Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 February 1942 — Page 16

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> RILEY 5551

Give Light ans: the Poole wa Find Thoir Own Way

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY %0 1943

TS HAVE AN OPEN PRIMARY E don’t like the way ‘the present primary campaign is shaping up. | We don’t like the “one-candi (date-to-an-office” setup enuraged by leaders of both parties. We don’t like the hand-picked slates, the strategy us to discourage good candidates, the selection of old party heel horses for the really lucrative offices. Consider the piece of sabotage against the spirit and int nt of the primary by James L. Bradford, the Republican county chairman, when he annoinced a tentative slate for the primary weeks ago. The ohvious purpose of the, move as to discourage prospective candidates not on his list. Then consider the “draft Myers for mayor” activity started by Ira Haymaker, the puppet Democratic county airman. This came in the form of a letter designed to precinct commif tteemen fo announce their support r Dewey Myers—this, mind you, four weeks before the 0 e for candidates to file. Apparently the draft move ew up, but not until after Dernocratic leaders had tipped eir ‘hand. bo Sen 8 ‘ LL of this pre-primary maneuvering is unpleasantly reminiscent not only of our old “Cap” Coffin days but of lebiscites in Europe—one candidate, or one iasue, and one ttle square in which to mark your “ja.” ; The significant: thing about all this is that not a single esponsible Republican or Demacratic¢ leader has yet raised is voice for a completely free and open primary campaign. That's a sorry state of affairs when one reflects on the act that candidates elected thig coming November will hold fice through the: most important years that ever faced this ty and county. ~~ | | It's no time for hand-picked slates. No time for payng off old party debts. And no time for private feathering: f nests.

KEEP UP THE FIGHT! |“GELFISH interests” —the words are President Roose- > velt’s, and they are ‘not too strong—won a victory yesterday in the United States. ienate. The President, speaking ss a national leafler and defending the gational. interest, had gel defeat of the Bankhead bill.

gd to prevent fs

sonable bounds. | The senate paseo] the will, wo to 23. But Mr, Roosevelt was everlastingly right in what he said: “In this hour, when the very existence of our nation as a free people is at stake, we cannot afford to indulge in the promotion of gelfish interests such as are involved in this legislation.” : We hope he will continue his good fight against the Bankhead bill, that the house will support him in it, and that he will be equally vigorous in opposition to all groups which “demand special gains or special privileges or advantages” in this time of conimon peril.

THE “BATTLE” OF LOS ANGELES T E army seems just as confused as the public about the | alleged enemy flight over the Los Angeles area. : Many hours. after the vrild goings-on, the army was not certain that there had been any unidentified craft in the air, much less enemy ships. It was sure only that no bombs dropped and no planes fell. As for: the other “reports,” it was unable to confirm them. Presumably the army has aircraft detectors in the southern California area, which is more crowded with defense objects than any other area under the Stars and Stripes—navy and army bases, airfields, aircraft and other defense factories, oil fields and refineries, docks, ships, and communication and transportations centers.

Presumably—after its Pearl Harbor experience, and the known presence of an enemy submarine which might

early Wednesday morning. If the detectors had picked up unidentified cfaft the army command would know it, and not still be checking “conflicting reports” to “agchrtain the facts.” But if the army did not think enemy craft were in the sky, why did it start firing its anti-aircraft batteries and why did it oan up this barrage for several hours? Surely it does not ‘operate cn unconfirmed civilian rumors. 5 8 8 Fick ss 8 =» . WHAT about the report that army pursuit planes could not take off for fear of being shot down by their own anti-aircraft guns? What kind of co-ordination is there 4 between Sommmnders of del tectors, anti-aircraft guns, and planes ? il Soon after Pe ~ sions of our Paci

Harbor there were alleged air invaand Atlantic coast areas, which were later explained as movemenis of American squadrons without advance notice to oth defense services. ‘The public has a right ‘0 an explanation of the army’s part in the Los Angeles mj stery battle, and to ‘assurances that there is a detector system co-ordinated with antiaireraft batteries pi Sghier Planes under unified command.

carry a plane—the army’s detector system was operating |

he amended at once, a step which would have almost unanimous public approval. Every person ‘henceforth convicted of treason. or espionage, including the cruder- forms of “sabotage, such as dynamiting, arson and vandalism in war factories, should be put to death by & firing squad according to the old European formula which the Germans have used so freely.

and there is no reason to get tough gradually.. On the contrary, the fact that our severest punishment is a mere prison sentence, which is likely to be commuted by a victorious U. 8, ‘A. in a mood of forgiving generosity after the war, or commuted by the conquering ene way, is sure to enco ican people to take chances.

