Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 April 1943 — Page 12

RALPH BURKHOLDER Editor, in U. S. Service MARK FERREE WALTER LECKRONE Business Manager Editor (A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAVER)

ROY Ww. HOWARD “ President

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| Give LAght and the People Will Find Their Own Way

TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 1943 -

JEFFERSON “HIS bicentennial celebration of Jefferson’s birth binds 3 us closer to the great tradition. Out of, that fight against tyranny we as a .nation were born.. Now we continue that struggle for freedom against mightier powers “ and worse menaces than even our fathers knew. In the battle we renew our faith and strengthen our courage with the knowledge that we are not alene, but # part of a vast company which begins in a noble past and : x which will goon in our children and in theirs. Jefferson was oe great in achievement; he was greater in opening the way * for the progress of those who came after him. And it 5 is with such a hope that we wage wat today. 1 ‘But it was not against foreign evils alone that Jeffer- _ son struggled. He hated home grown tyranny no less. He distrusted all unnecessary concentration of political and ge economic power, fearing that it would be misused against | . the people instead of for them. . x #2 » » » 8 ” IKE Lincoln who learned so much from him, he accepted the people—with all their fafllts—as better and wiser in government than those who seek to rule them. He did not oppose government as such, but’ remote control. The i farther removed the power, the more the danger. . As president he used strong centralized ‘power for emergency purposes, proving himself a practical leader and .- Dot a dogmatic theorist. But in the use of large federal « power he never forget it was -dynamite. He never perwir suaded himself that White House wisdom could replace the a grassroot functioning of democracy, History bears him _s: witness. = Those who dismiss this truth as the outmoded ideal i of a horse-and-buggy age have missed the point. The coma i plex industrial era that has followed the simpler agrarian ii society, the contraction that has brought Washington, i D. C., closer to the crossroads and corner drugstore, has i not removed but magnified this basic problem faced by the ¢ early Greeks, by Jefferson, by all pioneers of freedom.’ i . x =» ee” * =» i UR federal government can help, but it cannot solve any of our root problems. Whether the farm problem, the relation of worker and employer, education, the race problem, the control of liquor or vice, the incentive of invention, the organization for production and distribution, the restraint of. antisocial forces-—the ‘solution of these 1 and: others waits upon the self-reliance, the, community spirit, i pd intelligence and decency and faith of ordinary | American citizéns back home. Democracy functions there, i or ‘democracy fails. | 1

0 58 vi id = 5 if a i. 1 i wy 3 3 it 1

~~ And if Washington cannot carry this country, how much less can it run the world. The democracy of Jeffer-

son cannot be imposed abroad. We can help liberate Europe |’

from a dictator, but we cannot provide the freedom to replace tyranny—for freedom is an inner and indigenous

thing. It is acity for self-government that grows only as isto

* Europe will never get democracy by looking to us for { it; our states will never solve their problems by waiting on Washington, or our communities by depending on state | “officials. Businessmen and unions and families and youth will never find a freer future by trusting in the ideal of an all-powerful and all-wise government. All-powerful governments are rarely wise and never democratic. That is the teaching of Thomas Jefferson. It is as true today as when he fought against tyrannies, foreign and, domestic.

VOLUNTEER DOLLARS

HIS week sees the opening of the second war loan campaign—an appeal to the American people to lend thelr government 18 billion fighting dollars. Thousands of volunteer workers are starting out to sell war bonds. Don’t wait for one of them to call on you. : If that means doing without something else you would like to buy, still your sacrifice will-be small compared to | that of the men in the army and navy who must; have the i guns your dollars will pay for. o* They will give their lives, if need be, to defend you, You are asked merely to lend your money to equip ‘and maintain them and provide them a good fighting chance d ite win’ the war quickly and come safely home. : Indeed, this war loan campaign is not a call for sacri5 ey It is an offer of opportunity. * Opportunity to insure earlier victory. +. Opportunity to invest your money safely, at good interest, for the future security of yourself and ‘your family. . Opportunity to help hold down your cost of living and maintain the purchasing power of your dollars. You help your country and you help yourself by buying war bonds—as soon as you can, as many as you-can,

