Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 April 1943 — Page 10

RALPH BURKHOLDER Editor, in U. 8. Sérvicé WALTER LECKRONE Editor -

(A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

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“ae niLEY 5651

Give Light and the Peo Fur Find Thétr Own Woy

MONDAY, APRIL 5, 1043

STUPID SECRECY THAT conference of 38 nations on post-war food problems, whieh is to be held in this country this menth, is all very nut At least our government had decided that the press must not even talk with the delegates. The only - information given the publie—which is 80 vitally involved ~—=was to be of the canned variety, doled out if, as, ahd when the government saw fit: Now the govérnient appears to be retreating from this untenable position. . - 'The reaction to this contemplated suppression of nonmilitary news is obvious. The plain citizen, or the congress: than, asks what the administration is trying to put over that must be covered up. Newspapérmén wonder whether freedom of the press is going out and a semi-dictatorship Coming in. Our disposition is to give the administration the benefit of the doubt: It is hard to believe that a plot is eooking to injuré the democracy, which ean funétion only through informed public opinion and a free press. 8 » » 8 3 ~HE remarkably fine record of the office of censorship, improvement in navy department ¢ommuniques; and courageously honest reports by Secretary of War Stimson, are evidence that responsible officials want to give the ~ publie the facta—except information useful to the enémy, and of course there is no challenge of that exception. Unfortunately, this proposed conference secrecy was departure from that responsible policy. It would be a d precedent and a stupid one. Negotiating delicate issues tside the glaré of publicity may seem a surer and safer. y, and 'is for a little while. But not in the long rin. Séeret diplomacy is suspect by the American electorate. Therefore it is not worth the paper it is written on. Just because the success of this and related international conferences is so importafit to American and world welfare, we hope the president will invite necessary public support for any constructive agreements by €ongtessivnal réprésentation and normal press coverage. Like it or not, an informed and approving American public opinion i§ the pricé of any American foréign commitments. Along with most Aniericans, we happéi to li it that way:

| CO-OPERATION BEGINS AT HOME

UNDER Secretary of State Welles is wortied about uncertainties of treaty ratification after ghe war. He should be. Many Antericans fear a repetitionfof the kind of senate conflict which defeated Woodrow Wilson's peace plan. As Mr. Welles says, this uncertainty is reflected in our

Joh: “One of the gravest doubts that exists in the minds of the: partners of the united nations is the doubt as to ‘what the policy of the United States will be when victory ia won.” Recalling what happened last time; whén we “withdrew from alfiiost every form of praetical co-opera-tion,” he adds that “our allies are asking themselves now , whether we will again follow that same course.” . All of which the under secretary uses as an argument for renewal of the trade agreement§ act, which “will be regarded by peoples throughout the world as an acid test of otir future intentions.” = That is rather an overstatement. Certainly the trade Agreements act Should be extended. But, obviously, that in itself will hot commit the Uhited States to post-war cooperation, or end the worries over what the sénate will do to thé peace treaty. The problem goés much deeper than that. The Wilson plan for American co-operation in world organization failed because there was no prior co-operation between the president and the senate. And thére i8 fio assurance that the Bamé calise would produce a better result this time. It is not all thé senate’s fault. A largé part 6f the Sane is the executive's failure to give the sénate a share in post=war plahning and peacemaking—s6 that the senate may provide “advice,” as the constitution requires. «+ The president should set up a congressional advisory council to bridge the gap which makes treaty ratification so difficult.

WHAT JEFFERSON BELIEVED—V AND here are some of the things Thomas Jeiierson said on the subject of war: - “Justice, indeed, on our part, will save us tiom those wars which would have been produced by a contrary dissition. But how can wé prevent those produced by the

$ iF 3 5 3

{wrongs of other nations? By putting ourselves in a posi- 3

‘tion to punish them. Weakness provokes insult and injury, {while a condition to punish often preyents them." (Letter ito John Jay.)

2 ”

y

ve must defend ourselves. If out house be en fire, without quiring whether it was fired from within of without, we ust try to extinguish it. In that I have no doubt we shall st a8 one i to James Lewis.)

