretty little mouth when you stop to think about these people eloping like this and all the secrecy and only a party of friends and the photographer and the press agent for the resort where they eloped to, and we are supposed to say how too utterly romantic, and they were just made for each other when they were both probably so plastered they didn’t know what they were doing or they would have cut their throats first and, anyway, what is the idea of gettin married, anyway, when they seem to be getting alo g' all right together unless marriage is their way of getting a legal separation, because that kind usually break up within six months after they do elope, and I will guarantee to stand on my head every minute this one lasts beyond a year at the outside. It isn’t very important, but certainly seems like that kind ought to pay some kind of special tax on their wedding, like, for instance, $500 each for the second one and $1000 each for the third and so forth, because they certainly get more service out of the courts than nqrmal people, and it costs money to build 2 Sanrthouss and pay judges and clerks and heat and ight. Or it would cool them off if the law said no divorce for at least 10 years, because if they had to stay married 10 years they would stay bachelors forever, and here I am late again. : Good morning, boss, I had a flat.

Business By John T. Flynn

American War-Plane Production Still Slow Despite Vast Speedup

EW YORK, July 8.—It is difficult to get any accurate figures on the rising productivity of our economic machine for war purposes. Here is the best estimate I can get from various sources. In the matter of planes, of course, different types are needed. Generally they are bombers, fighters, trainers. It looks as if we would be able to produce for ourselves this year about 750 bombers, probably a little less. The outlook is also for the production of perhaps 2500 to 2800 fighters.. At best, therefore, this would mean a production of some 3550 combat planes. We can in all likelihood turn out around 5000 training planes. These figures are seemingly large, but actually they mean that when this year ends—six months from now—we will still have only 3550 new combat planes, a trivial number against the’ demands of modern war. The Germans claim to have destroyed in a week of war many more Russian planes than that. It is also claimed that the Germans are turning out that many planes a month. Of course next year production will be greater. But even at the end of 1942, with present prospects, the outlook is for an additional 14,000 combat planes— about equally divided between bombers and fighters. That is something more like an air force, but it is 18 months away. :

" 8 2

me seems to be plenty of evidence from air experts that that -many eombat planes is adequate and more than adequate for the defense of this country, assuming we are talking in terms of defense. But if we are talking in terms of engaging in war abroad, then it is not half enough— indeed, not a fourth enough. Assuredly that is the opinion of at least two of the leading military authorities in this country. The same figures will hold relatively true for tanks and heavy guns. I am. informed that we should have about 1500 of the 155 millimeter guns. I am also informed that we have only one or two

"of these, that we are turning out none now, and | that there is little or no prospect of having 1500 of |

them even by 1943.

1t is these facts which are producing the rumpus | now about the so-called slowness of our preparations. |

It is probable that no one is really to blame for this. There has always been a good deal of talk about the “munitions” industry in this country. We have never had a munitions industry here. Such an industry cannot be created overnight. It requires not only special tools but specially trained men. And it often takes years to make the tools and train the. men. This is one of those facts which honest men look squarely in the face. You cannot pull guns and planes out of a hat as you can speeclies and promises.

So They Say—

ALONG WITH HONESTLY free speech goes life honestly free for the individual, life on his own ground, life in his own house, all in his own way and yet in no man’s way.—Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, on post-war rebuilding. * - a THERE HAS BEEN too much talk about THE government—and not enough about OUR government. —Emil Schram, president-elect of the New York Stock Exchange. * ® : * THE REAL PEACE program has 10 points, and those 10 points are the Ten .Commandments.— Archbishop Spellman of New York. *® *

IT NO LONGER is true that only some of the peo-

ple “go oft to yar" —today, the

war to all of the GY Mason

THA

CR A MORE Wi A REFRIGERATOR

AN IN HADES!

TUESDAY, JULY 8 1941

| CANT GET AWORDIN EDGEWISE ANYMORE AND } USED TO BE PRETTY GOOD AT DOUBLE TALK MY SELF!!

TAKE

THIS

OUR pout

gsES ON ie —

WE ARE POPPING OFF THE ENEMY Like

DUCKS IN A BARREL!