The Germans Do: It Better

and psychology that we. find attractive, but: they are masters of war and their way of dealing with the sneak who imperils their soldiers in the field, their civilians at home or their nation's cause in war is the best of all.

must not kill traitors and enemy spies who had traffic with the Germans, Italians and Japanese down to thg formal state of war, but certainly any enemy agent who is convicted of acts hostile to this country committed since should be put to death soon after conviction. Social or political rank or position should not be permitted to influence our conduct and I insist still that every man and woman who participated as a member in any of the activities of the anti-American bund or any of the Italian treason groups which masqueraded as cultural societies should be seized now and filed away in a concentration camp. You can’t treat traitors and spies nice in war and do justice to your own people and it is a betrayal on the home front of men fighting the enemy

to flinch from the plain duty of stamping out such

vermin. Involved philosophical and historical arguments about the rights and wrongs of the war should be avoided. It happens that Germany, Italy and Japan are the enemies of the American people just' now and therefore are in the wrong. Any American who holds otherwise must assume his own risks.

Coddling Traitors Is Weakness

IT IS OUTRAGEOUS that the woman who on a recent evening heiled Hitler in a New York restaurant and munched Miss Dorothy Thompson's finger in a

‘personal scuffle when Miss Thompson remonstrated

is not in prison right now, if she isn't. Apparently the woman was drunk, but that is no excuse, The spy and saboteur, whether native, naturalized or alien, has a soft berth in this country. So many of us have opposed certain domestic social and eco. nomic politics of the new deal and the foreign policy of the president down to Dec, 7, that traitors and enemy spies undoubtedly think they can justify or mitigate their conduct by dragging these issues into discussion. But no patriotic American would think

of .doing anything to help the enemy just to get

square with the president or Harold Ickes. _It 18 no sign of nobility to coddle traitors and

sples. It is a sign of weakness and the enemy knows “it. We spare their lives because we don’t like to shoot

them in cold blood. We will have to learn to do a

lot of things we don’t like doing before this war is done.

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

This and That By Peter Edson

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26. — Watch for a changed procedure in forthcoming operations of Senator Truman’s committee investigating national defense. . . . As matters stand now, Nelson is to name a liaison officer for the committee, who will see to it that the probers get what facts they want. « « « The full committee will be broken up into sub-committees to study various phases of war production. . . . With much of the production data now considered restricted information, these subcommittees will hold smaller, executive sessions. . . . Senator James M. Mead of Buffalo, N. Y., will head up investigation of small business interests and conversion of civilian industry to war production. . . . Senator Mon ‘C. Wallgren of Everett, Wash, takes magnesium and aluminum. . . . Public heraings of the whole committee, admittedly one of the major influences in keeping the defense effort straight, will be held only when there is a major matter on which to inform the country.

Of Cabbages and Kings

U. 8S. APPLE consumption has dropped from million pounds in 1912 to 40 million pounds in 1 « os» Citrus fruit consumption has risen from 20 - lion pounds to 63 million pounds in the same period « « + The name for nicotinic acid, valuable vitamin,

with nicotine, which it doesn’t contain, « Small business in New England accounts for 92 per cent of

. « Golf greens may be browner this summer by reason of priorities on mercury which used to ‘go into. turf fungicide. . . . War Department is equipping 10 field

able houses are now under construction at an average cost per unit of $3600. , . . War department now

Rapids, San Antonio or Akron. .,

« “The man who relaxes is aiding the axis.”

So They Say—

The ‘strategy of axis short-wave propaganda remains the same—to attempt to divide country from country, race from race, religion from religion.— Archibald MacLeish, director of the office of facts

The United States is bound to get tough. eventually

should the war go the other e such enemies of the Amer=

THERE IS. NOT MUCH in the German. method

Ours is an invitation to treachery. I suppose we’

has been changed to “niacin” to avoid confusion

the firms by number, 30 per cent of the business by |: ( volume, 40 per cent by. number of employees. .

tire recapping units. . . . Twelve thousand demount-

‘gets 210,000 pieces of mail a day—the aqual of Grand |

The Hoosier Forum

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

“MAYBE PEGLER HAS BEEN READING MY STUFF!” Be One. 0. Teegarden, ell Baring. ave.,

