Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 May 1943 — Page 10

PAGE 10

The Indianapolis Times

>Y W. HOWARD RALPH BURKHOLDER dent Editor, in U. 8. Service MARK FERREE WALTER LECKRONE Business Manager Editor

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MONDAY, MAY 17, 1043

INO SURRENDER OHN L. LEWIS demands an unconditional surrender by the government of the United States. That is the plain meaning of his flat refusal to appear or be represented before the national war labor board, even for the purpose of arranging to reopen direct negotiations with the mine owners in the coal wage dispute. He refuses again to recognize that the board has any jurisdiction whatever, insisting that his union will deal with the government only through Secretary Ickes. He stands just where he stood two weeks ago, when he announced the 15-day strike truce and interpreted government seizure of the mines as a victory for himself—an opportunity to settle the controversy on his own terms. The war labor board has gone very far in an effort to appease Lewis, it has offered him support in obtaining, through collective bargaining, concessions that would increase the union members’ incomes. It has all but promised him a government guarantee of the six-day week. » 2 = ” 5 2 T has gone as far as it can go without violating the national wage-stabilization policy, barring only the demand for a $2-a-day increase in straight pay. To that it cannot yield under President Roosevelt's “hold-the-line” order, as Lewis himself has acknowledged. But Lewis is still determined to break the line, to destroy the war labor board and its “Little Steel” formula, and to enforce his own will. And he still holds over the government the threat that, unless he is allowed to have his way, the coal strike will be resumed at midnight Tuesday and the nation’s supply of the most basic material of war will be shut off. Lewis’ renewed attack on the war labor board is; of course, grossly and impudently unfair. This board has shown no “malignancy of purpose” toward the mine workers, no intention to “harass” them, no desire to “block the making of a wage agreement.” It has taken patiently an endless flow of abuse from the power-drunk boss of the mine workers’ union, and he continues to attack it only because it is adhering to the president’s own policies and orders. 2 = ” 2 = 2 R. ROOSEVELT has said that the miners, being now in the status of government employees, have no right to strike, and that he will use all his powers as president and commander-in-chief to insure continued production of coal. We should regret deeply to see the miners face once more a choice between loyalty to the false leadership of Lewis and allegiance to their country. We should regret even more deeply to see the president compelled to put down a strike as if it were an insurrection—which, indeed, it would be. But Lewis, himself, has brought matters dangerously near that point. And to the great majority of Americus, we believe, it is unthinkable that the government should surrender to him and confess its impotence to enforce regulations necessary to save all of us—including the coal! miners—from the immeasurable calamity of wartime inflation and economic ruin.

WE START TOWARD TOKYO

F we can make the occupation of Attu stick, it will be the first important American offensive blow against Japan in the year and a half of war. The great air-sea victory of Midway was a defensive action, and so essentially have been our successes in the Coral sea, in New Guinea and the Solomons. Of course this Attu thrust has major defensive value also. By flanking the larger Jap Aleutian base of Kiska, it would enable us to cut the enemy supply line and to move against the advance outpost from the west as well as from our Amchitka base only 62 miles eastward. Recapture of the western Aleutians would eliminate the only close enemy threat to Alaska and to our Pacific coast. But the offensive significance is even greater. For Attu is on the short route to Japan, only 630 miles from the enemy’s major northern base of Paramushiru or 1700 miles from Tokyo. This compares with the much longer distance to Tokyo from our nearest central and southern bases—2250 miles from Midway and almost 3000 miles from Port Moresby. Although little Attu is a mass of mountainous rocks, the Japs have almost completed a bomber field there in addition to naval installations. Our bombers on many fronts have proved what that they can do to targets within 630 miles. And Attu is the most important weather station in the Pacific. It's where the weather is made, where the information on which planes and ships operate is obtained. That has been giving the Japs a tremendous advantage over us. No wonder that Berlin admits: “Nobody in Japan deceives himself light-heartedly as regards the grave consequences which success of the American attack would signify for Japan.” May 11, 1948, will go down in history—the day of the Tunisian clean-up, the opening of the Churchill-Roosevelt conference, and the start of the American offensive against Japan.

