Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 11 December 1941 — Page 18

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The Indianapolis Times ROY W. HOWARD RALPH BUI TT

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«> RILEY 5551

Give Light end the People Will Find Thetr Own Way

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1841

SO WHAT? 0 we've lost the first round? So what? American and British capital ships have been lost at Pearl Harbor and off Malaya? We apparently still have more than the enemy. . Bombers have proved their superiority over battleships? We presumably have more planes than Japan. More oil and gas to fly them, more factories, more machine tools, more skilled workmen to produce them. Hawaii, our western Gibraltar, has been knocked out? So goes another rumor. It is strong enough that the Japanese have not dared approach it since their surprise blitz in the Sunday dawn before the declaration of war. Our fleet is at the bottom of Pearl Harbor? Ancther panicky exaggeration. Most of the fleet is said to have steamed out to its battle stations, where it is relentlessly stalking the enemy. = = » = 2 » HERE is the fleet now and what is it doing? would like to know. The Army and Navy were caught napping? The Panama Canal, our vulnerable life-line in the midst of Japanese gpies and wreckers, was so closely guarded enemy agents could not get started. In the Philippines our Army and Navy were not surprised—the Asiatic fleet was not resting in port, but sweeping the sea. The Army coped with the largest and hardest alien fifth-column movement in the world, and both Army and Navy air forces are battling superior attacks on widely scattered fronts. Why doesn’t the President get rid of the high admirals, who are sleeping in the pre-plane age, and the bespurred generals, who think they won the air battle when they butchered Billy Mitchell, and whose idea of a tank is something to swim in? The President knows more about the Army and Navy, their strong men and their incompetents, than we civilians do. And he has learned more since Sunday. He will handle the problem. » s \d » » » UT why doesn’t he act quickly? He has been reorganizing quietly for several months. The Army commander of the Caribbean-Panama area is a flier. The commander of the Atlantic fleet is a flier. The favored Army services now are the modern ones—aviation, anti-aircraft, tank, paratroops, and flying infantry. There has been much Army and Navy reorganization, and there will be a great deal more—steady and constructive; instead of the indiseriminate head-lopping, goat-sacrificing holiday desired by the hysterical. Yes, we have lost the first round. And we shall lose many more rounds unless we have learned our lesson. But, if we have learned, we still have the superior strength, actual and potential, to start winning.

Tokyo

DON'T WAIT FOR COMPULSION

OW best to preserve liberties in war-time? One of the best ways is to anticipate what must be done, and do it voluntarily, making compulsion unnecessary. For instance: We know that the rubber of Malaya will be cut off by the war. That means utmost economy with what rubber we have. Don’t waste it; don’t drive merely to ride around. Don’t waste gasoline. Don’t let scrap iron lie around the house or barn unusued. There will be need for every bit of it; in fact, a shortage looms. Get it to the junk-man. Don’t waste food. Don't waste anything. The call will come soon enough for restriction, perhaps even rationing. Put it off by saving voluntarily. The American people are intelligent people, capable of co-operating without compulsions. Let's begin now.

LET'S TRY IT

HE best possible way to all-out, nonstop production | Po y ’ BD | people must be braced for a stiff struggle with its

for victory would be through voluntary co-operation. Let's try it. All have made mistakes in the past—labor, industry, Government. Let’s start a new page. Last week most Americans were convinced that there must be strong legislation to prevent strikes. Let's withdraw that judgment and assume that strikes will be prevented without legislation of the type passed by the House. If the assumption proves wrong, if strikes are not prevented, legislation can come fast, and will. The great mistake was in thinking that we had time —time to stop work and fight among ourselves. Almost everyone, including the spokesmen for labor, said that production offered the country’s only hope of safety. But almost nobody acted as if it was true. For, with the war so far away, almost nobody could quite believe it. LJ 2 ” .

man-hour lost in the mining of coal, the making of steel, the building of ships, the manufacture of planes and tanks and guns and ammunition, was bringing deadly danger nearer to our own country and our own homes. And in this time of national awakening every member of organized labor is entitled to the opportunity to prove that he will serve willingly, gladly and without even the shadow of compulsion. Those who claim that opportunity as their own right—and we do claim it—should not deny it to others,

We hope the President will find time very soon to call |

the projected conference of representatives of labor, industry and Government for the purpose of agreement on procedure to settle all differences without interruption of work. From industry, that will require recogintion in com‘plete good faith of labor's rights. From labor, that will require recognition in compelte good faith that its rights must not be abused.

