Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 October 1942 — Page 10

| BURKHOLDER Editor, in U. 8. Service WALTER LECKRONE Editor

A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

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at RILEY 8651

{ioe Lint ans he este Wit Find Tick Own Wor

SATURDAY, OCTQBER 24, 1042 .

108 WL DONE e still doubts that the feople of Indianapolis are - awake to their responsibilities as citizens of a nation at look at the 1942 United War Fund Campaign. Its uota was the. highest ever asked of this commu5 " It!came in the midst of the heaviest ‘extraordinary demands upon time and money the city has ever seen. . : ~Yet | without . high pressure, and without faltering, 125, 000 givers not only ‘met this demand but pledged nearly a quarter of a million dollars beyond it. To meet the uni usual needs of war time they raised $1,743,626—approxi- : ice as much as the community ever has raised for

sk has not been an easy one, but it has been brilThe directors of the campaign and the 700 ‘who participated in it have performed a service which well merits the appreciation that today is theirs. ‘While this spirit lives the “home front” is secure.

NG PUBLICITY

: NTIONALLY, the government is undermining

i confidence in the reliability of its war commuToo often they give the wrong impression, which corrected later, with inevitably bad public reaction. The danger to morale is obvious. The latest case is that of the Doolittle raid on , Japan last April. ‘Until Tokyo broadcast this week that captured participants in that raid were being punished, Washington officials gave the impression there were no losses. - One of the official statements of last May said: - “There were no sft In Japan. Some were damaged, but none was and none was badly damaged to an extent which precluded lits proceeding to its destination.” : Now Secretary of War Stimson says that, in addition to the pl: e ‘which landed in Siberia and those down in China, “a very few of the crews of these planes are carried on the list of missing; some may have been forced down by ~~ lack of gasoline i in Japanese-controlled territory.” ; | s & 8 / ‘8s 8 8 [HIS is not. an isolated case. * The net effect of official «‘communiques on the battle of Bataan was to disguise from the public, until almost the end, that our heroic but . outnumbe ed forces were not winning that hopeless struggle. “After more than 10 months the war department still Suppresses the extent of our plane losses at Manila and

"Whe ; Fone: invaded the Aleutians, naval officials first denied it and later dismissed it as of “no importance.” They withheld for 65 days our loss of three cruisers in the first battle of Guadalcanal, though the enemy announced those’ losses the next day and our Australian ally announced its loss within 10 days. Nobody ‘questions the nevesally of keeping military secrets from the enemy. - But much information already known to the enemy is withheld from the American public, of the type given to the people of Bogan, d Australia.

WE'RE STILL PULLING—

J Je SO | many others in this country, we of Indianapolis

today] are hoping that the army and the navy still will find apt. Eddie Rickenbacker safe somewhere in the - Pacific. | Indianapolis has a warm spot in its heart for the gallant Eddie. Back in the days before the first world war, he was a local hero on the then new Speedway oval. And then he went off to war and became America’s No. 1 ace. - It - seemed only natural when Eddie came back to us years ago as the president.of the Speedway. : A year and a half ago when he was so badly injured in that plane crash near Atlanta, we all pulled for him. “He won—and we heaved a-big sigh of relief. We’ re ‘pulling agen, avian Eddie. * than ever. |

Pulling harder

BOSS of BUILDING

OME interesting experiences doubtless are in ‘doe for = Ferdi and Eberstadt; vice-chairman of the war production board, He has been empowered by Chairman Nelson to determi) e what shall be built in the United States, and what shall not, during the war. For obvious reasons, Mr. Nelson has called a halt on onstruction “not diréetly essential to the war effort.” The order applies not only to private enterprises, but also to federal agencies” ‘whose’ non-military projects would use manpower | and materials Deeded for munitions: and war industries. If he does his job effectively he will step on'many a toe: . He will find powerful federal agencies insisting that all their construction plans are indispensable to the war effort. He ; ‘hear from congressmen, chambers of commerce and 1 boosters all over the country that work on their fedly financed dams, highways, bridges, oe, 3 mus on no gunt be Stopped. Lo :

RUT Mr. | Eberstadt deseives cnthugiutic saaport:

First, because, the $38,800,000,000 program of public private construction in progress or projected for 1942can’t. be

synthetic rubber, high-octane: ‘gasoline, alumindm

nd nd steel; er Nelson wants’ $16,000,000,000 of that. Pro-

Seco a desirable projects: delayed. now: but |” :

Fine people to a better understanding’ &f those who : il: the: ‘Soll —House agriculture committee report. oy semen employed by federal bureaus| The Sh Publis works will be switched to more

| mayor of the city and ex-governor of the state, with .a | fight labor’s future battles.”