NELSON IS RIGHT DONALD NELSON speaks sound sense when he opposes establishment of an independent agency to represent civilian interests in wartime. He concedes that consumer interests have, not been adequately safeguarded, and promiises to see that they are given powerful representation. ‘But he says, correctly, that a separate bureau would cut diagonally across all existing war ‘agencies and would result in complete chaos. : The problems of supply—materials, transportation, prices, manpower, plant utilization—are one and indivisible. Two-thirds of our troubles in this war have come from divided responsibility—one agency butting its head against another and both heing $ripped by a third and a fourth and a fifth. i We need an even more unified control. If that agency not. intelligent enough to protect the civilian economy, th and not with the principl

s/n Washington

By Peter Edson

WASHINGTON, April “13. — When the Hon. Ellison D. (Cotton Ed) Smith of Lynchburg, S. C., spits tobacco juice and cuts loose, the sessions of the august senate

estry are more fun than any sideshow in Washington. Cotton Ed is chairman of the committee, lo these many . years, presiding over as tough a bunch : of rugged individualists of both parties as was ever assembled under one tent—including Wheeler of Montana, Thomas of Oklahoma, Bankhead of Alabama, McNary of Oregon, Capper of Kansas, Aiken of Vermont, and Gillette of Towa. Cotton Ed was in fine form when the committee haled before it the Hon. Prentiss M. Brown, exsenator from Michigan, now price administrator. "There had been a row about getting Brown there in the first place. Invited to attend previously. with ‘Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard, they had ducked the invitation at the suggestion of ex-senator, ex-justice, now Director of Economic Stabilization

James F. Byrnes.

Subpenas Threatened ;

IRATE AT being put off <n this way, Cotton Ed had threatened to have the two officials subpenaed {They hurried over to beat the summons, only to be told to come back later, which they obligingly did. And here they. were, prompt at 10 o'clock, clean-

shaven, clean-shirted, faces bright and smiling all ready to give their testimony against the Pace bill, which is intended to include the cost of farm labor in calculating that great enigma, what is parity. Brown was the first witness. He pulled up a chair near the head of the long green-topped table, flanked by a hostile Bankhead and Capper. Behind Brown were three of his young economist “experts,” there to supply data and answer the tough, statistical questions. that the boss might not know about. Secretary Wickard, by the way, never did get called. He sat on a divan, flanked by his experts and wasted the entire morning. No, on second thought, it wasn't wasted, either. He got in on the fun at the end. Administrator Brown read into his three-page, mimeographed statement, “I welcome this opportunity to appear before you . . . bla. bla. bla. . . . I mean to leave no stone unturned, now or in the future, in putting before the congress the difficulties which confront me . . . bla. bla. bla. It is estimated by my staff that the Pace bill would raise parity prices by upwards of 14 per cent.” That was good for a half-hour’s sidetrack questioning.

Cotton Ed Speaks His Piece

“BETWEEN AUGUST, 1939, and January, 1943,” Brown read on at last, “prices,” etc, etc., etc. . . . “As a result, farm prices which were 30 per cent below parity . . . reached a level 15 per cent above parity in January of this year.” There it was. There was the word {‘parity,” and

. the boys were off for another hour of abstruse wrang-

ling which yielded nothing net. When it was all over, it was high noon, and Cotton Ed, who had for the most part listened to all of this ithout comment, chewing on the end of an unlit ar and spitting in the china spittoon at his feet, reared back in his chair. “Well, gentlemen, we have spent the morning and have come to no conclusion. Senator Brown has read his statement—I don’t know who wrote it for him, but I know he didn’t write it himself.” Brown grinned. Senator Thomas interposed to ask the price administrator how he defined “an expert.” Brown went into a long-winded dissertation on the need of college-trained economists, but Cotton Ed settled it for him—“An expert is a damn fool away from home.”