Sl hi Ml sll a a

Fair Enough By Westbrook Pegler

NEW YORK, Dec. 11. — This liting human document may bring me up on a charge of third-degree log-rolling because it is fixing to be a tribute to my friend and colleague, Ray Clapper, whose stuff runs on the page just ahead of this. If so, however, no judge would give me worse than a dollar fine, suspended during behavior, for I have had so little experience in praiseful writing that ; it probably won't be very complimentary after all. It might even make an enemy of him as happened when I thought I eulogized Knute Rockne and he threatened to resign his job as coach at Notre Dame because the rewards of publi¢ life weren't sufficient compensation for such abuse. I am probably the only journalist in the trade whose praises are scanned with care by a libel expert and I will admit that for many years at the big national political conventions I was eaten by a secret envy of the Hearst crowd of seals who devoted themselves so generously to mutual adulation ih print that you had to buy the oppotition paper to find out who got nominated. Well, anyway, as I look back over the last few years I realize that Clapper was the only cosmic commentator in the trade who really felt the gravity of the Japanese menace to our country. Much of his work on that theme was necessarily pretty dull going, and I will admit, to my shame, that I sometimes threw him away with the inward remark that, oh, hell, Ray was on tin, rubber, Borneo and the Dutch East Indies again and the importance of Singapore to us and the vulnerability of the Philippines.

He Just Kept Hammering Away

WEEK AFTER WEEK he hammered on the subject of the Japanese enmity toward the U. 8. and the utter ruthlessness of the monkeys of Nippon and the Hitlerism cynicism of their statesmen. To Me, and ts most other Americans who were interested in menaces, Hitler was the one to watch and hate and the Japanese were just a synthetic danger invented long ago by Mr. Hearst, who never has got credit for patriotic or otherwise selfless motives in anything he did and therefore was accused of impairing our peaceful relations with an admirable nation for circulation purposes. Ray is not a noisy writer, being little given to rhetorical nip-ups and never known to break oui in an attack of the cutes, which may be a pity because possibly the very solemnity of his warnings militated against results. But, anyhow, the fact that practically all of us were looking the other way and yelling rude monosyllables at Hitler is certainly no fault of his, because he was right on the target all the time and I am afraid his information was altogether too sound on the subject of our stockpiles of raw materials necessary for war which are obtainably in quantity only in the areas which Japan has now blocked off. I believe, too, that Ray occasionally tried to give us a wink to forego criticism of the government for permitting gasoline, oil and old iron to go sliding out of our ports bound for Japan, because we, in turn, were stocking up on stuff that Japan might deprive us of at any moment.

Why, Peg, You're Actually Maudlin!

IN THE MATTER of hatred of or war psychology against Japan and Japanese only a comparative few Americans, living on the West Coast, had any preparation at all. The rest of the American people start cold, although, of course, the events of last Sunday and of the hours since have brought the country to a fast boil. Clapper didn’t stoke the fires of hate, though, but kept kicking us gently under the table and muttering, “Don't look now, but I think that little squinty guy behind us is carrying a knife.” Other newspaper writers thay have touched up the subject occasionally and I have no doubt that among my many unread books oh the power politics and enmities of the Orient there are some which prophesied this attack on the U. S. A. But Clapper made a campaign of his warnings and the fault was ours that so very few Americans caught the message of this press-coop Paul Revere. : Old Mr. Hearst deserves some credit, too, but he also rates some blame for discrediting his own alarms by his fakery and insincerity in so many other mat

ters. Well, this, for me, is hysterical hero-worship, but you know how very restrained I am in such things and I won't be surprised if next time I meet Clapper he lets out a yell that he won't take such lip off anybody and whangs me with a crock.

sits

Our Generals By Leland Stowe

‘employment.

Sy

n,”

Thumbs Up!

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

or AY, DEC. Duce S Heroes By George Weller

ADEN, Dec. 11.—Britain's Ge braltar of the Indian Ocean, Aden, stands intact and unharmed even though 53 Italian air raids and several times that number of alarms until recently were occasional interruptions to its funce tions. Against its background of craggy brown mountains, without tree or blade of grass, Aden still gazes across the few miles of blue ; water separating it from Djibouti, the last remaining Axis-controlled port upon the Red Sea inlet. Like Singapore, this is a base where the air force command is superior even to the naval authority—' recognition that although the United States still delays acknowledgement of the fact that air power is a striking weapon of independent importance by subordinating it to the Army and ‘Navy, Great Britain already has learned its lesson, While still unable to use the Royal Air Force as Germany uses the Luftwaffe, Britain is preparing for that days to come.

