Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 September 1941 — Page 20

i A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) . HOWARD RALPH BURKHOLDER MARK FERREE ! Business Manager

oy; i:

in Indians, $8 a on outside of Indiana, 65 oerits & month.

a RILEY 861

Give Ags and the People wit Fing Tholr Own wep FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1041

' CONGRESS SPEAK "HE speech was a little more than pessimists had e expected, yet a little less than optimists had anticipated.”

That, from the ‘London point of view, isn’t a bad size-up the reaction here, as between the interventionists and nons, ‘ Mr, Roosevelt gave new phrasedtogy to the ancient joetrine of freedom of the seas, about which most of our ‘wars have been fought. He went farther than the expressions of the past. Not only did he stress freedom for our ‘own ships but for “ships of any flag engaged in commerce in our defensive waters.” And, he said: Shoot first. Now, to fire upon a raider attacking an American vessel is to uphold freedom of the seas in the old tradition. But to fire to protect vessels other than American is another thing again. The President also includes the waters as well as the ships, saying: “Their (Nazi raiders) very presence in any waters which America deems vital to its defense constitutes an attack , . . American vessels and American planes will no longer wait until Axis submarines lurking der the water, or Axis raiders on the surface of the sea, strike their deadly blow—first.” : ‘That means shooting—unless the Germans get out of

8 2 » ® 2 : Nov this is a long step from what was contemplated in : the short-of-war affirmations of a year ago in the campaign, or in the Lend-Lease legislation of early 1941, ‘in the revision of the Neutrality Act for the purpose as then stated of making a shooting war unnecessary. But the scene has changed and things have moved. And now, here we are, by executive order, with the guns all cocked. 8 2 8. 8 8 SHE various major moves to date, such Ls Lend-Lease, = getting forth our general policy were expressions of Congress—in which body is reposed the responsibility for ‘declaring or not declaring war. The President in this latest move does not declare war, technically. But actually he comes 80 close to shoot‘ing—and in his own phrase “shooting means war”’—that Congress should speak on the policy the President has expressed. It should speak soon—as soon as. possible after it has had time to digest the full import of what the President said. A joint resolution is the procedure by which the legislative. representatives of the people can make themselves

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST END

THE elements and developments seem to have conspired to spoil Secretary Ickes’ vacation. The rains in Olympic National Park beat down ceaselessly on his log cabin, appropriately situated on Storm King Mountain. But his Spirits were perhaps drenched even more by the news from ashington of the Senatorial committee which investigated his oil shortage and found that there was neither shortage of oil nor shortage of transportation. It is a shame. For this man of multitudipous affairs was so much in need of relaxation and sunshine, Before | ving the capital city, the Ick had put in several strenuous “weeks, ranting at joyriders and jack-rabbit starters, furisly smelling the hind ends of autos with smoky exhausts, phesying that a gasless Eastern Seaboard wasn’t more n a half mile off. Now with his train speeding eastward, Mr. Ickes returns to find that as a result of the testimony about the 00 idle tank cars, etc., the public has become completely Though he didn’t have much fun on. his vacation, per- § the Ick can draw solace from the knowledge that thounds of people he left behind thoroughly enjoyed every ay of his absence, every hour of his golden silence.

- » WASTEFUL AMERICANS Eis ‘has often been said that we Americans are the most wasteful people in the world, and that a French peasant ily could live on what an American family throws away. That’s probably exaggerated, but the fact remains that merican homes are cluttered with discarded materials that d be used now. We collected enough aluminum to build reds of bombers, and everybody is still cooking, so far we've heard. Rusting jaloppies and abandoned streetcar cks are going into steel smelters. ~ Now even paper is needed. The OPM Conservation ureau is asking that waste paper be saved for later collecin 83 large cities. Plans for collection in individual fies will be announced later. i ‘What's the military use of this? Every six: dozen my shirts turned out, for instance; are packed in an 11ind paper board container; 30,000 tons of paper board ch month are used in packing shells. : Waste paper around the house is a fire risk. Eliminate and help defense at the same time,

MAN WHO | KING in Atlantic City, William Green announces that when the war is over and the dictators are de-

“We will make a demand that labor shall sit at the p conference table. This demand shall be so singing it will be heard in China. We are determined that shall have a voice in helping formulate the peace , and every labor organization in every country shall 7e the right of collective bargaining.” What observer of Mr. Green's startling progress toImaing a just peace with the C. L O. for the benefit ican labor’ can doubt his ability to make peace be-