Pegler, NS iclimes you are absolutely remarkable. It couldn’t possibly be a result of anything I ‘wrote about you, could it? So you have read it, too? I mean the book of collected reports, official and confidential, from Mr. Roosevelt's ambassador from the state department of the U. 8. A. to the U.S. 8. R. If you people want to know the official government facts about the Soviet Union or Russia, they can be found in Ambassador” J. E. Davies’ book, “Mission to Moscow.” So they do have state capitalism in Russia and the American communists are not real commies at all, L 3 . It is sure a pleasant feeling to know that our great Roosevelt has been “in the know” all along. fe 8 8 “DISGUSTED WITH MUDDLING OF OUR SOCIAL PLANNERS” By Edward F. Maddox, 959 W. 28th st. I certainly agree with The Times editorials which emphatically state that we the people of the United

, | States are not complacent, but are

so worried and so disgusted at the slowness and weakness of our war effort that we are aroused to anger and resentment at any attempts to shift the blame from politicians and officials to the shoulders of the people. There ‘is no doubt that the same policies and reformist tactics of the Blum Socialists which weakened and disorganized France's war production effort has been copied jin our own nation and the weak and dangerous catering and coddling and favoring the Blum type of

which has disrupted, disorganized and sabotaged our war program so much that we always have had too little effective equipment and get it where it is needed too late! And even now, after the treachery of Pearl Harbor, the fall of Singapore, the gallant stand of MacArthur and his heroes at Bataan, the menace to Jaya, Burma and Australia,” the same deadly, dangerous, disrupting labor tactics are condoned and continued. And the irony of the situation is

‘|doggling experimenters, revolution-

labor policies is the sinister menace

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious con-

excluded, Make

your letters short, so all can

troversies

have a chance. Letters must

be signed.) .

~

increased by the blase' and brazen ruling, with decrees that these same labor leaders who alone can call strikes and have a long record for doing so in the face of deadly danger to our national security, are now deferred from being drafted to defend our nation on thé entirely unfounded and false presumption that they—these proven fomenters of strikes, slowdowns and dangerous delays in war production—are indispensable to our war effort. Oh no, we are not complacent! But we are sick and tired of boon-

ary Socialists as labor leaders, who are more interested in socializing our nation than in winning the war. Carelessness such as destroyed the Normandie, the lack of dive bombers, fighting planes and other vital war weapons in the Far Fast, all of these glaring: examples of a Leon Blum policy in our great republic make all patriotic Americans critical and disgusted at the snail's pace and muddling of our war effort by social planners. 8 8 8. “WHY DEPRIVE OUR SOLDIERS OF THEIR FEW COMFORTS”

By David Deery, Indianapolis It is certainly disgusting to read the article in the Hoosier Forum of Feb. 21, by Robert Gemmer of Bloomington, Ind., wherein he suggests that we take liquor and tobacco away from the boys who are defending our liberty. In the first place, these young chaps have given up everything they have in the way of home privileges and comforts, as well as family connections and ones they love to

to defend the freedom of our country. . These boys need s little relaxation once in a while like a few cig-.

go out to all parts of the world|

Side Glances=By Galbraith

arets and an occasional glass of beer to take their minds off the drastic change of life they have been forced to live. . . . Men of this type are the ones who were responsible for forcing prohibition on this country during the last world war, which was one of the worst things that ever happened to our country. ... There is nothing that would create dissatisfaction and discontent amongst ‘our boys in the service more than taking away the few privileges they have left to enjoy. If Hitler knew this Gemmer was advocating silly propaganda like this, he probably would give him the “pour le merite” (iron cross). ’ #8 & =» “WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR WASTE PAPERS?” By Mrs. E. K., Indianapolis We are requested through the papers and radio to save all papers, sacks, etc. Then we found a card in our door asking us to call MA-

3321, and they would call for the

papers. So I called that number and told the girl who answered that we have quite a lot of papers I would gladly donate if they would put me on their regular ng list and pick them up once a week or every two weeks or as often as they like. “The lady took my name and said they would call for them. I have called two more times and still they do not call for the papers. I have no phone and I don't care to run out to a pay phone, especial-

|ly since it does no good, so I am

wondering what to do with the papers. If we put them in the alley and put a brick on them, the children go through the alley and scatter them, looking for the “funnies.” Then I-have to run: yp and down the alley picking them up. And the school children call for them sometimes but not very often and they can not carry so many. And as we have too many to let accumulate, I don’t know what fo do with them. If. you would print something in your paper I surely will be grateful. Just: tell the people what to do with our papers. . ” ” ” : “IT LOOKS AS IF FARMER IS GETTING HIS, 00”

By 8. Bilis, Indianapolis Please let me answer Mr. Meitzler

|ot Attica who frequently airs his

views in your -columns. On ‘Saturday in your paper he says “cheap grain means cheap feed | for live ‘stock. Cheap feed ‘means | more live stock and cheap meat for the unions ‘at the grain growers expense. » On Monday at ‘Indianapolis (Feb. 2, 1942) according to the press the top price for hogs was $12.65. Most sales 160 to 300 pounds at $12.25.

u. S Aviation.

