Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 March 1942 — Page 10

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The Indianapolis Times

ROY W. HOWARD RALPH BURKHOLDER MARK FERREE President Editor Rusiness Manager (A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

Price in Marion County. 3 cents a copy; delivered by carrier, 12 cents a week.

Owned and published daily (except Sunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Co., 214 WwW. Marvlang St

Member of United Press, Seripps - Howard Newspaper Alliance NEA Service, and Audit Bureau of Circulations.

in outside of Indiana, cents a month.

«SB RILEY 5551

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Give T40ht and the Penple Will Ei

MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1942

times in to that editorial, America—It's Late.” newspaper March 5. It is not over-stating to say that the reaction was electric. We reprinted it March 10. Scores of other newspapers and magazines throughout the nation reprinted. Then institutions of all manners and description asked permission to reproduce. The editorial has been circulated by pamphlets, posters, window cards, letters—first by the thousands, then by the

hundreds of thousands and by the million,

response

This remarkable thing continues to grow. Never in our

iournalistic experience have we seen the like. Naturally, Seripps-Howard is proud of the editorial the recognition it has received. But something deep was running to make such a happeniny possible, For no article, however well written, would have taken hold as this one did unless the time had been peculiarly ripe and public feeling at white heat.

and very

= = = = s =

EALING as it did with the gravity of the war situation, | the editorial attacked the national psychology of recent |

vears; the psychology of pressure groups and swelling bureaucracies; of politicians cowering for votes; of the stoop-to-conquer attitude of much of our leadership, political, business, labor, agricultural. In short, the gimme obsession which had grown so rank and so fast; the soft state of mind which could never be conditioned to the grim job of warfare, “Gimme shorter hours, gimme higher wages, gimme bigger profits, gimme more overtime, gimme less work, gimme more pensions, gimme greater crop benefits, gimme more appropriations and patronage, gimme plants for my congressional district, gimme fees and dues to work for Uncle Sam, gimme ham'n’ eggs, gimme share-the wealth, gimme S30 every Thursday.” And the editorial ended: the went

too—had them till Then everybody

the gimmes, to Paris,

“France had Germans were close to work—too late. “France has no gimmes today—except gimme food baby, gimme a place to lay my head, gimme

for my death.”

NE think the answer to ‘What can we do about it?" |

can be stated in two parts, FIRST: Let's all look in the mirror.

SECOND: In that language of the constitution which

assures to the people the right of petition (article one of |

the bill of rights),

After taking such steps as may be necessary so effective in a democracy as that right of petition— particularly so in a year like 1942, when so many of those in Washington are asking re-election. (All of the house. One-third of tHe senate.) It happens that the what-can-we-do-about-it is working on high, right this minute. A pelitical revolt is now going on against non-defense spending, against labor racketeering and other excesses of labor leadership, against boondoggling, against all forms of political connivance in greedy pressure practices within or without the government—against those gimmes which the editorial enumerates; against anything

that is retarding the war effort.

~ ~ . = = =

1 ITERALLY, as someone phrased it, a political prairie fire is raging. And all to the good, for, when the heat has done its work, then, and only then. will we have that unity, that singleness of purpose, about which there has been so much talk and sa tragically little action. So, when you see that things are going sour, remember these words of the constitution—"the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” And. remembering, act. get results, That's what to do about it.

MOVE OVER, YA BUM

HERE must be few Americans who have not cussed out a taxi driver®or truck herder. or been told off by one of those cactus-tongued gents. Right now 43 American taxi and truck drivers are doing a new kind of fendersmashing. Their job is to patrol roads into China and help Chinese drivers when they have a wreck, and there is an average of 85 mishaps for every 30 miles of that dangerous highway. Everything our boys cannot salvage they destroy.

Here's hoping they get to employ their destructive tal- |

ents on any Japanese luckless enough to encounter these worthies.

Or maybe it would be better for the Sons of Heaven to attempt to run a red light on them.

More than fenders would be smashed.

