Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 October 1942 — Page 16

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. yan 2 : 7 : wr Lom and the Peonie wa Find Their Own Way -

- THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1042

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BEFORE WE DRAFT WORKERS

“HE farmers’ manpower ‘problem is, of course, only part |

of a terrific national problem, which must be solved. Tt is possible the government may have to resort to a unis ~ versal draft, and order men and women to work where they are needed, just as it already orders men to fight where they are needed. : But an attempt to regiment civilian Tabor obviously would create other terrific problems. It would be wise to ~ explore othér remedies before starting to that extreme. The farmers’ ability to produce crops is threatened be- . cause many of their workers are being drafted or permitted to volunteer, and because many others are leaving the farms for higher wages in war industries. Well, it is government policy that drafts men who are needed on the land, and government policy that permits volunteering. Why not change these policies? Government policy, again, has helped organized labor to raise war-industry wage rates to their present levels and . is now trying to stabilize them there. Agriculture cannot pay such wage rates without bankrupting itself or so increasing farm prices that the cost of living would soar out of sight. And if agriculture could pay such wage rates, farm labor would still have a great incentive to flock to the war plants. For government policy decrees that industrial workers shall receive time-and-a-half for all hours worked beyond 40 a week, and double pay on the seventh consecutive day of a working week. There is no 40-hour week on the farms, and no extra pay for overtime—though there is lots of overtime. -

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» 2 » 8 » » (GOVERNMENT policy is helping some 500,000 families to eke out an existence on marginal farms too poor or too small to be worked profitably, and about 1,500,000 similarly situated families are struggling along without assistance. Secretary Wickard suggests that the war presents a great opportunity to move those families out of the “rural slums” and locate them on larger tracts and more productive land, where farm labor is desperately needed. That seems a sensible proposal. : Public opinion, according to the Gallup poll, overwhelmingly favors the idea of a committee, like the Baruch rubber committee, to study the whole question of manpower shortage and recommend solutions. We believe such a committee: would find that there are many ‘steps, short of drafting workers, that the government could take to relieve the situation. It might find, however, that labor laws enacted to discourage overtime employment in industry at a time when workers were surplus and jobs were scarce, are still dis- ‘ couraging overtime employment in industry and complicating the farmers’ problem. And, absurd as it may seem to talk of drafting workers while the average work week in all manufacturing industries is less than 43 hours, the government is unwilling to think of adapting those laws to the new conditions of war.

- ACCIDENTS AND STRIKES

ORE than’ 200,000 soldiers, sailors and marines. could have been supplied with fighting equipment produced _in the 460,000,000 manpower days lost through accidents last year, according to the National Safety council. Such figures serve a most valuable purpose when used, as the council uses them, to impress the: public with the need for more effective safety measures. They serve a very bad purpose when cited by those “friends of labor” who point out that government statistics show only a small fraction of

that number of mandays lost through strikes in war in-

“dustries. ‘ Even if the government statistics revealed the full effect of strikes on production—and they don’t—the appalling toll of accidents doesn’t justify the strikes. We have accidents in spite of—not because of—human ~ intent, . Accidents don’t promise not to happen, and then break their promises. You never heard of a crowd of accidents forming a picket line and refusing to let men go to work in war plants. Or of a union of accidents closing a factory or a steel mill ~ all day in order to-collect dues from the employees. : An accident in one shop doesn’t lead to sympathy acci- _ dents in other shops. Jurisdictional accidents are unknown. And an accident in-a plant. making parts for planes, tanks or guns rarely if ever cuts off the flow of those parts to other | 3 Plants which need them to produce complete planes, tanks Or guns. : - Nobody defends accidents. , Everybody believes that they should be prevented. It’s a national tragedy, and ‘al national disgrace, that we have so many of them. ; But it doesn’t make sense to argue that, because we lose | much production through accidents, we can afford to lose | additional production through strikes. Two wrongs don’t add up to one o Jlght,