By Maj, Al Williams

WE HAVE BEEN told that sny- | thing that. happens anywhere in the world ‘is as vitally important

. in Canada or Mexico. It might be

* in"the bag before it started. Lord Beaverbrook stated the case for their beliefs when he told me his own fixed opinion of the coming war and how it would be won.

‘I He said Germany would be locked on land by the

Maginot line, manned by the most powerful army in the world, the French army. Britain weuld throw a . sea blockade around Germany and starve her to her knees, as in the last war. Bombers? Airpower? They were over-stressed by youthful imaginations. They would be shot out of the skies like clay pigeons, and such aviation as might be used would be eniployed ine auxiliary capacities. . it

Here's the Record— |

THERE'S THE BACKGROUND for all the disasters suffered by the allied cause in this war. Millions of bayonets and seapower, backed by billions of francs or pounds or dollars, was the old men’s formula for winning this war—with a few planes in auxiliary capacities, Agaiusi the theories of the old men how stands the recor The Maginot line was plerced. the French and British armies smashed, Holland and Belgium overrun, Paris captured, England besieged. British seapower was driven from the North sea and harrassed in the Mediterranean. Allied shipping was destroyed by air power and subs. Norway was invaded by air. British seapower tried td invade Norway and was smashed by air power. It was challenged in the Skaggerak and routed. England was bombed day in and out, and her munitions industries crippled. There has been a long series of disasters to the old type of land and sea forces—all inflicted by airpower —Tarranto, Matapan, the air invasion of Crete. The British navy was decimated by airpower and submarines, and forced into. American naval bases. and drydocks - because Axis airpower wouldn't let it use its own bases in England, Scotland, Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria.

And Our Own Story!

THEN OUR OWN Pearl Harbor—a job done entirely by two to four Jap aircraft carriers. The British Repulse and Prince of Wales were sunk by airpower. The Japs overpowered our airpowerless forces in { the Philippines. Working: from carefully selected air bases, they streamed down the entire length of Malaya, having taken Hongkong in their aerial stride, Singapore surrendered to airpower. Rangoon, at the southern end of the Burma Road, is threatened by Jap land forces whose progress: depends solely on: thelr air superiority. Our MacArthur and his . gallant little ‘bana of heroes are trying to fight off Jap airpower with antiaircraft popguns. And, in my opinion, we can’ hold Hawaii only by sending there all the planes we can build before the Japs make their next attack. France was buying time. ‘' England was buying time. America is buying time. Time to build the airpower which might have been built in the years eaten by the locusts, while the old mean refused to see that this war would be dominated by airpower,

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Forguyen

\

USING DONALD: PUCK for propaganda purposes was not a good idea.’ As a-‘movie fan, I was disturbed to learn that congress had objected to paying Walt Disney. $80,000. for his latest: short, “The New Spirit,” featuring the nation’s favorite feathered hero. But as a taxpayer, I was delighted by the news. To the oidinary man -and women $80,000 is still a -sizable sum though the treasury may not. think so: and though it probably does not compensate the Disney studios for the expense of making the film.. » Mr. Disney, we are told, was commanded. to make the picture so we might be inspired.to fork over our income taxes more joyfully. He was LBromised pay for it—the pay, of course, coming from Mr. Te ; pocket. The government believes our morale can be improved by the right sort of entertainment, so the smisrainiment, is ordered up and chifgel 19 us. :

Headache and a Heartache

“THE NEW SPIRIT,” now being pin, major : theaters, is neither good Donald Duc¢k ‘nor good propaganda, but a hodgepodge of both which. peters out into incongruity. The combination of a cartoon breathing fun, and a commentators voice breathing hate, makes for an unco-ordinated whole. The result,

a heartache for children. ii) We must remember that Donald Duck is better

and alack, such is not the case im the grown up where so frequently right I think: our. lovable

Cuasions and Answers

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau will answer any question of fact or information, mot invelving extensive re-

search. Write vour eo anim, sign inclose a three-cent Josiate Mima, 4 cannot be given. Addréss a ihe Bureau, 1013 Thirteenth St.,

LEE

Q—-What is the. source of tne quotation, Toe. groves were God's first temples”? )

A—1t is from “A Forest Hyman by William Oullen

Washington, D. C.)

to our safety as if it had happened

in my opinion, is & headache for adults and probably