.some of the effete and aesthetic old sea-d

| who had hallowed him clear out of sight.

nes| Liberty : Ships

BY Peter Edson

; WASHINGTON, Sept, ‘19, te Hereafter, will you please refrain from speaking of the 312 emer-

Et ) is building Ducking.

ou them

This Ugly Duckling appellation

: scams to have been the conception

X 4 mere neéwspaperman who thongtis it up just like that when President first made announcement of he tin, shipbuilding program. While thé name fits these freighters perfectly—if you remember your fable of how the ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan and flew off to Hollywood to become & star in moving pictures—still the name offends in Washington and so they must become Liberty each one named after a great American who made a considerable contribution to the country’s liberty— Patrick Henry, John ©. Fremont and the like. . Whatever you call these babies, the first three of them will be sliding down the ways in a mass launch ing on Sept. 27, which the new publicity-conscious Maritime Commission, with a high-powered New York advertising man in charge of its public relations, is going to call “Liberty Fleet Day.”

Really Quite a Program

SEPTEMBER SATURDAY MORN sarcasm aside, this shipbuilding program is something to give you & tremendous lift. Already it has knocked all World War shipbuilding records galley west. At Hog Island, last war, the best record was six months and five days from keel laying to launching. In the case of the first three Liberty Ships, the timés from keel laying

to launching run from four months and three days to .And when production of |

four months and 27 days. these ships really gets going, two ships will go sliding down the ways every single working day. To achiéve this magnificent ee dicion schedule has required the marshaling of America’s best téchnical brains and resources, and exactly this has been done under Admiral Emory 8. Land, chairman of the

Maritime Commission, and J, E. Schmelteer, director

of the commiission’s division of construction.

In 1937, shortly after the commission was organized,

a program of one new ship every two weeks, was ine augurated to re-establish supremacy of the American Merchant Marine, Stepping that up te twe new ships every day, the goal of 1942 and 1943, £0 you an idea of the pace that has been set.

He Hopes We Keep 'Em

IN 1936, THERE WERE 10 shipyards in some degree of activity, with only 46 ways big enough to take 400-foot ships. Today there are 19 yards and 145 ways authorized for the Maritime Co ion program, and ships are actually being built on over half the ways. Today's over-all program calls for the construction of 1400 non-naval ships by the end of 1943, and the total cost of new yards, ways and ships will be in thé neighborhood of eight billion dollars. Of the 1400 merchant or cargo vessels in the Maritime Commission program, only 312 have so far béen designated as the Liberty Ship type, 20 to go in sérvice by the end of the year. But still on the books is a recent authorization for 500 ships, of types not yet designated. Surveys are now being made to see what the shipping demands will be, and what the steel and ship fittings capactiy of the country will be. Decision will be made later on how many of these 500 will be Libertys, how many will be tankers, and how many will be the standard types of fast cargo vessels, C-1, C-2 or C-3 which the commission is building for mer chant marine expansion. When they're all built, the hope is that the country won't be dumb enough to scrap ‘em, junk, ‘em and make ‘em into flivvers.

(Westbrook Pegler did not write a column today.)

New Books By Stephen Ellis

MOST PARENTS who keep an eye on their youngsters’ reading are usiially at their wits’ end, trying to find something sensible and still within a child's grasp. Well, we've just run onto two such books, both published by Bobbs-Merrill, One of them is for girls. It is “My Dear Patsy,” written by Ann Weil of Evansville. As you know, much has been written about the public life of our past : Presidents, but far too little about | their families. Mrs. Weil has writMrs. Weil ten the story of young Patsy Jeflerson, her small sister and their famous father.

The scbne is set in the late 1700's when Jefferson:

was serving as Ambassador to France. ‘My Dear Patsy” is an intriguing piece of light fiction for girls between the ages of 12 and 20. Mrs. Weil porisars Patsy’s life in a French convent, and then, later, in the gay social whirl of Parish life, where she parties, dances and flirts with famous Americans as well as French noblemen. Patsy Jefferson is given to you as a thoroughly human character whom every girl of today can understand and like with ease. .

1 Ben Franklin—Printer's Boy'

THE OTHER BOOK is for younger children, both boys and girls. It is “Ben Franklin—Printer’s Boy,” by Augusta Stevenson. It is extremely well done. The print is large and any child who can read will be able to understand the story. It tells about the boyhood of Ben Franklin and about his youthful inventions and how he came to be a printer. Particularly interesting to the little ones will be

the tale of how little Ben wrote stories for the Phila-

delphia newspaper and of the social reforms that resulted, most persons thinking it was one of the town’s elders writing, You won't go wrong with these two.