are sorry for Clark Gable. There is no sarcasm in that remark, It is sincerely offered. He has given up his enormous income to become a sols ‘He seeks, we believe sincerely, to stand on his own feet a man in the United States army. But the girls won’t ance yed him so in Miami,

hi ing cvarins bad to be moved to a loss |

1 5 a year; Li todand |

| German treaty

1 Is the Second Front

‘The first is that Russia is fight‘ing this war for Russia's own life ~.._' first, and incidentally for ours. True, it is a war of an alliance. on a one-for-all basis, “but there is in the ‘Ameriean Communist. propaganda a note.of suggestion that Russia’s motives are purely

saw Britain stand alone against the Nazis for a ter‘rible year, but, according to the terms of the Russianh. touched off the » actually

helped the Nazis with supplies.

‘rations for an onslaught which may have been fore-

themselves, or thought they had assured themselves, of Russia’s military neutrality and her ¢ommercial co-operation, and they probably would not have start-

whatever mental reservations there were,

"The Yanks Aren't Coming!"

RUSSIA ACCEPTED war only because Russia was suddenly invaded, at which time Winston Churchill immediately made a speech reiterating his old and well-known stand against communism in Britain, but welcoming this diversion and the aid that Russia might give and promising Britain's co-operation. Up to that date, June 22, 1941, the Communists in the United. States and the one man jin the United States congress who always votes according to the Communist party line—and the only man who ever has done this,’ Vito Marcantonio of New York, Mayor La Guardia’s protege, were anti-British and thus pro-Nazi, They said this was a war of British imperialism and their slogan was “The Yanks Aren't Coming.” They did everything in their power to impede the efforts of the American people to prepare for a war which, to many Americans, and obviously to the American government, seemed inevitable,

Look at the Record

IN FRANCE, the French Communists exerted themselves tirelessly, not to defeat the Nazis but to undermine and defeat France. In view of the fact that they were much more numerous and powerful in France than here, it follows that they contributed to the destruction of France and were themselves, in an important degree, responsible for the terribly perilous problems of establishing today that second front which Russia demands. If Russia must suffer for the lack of that second front, Earl Browder and all the other American Com--munists and the Communists of France share the guilt. It is suggested that the British have great forces at home only standing by to repel invasion. The strength of those forces we do not know, but we have learned—to our amazement and to Hitler’s surprise, too—that Russia had even greater and better forces standing by all during the time while the British expeditionary forces were fighting the Germans and Italians in the Near East and taking terrible beatings in the Balkans and on Crete, during which |* their navy was fighting’alone, except for some informal assistance from the navy of the United States, and while the British people were being slaughtered and their cities blasted by the Nazis whom the. Communists in the United States were cheering and helping.

The Worst Enemy of Understanding

THE AMERICAN COMMUNIST is the worst enemy of understanding and co-operation between the United States and Russia because he is so detestably tricky and so willing to sacrifice American lives and interests. Russia may have needed that borrowed time while the British stood against the Nazis with only the Greeks to help them on a second front. The United States needed that borrowed time, too, and used it as well as could be. a But while Britain stood al and the United States began to prepare, the unists in this country pulled strikes in the war industries and; along with those other traitors of the Nazi bund, whooped it up for appeasement and the military triumph of the Nazis. So any judgment on any second front must \niore the agitations of the American Communists who would. have had us helpless now if they could have had their way.

Watch the Pacific!

By William Philip Simms.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8.—1It can now be forecast with some degree of authority that the Pacific theater of war is about to emerge from its sideshow stage into a major attraction. Not one, but four areas should be watched. First, the stepping stones to Japan by way of the Aleutians. Second, the stepping stones to Japan via Australia, the Solomons and the East Indies. Third, the stepping stones to Japan via Hawaii, Midway and Wake, and, fourth, the maritime provinces of Siberia. Apparently the job of repossessing these stepping stones to victory in the Far East has already begun. Such, at least, is the meaning: which observers here read ‘into ‘events in the Solomons and the Aleutians. . But all this, of course, obviously places Japan in a position where she must fight back and fight hard, or capitulate. And on the theory that the offensive is the best defense, she may ny 8 to forestall the growing menace.

