Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 11 October 1941 — Page 9

‘The Indianapolis Times ROY W. HOWARD RALPH BURKHOLDER - MARK PERRER President = . Editor 4A SCRIFPSHOWARD NEWSPAPER). -

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> RILEY 351

Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way * SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1841

‘THE President's plan to correct the physical defects of some 200,000 young men and make them fit for military _ service seems to us a good one. It is much more practical than a lot of ideas that have been suggested—for instance, the proposals that the CCC and NYA undertake a gigantic _ rehabilitation program, which most certainly would have turned into a gigantic boondoggle. Of the one million men who have been rejected for .military service, some 188,000 have bad teeth. So Mr. Roosevelt sensibly proposes that they be sent to their home- _ town dentists and have their molars patched up—the Government to pay the bills. . : { The second largest group, 128,000, have defective eye-

sight, so the President would send them to their local |

opticians. And so on, with the hernia sufferers who by a . =surgical operation can be made fit to bear arms, and those afflicted with venereal disease who can be restored to health _ by proper treatment. : The big difference between the President’s plan and the expensive NYA-CCC schemes is that it doesn’t envisage . _vast concentration camps, and that the rehabilitation will be in the hands of dentists, opticians, physicians and surgeons, rather than social workers and political jobholders. “Tt will cost less of the taxpayers’ money, and probably pro--duce more prospective candidates for the fighting forces.

BEAK AND BELLY g A REMARKABLE bird, assures: the old limerick, is the pelican. Remarkable especially in that its beak, the _-rhymn asserts, can hold more than its belly can. That rare bird, Hitler, is by way of being more remark-~-gble still. According to his speech of Oct. 3, he has already seized from Russia an area “twice as large as the German “Reich when I took over leadership in 1983.” x That i8, he has it in his beak. Some of the otlier terri_~~torial morsels snapped up in that beak have been proving remarkably indigestible of late. There is nothing in the

conduct of Russia thus far in the war to suggest that seizure |

‘of a chunk of it twice as large as Germany is going to con- . tribute anything very happy to the Fuehrer-bird’s metabolism.

_INON-INTERVENTION PAYS

“PPRO-DEMOCRATIC and pro-Yankee” is the ‘way the |

Panamanians bill their latest bloodless revolution. : The demoératic part may be a slight exaggeration. +. Politics down there has never been particularly representa- * tive. That is not eur business. However much we would _like to see the four freedoms flourish in the jungles shadowing the Canal Zone, we have no God-given right to impose _ our preferences on others. ; : > But the United States does have a right to expect the Panamanian Government, whatever its origin and sympa- ~ thies, to observe its treaties. For better or for worse the Canal has made Panama a defense dependency of the United .” States. To deny that is either dumb or very vicious—and President Arias, who caught an outbound plane just one jump ahead of the coup, is not dumb, ==. Whether that would-be strong man was as pro-Nazi as his political opponents charged, we don’t know. But Ber- ! | ists| reveal a special interest in:

t of this latest “revolution”

with it. Unlike his cousin Theodore, who was a specialist in ‘Panamanian revolution, Predident Franklin D. Roosevelt

seems to have suffered an anti-American dictator near the |

by intervention in Panama’s internal affairs. We congratulate the Président on his restraint, and on the very practical reward with which the Panamanian “friends of the United States have now crowned his nonssintervention policy. :

KEEP SOCIAL SECURITY SECURE THE Social Security Act is one of the most far-reaching social measures of our time. Drawn to incorporate the best features of known and proved legislation of the “kind all over the world, it was intended as a permanent feature of the American order, not a makeshift effort. Now, President. Roosevelt proposes to extend the Act's soverage to another 40,000,000 people in addition to the 40,000,000 now covered. ; In admitting that one of the reasons for the proposal 4s to provide money for financing the defense effort and

to restrict inflationary tendencies, the President calls at-

tention to a vital point. ao Money paid in under the payroll taxes for Social Se- = eurity is not kept in a fund, but spent by the Government, which is then under an obligation to pay it when due; The temptation to get revenue at will under such means, without ue regard to the future obligations involved, is great, ecially at a time like this. J Sur The experts who helped write this legislation ought » be recalled and consulted as to its extension so that it wav be built solidly, not for the emergency, but for the ature. : fiir hag AE ; PEE Let's pay for defense as-defense, and for social security

)GRESSIVE EDUCATION ~~ oe 0M ‘Cambridge, Mass., comes the encouraging word, by The New York Times, that: ah LY

rvard has

ig with the current calls for streamlining and | Genera!