The Pilots Played It Safe

ITALIAN RAIDS ON ADEN largely were ineffece tive because, as usual, they were delivered from too great a height. Fascist ardor was dampened early when the cruiser Carlisle shot down six planes in a single raid. Because Italian pilots in several cases decided that it was safer to drop bombs harmlessly in the sea rather than face Aden’s fierce aerial barrage, a Fascist colonel of aviation, himself, led an attack over the harbor in order to test the barrage. His report was never delivered. His big Savoia Marchetti was shot down by a British pilot. The Savoia fell in flames with two wounded members of the crew trapped in the cabin. The other three, including the Colonel, parachuted and were rescued from the shark-filled bay. This Colonel was given the honors due a gallant enemy and, before being remanded to prison camp, he was taken upon several tours of Aden and its environs by his R. A. F. hosts. When he expressed the belief that although his raid ended badly, others had had more success, the flying officers agreed to show him that the principal points in the city were unharmed. He first asked to see the oil storage tanks which were important because they furnish the bunkering for United States ships bound for the Middle East with lend-lease cargoes. The Colonel was taken aback to find them undamaged.

The Military Knows Everything!

NEXT HE ASKED to see the power station, Although several small bomb craters were in the neighborhood, this objective likewise was whole. The Colonel's jaw dropped slightly. He inquired what were the total losses in Aden from the 53 raids and was told that akout 40 Arabs and Indians had been killed when a marketplace was struck but that only one Englishman, an R. A. P. officer engagetl in obe serving a raid, had been killed. The Italian then wanted to see Aden’s flying fields

‘WHY NOT GIVE OLDER MEN A CHANCE? By Charles Ford, 624 Highland Ave.

Today I received a telegram from an Indianapolis company to report for employment, so I did. I spent money earned from back-breaking, tedious farm work to pay my way to Indianapolis but what did I gain./ Nothing.

The young men are the ones eligible fo: draft so why not give the older men a chance to keep our industries alive and going while these young men are away defending our country? There are thousands of older men plenty patriotic and willing to help. So why not Sudly misistlormen 35 So Drices in give this one a chance at helping week men neither have charge ace dear old U. 8. A. to keep in high o uns nor do they have garments gear? |sent out on approval and later reI cannot see why I am refused turn them. And they pay 7 cents I am a full fledged for every pound of sugar instead of American, born and reared in In- 6, they get two pounds for 14 cents diana and am experienced in sev- instead of the 12 cents quoted and eral kinds of work that is required they pay 36 cents for every five in our defense plants so please tell| pounds instead of 28 cents. They us older folks why we should be use 15-cent oleo instead of 47-cent shunted aside for a kind of work| butter, they cannot afford the much we can do and will do if given a needed quart of milk a day and chance, would be only too glad to buy in| larger quantities if the family!

(Times readers are invited their these columns, religious cone Make

your letters short, so all can

to express views in

tréversies excluded.

have a chance. Letters must

be signed.)

| groceries every way we can, make our own clothes and don’t buy new only when absolutely necessary and we have less, | The characters on the radio are

CHUNGKING, Dec. 11-—-Fur-ther details on the toll taken by Japanese bombers in Hawaii have convinced military observers of various nationalities here that such important American losses must, at least partially, be attributable to carelessness or negligence in the High American Command, at Oahu, It is likewise the considered opinion that Americans must face an uphill battle for some time, that it is likely to require two or three months for a safe line of communications to be restored from Hawaii via Midland, Wake and Guam Islands and the Philippines and that A, B, C, D pressure on Japan may not become truly pewerful within six months. Consequently, ft is believed that the American

inevitable quota of deceptions before its forces will be able to wage war against the Japanese with something maximum efficiency. The slow uphill start is believed to have been unavoidable for the United States because of unpreparedness and lack of materials which seriously handicaps the American forces at the outset, because of the failure of Congress to authorize the fortification of Wake and Guam Islands years ago and finally because the best fitted commanders can only be found through trial and error,

‘TEACH ECONOMY TO THOSE

'KETS' | IN HIGH INCOME BRACKETS | to serve meat three times a week—

budget could stand it.