- 50 overcome by emotion at the unexpected detho nstrae

press his thanks.”

‘of some eminent personages of the party in: power.

‘The Skeptics Might Take a Cut

- the point where it appears that the rakeoff probably

really hurt, there probably would be very little indig-

carried out if we are to have the absolutely | y war production and the expansion of such indus. |

‘have no alternative but rationing of all travel, | —Defense Transportation | Direstor Jos B. Enst--

. NEW YORK. Oct. 28. ‘— The. grim, spector of the income’ tax is beginning to wind its ugly coils around the generous plan of Brother John M. Sullivan, the boss of 2600 Boston union teamsters, to raise money to pay off the private

debts ‘of - Brother Sullivan’s New| .

Deal ‘candidate for congress in the|

11th Mass, the Hon. James M. Curley. It ‘may be renmiembered that “Brother Sullivan -arose at a meting of the union membership about a month ago and panicked those present; including: ‘Mr. Curley, exntaneous proposal that they get him out ‘of hock fod thus enable him to go forward, d, unhampered, to

"A local newspapér relating the event said that “the move came as & complete ‘surprise : to Curley, who was

tion of affection for him that he was unable. to £x-

“Visibly battling to control himself,” the. pape said, “Curley hurriedly left the hall amid eligers of

‘the gathering. » i Too Bad He Can't Use Tin Cup “e

THE STATESMAN'S DEBTS, thus to he paid’ by working wage earners, include & judgment of" $50,000 against ‘him held by: ‘the city of Boston. The total extent of his debts was not stated.’ ~ This plan would: make Mr. Curley the first openly subsidized congressman of modern times, and it may be a matter of regret to the statesman, himself, that because of His party affiliation it will be impossible to adopt the tin cup as his personal emblem on the ballot. Plans were announced a couple of weeks later to run a great testimonial dinner on Oct. 31, at which, it is said, more than 7000 will be present. The dinner at once became an enterprise in itself and the ‘dinner committee established regular headquarters and announced the personnel of an honorary committee led

by the name of Brother William Green, president of |.

the A. F. of L., and including Brother Dan Tobin, Resident of the Teamsters, and Senator David I alsh and Rep. John W. McCormack, leader of the New Deal. majority in the house. . Thus, it will: be. seen, the proposal to subsidize a member of the United States congress in the. interests of a private group, : which already enjoys the legal right to commit highway robbery, has the sympathy

IT 1S PROPOSED to raise-the money “by athletic carnivals and similar benefit. performances,” more commonly known as rackets, and all looks well up to

will be income. If it is income, the Hon. Curley might - require still further “athletic carnivals and similar benefit -performances” to raise the money for his tax and a continuing series of benefits to pay the taxes on the tax benefits, ad infinitum. Of course, gifts are not infome, but it would be’ up to the internal revenue to determine whether this was a gift or something else. For example, although the Boston press reported that Mr. Curley was surprised by Brother Sullivan’s spontaneous proposal to get him off the hook, the: internal revenue has some skeptics ‘and cynics who might not believe he was surprised. They might suspect that’ he’ was putting on an act and that Brother Sullivan -and the Hon. Curley got their heads together before the meeting and hatched

The Hoobs Forum

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

“I SECOND MOTION. FOR COFFEE RATIONING” By J. S. Wilhelm, 2128 Miller st; _ I'll second ‘Mrs. Marksbury’s motion for coffee ration cards with alacrity. Of course, America is the greatest country on earth, but our superabundance of ‘chiselers, don’t make us any happier. And if: there is a shortage of anything, the -chiselers must gét both theirs’ and someone else’s share. Let’s make it just that much harder for the chiselers, and insist

up the benefit plan; in which case they would be inclined to call the money income and take a very deep, cut of the same to pay for the war, just as other’ people have to pay who earn their money. With little people now paying income taxes ‘which

nation in the heart of the-common man if Mr.:Curley should be made ‘to shower down half or more of the generous assistance proposed: and engineered for him by Brother Sullivan.

