Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 October 1942 — Page 10

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. RALPH Editor, in U. ® Service -WALTER LECKRONE Editor

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A RILEY 5551

Give Light end the People Will Find Their Own Way

r Alliance, NEA ce, and Audit Busal of , :

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1042

ANKS IN WEST AFRICA | ERMAN statements that fighting has begun in the air over Dakar, British reports of arrival of American orces in Liberia, and the London strategy conferences of Prime Minister Smuts of the Union, of .South Africa, indicate that both sides are preparing for the long-predicted battle for West Africa. Berlin's apparently premature announcement of actual ghting- follows weeks of prediction of an allied offensive in that area. Hitler has used this to pressure the PetainLaval regime. Though he has not obtained outright control of French West Africa, doubtless Nazis are stronger “and better placed in those strategic areas than before. At east Hitler is using submarine bases there in the crucial attle of shipping, which has shifted from the north . to he south Atjantie : & ” ® .

RUSSIA'S Santos in preventing a Nazi drive into the = Middle East this fall allows Britain to concentrate forces in West Africa which otherwise would have been ‘required in the Caucasian-Iranian area. The chance to out‘flank Rommel in Libya, to relieve Malta and the Mediter-

anean, while protecting the South Atlantic supply lines, |

now makes a Dakar offensive very tempting to the allies. The chief barrier to such an attack has been Washington’s policy of playing along with Vichy, hoping to pre‘vent a more complete alliance between Petain and Hitler ‘which would put part of the French fleet into action against us, As Petaifl has swung toward Berlin, and as American planes have bombed occupied France despite Vichy protest, Washington has grown impatient. But until it gives up hope in Vichy, the United States government cannot start the battle for West Africa.

BYRNES ON THE JOB TYIRECTOR JAMES F. Byrnes is moving in on his job of ~ economic control like a man who knows where to go and how to get there. His outline of the anti-inflation ‘program before the economic stabilization board was sweeping and masterful. He put the various government departments and agencies on notice as to what will be expected of them in controlling ‘wages, salaries, prices and profits; and he delegated to them all the authority they need to make good on their assignments. He bespoke the co-operation and: counsel of all government officials working on economic séantrels, tactfully he wanted to increase rather’ than diminish the mportance of their activities, and then declared "forcibly that where differences could be ironed out he would make the decisions and take the responsibility: for mistakes, because “in war, inaction is the greatest of all mistakes.”

More and more it becomes evident that President Roose- |

velt made a happy choice in selecting Ji immy Byrnes as the commander on the home front. Here at last is a man to make decisions and be responsible for them, thereby relieving Mr. Roosevelt of a great burden he has had to carry, with subordinates of conflicting counsel plucking at the presidential ear and seeking to enlarge their personal powers with little regard to the program as a whole, It already is apparent—and no one who knew the man should ever have doubted it—that Mr. Byrnes did not step down from the prestige and security of the supreme court to serve as just another “co-ordinator” and figurehead in a wartime administration. He has been atten a job to do, and he is doing it.

THE DIM-OUTS GE a hand to all the men and women around Indianapolis who have been working so industriously and efficiently to see that our local dim-outs have been successful. ~ >You haven't seen their names in the newspapers, nor their photos. But they're the folks who have been doing the work. You may grumble a little about the inconvendences of life in wartime, but remember your neighbor who 18 working without pay or recognition—for your benefit.

FIXING BLAME FOR STRIKES T= national war labor board makes good news with ts plan, adopted unanimously by the public, labor and honk members, for reducing wildcat strikes in war inustries “to a paint where they are truly insignificaat.” ‘Mediation panels and investigators are ordered to de- | termine the “real causes” of wildcat strikes or lockouts; to fix responsibilities where it belongs, whether on employees or union officers or on managements that fail to settle grieves promptly, and to submit full reports with recomndations for preventing future interruptions of work, - It is difficult for the public to judge the merits of labor troversiés. But the public knows that organized labor promised there will be no strikes in war industries. It nows that the machinery provided by the government settling disputes has usually awarded gains to unions demanded concessions by employers. It knows that, pite these facts, there have been many strikes, and t, as the NWLB now wisely concedes— ~ “The whole of the bad effect of these strikes on war pctior cannot: be measured by man-days alone. Short-

of production at one point interrupts the flow and causes.

The public, agreeing thoroughly with the NWLB: that evance, no matter how great, justifies an interrupof lane fo to niemdptons wpe hav omit | he ne aptions Sh

By Westbrook Pegler

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Fiorello's Three Bits of Advice

WITH THESE PRELIMINARIES, here we go: Mayor La Guardia recently issued three bits of advice. 1. He invited the children to squeal to him if their fathers lost money Petting on the horses with bookmakers. 2. He conjured a group of young New York policemen to beat up on sight anyone who, in the judgment of the individual cop, seemed to be a tinhorn gambler. 3. And he urged individuals who lost horse bets to bookmakers to start proceedings to recover their money.

