Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 25 February 1943 — Page 16

The Indianapolis Times

ROY W. HOWARD RALPH BURKHOLDER Editor, in U. 8." Service WALTER. LECKRONE Editor

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1943

HOBBS BILL

} Hobbs bill may contain something dangerous to the ghts of honest labor, though we haven't been able it. The bill doesn’t mention unions. It says that ¥whoever” obstructs interstate commerce by robbery or extortion, or conspires to do that, or attempts to do that, or uses or threatens physical violence with intent to do that, shall be guilty. of a felony. mi

It says, also, that “any person” who uses : physital force or intimidation during the war to obstruct orderly transportation in interstate or foreign commerce of persons or property, of troops, munitions, war supplies or mail, shall be guilty of a felony. This is purely a war provision, said by Transportation Director Eastman to *be essential to carrying on the war.

e objection of labor leaders is to the words “whond “any person.” These inclusive words would subject officers and members of labor unions, the same as anyone else, to federal prosecution for obstructing interstate commerce by robbery or extortion, or for using violence or intimidation to prevent movements of troops and

‘war aterials. Ww believe officers and members of labor unions should ot have special license to obstruct interstate commerce by robbery or extortion. The supreme court, how- : hinks, that ‘congress intends otherwise. Hence the Hobbs bill, an attempt to get the intent of congress made plain n law,

e bill i is now before the house rules committee. Some congr ssmen contend that the committee should hold public hearings on it and give labor leaders an opportunity to show hat’s wrong with it. We agree, although labor lead- . ers had that opportunity at extensive hearings on an identical Hobbs bill before the house judiciary ttee last year, and failed to impress that committee.

{ If labor leaders can point out anything in the bill that ndangers the rights of any honest Worker, the bill ought to be changed. If their objection is merely that they don’t ant congress to put any restraint on racketeers who prey on the public under the cloak of unio lism, the hill ugh i to be passed, |

ss 8 8

8 8 8

“THE FRONT OF DECENCY’

FOR 18 months the Hoover relief group, :the American ~ Friends Service committee and allied organizations have urged Washington and London governments to permit the neutral feeding of Hitler victims in occupied countries a system which could not help the Nazis. But Brits- been unwilling to lift its blockade. Now a revised plan is offered by Mr. Hoover. : The burden of proof is on the allied governments. Either

they should act promptly on the Hoover proposal, or on a better one of their own—if they have any a

ilure to act would condemn millions of innocent children nd mothers to death or disease. It would undermine . democratic morale in the occupied countries. It would .- befoul the faith of common people in the United States and pag) d in the decency and intelligence of our| war motives. ody questions the dire need. And every major Shject jon~legitimate or otherwise—has been met. J 1 ® . : JT might help Hitler? Our government a " relief system has been successful in Greece, and that ‘the Ne is have not benefited by it in any wa » We cannot spare the food needed for jurselves, our troops, our English allies? The food would come from Latin Ame ca, not from the United States.

We cannot spare the ships? Sweden is waiting to supply ships, which she i is unwilling to use for belligerents.

e cannot afford to pay for this mercy? The exile ‘governments have money and can pay for food for their “own people, which won’t cost us anything. r. itler would not let neutral relief workers control such food? He is already allowing the Swedish and Swiss #0 operate the system in Greece.

There is no more time to lose. As Mr. Hoover says:

the child life of these (occupied) democracies is to be saved, it must be saved now. . . . If we want the founda-

ions of free men to survive in Europe, it must survive in|

#hese democracies. And it will not survive in bitter, frustra ed, physically distorted or dead children.”

<

. AUTOMOBILE STORAGE QO many automobile owners, particularly in the gasoline famished east, are putting their cars away for the dura-

ion. that the OPA has made some suggestions to prevent of foration of the machines.

s that the paint surface is free from both damaging dir substances and bare spots that would rust; clean, oth | proof and cover upholstery; clean and wax or oil e plaiing; drain engine lubricant and put in rustling oil, running it into the engine; drain gasoline tank teep covered to prevent fire hazard; store battery in , keeping charged from time to: time; drain cool7 omit jack up car to take weight off tires.