Plenty of Smoke: By William Philip. Sims

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24—A united nations offensive to drive Germany and Ifaly out of North Africa and open up the Mediterranean to allied shipping this winter is expected ‘by Hitler, Mussolini, Laval and other axis- . ites, London and Madrid report that American and Free French forces —larger, perhaps, than the entire. British eighth - army: of the Nile—are ‘already in the Lake Chad region, that is to say within 650 miles of the southern border of Italian Libya. The new army is said to be fully equipped for desert warfare. Hitler is understood to have sent Himmler to Rome with a personal message to II Duce warning him to be ready to meet attacks from entirely new directions, : not “only :in ‘Africa ‘but in ‘Italy’ as well. At the same time, Vichy has rushed Admiral Darlan by plane to Dakar to-stiffen defenses there... ., : ., Meantime grapevine reports—usually without official confirmatjon—continue to pour in concerning American and allied troop movements all the way from Gambia, next door to Dakar, down the African west coast past Freetown, ‘Monrovia, ‘Lagos and Douala to Brazzaville in French Equatdrial Africa. Fire or no fire, there is an amazing amount of snioke:;

A Lesson From France

LAKE CHAD is strategically jmportant—so ‘much so, in fact, that Mussolini -has never: ceased trying to wangle it away from France. At one time . Germany, ‘Britain :and France all’ thought the Chad area so promisifig economically that

they quarreled over it. .. Finally, however, in .theij} 1890s they divided its shores among themselves, and | France fell heir to Germanys share Ager he a

world war.

The country around ‘Chad ranges from 850 to . 1000 feet above sca level. Aud while it has not lived |}

up to original expectations as a producing colcny,: the French have found it an asset. Ft; Lamy, now in

the hands of the Free French, is one of the keystones | |

of equatorial Africa. If the British army of the Nile ripped Marshal Rommel’s forces to pieces from. the east, an attack

from the south, via Chad, might wéll‘finish them'off., Ie In any event the French have proved time and}

again that the Sahara is negotiable.

“Editor's Notes, The views expressed by. tétumlsls in this | | J

* miewspaper are. their own. . They are not necessarily those of The Irdianapolis Fie,

So They Say—

“© We have discovered that 40. per: cent of the 400, 000.000 passengers (yearly) on: ‘railroads alone still are traveling for pleasure. If this is not curtailed we will

wl

Maybe's few million hunny stomachs will awaken

{on ¢ a : “The public will not tolerate and should not toler-

ate the deferment of men simply because they are Sollege Stieiiis SOF 2 Touryees Robert M.

on our fair share of coffee, by havling: it, too, rationed.

8 8 8 : “CAUSE TO REVOLT AGAINST THOSE IN: AUTHORITY” ° By Abbie L. See, Rising Sun =

‘I cannot refrain from having: 2 word to say about the drafting. .of

-.--our-18-and 19-year-old boys. ‘I with Tmillions of ‘others think it’s an out-

rage against youth. Boys at this age are . immature, -have only reached that stage maturely.: They can have no say whatsoever, no right to declare or speak. Have never been away from home and have had no experience in life. It’s very unfair. : They have a right to live, a right to the heritage of a God-given birthright. To take them from their homes and place them face to face with the horrors of war is a crime against’ morality and public welfare. It’s good cause to revolt against those .in authority at Washington, D. C. It’s not the will of “the people” that this thing goes over, but only by a few who’ have constitutional authority. Figures .tell' us there are over a million. men. ‘in Washington with their feet under desks (drawing big salaries) who are seeking protection for their future behind our-18 and 19-year:old youths. It’s a fpct, too. I know boys’ who worked very hard during the:three months after their graduation from high school

fto earn money to go to college only

to find America has turned down their educational rights, coldly—and asking them to face the most heinous task ever faced by man. “We all cry out—America spare our youths! But there is nothing we can do except at. the November

(Times: readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious con“froveries excluded. Make ‘your letters short, so all can have a chance. Letters must

be 478)

election we can give a certain bunch at Washington a ticket for home with hat and baggage minus conscience. That at least will be some

: satisfaction.

‘gow 8

BE “PLL GLADLY GO IN YOUR SON’S PLACE, IF NECESSARY”

Pn nig Jarvis, m N. Frank-

In answer. — Mrs. Rose L. Jackson’s letter in The Times of Oct. 12, 1942, you said you had a son who was going to ‘join the navy and also had a nephew. in Ireland and they were. goad boys. Just what do you call:a good boy? I am an ex-soldier also an ex-convict. And I don’t think your .boy is any better than any other mother’s boy. Just how do you know what your boy has done? Do you really think that a boy comes home and tells what he has done? Here is what I think and I have really been around. You are one of those mamma boys, I think. None of your boys or people can do wrong. You said a convict would make good cannon fodder. I will tell. you one thing, there are a lot of convicts begging for a gun and a uniform .and some place to go. Ang the rest of the boys that ‘should be in the army are running around in .$25 automobiles trying to get dates with convicts’ daughters. So please don’t be a “Hitler,” we. have plenty of them to Ca with. After all just why does your good little . boy. have to join the navy? . . . what I think? I think you. made life so tough at home that your. boy just wants. to join| the navy .so he can get away from someone that nags him all the time. I am an ex-convict, also I am a father Of eight children and I am an ex-soldier of the last war. I have 17 years’ experience in artillery and am’ 46 years old. And all