For the Adult Reader—

Two better biograbhies of men who did much to ‘make modern literature more than shelf-filler are Karl Detzer's “Carl Sandburg” (Harcourt Brace: $2), and “Barrie, The Story of J. M. B.” (Scribner's: $3.75), by Dennis Mackail. Detzer studies the- personality and background of the gaunt poet-biographer whose “Prairie Years” and “War Years” gave a real Lincoln back to the people Detzer takes America’s second singer of the people. through his: Illinois youth, his early fascination with Lincoln,

or as the hoboing minstrel who explored the country |.

with a guitar, turned newspapermen. Fame came late but great to this “thoroughly American” man in whom there is “so much prairie soil and prairie wind, so much cornfield and barbershop.” Mackail writes a lifelike portrait of Barrie which

‘makes the author of Peter Pan, Quality Street and.

other famous books and plays a giant of our times. Almost perfect from a printing and binding standpoint, it is probably the most complete and readable biography of Barrie,

So They Sey—

There are very powerful underground movements || in Europe, very much stronger than in the last war~ ]

Baron F lgian Minister to Canada. Wars are re won and peace preserved. by material, ri) men.—Brig. Gén sistant chief of staff. i.

It is the determination of the C: nation shall be a land worth defending with every effort.—Philip Murray, C. L 0. president.

Silvercruys, Be ® .

1 would thes ovma Bil Did whicks is pats of 1

national indebtedness of 150 billion dollars, with Hitler out of the world, than a bond which is part of a 50-billion-dollar debt with Hitler still in the world— Wendell Willkie, 1840 G. o. P. Presidential candidate,

I made a lot of money in Hollywood; why shot ig

hips,

. Eugene Reybold, as- ||

. 0. that |

1 “wholly

“The Hoosier Forum

disagree with what you say,

.defend to thedeath your P1ight to say it.—Voltaire.

but will

POLICE RESPONSIBLE FOR AFFAIRS, HE CONTENDS By Robert Powell, Indianapolis. While I agree with Mr. A. 8S. Johnson in not criticizing Sheriff Feeney for his differences with the utor, I firmly believe that the fault lies with the Mayor and the Chief of Police. Mr. Johnson rightfully says: “The liquor laws are openly and flagrantly violated and every form of vice, crime and corruption which the prosecutor as a candidate last fall charged existed with the connivance of the Democratic law enforcing authorities, are still with us.” The prosecutor cannot be expected to make arrests although he should be commended for his effort in trying to show Mr, Morrissey and the Police Department that the law is being violated. It is very apparent that some sinister influence is behind the failure of the police to do their duty. “ve

8 8 P CALLS ‘RED LIGHT’ REMARK UNPATRIOTIC OUTLOOK By O. B. Keller, 1405 E. Market St.

In the Hoosier Forum appears an item by @. C. D., Southport, stating that since the .soldiers have been flooding the city, there are parts of Illinois St. that look like a regular red light district. I have heard that our country was infested with all the various isms and this item does more to convince me of the truth of this statement than anything I have read. Who, are our soldiers of today? They are normal lads from every walk of life who dre offering, if necessary, to sacrifice their lives in defense of our country, and the principles of freedom for which George Washington fought at Valley Forge. I served my country in the World War from beginning until the end and I know what it is to feel the pangs of loneliness and homesickness. I would suggest that G. C. D. attend the religious services at Ft. Harrison some Sunday where he will

proportion to population than he will find in his church in Southport. Have you ever invited any of these homesick boys into your home for the week-end to help relieve the monotony of training camp? Well, I have on numerous occasions and I have yet the first time to invite a

ipenses he still has left a clear in-

$4000 when his actual net income

small business to continue and keep

find a much larger attendance in|POr

(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.) : .

soldier boy into my home that wasn’t a perfect gentleman. . .. Look around close to your home, mister, and I imagine you will find a few men not in uniform that have not yet sprouted their angelic wings.

8 5» =

GROSS INCOME TAX IS ‘DOWNRIGHT ROBBERY’ By W. H. Richards, 127 E. New York St.