3 DIILIE

& CiI1C Jer

n after | the war ‘ends. It will take months |

mber—you probably won't get a new automobile

Fair Enough By Westbrook Pegler

dent Roosevelt’s address on Washington’s birthday seemed to put the proposition that all those Americans who do not subscribe to the program of the four freedoms everywhere in the world are comparable, at least, with Benedict Arnold and “dozens of other Americans who, beyond peradventure of a doubt, were also guilty of treason.” / /

Declaration of Independence With the four freedoms, although the declaration was the product of many minds and was formally adopted by the continental congress, whereas the four freedoms were merely announced as: a war aim of this nation by Mr. Roosevelt after a conference with Winston Churchill, The truth probably is that most of the American people don’t object to the four freedoms as a slogan, and as propaganda to win the adherence of people as yet uncommitted in this war and sustain the hopes of those who have temporarily been conquered.

Not Ratified by People

BUT, NEVER having been adopted by congress or in any way ratified by the geople as the American | purpose in the war, they c inly are not binding on Americans nor is skepticism concerning the feasiblity of the program equal to treason.

the world ever can be delivered from want and fear desires no less devoutly than Mr. Roosevelt and Henry Wallace that this could be done. But there are American nationalists of the finest patriotism fighting on all the seas and fronts who do doubt it and whose only concern is the preservation of the United States as a free nation and who believe the program of the four freedoms takes in too much territory. To suggest that such Americans are disloyal is not nice but not even that can make them disloye), although it may make them pretty sore.

Bad for Allied Unity

OVEREMPHASIS ON the four freedoms causes arguments among Americans which inevitably. get around to the version of -freedom enjoyed by the Russian people, which certainly is not the American version, and the Russians presumably get wind of this and think we don’t like them personally, or as a nation, which is bad for the unity of the allied or united nations. Yet, the Russians don’t say much about motives of world-wide altruism. They just hate Nazis, not because they are Nazis, for Russia was willing to try to live along at peace in the same world with the Nazis, but because the Nazis, after many threats and feints, finally invaded their homeland, and slaughtered so many of the Russian people and scorched their fields and obliterated so many of the great works which they had wrought. Behind that, they are natural enemies,

anyway.

Patriotism of Washington’

THE SPIRIT of the Russian people has been explained by many writers who claim to know them as fiercely nationalistic, which is a fine fighting spirit as events have shown and those Americans who are straight, patriotic nationalists feel about the same and will not understand how come love of country to be so reprehensible all of a sudderf. That was the patriotism of Washington himself and of those who fought it through with him and the disloyal element of that time, which President Roosevelt referred to, were trying to defeat him whereas every American strict nationalist of today wants to help President Roosevelt win.

In Washington

By Peter Edson

J

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.—This business of making incentive pay- ~ ments to farmers for growing more war foods and fibers is so wrapped in the basic agricultural economics of the country that it becomes a major issue. ' When coupled with farm labor and manpower supply problems, you have what amounts to another agricultural revolution, more sweeping than the farm programs introduced with the New Deal. In the two previous discussions on incentive payments, major attention was given to examples of its effects on a typical wheat farm of the great plains area. When you move into the corn belt or south into the cotton belt, you find even more sweeping changes in crop control, penalties and incentives. On corn itself, the change isn’t so marked. There

A payment of 3.6 cents for every bushel of corn grown on the allotted acreage, similar to the 9.2 cents per bushel paid on wheat grown on allotted acreage. - But there is no additional incentive to grow corn, though there is no penalty imposed on the farmer if he chooses to plant corn on more than his allotted acreage.

Demand for Feed Gains

THE REASON for this is that with the increased goals for meat animals, there is an increased demand for feed grains. This past year was one of America’s best growing seasons. If 1943 should be an off-year with a drouth, the yield of corn might drop “below consumption, and the reserve carry-over of corn might be reduced to a danger point. But now get into the cotton belt and see what incentives and penalties do.to the average small farmer there. Take a typical Farmer Smith, who has 30 acres of ground, southern farms running smaller than in other sections. There is still a tremendous carryover of short staple cotton, so the triple A program

more than their allotted cotton acreage. Payment rate for 1943 is set at 1.1 cents a pound. Suppose Farmer: Smith has a cotton allotment of 15 acres. If he gets 400 pounds to the acre, he can collect $66 on his 15 acres. But if Farmer Smith

.| goes over his cotton acreage allotment, even so little

as an acre,. he doesn’t get any money,

has been urging cotton farmers to grow something

| besides short staple cotton. The program hasn’t been

too successful, but under the war demand for other

payments to farmers to convert.

Support for Dairy Products.