. Side Glances —By Galbraith

so 28

"Yes, KI" othe ing » an arm fruck—and. what &' velioh: it will : be #0 bg ! ihstead

stead. ‘of drivirig up and ; dayl'

I want is a rifle and uniform and I am ready to go. And I'll gladly go in your son's place if necessary. ” ” 2 “WHY KICK ABOUT IT IF THEY ENJOY RIBBING?” By Mrs. Robert’ Beck, 950 N. Oriental st. |. I'd like to say just a few words in reply to Mrs. Meehan’s article of Oct. 20th. I have a husband in service. He was inducted Oct. 17th, 1941 at Ft. Harrison - (transferred

you spoke.

which come from the boys: already there aren’t meant in an unfriendly manner, because I believe you'll learn that the young man entering service on Monday will be in the lineup on Tuesday with his “You'll be sorry.” I am sure there aren’t many of the boys who mean it because each and every one of them knows they aren’t in the battle because they want to be but because we've been pulled into it. As for placing the blame on Ft. Harrison persennel, I doubt very much if this is fair—most of the regular fort men aren’t in the area where the newly inducted men .are quartered. The majority of the men in the reception center area have only been in service a few days and can’t be held to- blame for nonmilitary acts. The new men have plenty to learn so if they enjoy “ribbing” the fellow who has just entered service, why kick about it? Soon enough they have to settle down to army life—a lot different]. from digging weeds, K. P. ‘and guard duty that they “get” at the fort, so why complain when one or two “can’t take it.” s 2 8 “CANNOT LET WARNER'S LETTER GO UNANSWERED” By James Pfau, 5 N. ‘Rural st. I can not let Kenneth Warner's letter of Monday night go un-

answered. As a school boy of Indiana I con-

sidered it a privilege and an honor

to know I could be of . some Aas-

sistance in helping to win. the war. We certainly did not enter the scrap drive with the selfish idea of celebrating Halloween -in a rowdy} ‘manner such as throwing cans on

- | | porches, ete., thus running the risk {of destroying property and possibly ‘1 | hurting someone. :

yWhether it’s Halloween in war or peace, children should obey the law and have respect for public ‘and private property.

By Patrick Gallagher Jr., 827 N. Gray st. I am opposed to Kenneth Warner’s statement. I think he is a little

| severe in his criticism: of, the police

department and of our city police who try so hard to protect the lives

of our school children and -our city

pro; Null 106» bettors on to buy war stamps in place of Halloween masks, horns, etc. it would also be a good idea in place of blowing horns, throwing tin cans and making lots of noise to disturb ‘the ‘sleep and quiet of our defense workers to.stay in“the house and study, because freedom is at stake and every patriotic American would

| mot want to hinder i.

DAILY THOUGHT

But I say unto:you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for. it is God’s' throne.—Matthew 5:34.

a few days later) and “suffered” o some of the so-called Jeers of which] §

Since that time I have visited |several friends -of ours who have|{ been drafted and. sent to the fort) for classification and stationing.|& These shouts of “Youll -be sorry” |S

I think:

\ ; . ~~ OUR INDIANAPOLIS states- © men have finally accomplished _ what they've been trying to do for the last few ye; a big, healthy ' bite out of the city’s merit system rule for choosing policemen and firemen. ‘Or perhaps: you hadn’t heard. The city administration has suspended the - merit. system “for. the duration’™ N because of the serious: manpower shortage. It sounds. perfectly plavisible, but the whole insidé story of the old, old merit vs. politics business would make sordid. reading, - ‘Like every merit system advance, the Indianapolis move to place police and firemen on a.merit basis wounded our local statesmen to the ‘core. They've quibbled and heckled and ‘fretted and plotted. Only the ‘members “of the merit (board know how many bribes have been “offered and threats: ‘made to. get around the law and they won't talk, :: The result of merit operation in the police department, however, has been visible on every side coli some citizens’ are, too blind to see it,

It Needs a Change-of-Pace WE'VE HAD POLICEMEN coming onto the force who were young.and aggressive and sturdy, men.with

-| some , education, men who went to school to learn

modern police techniques, ‘who learned to. ‘make an arrest without the Dld-fashionmy: “Whereyathinkya. : going?” sneer. here ave bor 5. Good. Hany. casts of ‘citipea calling up headquarters to. say “Thanks” for intele ligent police work on the part of these merit-selected . men—{for jobs of preventive police work, not hardboiled rubber hose methods. It’s perfectly natural that at a. time.like this, the availability of good men becomes a problem. The de». .~ partments have been losing men rapidly and the merit board has been unable to replace them, It has become obvious that the manpower shortage forces a relaxation of the rigid merit Testiietions.