' HEAVY FIGHTING is almost certain in the Pacific at almost any .time-—probably around thé Solo- - mons or in the general vicinity of Kiska.

| surprise here. The Japs are more vulnerable from

our road to Siberia that they seized Attu, Kiska and Agattu., They may now, decide that an even better way to keep the Americans out is to take Siberia themselves.

lend Russia every ounce of aid there that it can muster, and the bombing of Tokyo and other Japanese centers will get under way at last. Premier Stalin is impatient. He thinks Russia is not getting the help she should from her allies. He wants a second front immediately. The Pacific is, in

to the Soviet union.

be fighting un.Swe major fronts iusiesd of une,

altruistic and this we know to be untrue, because Rus- | |: sia not only stood by and saw France go down and |

seen. But the Germans did not start their second] world war in a quarter-century until they had assured |-

ed it unless Russia had ‘given thai assurance with |

"A Japanese attack on Vladivostok would cause little | | that direction than any other. It was largely to bar 2 :

If they attempt it, however, the United States will |

Jogh, Buch 5 font, It is already of inestimable aid | |

Were it not for this front, the chances are the | Japs would now be in Siberia and the Russians would 1

The extent of that help we do not know and it may | have been little and a bargain price to pay for the | extra time that Russia needed to complete her prepa~ | |k

; : : @® : 2 The Hoosier Fe 1 wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

“WE AMERICANS ARE TOO EASY ON ENEMY ALIENS” By Mrs, F. Taylor, Keystone Manor

« + «+ It makes my blood boil when I see how easy we Americans are on’ . , . (enemy aliens). Referring to the piece in the paper a couple night ago when they raided those homes and found those enemy aliens ‘and the article ending by saying “no arrests were made.” Why not give them the works when the goods are found on them? + « Those boys of ours who are shedding their blood on the battlefronts deserve more leniency than our enemies but they aren't getting it, ” » ” “I HOPE THE NON-VOTERS WILL THINK ABOUT THIS” By Charles L. Blume, 2442 Coyner ave.

As one active in the job of getting qualified to vote those people who were not because they were not registered, I met with the following answers several times: “I do not care to vote.” . . , “Voting never meant anything to me.” “What difference does it make whether I vote or not?” , . ., “It doesn’t make any difference to me who is elected. They won’t make me any money.” + «+ “I am too busy to bother.”

- Then one man was abusive and

slammed his door in my face. Now all this doesn’t bother me in a personal way. I can take it. However, I want those people who refused to do their duty as citizens, who thought they were being asked a favor, who were so busy thinking of their own comfort and what they thought of the individual for approaching them more than once, to read the following and spend the next two years thinking about it.

The American's Creed: I believe in the United States of America as a government of. the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign nation of many sovereign states; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. - I therefore believe it is my

By Rev.

(Times readers are invited to expréss their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Make your letters short, so all can * have a chance. Letters must

be signed.)

duty to my country to love it; to. support its constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies. » » ” “CAN YOU FIGURE UP FOR ME THE VALUE OF A SOUL?”

E. P. White, 2025 Washington . ave,, Bedford We have been and are ardent readers of your newspaper and feel that your news has been up-to-the-minute. But to my great surprise and chagrin I read an article where the writer evidently has run out of up-to-the-minute news, and has had to finally resurrect the sacred dead in order to find a subject to write about. I refer to the article “Fair Enough” on your editorial page of Sept. 30th. I would be very glad to furnish this writer some of my good books, which are up-to-date so that he might find some up-to-the-minute material for his future writings. I happened to know Rev. Sunday personally and attended some of his campaigns and saw the work that was done by this man of God. Yes, I happened to know about the Philadelphia meeting the writer tells about. I will admit that probably some did walk the sawdust trail for the novelty of it, but not all. I have, out of hundreds, two cases of which I wish to relate. I remember in that meeting one particular man who was a drunkard and abused his family under the influence of drink. I tried to buy a cornet from him to use in my work as a minister evangelist. He wanted $125 for which I could not afford. Later he went forward in Rev. Sunday’s meeting in Philadelphia and was saved. Two things took place because of his conversion; first he gave up the cornet and charged me nothing, but said

“| the price is “Use it in the Lord's

work.” Second, a family had a

Side Glances —By Galbraith

Hip. & E.

sober father restored to them which

{meant a happy home.

