Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 May 1942 — Page 8
~ paper Alliance, NEA
Owned ‘and published daily (except Sunday) by ty, 3 cents a copy; delivered by carrier, 15 cents
a week.
Mail subscription rates in Indiana, $4 a year, outside of Indiana, 76 cents a month.
«> RILEY 5851
Give Light and the People Will Pind Their Own Way
_ Scripps - Howard News- E==
~ Services, and Audit Bureau of Circulations.
SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1942
TAX PAYING—AS YOU GO
THE treasury’s proposal to collect at the source 10 per * cent of everybodys taxable income looks good to us.
It would mean 10 per cent out of salary checks and wage
envelopes—after allowance for exemptions—and 10 per cent out of dividends. : : When March 15 of the following year tolled around, ‘the taxpayer would dig into his pocket and pay the difference. Or, if he had been unemployed part of the time, or for some other reason too much had been collected, the treasury would rebate to him. The plan has three virtues: It would enable -the treasury to get its hands on about $2,500,000,000 of income taxes before the collection date, helping finance the war. It would immediately take that large amount from the stream of purchasing power, thereby helping control prices and keep down living costs. _ It would help the taxpayer get rid of at least a part
of his tax obligation at the time he is getting his income.
- MEXICO AND THE WAR
EXICO’S move toward war with the axis deserves much more attention than it is getting in this country. Just because our neighbor is not equipped to put a large expeditionary force or fleet into the fighting, the public should not assume that her contribution would be unimportant. If Mexico becomes a belligerent, as hoped, she can help win the war in these practical ways: "She can give faster, fuller economic co-operation to the United States and united nations. She can provide more adequate military protection against a Japanese flank attack on herself and the Panama canal and the United States, particularly by better policing of potential enemy submarine and air bases in her territory. She can clean out the dangerous axis fifth column movement, including the Spanish Falange, which uses Mexico as a center of operations for the western hemisphere. . So the sooner Mexico moves in the better it will be for her and all other American countries,
YOUR TIRES
HE tires on your car are a vital part of the nation’s war resources. To abuse them, or to use them unnecessarily, may mean a longer war and longer casualty lists. We've been saying that for weeks. We're glad to have it said now by four leading war agency officials, and emphasized by a formal statement that should destroy all false optimism about the rubber situation. : That situation is desperately bad. There is a possi‘bility—but nothing like a certainty—that some new synthetic process, or improvement of a known process, may make it a little less bad. But those whose duty it is to know—Production Chief Nelson, Rubber Co-ordinator Newhall, Defense Transportation Director Eastman, Price Administrator Henderson—see no present hope that for at least two years there will be enough new rubber of any kind, from any source, even to supply military and the most essential civilian needs. So, what to do? - Obviously present tires must be conserved. That means their use must be rationed. ‘Some people will not conserve their own tires. Others will wear out their own tires all "the faster because of the officially acknowledged possibility
3 ~ that, in time, the government may buy non-essential private cars for the use of war workers.
The only known way to ration use of tires is to ration gasoline. Those parts of the ‘country where gasoline is abundant will have to bé convinced of the necessity for nation-wide gas rationing.