"Yessir, Fellow Sucker, Yessir!"

THE TASK NOW is to get the best men available to fill the jobs. But did our city administration tackle the job in this forthright manner and say to the merit board: “Stop these examinations. We need men badly, Get the best you can.” ; No sir! What the city administration ‘has done is to suspend the whole merit operation. . No longer ~ will the eligibility of candidates be in the hands of 8 disinterested, nonpolitical board. The implied intention is to appoint. to. the force, for the duration, men whom our political powers-that-be decide are the deserving candidates, There is even some danger that the merit system will be forgotten in this neat’ turnover—never again to be revived. What? Our Indianapolis statesmen king of parceling out political plums? Yessir, fellow sucker, ‘yessir!

A Woman's Viewpoint ; By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

J

MRS. CHARLES L. REITH of Pittsburgh is today’s Forum guest: © “Why does it take a war stot bring people to their senses? How .. about the women who have kept . well balanced in peace times? When. we lived simply, did our own’ work, walked instead of taking the car for every little trip, used drippings and tied up our papers and magazines, we were said to be * - old fashioned. ' “Now “the women who are suddenly finding out that these things can be done are hailed as heroines. My opinion is that, had we. .all' lived a little more sensibly and less selfishly, this war would not have: occurred. The greed of individuals adds to the : greed of nations.” “And what will it take to make our military victory. secure? A change of heart—and I have noticed no: evidences of that, as yet. In fact, I am concerned lest we lose the peace this time as we did before: : © “The people who are suddenly finding out they can save and sacrifice will soon get tired of it; and the: day the war is over, they will stop their sacrificing and say, ‘I have had enough of it.’ Toe. done my share.’

"| Don't Trust the Wastrels"

“BUT THOSE WHO have always lived simply will go on doing so; they will be the folks who will ‘have... something to share for the war-torn wend: in the

- reconstruction period.

“I don’t trust the wastrels who. are oor 50 > nobly now, because their motive is wrong. They are. all. ‘out for the war while people who have lived at a ‘1688 rapid tempo are also all out for peace—a peace which. is more ‘than the absence of war—a peace which will. ‘mean the presence of justice and mercy., “I noticed a news item not long ago. The Foreign. Policy association asked four papers from as many sections of the nation to find out their reader reaction to continued sacrifices after the war so we could help with the reconstruction of other countries.’ Summed up the report was this—We feel it would be ‘carrying. altruism too far to continué our sacrifices and thus lower our standards of living.’ : ‘ “Yet isn’t it clear that if we. withdraw ourseis ; again and leave the other people of the world to their * miserable existence, we will have the same old tragedy

to face? Jesus spoke a pérable when’ He pointed out

that if the owner cast one devil out of his house, cleaned the house and left it empty, the devil would return and bring seven other. devils with him. SE, - “So, if we do’ not continue to live for the "other fellow after this war is over, and if we return to our former selfishness, something as-bad or ‘worse than Hitler will in ‘invade sylimgon.” Teil

Cuetfions and Answers. .

(The indianapolis Times service Bureau wu shower aap a > question of. fact or information, not: involving extensive res search., Write your question clearly, sign dame ‘and address, ° 5

inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical or egal advice i cannot be given. Address The Times Wiaisigii on. ‘Bureau, 1018 Thirtsenth 8t., Washington, 0, 0) 9 Q=I rave an op for a “torpedo: shield tor i How can I present it: to the navy. department and 9. sure it will receive consideration?

~A—You should submit it'to the National iventore Council, Commerce building, Washington, D: C., ine: stead of direct to the navy. ' The council is an agency set up by the government: to examine and: ‘evaluate all inventions and ideas thought to be of value'in the war “effort, ‘and if you send them a deseription of the device, they will consider it and notify you of thelr.

decision: as-to its usefulness and practicability.

Q—1Is it true that some censors clip out. forbidden portions of letters to service men overseas?” =~ A—Yes. Therefore it is advisable to. wilte on one

3

or re re :

Q—When was the. famous Sphinx. in Eeynt: ite A~—The antiquity of the ‘Sphinx was long in pute, but comparatively recént discoveries aes gstabis

TTIS A great sin to swear unto I red.