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PANDORA'S BOX : WHEN Pandora opened the box, she had no idea what as going to fly out at her. But Germany packed her HwWn a of woes. While the Nazi hordes seemed invincible, it may have looked like smart business to accumulate 8,000,000 war prisoners and conscript laborers in: the Reich. Now comes the day of reckoning. : It is the British and the Americans who ate opening Hitler's Pandora’s box. . As one industrial center after another is devastated by tons of huge bombs, Gérmany’s 1 willing guests—hungry, old and bittet—escape to prey their énémies.

and Archibald MagcLéish,

sl Washington

By Peter Edson

WASHINGTON, April 5. — When the governméiit bureau of | mation pietures was set up

. June, unit and Hollywood office, the fi « industry: was naturally skeptical.

the “many governmeént agencies. Trud 4186 that the department of agriculture had been making movies nesily 30 yeats, ahd that the department of interior, office of education, tréasiiry ahd other federal agencies had dabbled ih movies in a non-commercial and somewhat amateiirish way,’ And before OWI was organized, civilian War agencies had a fevie unit for a newsréel séquetices and

full-time bureau to do the production job for. all government agencies was something else again,

Censorship Greatest Fear WHAT HOLLYWOOD féatgd particularly was censorship. Seéondary fears were to have the governent become too experienced in motion picture production; making it & competitor. Third was an apparently ‘sincere belief that the industry could do the job the government wanted done, better than the governinent cotild do the job, and for less money. With the ary setting-up a big movie unit and the navy goitig in for movies in a less expensive way,

jects faced a threat of réal competition and newsreels in particular looked dskance oii the likelihood that they wotlld be frozen out of making pictures which the publié would most want to see. 1f in ad@ition the goverhment bureau of motion pictures should save for its owh cdmeramen the choice néwsreél shots, issuihg thém liké handoiits to all companies, there wds a threat of serious government competition. THe censorship scare got hot when Lowell Mellett, héad of the burédu of motion pictures, suggested to

‘the industry that on featuré pictures, in no way ccn-

nected with news, the studios should submit to the bureau first the script, then the shooting script, and

. finally the picture itself, for review and suggestion.

A Few Case Histories

WHAT MELLETT was aftér on this proposal was not censorship, he insists, but merely the right to call

to thé producers’ attention film stories or incidénts

that might prove embarrassing to the United ‘States

and its allies. Mellett today stoutly maintains that he has. no powers of film cénsorship and doesn’t waht any, bub a few case histories will show how he has used the influerice ‘of his office ito tie in the movie industry’s entértaininent product with the war effort. “Iceland,” starring Sonja Henie, was made before Mellett took over tHe néw btireau, but it is typical of How a Hollywood version of something or other can go sour. In this cdse Iceldhders protested the slander doneé théir county and 4 meré piece of entertainment thus became & diplomatic incident. Movie moguls finally gave in, renamed thé picture, took out referénces to Iceland and reissuéd. Récéntly, a major studio announced its fntention to make a picture based on Riidyard Kipling's “Kim.” Now Kim is a good story, but it is last century British imperialism dll over the place anid thé Burinese and IfiGians haté it. To produce that picture now, even though its showing were confined to the United States; might inflame natives and stir up the intiépéridence issiie Fight at the fine whén U. S. trdops are in India. The producer was perstadsd tb sheélvé his plans till after the war,

Changed but Not Suppressed

THE SAME PRINCIPLE evén applies to purely domestic pictures. “Tennessee Johrison,” now showifig, is & casé in point. The Comfiunist Daily Worker tried to maké an i§sue of this picture and have its production stopped and thé film suppressed. It did not succeed, but Mellett’s office. had the pieturé reviewed, saw that the original script was a distorted, Hollywoodized version of history with a phony love story. It was such a cockeyed version of one of the most controversial periods in American history that the producer was persuaded to change His seript, reshoot sorne scenes and present a picture closer to the triith. But note the picture was not suppressed. The’ same goes for Ernest Hemingway's “For Whoiit the Bell Tolls” the story of the Spanish revolution. ‘The govérhment has stayed ott of this film ruckus becduse it has no powers 6f cehsotship. But the Mellett office is there to consult and advise if. any 6f the movie producers wish to use it, and all save c¢ne have acqepied this method of operation fot the war. 8.3% » ; Westfirdok Pegler is on vaghtion,

giles io arch

Our Hoosiers By Daniel M. Kidney 4

LE,

WASHINGTON, Aptil 5.—Seénater Raymond E. Willis (R. Ind.) and OWI Diféctor Elmer Divis Both belong te the Phi Delta Theta college fraternity. | But from the way they persist in slamming each other you could scarcely detect this brotherhood. - A third Phi- Delt is Rep.