A FINE SERVICE

LL too often, under the strain of war, we overlook many little things for which no one will get the distinguished service cross, but which, nevertheless, deserve mention and honor. Consider this resolution adopted by the trustees of the famed seeing eye, the agency which supplies trained dogs to guide blind persons: “In order to aid the war effort, effective immediately the seeing eye will, at no expense to the federal government, endeavor to provide seeing eve dogs for eligible persons who,

as members of the armed forces of the United States, have |

lost their sight in line of duty, giving such persons priority over all other applicants for guide dogs."

nA ag

| Mail subscription rates | Indiana, $3 a year, |

| and machine-gun bullets, | in Heuer's battalion were refilled with reinforcements | composed mainly of veterans who had been wounded

for | removing the beam from our own eves, there is nothing !

You'll |

German Morale By A. T. Steele

MOSCOW, March 23 — Ten months of wearisome campaigning in Russia has left plainly discernible marks on the physical condition, composition and fight ing qualities of the German army —but blind faith in Hitler's promises of a spring offensive somehow keeps up the German hopes and spirit. Correspondents got a reflection of this in a visit they paid to receiving for captive German soldiers at

a camp

Moscow's suburbs this week. There, at a barracks | situated among forested hills white with | Germans, | were awaiting assighment and

‘WAKE UP, AMERICA! WHAT CAN YOU DO? ‘BUT what can we do about it?" has been asked many | iy past fortnight. “Wake Up, | The editorial appeared first in this |

show, 132 three Czechs and one Finn transportation to reguiar concentration camps deeper in the rear. Most of them had arrived from the western front within

three Poles,

We talked with prisoners of many categories ranging in age from 19 to 41. The most intelligible account of conditions at and behind the German front came from a tall, fair, 27-year-old army surgeon, Dr. Ulrich Heuer, a native of Berlin and graduate of Jena university With Hitler's armies since 1940 and on the Russain front since the beginning of the Nazi invasion, Dr. Heuer was serving as a battalion surgeon in the 37th division, near Kaluga, when he was captured on Feb. 3.

Improper Clothing Also Factor

‘THE GERMAN armies were very fit when they hegan operations in Russia last summer.” Heuer said. “But there has been a steady deterioration in their condition as the war has gone on. gave us a great deal of trouble. was also a source of discomfort and lower vitality,

“And still another very big reason for the lowered |

stamina of the troops was lack of sufficient rest. Normally, the German soldier gets leave once monthly But since the beginning of this campaign he has had no respite whatever, Leaves are scarcely ever granted. This has a bad effect.” Asked about reports of the wide prevalence of typhus among German soldiers, Dr. Heuer claimed that he had only a single case in his division. However, he said, his German colleagues had told him the spread of this dread disease had become serious in the region between Brest-Litovsk and RBaronovitch. The commonest ailments were hronchitis and influenza. Intestinal complaints were frequent

Only 45 Out of 800 Left

DR. HEUER said that of 800 men who went to the Russian front with his battalion. only 45 still were in action at the time of his capture uring the cold months an average of 50 soldiers monthly were hospitalized from freezing of the extremities while hundreds of lighter cases of frostbite required first-aid attention. The extreme cold was responsible for 35 per cent of all the casualties in the winter months Of the wounded. 60 per cent were victims of rifie Several times the gaps

and rehabilitated. A great many of the soldiers we met were reserves from the deep German rear and in some

{ cases had been at the front only a few days before

their capture. For instance, Johannes Konradi. 28, said his division had been rushed all the way from Le Havre. France, leaving there on Christmas day

| and arriving in Vilna eight days later after a train

journey across the length of Europe. From conversations with many of these prisoners, I discerned that the notion of a powerful spring offensive is deeply implanted in the German mind. German morale is pegged to that Hitlerian promise

| and whether it rises or falls depends on whether or |

not der Fuehrer lives up to his pledge.

by The Indianapolis Times and The ne

opvright. 1942 ou Chicago pDajly News IV

Westbrook Pegler is on Vacation

The Double Cross!

By George Weller

PERTH Western Australia, March 23.—The Japanese use of the English language in attempts to cause confusion in allied communications must be met with American training of a much greater number of officers capable of speaking Japanese, it is felt by experienced observers in the war area The German military axiom, “begin by learning your enemy's language,” was never more applicable than it is here Most Japanese officers speak English and the radio is used attempt to start false rumors in Australia. How a command of English is used in military operations is cited by a Dutch fighter pilot who, after a raid, returned to a naval base in one of the Indonesian islands, several weeks ago. Calling the field control station. he said: ‘Hello, Charley, this is Tommy. wow?” “Hello, Tommy, this is Charley “Don't come in.”