SUPPOSE FARMER SMITH, therefore, is given a quota of six acres of peanuts. He can collect incentive payments on from 90 per cent of his quota, or 5.4 acres, on up to 110 per cent of his quota, which is 6.6 acres. Farmer Smith can collect an incentive of $30 an acre, which would give him $36 in addition to his $66 for not growing more than his 15 acres of cotton,

the department of agriculture has announced that its ‘policy will be to ‘support prices generally for dairy and poultry products, and for other food crops most essential to the war effort. This general policy of support will be carried out through government loans, price guarantees, or government purchases. In other words, if the- incentive principle is ac-

| cepted and the money is forthcoming from congress to them out, there will be- other devices though

NEW YORK, Feb. 25.—Presi-|-

In the same way, the president compared the |}

I am sure that every American who doubts that

are acreage allotments for corn and there is a triple

authorizes payments to farmers for NOT planting |

The department of agriculture: for the 10 years |

crops, there is the opportunity to make incentive

‘On the 1.2 acres over his minimum goal,

On top of all these incentives for specified crops,

| had been a bad year for Democrats in Indiana.

: Ve The Hoosier Forum I wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say #.—Voltaire.

~

“PEGLER, THE ACE OF THEM ALL” By Ivan C. Clearwater, Cloverdale For some time I have wanted to pay tribute in words to Westbrook Pegler, whose column “Fair Enough” appears in your paper. After reading his column under date of Feb. 10 I couldn’t refrain from leaping into action, What a writer! There are all kinds of “aces” in the United States (including the ace in the hole) but I consider Pegler the “ace’ of “fearless writers.” I sure would hate to have that man get the “goods on me. ” Anyway, more power to him. Again I say, “what a fearless writer,” the ace of them all.

o “WILL ADULTS NEVER WAKE UP?” By L. B. H,, Indianapolis To whom it may concern; “80 Per Cent of Crime Committed By Youth” —headlines in our paper last Monday evening.

Just answer this question— “Whose fault is it?”—and to get the honest answer of truth, listen in on youth in conversation—here is a partial conversation of two teen-age boys last Sunday, restless, wanting something to do. “Oh heck, nothing to do, go to a picture show, see the war over and over, someone Killing someone else, then a gangster shooting his way out of something—then go to get something to eat and no place to go unless you see a lot o’ drunks.” Bowling, inadoor tennis, etc., was mentioned and this was the answer, “If we boys go to bowl the alleys are all filled with leagues from factories, women leagues and men, the owner knows he is going to get his money and there is no place for three or four boys who want to play and spend a decent evening.” Here are the reasons of youth de linquency—adults pushing them out into the alleys for their recreation;

also the boys say when a few of]

them want to’ match a few pennies or throw dice some older man will come in who knows how to handle the coin or dice in a “sleight of hand” performance and takes all the boys’ money away from them. I do not uphold this in boys but it’s being done ‘for lack of anything better. Then officials will pass the true situation by, do nothing to assist the boys except pick them up when they are driven to some mischievous tricks, and take them into courts. I grant boys need discipline, but to place the bulk of crime on youth when adults have given the youth of today a program of war, purely a collection of all evils in the world,

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Because of the volume received, letters must be limited to 250 words. Letters must be signed.)

deception, lying, stealing, murder, sexual license and drunkenness. Another thing, our daily news is almost entirely made up of the ugliness of the nation, all the crime and unlawfulness, no news of any good until someone dies, then a story can be written of the dead man. ... Will adults never wake up, open church basements and construct recreational halls for teen-age youth, and crime among youth will disappear? Sincerely from a mother who loves, admires and trusts youth to lead the adult if the adult of today will listen and profit thereby.

8 8 = “ORGANIZED LABOR FORCED THE CHANGE” By H. W. Daacke, 1404 S. State ave. “Where would we be without free enterprise?” is the caption of a contribution in the Hoosier Forum of

Feb. 20 issue. Nobody knows definitely but we can estimate very closely. If the system of free enterprise had not been an utter failure during the past 10 or 12 years, they would have been able to employ the millions of workers of brains and-brawn, able and willing to work, and produce during that period at least 25 per cent more of material wealth, which this writer admits as essential to improved conditions for labor and a higher standard of living for all. My estimate is based on approximately 40 millions of workers engaged, but had- free enterprise functioned properly and employed the 10 millions of idle, they could have produced 25 per cent more of material wealth. The writer is also harboring the delusion that the employer, through his benevolence, regularly increased the wages and shortened the hours of labor, when as a matter of fact in the majority of cases hard fought battles between employer and employee finally forced the present day hours and wages. Since the interests of capital and labor are diametrically opposed, it could not have been brought about any other way, and with the exception of a few far-sighted employers, following the lines of least resist-