The Denial Doesn't Stand Up

LA GUARDIA LATER denied that he had invited the kids to become little squealers, after the manner of Nazi kids, but reference to the text-of his remarks disproved the denial. He has stood pat on his advice to the cops to beat up tinhorns and on the advice to the clients of the tinhorns to welsh. The mayor would know more than-I do about the

‘extent of horse betting, because I do not at the mo"ment know whom to phone to make a bet.

A couple of years ago I noticed a horse named Westbrooke in the entries and thought I would bet a few dollars across. Knowing a couple of friends who het habitually, I phoned them, but both were out of town, so I let it go and the goat paid $64. But a man must be a man and if he isn’t man enoiigh to resist the temptation to bet beyond his means, and man enough to take care of his family’s needs before he bets, then the crime is on him, not on the bookmaker. The betting habit is not comparable to addictions to dope, liquor and cigarets.

The Free Make Mistakes, Too

LA GUARDIA DID NOT qualify his advice to the cops to beat up tinhorns on sight, but most policemen, young and old, have too much sense to do so anyway. But when a ‘mayor gives that order it goes as it lies and means that they have the mayor's permission to beat up anyone he doesn't like. - Another mayor would be as well justified to order his police to beat up anyone who looked like a Coms< munist, and might plausibly say that La Guardia, by that time ‘returned to private: life, looked like a Communist to him. There is just no getting around the fact that La Guardia does reveal a long streak of the Nazi in his own makeup, for his advice to the children and the cops is straight Hitlerism and the welshing policy, too, comes from within the man, and dis Hitleresque. The free peoples, too, make some awful mistakes.

‘Cheap’ Campaigns

By E. A Evans

NEW YORK, Qct. 19.—Looking through a few recent issues of The Congressional Record, the 4 printing of which costs the taxpayers $48 a page, I have found the following material in the appendix: One-third page of “Reasons Why Edwin Arthur Hall Should Be Re-elected to Congress,” inserted by Rep. Edwin Arthur Hall (R: N:. XD) One-half page editorial from a New York City newspaper endorsing John J. Bennett for governor of New. York, inserted by Rep. Eugene Keogh (D. N. Y.). Two-and-one-half-page speech by Alfred M, Landon to a Republican mass meeting at Lincoln, Neb., insterted by Senator Arthur. Capper (R. Kas.). Six and one-third pages of speeches by fellow congressmen in praise of Rep. Raymond 8S. McKeough, Democratic candidate for Senator from Illinois, inserted by Rep. Adolph J. Sabath (D. IIL). Three-page statement on the Democratic party’s record in. congress, inserted by Senator Alben W. Barkley (D. Ky.). One-third-page speech by Rep. Compton I, White to the Idaho state Democratic convention, inserted by Rep. White (D. Ida.).

Congress Is Asking for It

SUCH STUFF crowds into The Record in every campaign year. Few members of congress, to be sure, demand as much space as Rep. Aaron Lane Ford (D. Miss.), who recently inserted eight pages about his eight years as a representative. But the printing of personal puffs and partisan propaganda costs thousands upon thousands of dollars, and that is only the start of the expense to. the taxpayer. Reprints of this political matevial may be hought

in’ unlimited quantities at bBarga'n rates from the || government printing office, and milled to the votes ||

postage free in cong-essional franked envelopes. And such broadsides always carry that less-than-half-truth, “Not Printed at Government Expense.”

Tonjgress does itself a grave injury by tolerating | |

this old custom which enables members to campaign for themselves, their parties or their friends at public expense.

It is an insult to the intelligence of the voters. It is an imposition on taxpayers who are being asked

to bear the heaviest tax burden in our history. And

it provides ammunition for those who would picture sangrem as an aggregation of cheap chiselers.

So They Say—

The difference hetween victory and defeat may lie | in labor's willingness to do a good day's work—on a |

wartime basis, not a peacetime standard.—~Undersecreary of War Robert P. Patterson. :

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Appropriate legislation passed in the nature of a national selective service so hat Wen Sarvs Sirsciad in pts Wire: they re

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» or The Hoosier Forum 1 wholly disagree with what you say, but will : defend to the death your right to say it.—Vojtaire.

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“CHILDREN SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO CELEBRATE”

By Kenneth Warner Jr., 800 N. Rural st.