congréssman from Evansvilie, who has been sitting on the sidelines and thoroughly énjdying thé Willis- Davis spats. Both Senator Willis and Mr.' La Félletté are Wa-

into a Rhodes séholarship from Franklin c6llege. At His weekly press conferéhte, Mf, Davis was informed of the latést attack 6n him Py Senator Willis. This was in connection with a senate speech in which the senator assailed the library of congress

putting out New Deal and “internationalist” propaganda. :

'From Other End of My State' BEFORE LIGHTING on Mr. MasLéidh, however, the senator rapped Mt. Davis also and charged that OWI was doing the work which used to'bé dohé by Charles Michelson for the Democratic - national com‘mittee.

been sunk,” Mr. Davis wiyly commented at his weekly press confefence. x | “What state does Senator Willis come fromm anyway?” asked Lewis Wood of the Néw York Times,

Davis réplied; amid laughter. “The senator,” Mr. Davis continued,” publishes the Steuben cotinty Répiiblican newspaper at Angola,

16 ois Antiaté ia Wet he HA: Bete JuRing Sue

in the | “office: of war information last | complete with producing

Tile; the industiy had asked a. co-ordinator to serve as a clearing “house Jpetween the producers and

initial propaganda £horts. But the creation of a |:

producing companies that. specialized in short sub- |

Charles M. LaFollette, G. ©. P.

bash college graduates, while Mr. Davis graduated

‘librarian, for allegedly |

“This is the same Senator Willis, who announced | during the last campaign that our Pacific fleet had |

“He ¢6fmes from thé other end of my state” Mr. | |.

1 hope that the information ne gives his readers there :

gar in . - =

The Hoosier Forum

I wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to thé doer your yight to ay it. e=Vohiaire,

“tSN'T IT RATHER RIDICULOUS?” By Allyn L. Wood; 2502 N. Alabama st. Isn't it rather ridiculous that in the midst of war Indianapolis begins to fret about its pigeons again? It is spasmodic; every once in awhile we wear oursélves out thinking up ways te get rid of them when we ought to be doifig ifiiportant thihgs. Fortunatély the pigeoris can “stick it but.” Fortunately. For thé pigeons are a part of Indianapolis, t6 be remembered in their sweeping flight ‘roid the rhonumént. I Have seén on the bus a woitlan waké thé little boy on -hér lap, saying, “Now you can seé thé pigéons.” I've watched little childrén and old fen making friends with ‘them. And I have seen soldiers feeding the pigeons. “Who kfows where they will go, how long it will be before: they will havé a thomént t0 spend like that again? Perhaps you will print this fér the sake of all who sineerély efijoy the pigeons, ‘2 #8 = “IN ZERO COLD, DO POLICE EARN HALF THEIR PAY?

By Mrs. Lester Cundinghdim, Wife of 4 Police. Ofrigér, 4932 Brouse st. Mrs. Brothets made a comparison of the pay for teachers and police officers. I see no place for comparison; as those two branchés of service are as differént as day and night except that the city pays both. If that is the reason, then all city employees should réceive the same pay, and I think that is a little silly. ¥or Mrs. Bfotheérs’ information, immediately after Pearl Harbor the enliré police forcé worked 12 hours a day with no days off. Later they were given what she might term “office hours,” eight hours a day with 6né day off a month, which they worked for over a year. Of course there was no-time and & half fot overtime. As to fiot earnihg even half ef their pay, 1 wonder if Gragging thé canal . . . in zero weather, 6r having a two-hour fire détail ih Below 2éré weather . . . or administering first aid. at accidents, or—6h, thé list

Tet readers are invited to expréss their viéws in thesé columns; religious controvérsieés excluded. Becausd of the velume received, letters must Be limited to 250

words. Léftérs must = be signed) wondér that if in éxecuting any or all of these duties a policeman would net bé éarning at least Half of his pay. 1f Mr§. Bibthérs Has read anything in The Ihdiandpolis Tithes hésitle tHe Foruth she should have 568 4 recéhit statement on the from page that our eity was clédned up 100 per cent. In regaffl to respecting tHe law I belive that thé majority of the citizens do. Proof of this is that our jails aré hot overflowing. of course thére is always that Small minority with & warpéd viewpoint who dre always eagér to eriticize and eéomplaif.. 86 evidently Mrs. Brothérs has writtén 6n a subject about which &¢He knows nothing. . . .