There can be no reasonable objection to the federal income tax, as it is only on net income, and even though the exemption has been lowered, no patriotic American should object to paying his little bit if after deductions for various ex-

come of $1500. It is quite another thing with the the Indiana “gross” income tax, which actually taxes a man on his losses. There are many small businesses that do not have a gross of $5000 a year. Out of this the merchant must pay rert, heat, light, telephone, maintain a delivery truck, wages to his help and the goods he sells have cost him at least 60 per cent of the gross receipts. The exemption is $1000. With a gross income of $5000, he must pay on

may be less than his expenses. This is downright robbery and confiscatory. In justice to not only the poor man, but to every citizen whatever his income this tax should be made on net instead of gross income. It need not lessen the revenue, for a higher rate with'a larger per cent ‘on those in the high brackets who are able to pay would bring in as much as the present system, while permitting the

its Jropristor off the public sup- : 2 % = A UNION MAN ANSWERS WESTBROOK PEGLER By Mile L. Curtis, Bloomington I seldom pay attention to Pegler’s

diatribes against unions, but he stooped so low in his denunciation

Side Glances=—By Galbraith -

of us and our leaders in his Labor Day column that he shouldn't be left unanswered. Some of our readers who do not know unionism from the inside may think there is no answer. : Did Pegler ever actually attend one of our Labor Day celebrations? If so, he surely has missed the enthusiasm of the day. Or, sensing that, does he hate it? He certainly must have meant a deliberate insult to intelligent American union men when he compared our speakers to Hitler and the union membership to the Czechs. Or does Peg really think we're loo dumb to notice? : He laments the fact that nohe of

time out to mention that we have some crooks among us. He expected some pats on the back for having

smoked out a few of them. I'll grant he deserves some pats, or would if he didn’t try to insinuate (for the benefit of our non-union

fested throughout with malodorous characters. We admit we have some crookedness in our unions. But it’s hardly fair to try to make the public believe, by inference and inuendo, that the majority of our union Jeadlers condone the evil that creeps After all, our membership in i Nl numbers around: ten million now. Multiply that by five (the average workman's family) and you have a pretty fair cross section of our population. Mr, Pegler, count the crooks you have smoked out of their dens of iniquity, and add the ones you are still after (and more power to| you in tracking down the guilty). How many does it make? A dozen! Or twenty-five! Not a big percentage of fifty million, is it? Mr. Pegler, do you condemn your church because you find an occasional hypocrite? Or your lodge because some of .the boys you know lead a double life? Then why try to get the public to believe hele all is rotten in organized labor? . |. . Go ahead, Pegler, Compar unions to the mafia, our lead Hitler; call our union init Ee — fees and dues extortion, and all of us collectively “show stock in their pens at 2 fair” We can take it. And the public will some day | | ake

=iup to you. {Our leadership, drawn usually from

We've at times been ly iron

the rank and file, could hardly be expected to be perfect. We sometimes get mad enough about; our leadership to change it, just as we do government rations; But

unions to be our haven of refuge and we'll stick with them, and lis ten to our leaders in Preterente to you, Mr. Pegler.

ON THE AUCTION BLOCK By ELEEZA HADIAN

The wolves, the wolves are after it! Miserly thieves think they have Got it! Can't you dig up a bit Of old-fashioned change? Loyalty,

“| Honor, integrity will be readily ac-

2p * Wake the bells! « Sound

Round up every

: st, | Upright man! Arouse the town-

crier: This is our great heritage

' | | Placed on the block! America. for

sale!

America! One hundred and thirty : million! -

Bid against the black, the yellow And the vicious! And thirty million, all together bid}

One hundred

DAILY THOUGHT

the speakers he heard or read took|

readers) that our unions are in-|

by and large, we've found our|

port a posi Wilke. ~ but, after all, this pri isn about Mr. Willkie, it is about a cause he is defending—against an _ investigation of the motion pice ture and perhaps the radio induss’ Ary to learn if they are propaganda to get us into war. The first difficulty is to define the word “propaganda” and th

publishing is plain for the whole of our people to see 4nd hear daily and millions of them do see and hear it. They have. the évidence of their own senses and it doesn’t require & legislative investigation to tell them whethér it is war propaganda-or to bé more accurate, whether it continuously plays up the case for American intefvention or not. Bach person must be his own judge of that. As far a8 I am concerned, I think it does, or at least has a tendency in that direction, But suppose it does, then what are we going to do about it? That, in my opinion, is the real vice of the so-called inves« tigation. The moment a move is made to curtail frees dom in expression of the printed, the spoken or the visualized word, we begin to lose the most essential basis of SeNTaAy:- Freeda) of opinion, Seva, and expression, : )