After the children of Indiana gave theim time and labor to bring in. scrap. for our country, I think they should be allowed to celebrate Halloween. It is a great thrill for them to: dress up and fool their friends and I don’t think they should be denied this privilege. Some people dislike halloween. Some boys throw -cans on their porch and knock on their doors. Well, if the boys do throw cans on their porch they deserve it. If the children aren't allowed to dress up and they aim to throw cans no police force will be strong enough to stop them. = * 2 = “YOU PEOPLE IN INDIANA

‘ARE JUST SOREHEADS”

By Mrs. Ru Roenile; 2323 N. W. 8th Ti ‘Miami Bi :

I am an annual visitor in your fair city and am interested enough to read your paper when it arrives in Miami. Lately I've noticed some articles in The Forum in regard to the Indianapolis Railways service. You ‘people in Indianapolis evidently are so far inland you do not realize there is a war going on. Upon my many trips to your city I have marveléd at the grand service and the system in which the transportation is handled. - The operators are very polite and in my way of thinking must have the patience of “Job. ” How would some of you people like to be on a bus full of people, when you wanted off have to wait till the standing load was unloaded so you could get to the driver to pay your fare? Or get off center door and run up front and pay him from the outside? How would you like for your bus to take 45 minutes to 80 30 blocks? As to your drivers talking to peaple in transit, I've never yet seen one start a conversation but have seen plenty people force themselves upon the operdtor. The gentleman who wrote not long ago that he dreaded the time he would have to ride trackless trolley—-I'll bet two to one the operator would dread rid-

(Times readers are invited fo express their views in these columns, religious controveries excluded. Make - your letters short, so" all can have a chance. Letters must

be signed)

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ing you if you intend to bé stuch a

sorehead. Your kind are real examples of “bottlenecks.” ° You ‘Hoosiers don't seem to understand it but you have one of the finest transit systems in the country. And in times like these it looks] to me like you'd try to help instead of complain. These operators work eight to 10 hours each’ day and cater to several hundred ‘different .personalities. Do you expect them to all be “sweet Genevieves?” ; Try it sometime, Mr. Trolley Op‘erator Hater, and I'll bet you'll see it from a different angle, You are just soreheads. , . ,

” » ” “A LOT OF BRAGGING AND

|DAMN LITTLE THINKING”

By H. E. Hurlbut, Newport ; Mr, J. F. Myers “ain't been nowhere or geen nothin’” yet. The same thing that is going on at the Allison plant is being multiplied thousands of times and is going on all over this country of ours. I just listened to a program sponsored by some government, agency —one of those same agencies that are deliberately wasting and encouraging the rackets and graft. The housing outfit is getting all in a lather about shortage of housing near some of the many federal projects. The ashes have hardly got cold on some of these projects where | the houses which were in them were. destroyed, yes thousands of houses wrecked by bulldozers, etc, when they could have been moved. Every federal project like the one here has plenty of space where those houses could have been moved and used to good advantage. But what can we expect from the bunch who passed a draft law to take your sons, husbands, etc., but

put a paragraph in that law putting

Side Glances—By Galbraith

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| By A Maid Indianaoplis

themselves in a class that are exempt. Some of you people who have sons in the service who must not only fight but pay income tax on their pay should go to the internal revenue office and ask them if members of the legislative, executive, or judicial departments pay income taxes on their fat salaries. vou ‘would find out why they are going to “spend and spend and elect and elect” as Hopkins cracked. Why should this administration squawk about Mr. Willkie advocating a second front when that same mouthy one said we could “open four fronts.” Someone seems to be doing a lot of bragging and damn little sensible thinking and acting. 8 # = “SEND WAR STAMPS WITH YOUR GREETING CARDS” By Leo P. Gauss, Indiana Pythian. bldg. A thought just occurred to me} that since we are approaching .the holiday season it would be a good time if the papers get behind a movement to put on a campaign’ for selling war stamps. My idea is that practically every person sends out Christmas greeting cards and if it would be suggested by the newspapers that on these cards be attached a war stamp, it would stimulate the sales at an enormous degree. : Since no doubt most of the card manufacturers have already ' sold their cards to the trade it probably|' would not be advisable to issue a special card, but there could also | be special cheap cards printed with a vesting and a space for the stamp. - After all the public spends a considerable amount of money on these greeting cards which are thrown away and are of no use. And I feel that the public could be educated through the medium of the newspapers to send out greeting cards with stamp attached. In fact if it were not for the great loss on cards now in dealers’ hands the public could be urged to purchase a particular card which would” not be expensive through their regular store with a space fer the insertion of the starap amd no doubt the greeting card itself would ‘cost with the stamp less than what

greeting. The idea may not work but it sounds feasible to me and I believe that there would be a considerable amount of ‘money derived by the treasury department from the sale of these stamps. Even if the cards with stamps attached were thrown. away the public would be doing a patriotic duty. I would appreciate| an expression from you as to what

3 2 8 = “WHY CAN'T CUSPIDORS IN OFFICES BE JUNKED?"