The next one was a drunkard

so many that he even lost his franchise as a citizen. He would hide in the daytime and come out at night and the detectives were looking for him. One evening during this meeting he. said to one of his chums, “Let's go over and hear Sunday, I hear he even curses them.” The language our writer raves about, which brought them to this meeting. They agreed to go. Rev. Sunday preached a stirring sermon that night and God used his message to move these men forward over the sawdust trail and in so doing found Jesus Christ as their Saviour, That night he went home, got his family out of

place and a great rejoicing took place in that home. Throughout the night the five children could not go to sleep because daddy had become a new man. The president at the time returned to him his franchise and he hecame a good citizen. Did he hold out?’ Today he' is in one of our soldier camps

winning these mén by the score to Jesus Christ. One time Rev. nday held -a meeting in a. city d they gave him a large offering and the sinners all said he was a robber after preaching eight weeks for it. Two weeks later a circus came to that same town and took out three times as much and the sinners never opened their mouths. One man worked eight weeks while the other one worked one day. I am glad that the man who sang

Run Over Me” was a newspaper reporter and not a Christian or minister. , , . He also said that Rev. Sunday wowed the public. What is our country doing to sell bonds? Why don’t we buy bonds because of the need and not’ because a lot of movie stars are present? Why, of course, to wow them. } am buying all the bonds possible. I have never been privileged to attend a rally and be wowed. I have a boy in the navy and I fight with my money while he fights with guns. He gives one illustration of a failure during this meeting, I have given two of success. Now I would like the writer to sit down and with pencil and paper figure up for me the value of one soul and ‘mail it to me. If he can’t, and I an sure he can’t, then one soul saved through the gospel is worth all it costs. . . . Who am I? Well, I am the conference evangelist of Indiana conference of Indiana of the Methodist church, appointed by our bishop with heddquarters in Indianapolis. » » » “COME ON, HOW ABOUT THOSE WATER TANKS” By James E. Waison, 1428 W. Ohio st. I would again like to express my opinion on this ‘scrap drive. On Sept. 16 I wrote concerning the water towers at the old P. & E. round house. These tanks are still standing weathering away instead of fighting the axis, In our neighborhood the kids have a contest séeing who can turn in the most keys besides the junk they pile up in the school yard to help the defense of ‘our country. Now ‘if kids can do this without pay, why can’t the railroads? Come on, let's give these tanks..They would Lelp a lot.

~DAILY THOUGHT

There is one’la wei! who is SEATS

ae Sho tna Just pri lb

¥: James 4:12.

who had committed many crimes,|

bed and told them what had taken|,

in New Jersey preaching to and|]

“The Brewer's Big Horses Done’

straight.

died in 1829,

In Wash ington

By Peter Edson

i] WASHINGTON, Oct. 8.—~Amaz« ing stories continue to ‘pile up on the size of Washington's new Pentagon building, whigh is to be army headquarters, - week's prize goes to John E. Haines of 4 Minneapolis, ‘Who came down to WwW to check up on the work of 34 steamfitters and three engineers who were installing air conditioning controls: in the 25 miles of offices - which Pentagon contains, Haines went to the building and got his pass without trouble. Contractors and engineer offi< cers did not know where the steamfitters were work ing, but they knew they were there, Haines went to the fourth floor and walked its miles of corridors, ‘inspecting the air conditioning control installations as he went along. But he didn't find his 34 steamfitters and three engineers. Then he made the rounds of the third floor, with the same result. Then the second floor, then the first. He was in the building all day, from 9 in the morning to 5 at night. He found that the controls he was sent to inspect were all right. But he never did find his workmen, so he went back to Minneapolis.