2 #% = “NOT ONLY UNSPANKED BRATS BUT OLDER MEN, TOO!” By Mis. H. i. Perkins, 5739 Julidh ave. Again you have come through with a very fine and timely editorial, “Car Smokers.” . . . Again, your editorial section is definitely outstanding! 1t i§ aboiit tithe someone (or some

group) &tarted a éErtisade against this increasingly bbnoxious practice of smoking in pliblie vehicles! I speak as one diiité accustomed to smokers in my Rofiié And Among contacts s6° I do not, then, necessarily “ébject to smoking” when done with good taste and in reasonable consideratioh for othets. The saying, “It 1s not so Mitch what ene gays, but how One says it” may be paraphraséd, “It is not whether or het oné smokes but how and where one smokes!” (Good

could become quite leng; but I still

taste, good Breeding ahd even minimum considération for others

Side Glances~By | Sela

dl ell

will servé as an excellent guide to the dbove.”) However; with one point in the editorial I must take issue. I have observed it is not only “the unspanked brats” who smoke! It also is the older men—and many sOcalled “white eollar” ones who smoke—these should know better and need to be #ll the more “ashamed” and censored! When “thé kids” see these, what eéxamor|plé or ercourdgément have they? I havé obséivéd this condition Worse ori thé B. Washington st. car, oh the way out to Irvington, where 1 live, and these Supposedly “khow béttet.” It was with pleasure we read in your paper March 30 of City Councilhan Edward R. Kealing’s suggested ordinancé apropos fining: car smokers. . He desérves a medal! 8o why did you “Bury” such a worthy artiéle in tHe cefiter pages of your paper; may dre ask? That definitely deserved “front page stuff.” Surely it isn’t asking any person too uéh to go without smoking the relatively few moments in these crowded cars; the air i§ never any tdo good Ahyway, surely!

2 |» 2 “STREETS ARE LITTERED WITH GLASS” B¥ an Interested Cititén, Indidfiapolis

To Mayor Robert H. Tyhdall, City Hall, Indianapolis: I live in the eastern section of the city and drive to 4nd. from thy place of employiiént, In récént weeks, I have noted that the streets are littered with glass, which makes it hazafdous to drive for fear of damage to tires. This glass 1s so prevalent on $o many streéts that I wonder if it éould pe the work of saboteurs. I

was waitihg for a friend of mine ih

the 4800 block on HB. Michigan &t: last night, and noticed some shiny | substance in tHe édr track ridges. 1 was curious as to what it. was, and found that it was tiny fragiérts of glass and plenty of them, lakger pieces, 100.

This mérning in front of my place]

of employment, which is ini the business district, theéré was more glass strewn all over the street, big pieces of it. Sevefal petrsohs have commented about this gldss, and we are hoping something can be dotie toward Hand je ig gets of it, ,

“HAVE A RIGHT 10 RESENT SU€H TREATMENT”

By Mis. D. R. #., lddiangpolis Monday is the day for the collec-

ltion of ashes #nd trash from our

neighborhood. We live in a seetion- north -of 53a sh and east of College. 1,486 M6nday a man dfoveé around in a eity ear following: the: collec-

16h trick and asked me and my ig

neighbors not to’ put out so tiuch. Most of it was leaves not collected

last fall.

Now; we have fio alley in which to bith it 86 there 1s ne alternative. What shall I. do with sueh? When I asked him he suggested

‘| raking it out into the gutter and

waiting Until the eity cleaned the

‘stfeets, When I showed him the

fess Near a sewer opening, leaves front last fall, he had nothing to

say except they were short of help. [Bo is else.

everyone I'm wondering how grass cuttings

| will look strewn along the gutter | this summer. In the past all of our | fieighbors nave cleaned up the gut-

ters in order t have a nice, neat nieighbothood. The eity has not. We have a right to resent such treatment.

DAILY THOUGHT

fie delivereth and rescueth, and He worsen gighs and Vandess in

State Rights

By Thomas LStokes

CHICAGO, April 5.—Governors of eight Midwestern atatés and int ofeiald of 17, meeting Aerd in & régional sontérence a s6réd by the eduneil of state gov. ériibrd, gropéd about tryifi to give some forth ahd direction to a quiet sort 6f States’-right revolus tion that is going on in this part of the eaufitry. “Gropifig” is the Word. or 3 fs obviously a bit aiffeult states to take the initiative, to reassert Be after so long a period when governors became Accuss tomed to hold out their hands fof WPA and all’ sorts of benefits, to cofnpéte with che anothés for federal Bounties, to séék re-eéléction on the basis of the til lions they have squéesed out of the federal tréasurys Most of those governors were Derhocrats. Répubs licdns have taken their placés ahd are leading this ¢lirfént movement. :