A Lot of 'Gas’ Wasted

COTTON ED wanted action, and he wanted his committee to meet again in the afternoon.

senate was in session, and they couldn’t meet then. “Oh, the. windmill will turn,” croaked Cotton Ed, “but: we don’t have to be there to watch it. - If we could’ collect all the rubber and concentrate all the ‘gas loosed on the senate: floor, there wouldn’t be any shortages.” Well, the committee couldn’ meet Friday because some other committee was meeting, but how about Saturday? “I. like to pult the Karnes off the mule on Saturday.” ruled Cotton Ed, “and go fishin’. “All those in favor of meeting Monday morning to carry on this burlesque, say ‘Aye!’ ” 2 E 4 8 Westbrook Pegler is on vacation.

Rent Ceilings By Ned Brooks

WASHINGTON, April 13— Heavy pressure against govern-ment-established rent ceilings was being exerted today. This newest battle on the antiinflation frent involves the sta3 bility of “freeze” orders under ' which the office of price admin- . istration has established maximum rents for 11,500,000 dwelling units "in 355 war-crowded areas. The attack on OPA controls

Saige from a challenge of the program’s constitu-

tionality in the supreme court down to thousands of protests filed by individual landlords with OPA field offices. - Meanwhile a 'special house committee, ereated to investigate administrative orders of government agencies, has launched an inquiry into rent-control policies and has invited real estate executives to present their complaints at hearings beginning tomorrow. | ;

Dispute" Legality of Orders

TWO CASES uting the legality of oPA orders are awaiting decisions in the U. S, emergency court of appeals'here, and a half dozen others are awaiting - hearing.

resisting a program being pressed by the National Association of Real Estate Boards, on the ground that it would raise rent ceilings. The association has asked modification of the requirement for a one-third down payment and a

critical areas; establishment of local rent comIaittees to act as appeals boards; more consideration to costs in determining rent levels, and measures “to avoid the creation of prejudice and emotion.”

Indiana Case Involved

THE REAL ESTATE association has ‘informed OPA Administrator Prentiss Brown that it regards rent controls as “sound and just in time of war,” but that it believes “equal justice demands that ‘hardship and, prejudice created for property owners

system: of controlled prices.” The supreme court case involves an appeal by OPA from a decision of Federal Judge Thomas W.

controls unconstitutional on’ the. ground that the price control sct failed to provide standards for

Seteruiiing rent defense ates snd Suthesms for

committee on agriculture and for- |

Senator Wheeler and others mentioned that the |,

While OPA has made some: concessions, it is.

90-day waiting period in the sale of homes in|

should be mitigated so far as possible ‘under’ a

Slick of the northern Indiana district, who held rent

The Hoosier Forum

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

“LITTLE FLOWER WON'T BE TRANSPLANTED” By Edmund Rocker, Indianapolis * Little Flower “La Guardia” wants to be a roving general. : Yes, the Little Flower has grown up again like a sunflower in headlines . . . but the army opposes him as they recall criticism he received .on the OCD. Regardless of his qualifications, mayor of New York City, world war veteran, and retired by request OCD chief, I am sure the Little Flower won't be transplanted in North Africa as there are generals in the army who have served 30 years and who are West Point men who are qualified to serve as governor in the Mediterranean. 8 2 =» ; “NOW THESE THREE BOYS ARE IN ARMY FIGHTING” By Mrs. Wilber Craig, 3701 E. 34th st. Just a word to Allen Brooks. I also was refused a house 19 years ago because I had three boys and one girl.. This lady that owned the house said, “ I don’t think a mother can look after more than two children.” ; And when I asked her how many her mother had she said “Three,” and I said, “Well, just what I thought, you must have been the third one that your mother never taught anything.” But before I left. she rented me the house and we became good friends. Telling hen off sometimes helps. Now these tives boys are in the army fighting for our peace and freedom of this country,

s ” » “POLLUTION MAY BE FRAGRANCE TO OTHERS” By H. W. Daacke, 1404 8. State

Since our government is based on legislation consistent with the wishes, desires and will of the majority of the citizens and since Corp. W. H. Munroe concedes that the smokers are in the majority, where is his consistency when he wants to impose his wishes and desires as a minority group upon the-op-posing majority? He says he makes his decision in a rational manner. Does he really think of that as an absolute fact?