Business Manager

the world they want if they wiil

‘By Westbrook Pegler

dealer and builder of prefabricated houses, employing C. I,’ O. workmen, has underbid the nearest Sompelitas by $400,000 on the price 300 homes for defense

L. appears to have a mojobs in return for a promise

without risk of any

'The Worker Has No Choice’

THE C. 1, O, UNION, which claims United Construction Workers, headed

is the

the work, D. Lewis,

by A. D.

. Mr. Lewis wil taks in anyone who is not already captured another on oO e C. ; He will take teamstérs from Dan Tobin's A. F. of L..

Brother Joe Moreschi’s union. : In St. Paul not long ago Brother Lewis took in an organization of teamsters after Mr. Tobin with great, sorrow and reluctance had declined to kick them out. They beat Mr. Tobin to it by withdrawing and Brother Lewis made them welcome, although the violent character of the St. Paul teamsters was well known to all union politicians. In the present case in Detrojt, the Lewis union proclaims the right of the toiler to quit one union for another or to select one in preference to another, although it must be understood that the individual workman has no voice in the matter. If called on to picket or engage in street fighting against the private army of ga rival union boss he must obey, failing which he becomes a dirty rat, scab and fink and his family loses all rights as citizens and human beings.

‘Power Without Responsibility’

THE DANGER OF PRIVATE war arises from the fact that the New Deal in Washington is giving power to these union leaders around the country provided no corresponding responsibility and a situation here arises in which the people of the United States must either pay an over-price of at least $400,000 on a given task or accept the consequences of a war between two sets of unions. The workers, of course, have no say in the matter and will do as their leaders order. Earlier this week these dispatches discussed the affairs of the Movie Operators’ Union of Newark, N. J., and said the number of the local was 224. That was an error which is hereby regretted. The correct number of the local is 244.

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

New Books By Stephen Ellis

OTTO ZAREK IS A German fighting in the British Army against Germany, Hitlerite Ger-. many, Until he was driven out by the racial laws, he was one of the foremost playwrights, producers and directors of the German theater. Looking back at “that other . . Germany,” Mr. Zarek has written a rather remarkable book, “Splendor and Shame.” It should be required reading for those who keep trying to reconcile the Germany of Beethoven, Heine and Goethe and the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler. As the title somewhat ineptly suggests, “Splendor and Shame” deals with this paradox in a new kind of personal history. It is the autobiography of a German intellectual who played such an intimate role in the pre-Hitler culture of Central Europe that he unconsciously identifies himself as a symbol of his nation’s former cultural splendor. 2 In such a role, this man of letters and of peace has taken up arms against his own people to erase the shame of Hitlerism. Ei The book is rich in anecdote of Germany's famous and infamous. Mr. Zarek knew virtually every German of consequence in the arts and sciences, from Marlene Dietrich to Einstein. He met Hitler, Roehm and . Goering, !

It Deserves Some Thought

OTTO ZAREK tells his remembrances in a solemn, nostalgic vein. It is no atrocity tale and it is not sensational; it is the record of a candle sputtering and going out, told simply and undramatically. As a producer, Mr. Zarek discovered many of

| Europe’s brightest stage and cinema stars: Dietrich,

Lederer and Elizabeth Bergner ‘who once told Hitler to his face she hated what he stood for. He was the friend of Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Arnold Zweig, Lion Feuchtwanger, Max Reinhardt. He knew Streseman, Ebert and Ernst Toller whose radical plays amused Berlin socialites and revolutionaries alike. Mr. Zarek’s book and his answer to the German mystery deserve a good deal of thought. He has promised to write the ending of his odyssey if it doesn’t come on the battlefield. The sequel would be something to look forward to.