As a suggertion during this scrap drive, why couldn't a lot of the un-

But there is still resistance to all-out use of air | power from old school strategists. -

The Probleth of Cannon

NNON ARE FLYING” might well be th : oH most effective ground strafin eee Bell Irth 18 a bundie of poison. with itg cannon firing-straight through the nose of the fusee | lage ahead of the pilot. That cannon has range and ° ternfic ok ower, making it especially effective round vehicles.

17 tw the RA. F, ve four cannon mounted in the nose of | the fuselage and they can deliver 600 pounds of hot lead a minutec—the old garden hose idea of spraying armor-piercing anfmunition. “The planés dre flying faster, the guns have become cannon, .and you :can bet your last nickel that the

“size of the cannon will increase,

A New Type Is Needed

IN THE LAST WAR we had an ingenious gun Known ds the Davis Bansrecull gun, a cannon mounted in the nose of our flying boa was about: ES Datls, the barrel was open at both ends. * The cartridge, or shell, had the i Jectile in one and a load of buckshot imbedded in heavy grease in the: other. The shell was loaded into the Davis gun-in'thé middle. When the trigger was pulled the solid shell traveled out the front" end of the gun and the load of grease and buckshot blew: out the rear end. The gun, designed for use against stibmarines, had enough penetrating power to break through the shell of a sub. We need a radically new type of non-recoil gun for use from néavy bombers and flying boats engaged in anti-submarine patrol work. The cannon are flying all right, but heavier cannon must fly and .Someone will work away to get them flying. Aviation needs & new type of cannon, equipped with a new type of recoil mechanism. Any time the , submarine menace seems to get out of control, you ' can ‘be sure the anti-submarine effort from the air has been slackened. Editor's Notet me views expressed by columnists in this " newspaper are theif ‘dwn. They are not necessarily those of The lrdisnapolia Times :

A Woman’ 5 Viewpoint

By, Mrs; Walter Ferguson

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"| REPORTS FROM recruiting . offices say that girls aren’t so hot to enlist as’ WACCs and WAVES : « for kitchen duty. As one younge jo. . ster expressed it, “Why sign up to . “swash dishes? I can do that at . “home.” ll . This is a natural reaction, 1 » - “uppose, for those who do not yet realize that any worth while war i effort consists in doing the kind of jobs we hate, People who strip | the glamor from war are generally criticised. Some. : times they are callpd fifth columnists, i Yet is it not obvious that, with every little glitter | | we take away, victory may be nearer? So long ag | boys and girls think war is an experience of pleasure, ; or & round of frolic and fun, they are not morally | equipped to fight. | Looking the facts in the face is one way of helpe ing morale. It seems deplorable to surge enlistment, as. our navy often does, by painting a glowing Pleture of the picnic the service ters.

Guts Instead of Glamor! AND EMPHASIS upon wardrobes and the pleass |

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ures to be enjoyed. by our soldierettes will not improve

their ability to take it on the chin afterwards. It<all boils ‘down to one question: Have you a | warrior’s heart? Are you willing: to tackle the hardes§ thing—which to some may be dishwashing? On the other fide unusual tasks offer themselves to women. The person who léarns a new trade is stepping over fresh horigons and ought to get a lif§ . from the feeling of power, independence and ime portance it gives her. But there's this to remember? * We can't all leave the old, dull, familiar tasks to 1 take up something’ exciting. Why? Because most | of these old jobs are just as important as the new ones and the war will not be won unless they are | well done, too. In the campaign to which we are committed thes humblest worker is as essential to victory as the fellow who camps in the headlines. From this day ' forth, for all of us, the letter G should stand for Guts instead of Glamor!

Questions and Answers

(The indianapolis Times Service Buress will suswer any question of fact or information, wet involving extensive res search. Write your question clearly, sign name and dddress, : inglose » three.cent postage stamp. Medics) or lesa) advios | cannot be given. Address The Times Washington Services Bureau, 1013 Thirteenth a. Washington, D. C.)

Q—Is “Gloomy Gus” a character in & book? : - A—He is a famous comic strip character in | “Heppy Hooligan” by the Jate T. Opper. Q—How .is Groton pronounced? !

. A—Grawton, the rsh “0” pronounced Uke thet in the word “soft.”

Sept. 15 to Oct. 11,

1] Q= E) | in World War I, vad