“WORDS WILL WIN THE WAR”
‘OU may wonder how the government uses the thousands of press agents on its pay roll. Well, they're busy turning out words to win the war. ~~ Here's an example from the office of emergency management: We are offered for publication five short articles on “How to Spend the Week-End Without a Car.” : Article No. 1 points out that you can work in the garden, and thus grow badly needed food. “Dig for fun, for health, for good living, for economy and for patriotism,” gays the OEM. Or, suggests Article No. 2, why not organize a neighborhood discussion group? Call in the neighbors, elect a chairman and outline a list of good subjects. Then, as explained in Article 3, you can explore your own neighborhood by hiking, bicycle riding, or use of the street car. : Or you can play games, Uncle Sam has discovered in Article 4. ‘Table tennis and badminton are exhilarating, or you may prefer crqquet, horseshoes or volley ball. ‘There are other sports-—and if you don’t prefer to play you can still take a streetcar to the ball park. % Article No. 5 will come as a surprise to husbands— who have never suspected that they might pass the time by acting as handy man. “It is always fun to make or repair things around the house,” says the OEM. But— if you're not mechanically minded now would be a good time to take up an absorbing hobby. The old stand-bys like stamps, coins -and autographs of prominent people are amusing‘and instructive.” . - As for ourselves, we've thought of a hobby that is ailable to any newspaperman. We are going to start aving the bales of press-agent releases which pour in from 5s
"
government. They contain the oddest assortment of rivia yet known to man—and eventually we win the war by turning over to the junk dealer aper to make cartons for all the ammunition used
Fair Enough
By Westbrook Pegler
NEW YORK, May 23.—Early
last Saturday morning Chuck
" Wiggins was found lying in the street in Indianapolis and early Sunday one of the bravest prize fighters of the era of wonderful nonsense died of a fractured skull, Chuck was a white Battling Siki, hilarious and ribald and, like a true sportsman. Wiggins belonged to cent age when a mere between two athletes under genteel rules and government supervision more nearly filled the eye o the nation and required more type to tell of.than battle does on sea and land today in which hundreds of American boys are killed. Reference to the files will show that either of the Tunney-Dempsey demon=strations aroused more interest then than the loss of the Houston and the Jacob Jones together, but I have no point to make and so will abandon this abominable tone and say that those were, anyway, happier days in a better world, and that the Chuckler scattered many a laugh as he went his merry way.
In Those Gay Old Days
HE STARTED OUT as a lightweight and his punch was nothing much and yet this man so illequipped to hurt another fought Tunney, Greb and Gibbons and kept them busy and, after his first fight with Greb, joined that human sausage machine im protest against meddlesome interference by a fastidious referee and in a demand for a return match, freestyle, so that they could really express themselves. They were matched back soon afterward on condition that the referee mind his own business, which, in their view, was only to count the knockdowns and call the coroner but not to scold and pester honest men, and, thus relieved of molestation, waged a brawl which, in point of savagery, was the gayest of their lives. They were warm friends and fought pretty much alike and the high point of the return bout, to Wiggins, was the moment when Greb clamped his teeth on his nose and tried to pull him around that way and Wiggins kicked him loose with his knee. Wiggins admired Greb and Tunney but had no respect for Gibbons for a reason which I will presently make apparent. .
He Could Take It Always
TUNNEY RECALLS THAT in one fight with Chuck he was practicing a body-punch close to the foul line and twice sent his fist in low without comment from the Chuckler, who might have claimed the verdict. A third time Gene hit Wiggins low and very hard and more than half expected to be run out of town. But Chuck only stepped back and, with an earnest appeal to reason in his eyes, exclaimed: “No kidding, now Gene, that one was honest-to-God low.” : This courage and bizarre style endeared him to Gene and so when Tunney trained at Speculator for his second Dempsey fight he imported Wiggins to box him in the practice ring. It was there at Speculator that he told one night why one should never trust an honest man.
that in fist
'Wiggins, You Have Deceived Me!’
HE WAS MATCHED with Tommy Gibbons in New Orleans but broke a rib fighting a friend in Memphis on the way and so appealed to Gibbons to spare his injured side, as a knockout would impair his standing but couldn’t add much to Tommy's. Mr. Gibbons expressed solicitude and inquired which side the sore rib was on the Chuckler, in a flash of suspicion, told him the ‘left side, which was a willful falsehood. For two rounds then, the model Christian gentleman poked him on his port-side ribs and Chuck each time was slow to wince - which delayed reaction prompted Tom to mutter with moralistic scorn, “Wiggins, you have deceived me.” Thereat, Tommy whanged him on the right side and the pain put Wiggins down. “Never trust an honest man,” he said sadly. are strictly no good.”