“SPLENDOR AND SHAME: Od " Zarek, Bobbs-Merrill & Co., PS as $2.50. by Otto

So They Say—

A MAN should hold very strong to his political and religious faith, but he can most vigorously defend. his convictions without bitter.—Rev. Megaw, Ft. Washington

* *

THE experiences of front will produce still more fanatic National Socialists.—Adolf Hitler.

: . . . women in this country can have anything in moje themselves and do something about getting it.—! Cora E. Mackenzie, past president, Zonta International. : ,* % * , THE American people must 1y, but bluntly,” the need P. Armstrong, new: tion. . ‘ } “Ra ys ; ; We propose that opportunities for profit, and for greater or less profit, will remain the incentive for efficiency, foresight, and initiative, even during: this administrator.

= :

; We must be in position to meet every economic competitive condition which Sontrenis us—just as we are preparing meet every defense contingency. — Chairman Emory 8. Land, U. 8. Maritime Commission. 4 a * » a . * It ‘was a darn fool stunt.—Summary of rooned-on-the mesa incident, by George

THE

for self-discipline. —~Walter

Henderson, Federal price * *

P. J. Currier, a Detroit lumber

have been given -

Union or hod-carriers and common laborers from |

pus Pr THAT PLATE INAS SOON AS WE GET x OU

Pincer Movement onthe Home Front!

THESE

. | o : The Hoosier Forum 1 wholly disagree with what you say, but will : defend to the death your right to say it.—VYoltaire.

HE STILL WANTS HIS. QUESTION ANSWERED By D. A. Sommer, 918 Congress Ave. The question is not whether Roosevelt has made a failure of his. domestic policies. Personally I think he has very much. But the all-im-portant and yet-unanswered question is, “How can America have peace with a treaty-trampling Hit-|.

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

ler, when a dozen nations tried it and are slaves?”

slum owner who permits his prop-

erty to become -a pestilential rathole, a menace to health and morals and a disgrace to the entire -com- | munity, squeezes the last red. cent out of his unfortunate tenants and then scornfully declines to shoulder his share df the tax burden, 1éiting them go delinquent for nine long years, without an official finger being lifted to make him pay up, then I want to know why! Ill bet thousands of taxpayers would like. to know why’ Obie J. Smith and David F. Smith have not been formally charged with responsibility for the deplorable sanitary condition of the Merrill St. properties by the same health department representatives that swore affidavits against the poor tenants, who certainly didn’s install the fancy two-story outdoor toilets that are such a charming feature of the place that visitors come from far and near to view ‘these curiosities. ‘(A member of the Chicago Metropolitan Housing Council who ‘saw them the very day that the tenants were so callously hauled to jail in a

88 8 ATTACKS AMERICA FIRST CHAIRMAN’S POSITION By Pat Hogan, Columbus

Merle H. Miller, champion of Hitler's America Feast Committee, portrays. the - typical asininity of the monomaniacs behind this craze... However, Miller is afflicted with only mild stages of the disease that has made Wheeler and Lindbergh| balmy in the crumpet. Miller's candor places him in a position that would be excruciatingly funny if it: did not involve a menace to this nation. He admits that the campaign promises of Roosevelt and Willkie have been proved unwise, and that a declaration of war is perhaps the only way to save America, but he considers the sanctity of a promise more sacred than the survival of. America. In a word, Miller would not leave his house even though it burned down over his head; he would live upstairs over a vacant lot.

backs of his fellow citizens! Mayor Sullivan, Dr. -Morgan, and Prosecutor: Blue, what action may we expect on the Merrill St. slums? . ET WHITE REPLIES, SAYS A.B.F. ‘DELUDED BY PROPAGANDA’