NEW LAW REQUIRED RESUMABLY the axis will call soon for amendment to the laws of war so as to ban further exploits like that of ‘American Lieut. Frank L. Dunn of San Antonio, Tex. Lieut. Dunn was looking for aerial pictures when a flight of axis planes came in to land at a field near Cagliari, Sardinia. The sly cuss circled with the enemy, flew low ‘enough to get his shot of an h talieh cruiser in the harbor,

Fair Enough

By Westbrook Pegler

TUCSON, Ariz, May 17—In Warner Brothers’ production of “Mission to Moscow,” based on the diary, notes and more or less confidential papers of Joseph E. Davies, Hollywood goes boldly into partisan political propaganda. Of course, Warner Brothers is not the entire movie industry, but this is a strong firm and representative of the methods, ethics and political bias of Hollywood. As a propaganda agency, the movies are even more powerful than the radio and much less clean, courageous and independent. The movie industry has connived and conspired with low union racketeers and played ball with the prevailing political power in an obvious and successful effort to hush its record of stock manipulation, bonuses, nepotism and general, free-style rapacity at the expense of the stockholders, and of labor racketeering.

Movies Played 'To the Left’

TIMIDLY AT first, but persistently, it has played over to the left with propaganda films in disparagement of this nation’s ability to survive under the established form of government and now, under psychological conditions amounting to a political subsidy, it has the effrontery to present for popular consumption in the guise of entertainment a justification of the Russian form of government. I have not seen the film, but I have read Davies’ book several times and I have never been able to understand how a one-gallus American lawyer, and one grown rich in the law and politics and by marriage, could have written approvingly of the Moscow trials. All of these trials, purges and liquidations, which seemed so violent at the time and shocked the world, are now quite clearly a part of a vigorous and determined effort of the Stalin government to protect itself not only from revolution within but from attack from without. . They went to work thoroughly to clean up and clean out all treasonable elements within the country. All doubts were resolved in favor of the government. There were no fifth columnists in Russia in 1941. They had shot them. “The purge had cleansed the country and rid it of treason.”

Seem Satisfied With Trials

THAT EXCERPT from the reflections of a man schooled and practiced in the American law has always seemed to me to express satisfaction with the conduct of these trials. That impression is strengthened by another statement by Davies in a communication to Mr. Hull, the secretary of state: “Notwithstanding a prejudice arising from the confession evidence, and a prejudice against a judicial system which affords practically no protection for the accused, after observation of the witnesses, their manner of testifying, the unconscious corroborations which developed, and other facts in the course of the trial, together with others of which judicial notice could be taken, it is my opinion as far as the political defendants were concerned, sufficient crimes under Soviet law were established by the proof and beyond a reasonable doubt to justify the verdict of guilty of treason and the adjudication of the punishment provided by the Soviet criminal statutes.” ‘Note that Davies, an American lawyer who had had experience for the defense in our courts, here admits that the Russian system “affords .practically no protection for the accused” but gives his opinion that capital crimes were proved, “under Soviet law,” and indicates no personal abhorrence of a legal system that is abhorrent to ours and indistinguishable from that of Adolf Hitler.

Hollywood 'Appropriate Locale’

I THINK notice should be taken of this venture of Warner Brothers into political propaganda, not merely because it is what it is, but because it is impossible to get out of Hollywood any film depicting the treachery of the Communist fifth column in the United States or the violence and other perfidy of the union rackets. One reason is that the movie industry has been an accomplice of both groups. No more appropriate locale of such evil conduct could be suggested than Hollywood itself. In short, a Hollywood film depicting the subtle approach to American opinion through left-wing dramas belittling the American system and revealing the corrupt relation between underworld racketeers and low-down, money-hungry capitalists with Hollywood as the scene and famous Hollywood personages as the characters, would be ideal, utterly truthful and very influential. Although these conditions are notorious and corruption in the New Deal's union movement has become a historic monstrosity which will be remembered long after our time, not one foot of such film has ever been produced. In the memorable words of Winston Churchill, speaking of Hitler, the Duce and Tojo, “What kind of people do they,” meaning Davies, Hollywood and warners in particular “think we are?”