VICTORY (S IN OUR

ar ERR

‘The Hoosier Forum

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

THINKS EDUCATORS ARE IN A JAM By W. H. Brennen, 470 S. Meridian St. What do you think of the educators self-probe? Looks like they are trying to keep the Dies Committee from examining into their faults. Self-probes seldom do any good for what ails them. But teachers and educators are sure caught in a jam and they do not know which way to turn. Their case is almost pitiful, for they do not know or teach anything about our ‘national capital. School children urge the Congress to look into this fault. Maybe they were hearing so much about it in the Texas election they felt Dies would examine into schools, or else they fear O’Daniel will fly to his new job and light a-fighting by moving to act in the schools’ faults about the 15th. It's getting hot it seems.

» ”

CONTENDS RUSSIA FIGHTS OUR BATTLE By Mrs. B. H. Harper, 4928 College Ave. We may not like the Russians, but it so happens they are fighting our battle for us at this time. If the Soviet “Union is defeated, England is doomed, and we are next. We'll be left to fight Hitler alone. The

least we can do is be intelligently selfish, i. e.,, hope and dp what we can to insure a Soviet victory. Indirectly, therefore, the Russians are bleeding and dying for us, yet The Times continues to attack them, which is certainly bad taste to say the least. The editorial writers of The Times seem to be entirely devoid of that inherent sense of decency common to most Americans. All agree that the Russians are putting up the strongest resistance and fighting with the greatest bravery of any nation yet attacked. Every Russian giving his life probably saves the life of an American boy. And while engaged in this life-and-death struggle they offer to pay cash on the line for anything we can sell them, yet The Times suggests soap —a ghastly and perverted sense of humor that. : I, for one, resent your bad manners in daily attacking a nation whose victory is our victory and whose defeat is America’s defeat.

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Make your letiers short, so all can have a chance. Letters must be signed.)

WONDERS IF LINDBERGH SEEKS PRESIDENCY By N. B. P., Indianapolis

Well the shadows are beginning to take shape. A few weeks ago Lindbergh was calling for new leadership and we supposed he meant in the Presidency. Lately the leaders were picked, and I'm sure Hitler approved of them—Hoover and Lindbergh. Mr. Hoover cagily stepped aside. I think he must have been frightened at the thought of actually having the responsibility for this country’s destiny at this time even though he has been one of the worst at fault-finding. If you ask me, he feels warm inside his vest when he can feed somebody with someone else paying the bill, but now actually he’d rather not be President just now. He'd rather heckle from the gallery. I'm wondering if Mr. Lindbergh couldn't be coaxed to take the Presidency, for he apparently has full confidence that he can boss any kind of a job. Now that the Presidency is disposed of, Mr. Wheeler insists that someone take Col. Knox's place. Do you suppose that Mr. Wheeler would consent to take that job? However, there would not be anything for him to do for there would not be any more war with him and Lindbergh ‘at the helm. They would speedily make peace with Hitler and for Hitler. Then I'm sure we could cut off all relations with the rest of the world—just tune them out, as it were, and live to ourselves. Lite would be beautiful. Who thinks 80 .

» » ” TAKING A SLAM AT “UNION NOW” PROPOSAL By Jasper Douglas, 127 E. New York St. England has adopted “Uncle Shylock” now, and says he is the “big brother” in Anglo-American affairs and must take the lead in a formation of a union of the two great

English-speaking countries. An

Side Glances = By Galbraith

PR. 1041 PAY.

NEA A g

thing I'm afraid 1

"Thanks, son, but I'd better walk—in case a wheel flew off that wouldn't be as spry as you . 1

American organization for such a purpose should take the name “The Benedict Arnold Club.” You can rest assured that John Bull would never consent to a union with this or any other country in which Britain would play second fiddle. It could only be by our country . becoming a British colony or province with our citizens becoming subjects of the crown. We would have to give up all the liberties our fathers died to win. Roosevelt is willing to take orders from Britain and is making every effort to provoke some act of retaliation that he could construe into an attack and which would make it necessary to send our boys to fight for the honor of our country. Interventionists are afraid the war will end. Roosevelt is urging England not to make peace, but to fight on and promising all-out aid. Knowing that the people are opposed to sending convoys, he sends “patrols” which are the same under another name... . England has never been our friend. She played us for suckers in 1917 and never made any attempt to pay her debt to the U. S. She sided with the South in our Civil War and for that reason Southern

entry into the war on England's side. Since war is profitable to a cer-

we now stand on the brink of war in

opposed to it. Our war monger President and Congressmen could never again be elected to the position of dog catcher. . ..