By Harrison White, 1135 Broadway In the Forum of Oct. 6, A. B. F. challenges my conclusions; he says “he does not mind my admiring German efficiency” but he says “I do mind his conclusions.” That -is, it is" all right for me to think but I should not say ‘anything about it. 80 to Ai. B. F. may I say, I stand on every so-called ‘conclusion I make, for I do not make any, only that are well founded and that are proven to my satisfaction to be true. There is a peculiar thing about any criticism of what I have had to say or about myself in person, none have given any specific thing in objection but only general objection,

without reason. I gather from the]

way you write that you are not a Communist nor; a Socialist nor a New. Dealer; but you are a wellmeaning gentleman whose patriotism has been deluded by the stealth of propaganda. Today democracy has become, not the. blushing, but a bold recipient at the expense of liberty and justice; so Americanism is being crucified. : : ; Communism, Naziism and Fascism

told, not only bold- |

effort’ ‘to achieve supremacy in‘ production.—

the ma- RB

In every great crisis thinking people know what should be done. The fighting pioneer spirit that gave birth to this nation is dlways ready to defend it; likewise the spirit of the weaklings, wastrels and drones who take life and liberty for granted are ever ready with excuses and back-seat driver advice. . . . But remember Nero fiddled while Rome burned, and we have lots of

Neroes in Congress. 8 2 ” DEMANDS ACTION ON MERRILL ST. SLUMS By Irate Taxpayer and How!, Indianapolis I am an owner of rental preperty and a taxpayer, and as long as the taxes which I pay promptly help to keep my community clean and decent I'm not kicking. We want to keep our city government operating efficiently and are glad to do our share in its financial support. However, when a Shylock of a

patrol wagon said they were probably the only examples of that in the entire country.) We are a long-suffering and patient people but’'in the end we want to ask questions and get straight answers. Thousands of us decent taxpayers have been receiving those yellow slips to remind us to pay our taxes, and we have been laying aside part of our income for that purpose. In return we expect the city administration to protect the value of our | properties from creeping blight, that terrible, contagious malady fostered by greedy, irresponsible slum owners. Before we line up at the tax collector’s ‘window, before we pay one penny on the line, we want to ask the city administration how much longer we have to pay our way while a fellow who contributes so generously to the increase of social service costs in our fair city continues to make money and ride free on the

type

albraith

Side Glances=By G

embracing all the different phases of socialism at the present time are murdering ene another on the continent of .Europe and the United ‘States should have no part in this bhase of the war. Hitler will win over Stalin and then a stalemate which will present another phase of the war. Hitler says the cause of the war is “Freemasonry, the Jews and some Democrats” who had gone into some sort of a conspiracy to control the

‘the effect can be none other finally than another crusade and peace will be impossible within the next seven years unless this thing that is behind Hitler backs way down and out to save its hide. During the stalemate of the war, the leveling of. every city on the continent of Europe will progress to enforce peace; this includes the eity (of Rome. When peace finally comes, the United States will have gone

back to fundamentals in American|

government; the New-Deal and the so-called freedoms will be forgotten and America will write the terms of

|peace; and liberty will be written

there for all the people on the face

‘lof the earth, and that inclydes Indie, |then there can be no more cause

for war. We as Americans should go into this war only ‘in the’ interest of peace.and should be well prepared to ‘act at the opportune time.

A MADRIGAL

Lin

od E g

i i: Ba

fis

: 3s

world, If this is true to Hitler then|

Gen. Johnson {Says

that is holding up anti-inflation legislation — notwithstanding that e important authority, New Dealer, Old Dealer or middle-of= the-roader has testified that ine : flation- is the most dreadful dane et ger that now confrorits our people. In: furtherance of that threat we hear “in war there shall be no profits.” We see bills introduced limiting business profits to 6 per cent on capital investment and other similar balmy lunacies. Look at them more closely and you will find that they are largely a confusion of terms, uttered mostly by politicians who either don’t know, or don’t want to know what they are talking about. ; What is a “ceiling” over prices, including wages or farm prices? It is no cast-iron restriction. It doesn’t reach back and reduce any price. It simply says: “These increases have gone high enough. They shall not go any further upward without a showing, in the case of wages, that increases in the cost of livihg justify it or, in the case of farm prices, that they have not reached the long-promised goal of ‘parity’ fair exchange value in terms of the ‘prices of the things the farmer buys.” ous