ance, and realizing the changing conditions, shortened hours and also

Side Glances—By Galbraith

increased wages, not in a spirit of benevolence, but from the hard fact of necessity; organized labor definitely forced the change. 2 ” 8 “LIFE A PRIVILEGE, NOT A PLAYTHING” By Pat Hogan, Columbus To the high school lad who got “het up” about my salvo against the hypocritical excuse we term education—my hat is off to you, son. I am not gunning for your kind, and if you follow your present plan of working after school, buying war bonds and studying after supper, youre going places before you are much older. The lamentable fact -is that for one of you there are 100 idle dreamers whose crowning ambition is to get through school with the least possible mental effort, make the ball team, soak up the heat and soda at the corner drug store, drive dad’s car to the golf links or the swimming pool, and emerge after four years of this nightmare with a fourcornered hat to strut about town with for a week and then expect to be takén into a “position” which pays a fat salary for holding ‘down a swivel chair. They do not understand that life is a privilege instead of a plaything; that the world is a schoolroom, not a playground. . . « = However, son, you are still in the dark on some brutal facts, for you credit the educational system with the auto, etc. I believe a little investigation will show yeu ‘that Ford, Edison, et al, were not devotees of the present so-called education, = B these hoys. and. thesLincolns in various -fields .are the. life-blood of America. ei Roa * Lo “WHY SHOULDNT 1-C’s RECEIVE CERTIFICATE?” By E. J. R., Indianapolis’ : I would like to know ‘about why men who have a draft classification of 1-C, why they shouldn’t .also receive a certificate of honorable: deferment as news came from President Roosevelt that such would] be issued at all draft boards to men deferrable. I am a 1-C man and that means a man who has enlisted since Pearl Harbor in the armed forces and wha has been lonorably dischargeg. Without the certificate of honorable deferment we have had social embarrassment for not being: in a uniform. iv . ” ” » : “WE DID NOT PUT OUT FIRST FIRE” = By FE. Adelman, 321 E. 30th st. Why are we having war II? Bezause we allowed the gangsters of war I to go unpunished. In order to prevent a third war, let’s start at the root of the trouble. Grab those first offenders, then after justice is meted out we’ll mete out justice (not charity) to the present gangsters.

We did not put out the first fire|

thoroughly; now we have a conflagration.. ; # = =a “DEALS WITH FACTS AS WELL AS FICTIO

By Mattie Withers; 1525 Nt: Arsenal ave. - I have followed with interest Louis Bromfield’s pieces on the food situation in this country, which he says is serious at present and is destined to grow worse.

I agree with him as to where the |

responsibility for this situation lies. Mr. Bromfield is a noted novelist

but he seems equally at home in|}

dealing with facts as in dealing with

| fiction. =

‘DAILY THOUGHT Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. —1I Corinthians 10:21, :

I HATE tnconsistancy—I loathe, detest,

Abhor, condemn, _abjure the martal made

Of such quicksilver clay thin in his

“breast No permanent foundatibn can be

_ [Our Hoosiers * By Daniel M. Kidney

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.—Hoosiers are so handy at political horse-trading that it came as no surprise here when Ralph R. Roberts of Rockport was given the $6000 post as doorkeeper of the house of representatives which had been sought by two lame-duck Democratic congressmen. Mr. Roberts succeeded to the vacancy caused by the death of the veteran Joseph J. Sinnott. A majority vote was necessary in the Democratic caucus and three ballots were taken before Mr. Roberts won. In that race was Will Rogers, defeated Democratic representative from Oklahoma who had been’ chair-

man of the house Indian affairs committee. Another :

lame-duck entrant was Rep. Alfred F.- Beiter (D. 5 N. Y.), but his name was withdrawn before the voting * started. There were five in the race, however, inoluding - Hans Jorgenson, long-time house employee from New _ Tork, Lee Barnes of Alabama and George McKeen: of © 0.