China Is Our Front
By Ludwell Denny
“They
WASHINGTON, May 23.—The Chungking government is crying for help. The Chinese are not softies. For five years, almost without arms, they have fought off the Japs better than the mighty united nations have done in the last five months. So when the Chinese say “the future is very grave,’ they mean it and we had better do something fast. Recently President Roosevelt renewed the pledge to get supplies to China despite the fall of Burma. No time should be lost. Since the help requested is chiefly planes, it can be flown in—from the Middle East and African reserve if necessary. Quick aid to China is not a matter of sentiment or principle—though claims of sentiment and prin.ciple are strong enough in themselves to justify action. An even better reason is that we must help China to save our own necks, and because China is the nearest base to attack Japan.
It's Same as Russian Front
CHINA IS NOW absorbing about two-thirds of Japan's military strength. : If those vast armies and air fleets are ever pulled out of China—as most of them will be if she cracks —they can be turned against Russia and against the United States. The Chinese front has the same relation to the
war in the Pacific as the Russian front to the war |
in Europe. : Britain has been saved from German invasion, so far at least, by the Russian front. : Alaska, Hawaii and our Pacific coast have been saved from sustained Japanese blows, so far at least, by the Chinese front. Belatedly the united nations learned this lesson so far as Russia is concerned, and are now sending
all the supplies to Russia which can be delivered over |
long transport lines. Roosevelt, Churchill, Beaverbrook and many others have explained why this is 50 necessary. - The China front is no, less important. Indeed, China by holding so many Jap troops is doing more to help Russia hold the Germans than all the American and British supplies to Russia. We must send China planes, and reinforce Hawaii and Alaska for defense and offense.
So They Say—
We would like to have tarried and watched the later developments of fire and explosion, but even so, we were. fortunate to receive a fairly detailed re port from the excited Japanese radio broadcasts.— Brig. Gen. James H. Doolittle, after receiving Congressional Medal of Honor for leading air raid on Japan. : - » *
A needless restriction in some city building code may delay our ‘production of certain weapons just enough to cause some of our boys.to lose a battle they would have won.—Donaid M. Nelson. : A 3 i * *
-
1IVE
5
-
-~
- ~~
(iL e 42
‘I Don’t Wanna Walk Without You, Baby!”
——
ey RE SZ ARURT =
The Hoosier Forum
1 wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.
“WAR OF STATISTICS” PROPOSED AS NAME By L. W., Indianapolis If the contest for naming the war is still open, this member of the business community, living in a maze of priorities, allocations, rules, regulations and edicts, submits the following entry: “The War of Statistics.”
” » ” “WE CAN DISPENSE WITH THIS FAULT-FINDING” By Mrs. Albert Grenwald, 1437 S. Belmont ave.
Each day when I read the papers I find that there has been a new ruling or a mew law made and the | ink is scarcely dry until someone has entered a complaint, even before he has had time to consider the reasons for that law or ruling
being made. It seems to me that in times such as these, when our very existence is at stake, we could dispense with fault-finding, and bend every effort toward winning this war and retaining our freedom. “I will admit that there may be some things done these days that we all cannot see eye to eye but it has been said that “In unity there is strength’; united we stand, divided we fall,” but all this discord, dissention and crticism certainly does not smack of unity. It would be well for all of us to remember that our enemies’ mightiest weapon is faultfinding and unrest among ourselves. Our president is doing a fine job under the most severe strain and handicaps so let us all do our bit by co-operating with him, by abiding .with his rulings and keep our mumblings to ourselves, at least until this crisis is past. ; ” # » “DOES MR. FRISBIE READ THE LABOR PAPERS?” By A Legionnaire, Indianapolis In reference to the May 18th letter of W. Prisbie, union official, criticizing your paper in not giving equal publicity to the “pros” as to the “cons” of the labor news, this sounds strange coming from a labor spokesman. Did he ever read some of the labor papers? Not only do
(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious conMake your letters short, so all can
troversies excluded.
have a chance. Letters must be signed.)