'There's a Raid Going On!'

WATCHING HIS falling fuel again “Can I come in now?” This time the answer was “Not now, there's a Japanese raid going on here.” Hastily hunting cover the pilot tried again a few minutes later. “Hello, Charley. my fuel is almost exhausted. Must come in soon.” Back came the reply: “Don't The Japs are still bombing here.” When only a few drops remained in his tanks the

nm iil

Can I come In

' came the answer,

gauges he tried

Tommy,

come Tommw

| desperate flier landed on the field, anyway.

Nobody in the control tower had spoken to him! No raid had occurred!

So They Say—

American airmen—the world's greatest democratic

army—will be numerically predominant when

of Australia. *

There is gross misunderstanding about the 40-hour

» »

work week and there has been a steady flow of propa- | ganda in an effort to mislead the people on the mat- |

ter. —Senator Lister Hill,

. *

Alabama Democrat. *

I'n willing to suspend the 40-hour week and make it 48 hours with overtime pay after 48 hours instead of 40. Then if the men are not getting enough let them raise their base pay —Senator Tom Connally, Texas Democrat. » * x Let's get rid of all this flag waving and all this baloney. without the women?—Rep. Charles A. Piumley, Vermont Republican, advocating a woman iliary corps. }

Lice and frostbite | Improper clothing |

the gong for battle sounds.—John Curtin, prime minister |

Don't you know that we can't win this war |

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MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1942

The Hoosier Forum

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

|"WE HAVE TOO MUCH | FREEDOM OF SPEECH"

[By Mrs. William Norris, 1360 W. 28th st. Your Power certainly speaks truly I have steadfastly maintained that Americans have too much freedom of speech. They overwork and take advantage of what was meant to he a privilege. | Toe much windbag debate, too much destructive and not enough! constructive criticism-—making free {speech a liability and not an asset | Something drastic should be done to those who can't Keep their mouths shut and not only their own necks out but every in-|

Fremont

vourself stick | Golden Rule.

(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.)

of our own and ask the

by a part Think it over if such squares with

especially people

It is my opinion that we should

nocent neck in this great country stop that closed shop for all time

{of ours | | Wouldn't the gripers enjoy taking!

orders from Hitler? | ~ »

'A SUPPORTER OF THE | FIRST LADY SPEAKS UP... Mary C. Cory, Frankfort. It seems to me that if some of our| congressmen would put half the time into our war effort that they spend trying to find some excuse to! criticize Mrs. Roosevelt, this war

» “WE SHOULD STOP THE CLOSED SHOP FOR ALL TIME" Ry A Hoosier, Kirklin Is this the people's war?

” ~

A war

would be over much quicker, i

and do it now. Quit pampering to organized groups who sell their votes for special legislation and privileges or expect such. Instead hold them up to ridicule Oh for a leader hig enough and strong enough to do that now. I suggest a ceiling on prices both for commodities and work, and an end to 40 hours or 50 if need be for the duration. No double time and above all no closed shop. Put it out forever, It doesn't belong in America.

. ” on

“DEARTH OF FACTS BEING PRESENTED TO READERS" By Rav Lindsey, 128 E. 11th st.

I'he public presently being

to secure enough men (0 operate on the three-shift basis. In this case the employer was making a studied effort to embarrass labor and it was a definite slow-down of war work. In the present crisis, when man{power is the key to our entire victory effort, labor is standing in its own light when it insists en double time payment for Sunday work, bejcause it is Sunday. This applies with equal emphasis to time and ‘one-half for Saturday work. Labor should relax “rules” or “contracts” {to the extent that forces could be “phalanxed” in and out of a plant in order to maintain uninterrupted production up to a maximum of 168 hours per week if necessary. However, employers who have received contracts on the basis of overtime payments, should in the interest of common honesty, revise

those contracts on a straight time basis. the American press

neglects to

mention) any sacrifice on the part |of labor would be merely picking |

the workers and

[the pockets of the profits of

| thereby increasing | industry. » 5

| “WHAT WILL AXIS DO FOR | NEGROES IF THEY WIN?”