Bad Year for Democrats

MR. ROBERTS was faced with the fact that 1943 His own eighth district had elected Rep. Charles M. Las Follette, Evansville Republican, to replace Rep. John © W. Boehne Jr., Evansville Democrat. Only two of the 11 Indiana districts went Denio-

| cratic—Lake and Marion counties. Rep. Ray J. Mad- ©

den, freshman Democrat, won in the first district and | the Democratic. dean from Indiana, Rep. Louis Lua-* low, was returned from the 1ith. . Mr. Ludlow explained that they met and agreed to support Mr. Roberts, but-confessed that two votes seemed like a sort of feeble start. Mr. Roberts, however, managed his own campaign. A well-groomed, apple-cheeked and extremely pleasant person, he led the first ballot. with 72 votes i —won on the third with 102. Minority Leader Joseph W. Martin Jr. (R. Mass), had served notice that if a lame-duck Democrat con- °

gressman got the Democratic caucus approval, he.’

would fight confirmation from the floor. When Mr, | Roberts won the fight was off. And when the G. O. P. wins the house, Mr. Roberts will return to his onetime status as a minority employee.

Served in First World War

EDUCATED IN the ‘Rockport schools and at Indi- ¥ ana university, Mr. Roberts enlisted in the U. S. marines in world war I and served with the A, E. P, _ Later he won a competitive examination and went to

the U. S. military academy at West Point, N, ¥Y, 2

But there didn’t seem to be any future in the army in the 1920s (his classmates are generals now), so he quit and came here as secretary to William E. ' Wilson, then Democratic congressman from Evansville, That was in 1923. By 1925 he was a minority em- * ployee of the house and served as secretary of the Democratic congressional committee. During the 1928 campaign he was at Democratic national committee headquarters in New. York city, -

but returned to his minority Poss in the house again -

in 1929.

Ten years later, when he was assistant doorkeeper ~ under the Democrats, Mr. Roberts married the widow of Rep. Sam Nichols of Spartanburg, S. C. the former | Elois ‘Clark of Green Bay, Wis. They live in a fashionable apartment on upper Connecticut ave., just opposite the swank Shoreham * hotel. Ea

Voting Residence in Rockport

,MR. ROBERTS still retains a voting residence pack in Rockport and also has kept several running | horses there, During the days of Mr. Sinnot’s illness, he’ carried out the duty of announcing notables in the house. His latest presentation was Mme. Chiang Kai-shek. He has numerous other duties as doorkeeper and direct charge of a staff of 200, including the house” pages. Because of his exceptionally fine appearance and. excellent manners, everyone seemed to. express pleasure at his Selection for the post.

Men From Nowhere By Stephen Ellis

HITLER AND PETAIN -— maybe even Giraud — would call it “decadent.” But that term would place the book in a class of litefature of which its author could be proud. That. is where it belongs— with Maxime -Gorki, William Faulkner ‘and John Steinbeck and a whole host of French novelists | 1 between the world wars, “Men from Nowhere” by Jean Malaquais is not { ‘ a new book. It won the Rénaudot prize in France ! '

A Sh el 4

.some years before the war and was introduced to

England by Andre Gide. But just now has it been ; available in an American edition. The Polish-born : author fought for France before that nation’s fall, *

_was taken prisoner by Germany, released and now |

fives in South. America.

A French "Tobacco Road’

THERE ISN'T much story, just a pictire—a 3 French “Tobacco Road” or “Grapes of Wrath.” It is a description of a “rural slum” in southern France . around a mine. The characters. who live in “Java” | never quite become clearly defined; M. Melagmnet has succeeded’ in transferring: the” mystery of their lives to the printed page. Few of: them have identity ' cards and they come from all’ nations of Europe and the Mediterranean. i ' This is a “problem book, ” perhaps. Nothing much } can be done now about - the ‘problem - At presents, | however. Germany -and the worse problems it created : for France will have to be taken care of first. ; In the meantime though; the almost-poetic nature; of the book makes: it a worthwhile. memorial of the } France that was. It. is‘almost as typical of that; France, in fact, as the Eiffel tower. From late news | reports that the Germans-are’ ‘dismantling the tower! for scrap, the book may outlive; the: miore familiar

symbol. %

MEN FRO! NOWHERE by gen Jean’ ral L. B. Fisher, New York. tr pp. $2.50. | 7%

We the. Women

By Ruth Millett

a e——

“MORE GO and less what the office: of defense portation’ wants in traffic so that war workers won precious time waiting for lights to turn green as they to and from work. “More go and wouldn't, be a bad rule for of us to live by these Says More go when a job has done, and less stop to difficulties ‘and obstacles that stand in its "More go in tackling volunteer war work, and ‘stop to rationalize ourselves into thinking that too busy to take on extra work. More go when we are troubled about a son or. yin} band who has left for foreign service, and less stop to, spend in useless worrying and imagining. More go when it comes to reorganizing our lives, so that we can meet all of our obligations, both finan}

‘4 cial and personal, and Jess Siop while we LY fo

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