they give but one side of the story but they misrepresent that side. The millenium will be here when the only criticism that can be made of their papers is that‘ they only give unequal prominence to both sides. If The Times is guilty of “dirty journalism” what of the labor press? ‘This goes for labor papers other than the Communist Daily Worker, I feel that The Times is quite decent to have published such a scurrilous attack as Frisbie’s, It's too had that the same edition did not carry the letters of the union Men, “What kind of a democracy is® this anyway” and “Are we just plunging into -slavery,” published the 18th relating actual cases of how they and their friends were victimized by unions
as to exorbitant initiation fees for :
defense jobs. : . Why does not Mr. Frisbie answer
the facts given by Mr. Pegler on union racketeering instead of picking on The Times for such trivial stuff? x = = “GAS RATIONING MAY CUT DOWN DROP-INNERS” By Mrs. A. F,, Indianapolis 1 am thinking maybe this gas rationing may prove & blessing if it will keep the drop-inners at home, You know the kind that sends the kids to the show and drops by your house until they sit through two shows. Just when you have put in a hard day's work from 5 o'clock in the morning until late at night, you get your supper over, dishes washed and the kitchen put in order, give yourself the once-over lightly and think here is where I get an hour or two of much needed rest to read your newspaper and maybe listen
to your favorite radio program or the latest war news. But no, you
Side Glances=By Galbraith
these union letters and some -of|°
hear a car door slam, you glance out and what do you see — some drop-inners coming up the steps. Did you invite them? You did not. They may even telephone and find out if you are going to be home. You tell them yes, you are too tired and worn out is the reason you are going to be home. Does that make any difference? : It does not. They stop by anyway. They don’t have to get up at 5 o'clock like you and when the
weather gets warm and you want to sit on your porch for an hour or so, every car that passes gives you the creeps; afraid one will stop and it usually .does and you have to get out refreshments and perhaps drag out the bridge table and spend three or four hours entertaining people you don’t want and that can’t or won't take a hint. .Do they care if your house you worked so hard to clean up is all mussed up and your men folks are dead on their feet from long hours of defense work and finally you crawl in bed and you hear a loud radio that cany be heard for four blocks and ‘screaming in the eir mothers sent out
eir own house? They do not. e all need every ounce of our strength to work to win this war. It takes eight hours of sleep for any man or woman that is expected to do a good day’s work and I think it un-American and unpatriotic to do these things, so hurrah for gas rationing, it might keep a lot of these runabouts at home and let us
workers have a little rest. 8 » » “WHY GIVE TIRE PRIORITY TO BEER TRUCKS?” By Robert Gemmer, 5765 Washington blvd. I notice in your “So They Say” column of May 20th that “The purpose of rationing tires is to put them into the hands of those who can use them to the best advantage of the entire nation.—Leon Henderson.” This is a very good statement. But is it true? I do not think so. Beer truck drivers can get rationed tires, but milk truck drivers cannot! Is that putting the tires in the hands of those who can use them to the best advantage of all? Liquor dealers who provide the stuff that helps to make our men physically unfit for the army go on almost completely unabated. This is not consistent with the above statement of Leon Henderson.
at the frustration and delays.
I agree with the writers who have
‘said that a person arrested of
drunken driving should have his car confiscated if anyone's car is to be. Why ration gas here when we don’t need it? If people are foolish enough to burn their tires up now, let them do it. But if the government wants tires let it stop giving them to liquor distributors and start taking them. : Why ration sugar when we don't need the rationing? If the government would follow the advice of
‘plants making industrial alcohol from sugar. It could even redistill the five years’ supply of liquor and make it into industrial alcohol. : Why doesn’t the government: do this? Ask your congressman!
DAILY THOUGHT that thine own right hand can . save thee.—Job 40:14. :
J
By Peter Edson
WASHINGTON, May 23.—They don’t open the meeting with the singing of “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” but every Wednesday noon the congressional deleghtion from the Lone Star State has lunch together in the private dining room of the speaker of the house. Yom They can do that, of course, because Speaker Sam Rayburn is from Texas and he invites the
- delegation in to use the accommodations of his office
as meeting place. The speaker is host, but the affair is strictly dutch treat. :
The Hon, Wright Patman presides. There are no set speeches, but about the only subject of conversation heard or listened to is Texas. The talk is all as flat “a,” silent “g” and brassy “r” as you'll hear at any Panhandle or brandin’ barbecue! They even eat barbecued steer meat. If they didn’t, the delegation would hear about it from every rancher in the state.