J 'Newscasting Fair, Too' IF WERE some sinister force, whether in

THERE | public or private hands, which had the power to shut

off all expression on one side of an argument and ta falsify or distort all expression on the other side, there would be something to rave about. "But sueh is not the case here. We have always the press and throughout this war, while pages of editorials and commentators have argued these quese tions in the hot zeal of advocacy, I have yet to hear even a charge that the news réports of almost all the press have not been factual and coldly objective to & degree remarkable in the whole history of wars and unequaled anywhere else on earth. As far as the radio is concerned, while it seems to me that most “news” commentators take little trouble to conceal their pro-war bias, yet, with the exception of a few ridiculous “proghosticators,” I haven't obe served any of them in the act of playing fast and loose with the truth in their daily or hourly newscasting. How could they? They are dependent on the press services and, while they give us information a few hours in advance, the printed news columns would almost immediately refute any attempt to vioe late or distort the truth. Also it seems to me that I hear as many anti-war as pro-war radio speeches,

'Plainly Labeled as Fiction’

WHILE I HAVE rarely requested it, I have never been refused radio time in my life. I have had: plenty of it and I am as far from agreement with the extreme interventionists as I am with the extreme isolationists, . Most of the complaints about the movies attack fiction films. Doubtless some of them do distort actual conditions, All of them are addressed to the emotions. Like “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” this could be some incitation to war, But they are plainly labeled fice tion—which is the reverse of truth. People are so stuffed with the exaggerations of Hollywood that it is doubtful whether any 1941 “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” either on the screen or between the covers of a book, could stampede this nation. Even if that were pose sible the American answer can’t be censorship. After all the millions of words and feet of film, the people of this country are between 70 per cent and 80 per cent opposed to unnecessary bloody ine volvement in this war except in the interest of reale istic American defense. ;

By Mrs. - Walter Ferguson

- THE CHIEF AMBITION of the modern girl is to marry and have children, . according to Dr. Lewis , Jones, . president of Bennington, which is considered our most libe eral college for women. Feminism is washed up, it seems--that is, if we think of it as a rebel movement, taking women out of the home. Like all movements it went haywire for a while, leading its devotees into some devious and dangerous paths. We should: not be surprised to see them coming back into the domestic folds once more. The educational formula pronounced by Dr. Jones fills the bill in my opinion, He says: “We are trying to train young women tc play their part in today’s confused and rapidly-changing society. If education

zens in marriage, career or a popular combination of the two.” When it comes to being individuals, woinen usuale ly are on a spot. If they enjoy a normal life, meaning marriage and children, i, are often forced to give up any thoughts of a career. And the bright young thing who wants to make her mark in the world, and sacrifices everything for the ambition, may find herself with nothing left but a mark, which can fade very thin and become, in time, an unsatisfactory subestitute for a family. :

Needed: Educated Men

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS. now is more edus cated meén—men smart enough to understand that women are people, too, and willing to give them every chance to be good citizens without taking away from them marriage and motherhood. I never get much excited about what goes on in women’s colleges, although it is encouraging to hear from men like Dr. Jones. What matters to us is what goes on in masculine educational institutions. For.the average girl, in this period as in the past, has one aim—to make herself into a being men will like. She lives on their approval, economically and emotionally,

When American men are really civilized we shalt have no need for feminism because we shall be their mates and helpers. Feminine equality will be no good unless it’ comes as a voluntary gift, to us from them,

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

Questions and Answers

(The Indisnapolis Times Service Bureau will answer any question of fact or information, not involving extensive ree search, Write your questions clearly. sign name and address, inclese a three-cent postage stamp, Medical or legal advice eannot be given, Bureau. 1013 Thirteenth 8t.. Washington. D, C.)

his time, said: “The hurricane which is now blasting mounds of reason as well as right?” in 1810. - Q—Are true crocodiles found in the United’ States? A—There are some along the southeast coast of orida.

Q—Was there a Colonial Governor ot Maryland

named Josias Fendall?

A—Yes. He was born in Bogland about 1620 and -

In that same year he was taken Puritans and released, and went to ing in 1657. In 1660 he was superseded and sentenced fo banishment and forfeiture, but pardoned. In 1681 he was heavily fined and banished for sedition. Q_How close to Washington was the battle of

“Bull Run in’ the Civil War?

second is that whatever they ied :

A Woman's Viewpoint

is effective they will be able to function well as citi-

Address The Times Washington Servis Gi © Q—Was it George Washington or Benjamin Hare rison who, describing the condition of the world in the world, physical and moral, has prostrated all ~- A—Neither; it was written by Thomas Jefferson :

received a large landed estate from Lord Baltimore, i

a 5