” ” ” CONTENDS IT'S STILL BRITAIN’ WAR By Glen Barr, Riley Hotel, Indianapolis Since Germany's declaration of war on Russia, Americans have been blitzed by the urgings of those who desire us to enter the war Now . . . The non - interventionist recognizes that this is still Britain's war. A war that was made inevitable by the world conditions established by that Empire. Recent expressions from Britain's leaders indicate that when the “monster Hitler” is defeated, the conditions that a victorious Empire will create will differ little from those that brought on this conflict. There is little to indicate that a predatory Empire has changed heart even in extreme danger. America is not obliged to save her.

x x = : WHY KID OURSELVES ABOUT HIGH WAR MORAL PURPOSE?

By M. L.. Indianapolis I certainly don't like the Nazis, but if we go into this war, let's go into it with our eyes open and stop kidding ourselves that there is any high moral purpose involved except for window dressing.

THE BETRAYED

By DANIEL B. STRALEY Ask of the hills and the valleys, Ask of enslaved flunkeydom, And the lips that are faint with hunger, What of their food has become.

Ask, perhaps, they will whisper, Of the swarming pagan host, Whose wings of fire and destruction Have left but a skeleton ghost.

Whisper, perhaps, of brown legions " That on them savagely bore And stole the fool of tomorrow To feed the mouth of war.

And of deeds of pillage and murder, The core of the vandals’ boast As they feed at the board of plenty And scorn the skeleton host.

Ask of the hills and the valleys, Ask of enslaved flunkeydom And the lips that are faint with hunger, ; What of their food has become.

DAILY THOUGHT

Men ought always to pray and not te faint,—Luke 181.

THE SAINTS will aid if men will

: for the blue sky bends over all.

Congressmen are now urging our |

tain group, and unfortunately that = group is in control of Government §

spite of more than 80 per cent being {

Gen. Johnson Says.

Short Enlistments Have Played Hob With Us Throughout Our History And Yet We Can't Break Faith Now

ASHINGTON, July 8.—“And there is no dis charge in that war” says the preacher in Ecclesiastes, 8-8. He leads up to it by this: “Because to every purpose there is a time and judgment and therefore the misery of man is great upon him. For he knoweth not that which shall be. For who can tell him that which shall be?” I am one of the foremost admirers and supporters of Gen, George Marshall, now Chief of Staff. I first foregathered with him as a “shave-tail” and “sandrat” at old F't. Reno so many years ago that we both like to forget the number.” Now Gen. Marshall —my old buddy—presents a startling suge gestion. It is that men who were drafted and also Reserve and National Guard officers and men who voluntarily engaged for service under terms of laws which limited their obligation either to defensive operations in the Western Hemisphere, or to a fixed period of service should, regardless of their representations, now be required to serve as long as the Government desires and anywhere the Government dictates.