Dollars program on the air, Satur- for indigent children buys 50 cents day alternoon, there are a few worth of pork chops at a time, one, points I too would like to bring out.| 47-cent pound of butter weekly and For six years we have skimped along so on. She uses tobacco, pays no| on low wages and got by without| taxes, refuses to vote and thoroughany help from anybody. We never|ly incapable of sensible judgment wasted a dime, let alone a dollar.) in anything and is not a native of We paid our taxes, gave a very| Indiana, still she has more, living] small portion to charity, bought | oft of us taxpayers than our own| only the essentials, eliminated shows wives can afford. We own a car, from our pleasures and managed to have taxes to pay, must buy so keep our little family of three up many war stamps for bonds, not! to par. that we regret doing it, but it is Several months ago I changed hot the $30 a week man the “save jobs, now I will average between for defense” programs ought to be $35 and $40 per week for the yean directed at, He has to eat for this| but now here's the catch--we have is the man who must work day and actually less than we had two years night, on Sundays when he'd like ago. We are more economical, burn |

less gas, use less fuel, cut down on critical illness in his home, every,

Best For U. S. in Long Maul

NATURALLY, IT IS TRUE that probable reverses may be expected before American defense forces can be whipped into an efficient machine. The American public, however, must face the fact that peacetime armies always suffer from political promotions and this fact is freely admitted by those most familiar with our forces. ¢ | Actually some of the best. informed persons say flatly that the American Army at present is over- | loaded with “political generals.” It is even charged | that the percentage among approximately 1000 of our generals today may range as high as three out of five |

! | who have been promoted more for political than pro- | Now we know it was true. Now we realize that every |

fessional reasons. | Under the circumstances it is to be expected that | the upper commands of the American forces must undergo a shaking down and elimination process in She, Tap months ue he war, wea is un be costly procedure, but those who know ting qualities of the great majority of America’s middle rank officers have complete confidence that the re Shuifice must Toiymd bring the ablest men to the e line. Mean , America’s lifeline to the Philippines must be reconquered. It will take time because the Japanese must be cleaned out from the whole series of their mandated islands in the Pacific while Amerfcan naval and air forces must be tly increased. The fact that Uncle Sam got a stiff uppercut to the jaw in the first round in the long run may be the best thing that could have happened.

Copan, Io by TNA fe 4d To

So They Say—

ANY EFFORT of government compulsion or eoercion would utterly destroy (arbitration’s) efficacy. — Frances Kellor, American Arbitra Associa

y tion tion. . .

We must ii A) EL

Side Glances=By Galbraith

YT, OFF.

"If your girl prefers a nickel juke box in a cheap barbecue to an

And mantle o'er her neck of snow:

Weeps | Her fair hands folded on her breast:

Remain

build as we never built before. The A. ®

nie. I LS gy beam a: oN

ab

evening in a night club, I'd say she was not only

x dy

sacrifice this $30 man makes for defense. It is those of the higher income brackets that need to be taught economy. From 1920 on down we common folks had a pretty fair op-

portunity to get used to doing with-|

out things we could not afford and did not need.

I would appreciate a few luxuries

now and then for myself and family and still we dare not have them. All our married life we have sacrificed that we may own a $1500 home. Are we expected to like doing without, all our lives, while all around us high salaried men and women squander their money and flaunt their jobs in our faces? Blind Justice is right, ” ” o ‘PUT FORTUNES INTO DAIRY FARMS FOR CHILDREN’ By J. 0. Gaffney Ever since I read what Marshall Field said, “I don't give a damn what becomes of my fortune if democracy does not win in this world turmoil,” I have had a thought running through my mind that I want to pass on to Marshall Field and other wealthy Americans. : Instead of putting fortunes into

Such wives have learned lately art treasures, antiques, vast country

estates, ete, let them go into the

| By One Government Employee, Inlisnapolis go, instance, a widow who draws country and establish a living mon- | In reference to the Defense and $20 monthly from the State fund ument that will last forever and | be a credit to their families—a

dairy farm, to produce milk and other dairy products for the needy children and families of America. Show them that democracy really lives and cares for their future. They are going to have to help carry on this fight for freedom, so let us make them strong now and plant a lasting love, for democracy, in their hearts before it is too late. ” o » ‘JAPS HAVE CONFERRED

FAVOR ON THE U, 8.’

and hangars which he asserted were in ashes. When these, too, were found intact, he simply refused to believe his eyes. “You're showing me only the places that escaped,” Je said. “Let me hire a taxi and go and see the railroad station. We have dropped tons of bombs there. I am certain it is totally destroyed.” Given this permission, he hailed a passing cab and entered, telling the driver: “Drive me to the main railroad station.’ “Sorry, boss,” said the driver, “I've been carrying | passengers around here for the last 20 years and I never seen a railroad to say nothing of a station.” It developed that the Italians had been using an antiquated map which showed a projected railroad with a station. But neither of them was ever built,