What a Delegation!
THIS TEXAS delegation in Congress is somethin’, One or both of the senators, Tom Connally, the blushing bridegroom, and Pappy O’Daniel, usually stroll
In Washington
>
over from the other side of the capitol to break bis-
cuits with the 21 representatives. The delegation doesn’t have to worry about or Sbartased by Republicans, who just don’t get elected To see the delegation chewing Wednesday beef, it’s a picture of beautiful brotherly love and affection in the wholesome, he-man Texas way. Behind the scenes there may be jealousies. Speaker Rayburn and Senator Connally aren’t believed to be any too co-operative, Pappy O’Daniel is respected largely for his ability as a guitar player, Lyndon Johnson was considered too New Dealish for some, Martin Dies is, well—Martin Dies. :
They Certainly Stick Together
BUT BY AND large, this is a Texas gang and it sticks together to pack a terrific punch in the conduct of the affairs of the lower house. All of its members have lived most of their lives in Texas, from baby Congressman Lindley Beckworth of Gilmer, who is 28, to wise old Judge Hatton W. Sumners of Dallas.
be
In the house of representatives, this Texas dele-
gation is so assigned to committees that their is in every important pie. Of the “50 standing committees which steer the affairs of the house, you will find Texans on all but eight, and those eight aren’t any too important, being largely concerned ‘with readin’, writin’ and such
finger
literary matters—committees on education, library,
printing, memorials and so on. But how they ever overlooked even those eight is 8 mystery.
A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson
“GLAD TO GET away from the madhouse? Is Washington really as bad as we hear? , They say it's a bedlam.” Such remarks greet every visitor returning from our national capital. At first one laughs. But after hearing the same sentiments in many places from many types
of people, the words have a dis- .
quieting effect.
It is not good when citizens
think or speak of their seat of government as a madhouse. It ceases to be a joke, and takes on sinister meanings. And it’s time the many federal bureaus maintained to issue information, publicity and propaganda got to work to dispel the idea. : / Of course Washington is not a madhouse. It only
seems like one because its too full of people, and also, -
perhaps, because governments invariably run into red tape.
'Politics as Usual' Should Go!
THE MAN WHO goes to Washington, being ac- -
customed to making appointments quickly back home and to dispatch business promptly, becomes irritated After a series of these he gnashes his teeth and mutters, wait to get away from this madhouse!”
“I can’t =
If only for that reason, I think more government -
business must soon be moved away from Washington. It’s bad psychology to let the situation continue and grow worse,
And the people, I believe, are justified in some
of their fears about national sanity. While they read headlines about inflation and rationing and more and more taxes, they also find that neither congress nor the administration is willing to curb
the demands of organized labor and of the farm
bloc, because this is a campaign year. They feel, and. rightly, that if “business as usual” must be ditched for the duration, so should “politics as usual.” And, in spite of their patriotism, it strikes them as a form of madness when political shenanigans go on while the country is at war. Editor's Note: The views expressed by columnists in this newspaper are their own. They are not necessarily those ‘of The Indianapolis Times.
-
Questions and Answers
(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau Wil answer any question of fact or information, mot involving extensive research. Write your question clearly, sign name and address, inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical or legal advice cannot be given. Address The Times Washington Service Bureau, 1013 Thirteenth St, Washingten, D. 0.)
Q—How much of the Normandie was submerged -
when she turned over at her pier in the hull resting on the bottom? .
A—One-third of the superstructure water and the three giafit stacks,and masts were a few feet above the surface. The vessel is resting in a few inches of soft ooze.
New York?. Is ;
- was under ~
Q—Does China raise enough rice to support its
population?
A—Chinese rice production is estimated at more
than 15 million tons. Sometimes four crops & year
grow in the same areas. Nevertheless, China has to
import billions of pounds of rice annually.
' Q—How mich tin is normally used in the United -
States in the manufacture of cans?
A—In 1041, more than 40,000 tons of tin were used in making tin-plate for cans. Most of the new tin
1 is used to make tin-plate and about $hree-fourths of - | that goes into cans for food packaging. 5 i . >