A Spirit of Independence

THE OBJHOT OF this meéting, as of othérs to be held in other sections later, was to map plans for thé states to share the load in post-war reconstruction when millions of mén 4nd womén will. bé turned loosé from war industries, at least temporarily; when millions in the service will be back looking for jobs and for rehabilitation. Some officials here come from states which already have taken the initiative in the state self-help revolution—through the passage of state labor laws to curb abuses and racketeering, as in Kansas and Texas, with similar laws pending elsewhere; through state action to handle the critical farm labor shorts age; and in feur states, all controlled by Republicans —Indiana, Illineis, Michigan and Iowa—by passing resolutions seeking a constitutional convention to write into the federal constitution a ban against & third tern for future presidents, itself a gesture against perpetuation "of one regime overlong in Washington. A spitib of iiideperidénce is tHus abidad ih this

Midwestérn country.

Underéurrent of Anxiety

b. BUT THOSE GATHERED here realize frankly that the post-war 8a will provide thé ral tést, Thess As an Uidéreurrént of anxiety, which comés out ih the spééches And diseussions, that unless thé states move in and reé-assért themselves, thé confusion following thé war may be eapitalized by 86me who would have thé federal government step in, cohtinué war controls, and take ovér direction of the économy, Three things stood out: 1 THdt governors and state legislatures are waking up to their responsibilities and are making definite plans, 2. That both federdl governmént and states must work hafid-in-hand in post-war rehabilitation, bit that the fuhctions of egch should be carefully deéfinéd, 8. That there aré somé things thé states must de that they are not yet doing, to put théir own houses in order.

aa

‘San Jacinto’ By Stephen Ellis

L. L. POREMAN'S latést nove “The Road to San Jacinto” is & fast-paced narration of thé birth of the Texan républc. : It is dlso a good western story with lots of shooting; brave men and rescued damsels. The book; in short, has great possibilities on the screen: » | Mr: Foreman depicts the x : struggle for Texan 'indepéndence : from Mexico in a series of cares Mt: Fottiiah fully-wrought episodes . arising from the story of a mysterious. adventurer and his companions. With historical precision,” Mr. Foreman .gives. us & stirring narrative of the days of the Alamo, Goliad, Gen. Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, William Travis, Santa Anna and James Bowie, , Into this story of Texan defeats and victories he weaves the tale of “the mysterious Mr. Dain, the faithful Cleo, the handsome and romantic Eden, a taciturn and mystic Indian and the dark and beau: tiful Suela Cairlie.” -

The Legend of Travis

THE BOOK FALLS ifito thrée distihet parts: [Th advefitiites and events leading up t6 thé fatal mass sacte at the Alamo, the mirdér in cold blood of the Texan prisonérs at Goliad shortly aftér And, finally, thé tolitihg and vengeful victdry over thé Mexicans at San Jacinto. There is no sacrificing of Historical accuracy fof the saké of makifig a4 prettier or more convenient story. Mr, Foreman répéats the legend of Travis Araws i a line in the sand with His sword when he ed his méh to ake their choice patwieen sufréns der or cértain death: “<q propose to . . . fight on a8 10ng as weth alive—to kill as many of the énémy as wé ean before we dig! . That's my cholce. What 18 yours? “He drew "his sword. Hé dug its. peint ind the ground and pacéd down the. silent yang, coring a thin furrow behind him. y “Let those who'll stay with me, wep over nt

line!’ <

“The silence lasted another moment: 7 cde oh ROAD SAN JACIN Fo! TO INTQ, b er dT reman. 285 pages,

« eo 4

TH E.

We the Women

By Ruth Millett

“They all erossed. ", tion & Co. Int., Ne

\ BHI 18 the mother of foue ¢hildren; aged respeetively, 18, 8, 8 and 2 years old. She has put thé youngéf chile dren iA & Aursery school, take a war job—and hete is how sn is thinking about the situ “I believe the children 86 bet taér off than if 1 were with them - ‘all day, for they have supérvised “play sutdoots and in pright rooms, Theil tedéhers 1 how to Amuse ehildreh and Bevo and take naps.” oH Lét’s not kid ourselves—out

who thus put her job before their wants and their HERE 18 the true storys: The woman She will be helping Uncle Sam. But it is doubttul taking cAré of them.

t6 be better off in a nursery school. They aren't going to be better off With a mothér neets<a mother who has little time for Shem, Uncle Sam Will Decide who inte war work can contribute wre the het 3 iheofiie-~maybe help buy a hothe, , whether she wouldn't Be helping him in Soke if she is the mother of small children; by staying home ar Omidren are & Nomas 100 and hoe fish to them. If nels Sam needs factory tl \