Copyright, 1041, by The Indianapolis Times and The Chicago Daily News, Ine,

|

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

|

Politics-As-Usual By Daniel M. Kidney

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11.—Defense officials are busy men. But on the day after war was declared they cooled their heels in a Cone gressional anteroom, They were summoned there to testify before a Senate appropriations subcommittee which is

handling the eight-billion-dollar defense deficiency bill. Some of them wasted a full day. Others spent only an hour or so in waite ing. But all were told to return the next day. Meanwhile the Senate subcommittees Leard various other witnesses. Included was Rep. B, Carroll Reece (R. Tenn.), who argued for the Holston and Watauga TVA dams which are wanted by the subcommittee chairman, Senator Kenneth D. Mce Kellar (D. Tenn.).

"We're Used to It"

SENATOR McKELLAR is bitterly opposed to the Douglas Dam, which is backed by President Roosee velt and by OPM and TVA officials as the best source of quick defense power. So he let William L. Batt, head of the OPM mae terials division, and J. A, Krug, OPF power chief, who

By M. E. Clark, Noblesville Although it seems hard to get

the first lick op the chin the Jap-! to go to church, when there is anese have conferred on the U, 8.| Instead of stop-,

A. a great favor. ping Lend-Lease aid to the ABCD powers and dividing our Navy, as

per Hitler's orders, they have united |

our people. Now the U. 8. A. should give Japan one more order. That

|is an order for about 135,000,000 lit-

tle silk American flags to be worn

by every American. You know the kind we use to decorate our tables

on the Fourth of July dinners, for

they have been headquarters for! making and selling American flags.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

Sleep on, and dream of .Heaven ” awhile— 0’ shut so close thy laughing eyes, The rosy lips still wear a smile And move, and breathe delicious sighs!

Ah, now soft blushes tinge her cheeks

now. she murmurs, now she What most I wish—and fear to know!

She starts, he trembles, and she

~And now, how like a saint she sleeps! A seraph in the realms of rest!

Sleep on secure! Above controul Thy though ts belong to Heaven and And may the secret of soul thin its ay «Samuel Rogers (1763-1855). ————————————————————

* DAILY THOUGHT Truly the light is sweet, and a easant thing | k s ing t is for the es

came to argue for Douglas Dam, stay in the outer chamber from 10 a. m. until noon, and from 2 p. m, until nearly 6 p. m. when they were dismissed with the others,

The others who were “stood up” included Director General William 8. Knudsen of OPM; Wayne Coy, of OEM; Charles P. Taft, assistant health and wel fare director in FSA; Robert Horton, director of OEM's division of information, and Brig. Gen. L. D. Gasser of OCD. Other high Army and Navy officers als6 were on hand. Senator McKellar had predicted that the bill would be speeded up and passed by the Senate this week. But day before yesterday's jab was excused by a committee clerk with the remark that “they hadn't sent up their estimates anyway.” This was «denied at OPM, but the only comment on the matter of the wasted time was: “We are used to it when ordered to appear before congressional

| committees.”

Questions and Answers

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau will answer any question of fact or information, not involving extensive research. Write your question clearly, sign name and address, inclose » three-cent postage stamp. Medical or legal advice cannot be given. Address The Times Washington Service Bureau. 1018 Thirteenth 8t.. Washington. D., 0.)

Q-—Is the Kremlin in Moscow, U. 8 8S. R, & building?

A—In some old Russian cities the central portion was surrounded by strong walls with towers and battlements, and sometimes by embankments an moats filled with water. Kremlin is the name of “hése enclosures, which really were fortresses and usually were located on an elevation dominating the surrounding territory. The Kremlin in Moscow is ia . the center of the city and is shaped like an isosceles triangle, one side being parallel with the Mosk River. It has huge pyramidal walls of pale pink bri sirmounted by battlements, which are pierced by fi gates. Within the Kremlin, and along its single street, are the more important government offices of th Boviet Union. '

» Q-—Does King Peter of Jugoslavia speak several languages? : A—His Serbian is described as perfect; his English very good, and his French and German fluent. 4

Q-—-When freight moves over mors than one rails road, which road is paid for the shipment? £

HAT out of sight ia out of mid,

~ A—Revenues from the shipment aré divided k