What may be pollution to him is

(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.) ;

fragrance to others, and not any minority group at that. Will the corporal please leave the protection of the streetcar or bus, come out into the open, take a whiff of that stench passing to and fro, governed by the direction and velocity of the wind? They say it comes from one of our leading industries; the packing plants. 1 don’t know: - Then take a mouthful of that smog (smoke and fog), possible only by the smugness and complacency of an expert ‘on smoke abatement, whose chief effort in recent years has been to draw his salary, carry a big stick, but be careful whom he uses it on. And if -you don’t hanker for the protection of the streetcar or bus, polluted as it is by tobacco smoke, I miss my -guess. Let's hear again from you, but make the subject “Packing Houses and Other Local Industries.” ” “DON'T LET THE RED CROSS DOWN” -

By Walter L. Hew, auxiliary fireman, 2544 . Delaware st.

My letter to the Hoosier Forum on Jan. 8: “What are people complaining about, ” and the interview I had by Miss Rosemary Redding of The Times at the occasion of my third blood donation at the Red Cross blood center, had such an unexpected response from the people of Indianapolis that I want to take the Hoosier Forum again fo say “thank you” to everybody who had such fine words for me. And, believe me, I didn’t seek any publicity for myself; I only liked to Lelp the Red Cross to get many more blood donations to help the boys on the front, and maybe thé people on the home ‘front, too, if this should become necessary. Well, here we go again! . The Red Cross has for . . . about two weeks every day a very little column in the paper on how many

Side Glances—By ‘Galbraith

blood donations should be given every day and how many there are really given. And I am a little

ashamed to read every day that the |

daily quota is skort about 45 per cent. They need badly every day 200 donations and only an average of 120 people are coming in to spend the blood. : I for myself don’t know what is really wrong. You can clearly read in the paper that the fighting is going. stronger every day and that we have to expect many, many losses in the near future. I ask everybody again, who is able to make regular donations, don’t wait. Every donation means saving of the life of some soldier, maybe of a boy who is related to yourself, out of your own family. Let’s have the Red Cross a big supply of blood plasma on hand, maybe for use on the home front. I can only hope and pray with: you that nothing will ever happen on the soil of good U.S. A, but as I said in my interview, if something happens after some air raid or in some other emergency, your own blood donation may save somegne of your own family. : See what the Red Cross workers are doing without pay day in and day out? Don’t let ’em down. And here is another thing. I am an auxiliary fireman, just like 400

others right here in Indianapolis. |

We got our equipment supplied by the government, but to man our auxiliary pumpers we need here in Indianapolis 1600, yes 1600, auxiljary firemen. And our Chief Fulmer . . . doesn’t get the men so badly needed. Yes, we need those 1200 additional men badly. Please understand this right—the regular fire department of Indianapolis, however one of the finest in the U. S. A, is not able to handle all the fires in case ‘of an air raid and there is a chance your own home may burn down if we don’t have enough auxiliary men to man our pumpers. So don’t wait. Give the chief a big hand and sign up for your training at fire headquarters, The training doesn’t interfere with your work at all; it is interesting, and Chief Craig, the drillmaster, is on the job every day for 15 months now. If you think you are not able to become an auxiliary fireman, sien up for some other work with OCD. It doesn’t matter what kind of work you are doing during some emergency, but do something! No, I am not grumbling ‘about the people of my adopted home town. I see many, many people doing their best! I don’t forget the thousands of air raid wardens, firemen, policemen, first aiders and the fine spirit of the young messengers. But this time we need the very last man on his job and I am sure we will ‘have very many applications this week. Give me a response like . . . the two previous occasions. Remember the Red Cross blood center and the auxiliary fire force or any other OCD group. o “KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK” By Mary F. Wright, 120 Miley ave. Editorigl—"“We Want No Subsidies,” of April 6. They did not catch you napping. A deceitful, slick way of taking the freedom of the press is the way I see it. : It looks like every move is to domineer private business. Keep up the good work.