Oh, Pete, Not That!

THAT LADY WHOSE LIKENESS appears on the emblem of the WAACS is, according to army authore ities, Pallas Athene, or Athena. If you recall your mythology, Athena was an Olympian civic goddess, wise in the industries of peace and the arts of war, The Greeks believed she sprang from the brow of

A

[| Zeus, who had swallowed her mother.

Aside from that, had yéu heard that one unofficial suggestion for the WAAC mascot nominates the * “waaccoon” ?

To I-B'S Applying for Service

ANNOUNCEMENT that the army would grant non-combat service commissions to a number of men classified as 1-B, or with slight physical handicaps {. making them unsuitable for active duty, has brought in a flood of requests as to how such men might get to be officers. First requirement is that the man must be drafted, inducted into the service, and undergo the basic 13 weeks training given to all army rookies. While these 1-B's take ‘this basic training they may make applie cation for admission to the new administrative candie date schools,

No Sugar Increase

CHANCES OF AN increased sugar ration are said to be slim, Secretary of Agriculture Claude A. Wickse ard has reduced the estimates of the sugar stockpile from 2.6 million tons to 2.1 million tons—a drop of a billion pounds. Real tipoff on the sugar situation, however, is the fact that the government's interdepartmental sugar committee, made up of representatives from WPB, OPA, war shipping administration, commerce, interior and agriculture, is negotiating for the purchase of the Puerto Rican crop for this year, and 1 possiply for the Cuban crop of next year,

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

A Woman's Viewpoint* By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

IT'S ALL VERY WELL damn the farm bloc but rather a pity that more commentators and politicians can’t get out and visit the farmers. What we call their problem resolves itself to the very simple question of whether the rest of us will be able to eat very long. We won't, says the individual agriculturist, unless something is done about the farm labor shorte age. As one plowman puts it: “At the beginning of the war they told us the worker was as important for victory as the fighter. We believed ’em, because the thing made sense. Yet today the farmer is drained of every helper. “The draft boards and armament factories and government offices have faken the cream of our young men and women, by paying them wages which no farmer could afford if he expected to stay in busie ness over night.”

"Take a Squint at the Facts"

“WHEN A MAN SHORTAGE comes, Why not use machinery, someone suggests?” he goes on. “Buf there’s no machinery now either. We've got nothing to work with at a time when we must feed ourselves, our armies abroad, our allies and the starving people in conquered nations. Hell, it can’t be done. “Another thing; big shot experts have said that it takes the services of 18 civilians to equip and keep one fighting man in the field. NoW, if we're fixing to put out a 10-million-man army, according to my arithmetic, we'd have to have a working popus lation of 180 million people, to keep the figures Things look out of balance to me. “A lot of folks who don’t know anything about the A&' farmer and his way of life are shooting off thejn mouths. They'd better put their blue prints away and take a squint at the facts. “As 1 see it we can’t win any part of this wap

until we have sense enough to realize that the proe

duction of food is just as important as the production of guns. There's a civilian army, toc, and we farmers are a - ‘part of it. ”,

Gueifions and Answers

(The indianapolis Times Service Burean will answer any question of fact or information, not involving extensive res search. Write your question clearly, sign name and address, _inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical or lesa) advice cannot be given. Address’ The Times Washington Service Bureau, 1013 Thirteenth St., Washington, D. C.)

Q—Please give me information about age requires ment in the WAAC. A—Applicants for appointment as auxiliaries (pris vates) must be bétween 21 and 45 years old. A circular giving information about requirements for enlistment and procedure to" follow may be obtained from The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau, 1013 13th st., N. W, Washington, D. C. Ask for the circular “Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps,” and inclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your reques Q—What is the chief difference between th Napoleonic criminal code and. the English criminal code? A—Under the English code the Presumption of innocence rests with the accused person until he is proved guilty, whereas under the Ni

. | the Peesumption of ult Fests oly h i.

Smithson, a British hs L will pends: an