By Ralph W. Miller, 2850 Northwestern ave.

recently wrote Indianapolis

Westbrook Pegler

jan article in The

in which all must work. sacrifice deluged by a demand from the Times in which he said this war is

and pay? A war in which our liberties are at stake? Are there cases of enormous profits being made and such profits |

going untaxed or a very small tax? eal facts being presented to the |

American press for the scrapping of the 40-hour week on the part of labor. As is usual in public debates of this kind, there is a dearth of

[ strictly not a white man’s war, and also what a Negro's status would

| be in case of an axis victory. He also states that the govern-

Otherwise (and this is what

Are men being permitted to draw!american readers. The press is re- ment of the United States over a high salaries or wages for short! fusing to give the full facts on the | number of years has gradually tried hours, double time while others are one hand and labor unions are re-|to improve conditions and to break | practically excluded from working lyctant to “let down their hair” in|down prejudice and discrimination

at all because of this closed shop idea?

Try to get on the construction of place on the west coast as a result | out this angle from a Negro's point some of these camps or war in- of a disagreement between employer Of view. and employee in regard to the es-| J union or union controlled? Do these 'tablishment of two 10-hour shifts| world trade and commerce of which unions realize that other Americans or three eight-hour shifts. The em-|the United States and Britain holds should have equal rights and op- plover stood out for the 10-hour|a sort of monopoly. In other words, They are Americans, shift with two hours overtime and|they are just fighting to retain what | too, paying. sacrificing and suffer- the union in that case sought to|they have. ing and want to keep it up and work three eight-hour shifts with-|

dustries projects. Are they all

portunities?

enjoy the liberties the bill of rights. They don't want them by

guaranteed by

that

making their case. Stoppage of work recently took

out any overtime. In the entire argument there was

denied never a contention on the part of brisk pace throughout the south. Hitler, the Japs and the employer that it was impossible Less than one-tenth of one per cent

§ | |

Side Glances=By Galbraith

| among the colored populace of this) | country, but he didn't stop to figure

1. This war is being fought for

2. Segregation exists in practically all of the training camps right | today, and lynchings continue at a

{of all Negroes in the U. S. A. are presently engaged in defense plants; | vet you hear it echoed all over the| U. S. of drafting females for defense work. 3. Do you think that it would {take the U. 8. 40 years or more to handle this condition if and when the proper steps were taken to eliminate this? 4. It remains to be seen what steps would be taken by the axis in | regard to the Negroes should they ‘gain an ultimate victory. . ..

» n ” VETERAN DEFENDS SALE OF PATRIOTIC PINS By J. H. Russell, 3548 W. Washington st. Are you a veteran, Mr. Louis E. Lathrop? I am one of the many in the U. 8. A. who wears an overseas cap and sells patriotic pins and buttons to the public for a livelihood. And if Mr. Lathrop, who says this should be and must be stopped, will kindly go to court house county auditor's office and read the laws of 1895, page 242, paragraph 1, he will see there has been a revision of this act for world war veterans. And for being an alleged American, does he know what “alleged” means. All veterans are due an apology. Maybe he doesn't know what 17 nronths in France and five and one-half years in a veterans’ hospital means,

DAILY THOUGHT

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. ~Ephesians 5:15.

LIFE HATH quicksands, Life

a! y

Fine [talian Hand By Allen Haden

BUENOS AIRES, March 23.— Mussolini's government is trying to safeguard its airline investments in and connections to South America. Italy, it was learned today, is now striving to transfer the seven planes belong= ing to Lati (Linea Aerea de Transportes Italianos) to Corporacion Sudamericana de Transportes, nominally an Argentine company. The seven Lati aircraft were grounded by Brazil in December, 1941, after United States oil companies refused to supply aviation gaso= line to this axis lifeline in South America. Lati planes formerly flew the route from Buenos Aires to Rome, via Brazil and the Cape Verde islands. Corporacion (as the Argentine company is called for short) operates three Macchi planes. Its services consist of one Buenos Aires-Montevideo round trip daily and a semi-weekly flight to Asuncion, Paraguay. Founded in 1936, Corporacion has steadily lost money on its listed capital of 1,000,000 pesos (about $250,000), Corporacion is reputedly financed—and its deficits made good—by Fiat, the Italian automobile company, which in turn means the Italian government.