ASS the legalisms in this case. It is no time for P quibbling on technicalities, but no time is too late for justice. Over and over again, when these limiting laws were passed, this column criticized the limitation. There should be ‘no discharge in (any) war.” On any analysis, the old Jewish law, repeated in Ecclesiastes and elsewhere, is a complete and realistic code for selective service even as to exemptions, Our own history proves their virtue over and over again. But this time we slipped—"“the misery of man is great upon him. For he knoweth not what shall be.” In this column it was not so hard to see from experience “what shall be,” but this is not to say “I told you so.” When Gen. Winfield Scott stood before Mexico City with victory in his grasp he had to sit helpless for months waiting because of limited terms of serve ice of his “volunteers,” who demanded their discharges in conformity with their contracts of ene listment. Nize peepul! The same thing happened over and over again in our Civil War. When Gen. Sherman predicted that the war would last four years and require conscription and unlimited terms of soldier service there, was a great clamor to retire him as a dangerous lunatic. - ” » ” ELL, here we are again, with his profound and complete saturation in our military history, Gen. Marshall wants to cut across all lines and require unlimited service from these various classes of soldiers who weére enticed or inducted under a different understanding. I am ready to concede that, on our theory of citizenship, they have no legal rights. But too much. havoc is being made all over the world by violation of the promises by which men live. As this column pointed out in the beginning, it was a grave mistake to inveigle these men by any other understanding than that “there is no discharge in that war,” but in order to get these laws passed easily, these assurances now proposed to be violated were given. I don't want to be critical. I understand the stern expediency advocated here. But the present crumbling of what we are pleased to call “Western civilization” is wholly traceable to violations of good faith and honor, and in my reluctant opinion that is exactly what is being proposed here. There are many ways to offset this early mistake in judgment and good faith. Among them I would not include a breach of plain ordinary honesty.

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

HANK goodness, I've found a new etiquet book, “Good Manners in a Nutshell,” compiled by Sally Bradbeary, which is based upon common sense, If you don't believe it, listen to this: “When dinner guests are late {he hostess should not wait over 20 minutes. Fifteen is really long enough. It is not necessary for the hostess to delay even a short time, if only a few have not are rived.” I hope this rule will eventually become fashionable for luncheons, teas, lectures and club meetings— in short, for everything which involves the attendance of the Amer« ican female of leisure. I can think of nothing more pleasant than the expression of chagrin upon the faces of certain | acquaintances of mine if they barged in as usual 30 minutes late to dinner and saw the soup plates being removed. I'm usually in favor of reasonable amount of pampering for guests, but, by George, the hostess has some rights too, and even if we leave her out altogether, how about the cook? ‘ The insulting way we treat the cooks in our own and our friend's houses amounts to a national] shame and a domestic disgrace. You'd think women, of all people, would consider their feelings, since most of us know what it means to get a meal and watch it spoil while the family dawdles coming home. Besides, if we paid our kitchen help time and a half for overtime, we'd probably be a little more alert about serving on the hour, and in common justice they should be able to plan their release from dishes by midnight. I've often wondered why the cateress didn’t run amok and, forgetting roast or turkey, come in with the butcher knife to carve up belated guests. They often deserve it. Certain types of women seem born without a sense of time. It's easy to see why Junior Leagues over the country fine their members for showing up late to work. The woman of leisure makes up the bulk of their membership, and she is our worst culprit. Business girls must learn to be prompt, but the dames whose most arduous chore is getting to the beauty parlor, and who have servants at their call, are usually the ones who hold up the meeting. I can think of nothing that would improve feminine character and social life more quickly than to make promptness fashionable.

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

Questions and Answers

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau will answer any question of fact or information, not invelvingr extensive ree search. Write vour questions clearly. sign name and address, inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical or legal advice cannot be given. Address The Times Washington Service Bureau. 1013 Thirteenth St.. Washington, D. C.)

Q—Was Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, a graduate of the U. S. Military Academy? Was he a member of President Pierce's cabinet? A—Davis graduated from the Academy at West Point, N. Y,, in 1828, He served iif the Black Hawk War in 1830 and 1831; was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in the First Dragoons March 4, 1838, “for gallant service,” and served until June 30, 1835, when he resigned. He was appointed Secretary of War by President Pierce, and served from March 7, 1853, to March 3, 1857. \ : Q—How did Germany acquire the island of Helgoand? A—It was traded by England to Germany in 1890 for Zanzibar, an East African colony three thousang times as large. Q—What was the first photoplay produced in Eng land? A—"The Soldier's Courtship,” consisting of 40 feet of film, which required one minute to show. Q—Does the Federal Communications Commise sion license any stations to broadcast recordings exe clusively? + A—No. Q—How much travel pay does a U. 8. soldier ree ceive when he is discharged from the service? ie cents per mile for the distance from place he is discharged to the place he was accepted f enlistment, enrollment, er muster into th a sea travel.