‘Profits Are Not Going Up'

‘THAT IN ITSELF is a flexible rule. For, just as labor wages will go up as fast as the cost of living goes up, so also will the price of the things the farmer sells go up as fast as the price of what he buys. That is the “ceiling” plan as it applies to labor and agriculture. As it applies to business, prices can 80 up, but only where for some special reason and for its own purposes Government permits them to go up, in a certain degree—but no further. But that is not what the opponents of price ceils ings propose when they say there must also be a ceiling over profits—say 6 per cent on invested capital. That doesn’t propose a ceiling over profits as of a certain day. It proposes to reach back indefinitely on an arbitrary rule or no rule at all and, for most new and small enterprises, to a point that would bankrupt most of them and on most old and highly capitalized and powerful monopolies or great corporations to set ‘a limit higher than most of them have enjoyed for a long, long time. Wages have been going up, prices have been going up to a point where the beginning of a robust inflation is already here. But generally speaking net profits, whether figured as a percentage either on investment or sales, and regardless of multiplied businesses, haven't been going up. Mounting State, local and Federal taxes have taken so large a portion of them that net advances in profits have been prevented. ;

‘It's a Creeping Communism or Nazism’

THE NEW TAX legislation will actually reduce . profits. Government n't taken 40 per cent to 80 per cent out of wages and farm prices, but it has or shortly will take as much as that out of profits. . There is hardly a voice in this country raised against the slogan “Take by taxes all profits due to war.” We are doing that and we are going to do it further. . But, that is a very different thing from the new slogan: “In war, take profits.” That simply ruins the capitalistie system and our plan of free enterprise. It is creeping communism or naziism, £5 It would be as sensible as to say: “Don’t put reasonable limit on high wages and farm De t inflation, but in war take all wages and confiscate all farm products.” - It is high time to get quick and common sense action on the priee~control bill.

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

A LONG TELEGRAM from the director of merchandising for a baby-food company reproaches me because not long ago one of my articles, which discussed the rising cost of living, sald that baby foods were too high. : I have also heard from several very nice salesmen who tell me that my statements were “errone‘ous, misleading and derogatory,” and that their products are actue ally down, a little, It seems to me this is a tempest in a teapot. Food prices are definitely up, as everybody knows. Milk, the ‘principal food for babies, is higher than it was last year, and in my neck of the woods, the canned ‘variety is also higher. on Twelve months ago I talked to several local grocers when the first hike went on. I am interested in this particular product because we have a baby in the family and are constant customers. It may, as the gentlemen say, be lower elsewhere, but in our | territory it’s up and no amount of arguing alters the fact. I wish it might.

Let's Think About All of Us

THIS LITTLE DISAGREEMENT is aired for one purpose, to call attention to a deplorable situation in our country--group interests as opposed to general welfare,

The population seems to be broken up into face tions, each trying to get the best of the others, with few or none thinking much about of the good of the whole. : ; Surely it ought to be possible to discuss ; living costs, which hit every man, woman and chi in the country, to a specific firm. We ; I can’t imagine intelligent businessmen not being alarmed ‘by present trends. If we should all decide

that business would not

be good for any of us very "long. : ti i

. . . i , 4 ; : : : \ Questions and Answers — nin or information, 0 Surean wy Anime - ' search, Write your questions clearly, sign name and sddress, . inclose a three-cout postage stamp. Medical or legal sdvies: cannot be given. Address The Times Washington ‘Bervies.

. Buresu. 1013 Thirteenth 8%. Washingtes. D, C.) | Q—How did Admiral Farragut get past Fort son and 51. Philp on the Mscsuppt Rive dur

Jour: beriof daily ne ~The number: 1 tes has decreased from 2036

to 187 abn,

to ignore sueh grave questions, I am perfectly certain

without being accused of doing injury - .