"The Simplicity of Genius"

AS AN ARGENTINE company losing money, for Corporacion to be in the market for Lati’s seven Savoia-Marchetti planes obviously means very liberal credit terms or, what is more likely, that the Italian government is trying to transfer from one subsidiary (Lati) to another (Fiat-Corporacion), its airplanes to maintain the Rome-to-South America airline. The scandal broke in Buenos Aires recently with the resignation of Corporacion’s manager, Antonio Biedma. an Argentine citizen. Corporacion is understood to have been warned by the ministry of the interior to comply with the letter “and the spirit” of government regulations which require 80 per cent of an Argentine aviation company's personnel to be Are gentine citizens. As front for Fiat, Corporacion’s scheme had the simplicity of genius. Once the Lati airplanes were flying again, Corpora= cion would expand its two-by-four activities into bige time aviation, with a service between Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and Santiago, Chile, via Buenos Aires. In addition, an occasional “diplomatic” flight to Rome would be slipped into the Brazil-Argentine~ Chile schedule. Thus Italy would keep its umbilical cord with South America intact and Corporacion would fly under the neutral Argentine flag through and over the British blockade.

The Real McCoy or Just Stooge

CORPORACION IS on neither the United States nor the British blacklists and wants to keep off. The question is whether it is an Argentine company or an Italian stooge. To support the first contention, three law partners of acting President Roman S. Castillo appear as die rectors of Corporacion. But the financial and mane agement setup points to its working as aviation sece tion of Fiat, and hence ultimately the Italian gove ernment. To keep off the blacklists, therefore, Corporacion’s connections with Fiat and Lati must either be very carefully camouflaged or severed. Corporacion’s future, and Italy's hopes, depend on whether Corporacion can get hold of the Lati equip= ment. It is understood that Ramon S. Castillo Jr, son of the acting president, is buying the equipment for Corporacion, But at this writing the planes are grounded in Brazil, embargoed by the Brazilian government as security for fines, totaling around $85,000, assessed against Lati for alleged irregular exchange operations.

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

A NEW AND DIFFERENT Kind of poster has held the place of honor in Times Square for the past two weeks. It is one of a thousand huge signs issued by the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, urging prayer and church attendance upon the people. The signs are to be distributed through the country, and I think they will find the layman in a Jeceptive mood. Individuals who have never prayed, and have rather scoffed at the idea, begin to be troubled by faint doubts. Perhaps, they say, we have underrated the power of faith as a force for the building of a good society. Sometimes sorrow has a friendly face when she comes close enough for you to look into it. Trouble is often the stepping stone to success, and this is true for nations as well as individuals. We do not reach the heights without hard climbing. Today the U. 8S. A is starting a long uphill pull, and she won't make unless her people realize the necessity for a revival of spiritual inspiration.

Our Task Is Harder

OUR TASK IS TWICE as hard as the task of our enemies. For while we prepare, as they do, for armed conquest, we have a higher goal—our ultimate objective is the making of a freer world for all men. And in order to have it we shall be forced to recognize sooner or later the power of goodness and faith; if not, our victories will be hollow and our sacrifices vain. The words of John Foster Dulles of the Federal Council of Churches are more than ever true: “I could as readily base sustained effort on the use of drugs or alcohol as I would on the cultivation of hatred and vengefulness. Victory is not itself the end. It is the means to an end, namely the organiz= ing of a better world.” And that world. my friends, cannot be attained without prayer and faith as well as work and sacrie fice.

The views expressed bv columnists in this Thev are not necessarily those

Editor's Note: newspaper are their own. of The Indianapolis Times,

Questions and Answers

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

Q—How long did Spain rule the Philippine islands, and did the Japanese ever rule the islands? A—The Spanish conquest of the Philippines began in 1565 and lasted until the Spanish-American war of 1898. Japan never ruled the islands, but prior to their discovery by Magellan in 1521, many Japanése colonists were settled in Luzon, and left their imprint in racial features on the Tagalogs.

Q—Did Ambassador Davies refer to Litvinov as “the ablest foreign minister in Europe’? A—Yes; in his recent book, “Mission to Moscow,” Page 362, he said: “One can well understand why he should bear the reputation of being the ablest foreign minister in Europe. I think he is.”

Q—When and by whom was the first gearshift automobile exhibited?

A—By W. Maybach at the Paris World Exhibition in 1889.