DAILY THOUGHT

But cursed be the deceiver, Bh:

Malachi 1:14, HATEFUL io me as are the gates

Post- War Policies :

By Thomas L. Stokes

NEW YORK, April 13.—Uncere tainty about the federal governe ment’s post-war plans and policies, and its underlying philosophy, overshadowed and complicated the effort of eastern governors and other state officials in their twoday session here to lay down a program of state participation in post-war reconstruction. . The uncertainty resolved about? 1, Federal tax law and policy, 2. What the government is going to do about the many plants it has built, to which it has the title, and some of which it 1s operating. ° 3. What is going to happen to contracts when an armistice comes. Many were the complaints about the inability of corporations to set aside reserves for post-war expansion and development because of the 80 per cent penalty in present law against setting up such reserves, The conference took note of this grievance by asking congress in its resolutions to give consideration in framing a new tax law “to the needs of industry for such planning and such reserves.”

Fear of Government Competition

AS TO THE government war plants which dot the country, the fear was expressed that, if the views of some at Washington prevail, the government might take them over itself and operate them—set up gove ernment industry in competition with private busie ness. A clamor for such action in the post-war cone fusion was foreseen, particularly by labor groups. Richard P. Dougherty, professor of economics at

‘| Boston university and assistant director of the Massa=

chusetts. committee on public safety, said someone should see to it that these plants are withdrawn from competition with private industry, and that the gov ernment should announce a policy in this matter. Much anxiety was expressed during the meeting, here as to the day of peace when the orders for cane cellation of government contracts go out: The sug gestion that war production continue for a period was offered, but this, it was realized, would complicate the problem of conversion back to peace-time pro duction, * The need for some government policy as to cane cellation of contracts was emphasized,

‘Lett Wait and See' Idea Opposed

A SPIRIT OF futility, manifest among some speake ers at the conference—doubt about how the states could proceed until there is a more clean delineation of federal policy—finally provoked an outburst from James N. Colliton, executive secretary of the Massa chusetts committee on post-war reorganization, who ‘has been very active in working with businessmen in

his state on post-war plans. / “I have no patience,” he declared, “with those who say ‘Let's see what the federal government is going to do.’ Nothing will ever be done if we take that attitude.” ’ A handicap to businessmen in post-war readjust ment was seen by C. McKew Parr, a small businesse man of Connecticut, in the fact that the business exs perts now busy in WPB and other war agencies will all return home immediately after the war and no longer will be present in Washington to help in poste war problems relating to business.

Cities Urged to Get Out of Debt

“IP IN THE post-war emergency we are going to. have to deal with men of less imagination,” he said, “then business may be paralyzed while they deliberate and delay. After the war, we are going to be faced with a number of leaderless federal departments.”

Despite some pessimism about the post-war pice ture, the state officials present proposed a detailed program for state participation, embodying numerous

plans already under way in most states, such as blue- Ya

prints for public works to give employment, creation of state planning commissions, creation of reserves, establishment of vocational training schools to re-

‘tain returning war veterans.

Much stress was laid also on municipal and local plans and creation of a sense of local responsibility, Municipalities, it was urged, should clear themselves of debt now, get their financial affairs in order, so that their tax load could be lightened after the war and business relieved of onerous local levies,

Rely on Private Industry

A SURVEY made available to the writer discloses that most states already had surpluses last July 1, That all but one at that time had no deficit. “The surpluses ranged from small amounts to nest-eggs in the millions. Many of the surpluses were in highway

funds which have not been tapped because of the

lapse in building new highways during the war. There was a tendency among those present not te count too heavily on public works in the post-war period, because of the large proportion of the cost which goes to materials rather than to labor, Other avenues of employment must be found, and private industry is. relied upon to take up a good deal of the slack. \ 4

We the Women

By Ruth Millet

BECAUSE THE navy wants to enlist 70,000 women this year

whom she may or may. not marry? Well, the women have won again, an has been thrown overboard. ye ia they won is because the navy needs them so badly it is afraid to try to enforce such a ruling. That is the only way women win any of thelr fights for equality. .

Desperately Needed in Wartime WHEN THEIR BRAINS and their ability are a

"drug on the business and industrial market, they get

paid less than men for doing the same work. When they are needed as desperately as they are today, they are paid for what they do, not for what they are. When girls who wanted to be teachers were m

marry. Not any more. Women teachers aes badly today to be Sreated in any such unjust H kanded way as that. And so it goes. Whenever ro however small, for equal rights with" cause men need thelr help too much to risk , women