We the People

By Ruth Millett

IT'S A little bit hard for a woman—especially for a mother— to understand why draft boards make a distinction between fathers of pre-Pearl Harbor babies and fathers of babies conceived after America found herself at war. Looking at it purely from the father’s point of view, the father of a baby conceived after Pearl Harbor perhaps should be drafted before the father of a pre-Pearl Harbor child. After all, the former did assume the responsibility for bringing a child into the world after that world was at war—knowing full well he would likely have to fight. But how about looking at it from the baby’s point of view? He's here—even though he isn’t pre-Pearl Harbor. Isn't he the one who matters? The only reason for leaving fathers at home as long as possible is for the welfare of the family, to keep from breaking up homes until it is absolutely necessary.

Have Right to Be Born

ISN'T A home with a new baby in it just as important as a home with a baby conceived before

[ Dec. 7, 1941?

And as far as real need goes, doesn’t the mother of a tiny baby need her husband with her more than does the mother of a baby who already has a start? If America is trying not to draft its fathers until absolutely necessary because of the welfare of their children, why worry about when those children were conceived? Babies have a right to be born—even in wartime. So wouldn't it be fairer to the newest generation to treat them all alike as children—instead of making a eal hon petwenn Jhese Sunusived Refuse a seréain

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES “Did I Ever Show You My Stamps?”

(ld

The Hoosier Forum

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

“SUPER-GOVERNMENTS MENACE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL” By James R. Meitzler, Attica. When congress passed the Wagner act it set up super-governments in this country which were above the

laws which govern the rest of us, whose leaders were accountable to no one, not even their own subjects, and who could by denying men the right to work seize them for their subjects. By a 51 per cent vote, the 49 per cent minority workers of any industry were forced by law and the administration to pay tribute to the bosses of that 51 per cent. If any one opposed these autocrats they could kick him out of the union and the law then fired him out of his job. His right to bargain for work or to choose a bargaining agent was taken from him and became the property of men chosen by others. One of these super-governments is now menacing America’s fight for survival. John Lewis, head of the U. M. W. super-government in the case of the steel companies’ coal mines when the old WLRB decided against him, refused to abide by that court and demanded and received a board fixed to decide in his favor. Today he refuses to submit his case to the WLB, a court appointed by our country’s president to settle labor disputes in a peaceful and orderly manner. This Lewis-owned U. M. W. super=government created by a congress elected by the people, supported by a president chosen three times by the people and held constitutional by a supreme court, the majority of which were appointed by this threeterm president, is now asserting its predominance over the legislature, the executive and the judiciary that gave it power, Frankenstein created a monster that destroyed him. Will this New Deal-created monster destroy America? = “OPEN LETTER TO CRY BABIES” By T. A. Casey, 2832 E. New York st.

This is an open letter to the gripers and cry babies against the good and hcnest coal miner. - Please answer this question—in. all fairness— have any of you wise guys ever worked in or about the mines. If not, please get a copy of The Indianapolis Times for Monday, May 10th. In the Hoosier Forum section is an article called “Happy Hunting for the Wolves.” Please read it. It is written by a very courageous woman who spoke the truth in behalf of the miners. . I, myself, was one time a miner.

(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.)

My first job after leaving school was greasing mining cars. My vate of pay was $1.06 for eight hours a day each day the mines worked. The other jobs I have done are coal trimmer at the tipple hitched mining cars and scraping behind elec« tric cutting machines and coal cutting punch machines. If you smart guys think that is a soft, or safe, job, I wish you would go out and try it. I also was a trapper opening what they call the trap door for the mule drivers which they had in the old days. Now don't come back with that old alibi telling me it's a different world and a different age and that conditions have changed since my day. These miners still take their lives in their hands every time they go down into the earth. Here is something else you people might not think about. The miners are fighting now for the right to live as humans and these same miners have helped to create the good conditions you and I enjoy and which in turn took many years of hard fighting to accomplish. . .. Let me give you an example of the miner's side of the picture. What he goes through in the course of a year would stop you in a week, How would you iike to get up in the cold wintertime, and in some places walk a country mile or more, to see if the mine where you work has cars on the switch so you can work that day? If there are no cars, there is no work, and consequently no pay for that particular day. Then remember, the miners are responsible for keeping the wheels of progress throughout this entire pation running. .. . And here is the side of the miners as concerned with the mine owners, or as they are known to the public —the mine operators. How would you like to have posted on all bulletins through the factory that “we are going to erect a grocery store for the benefit of the employees only?” Sounds good, doesn't it? Now this is not a reflection on any of the industrial plants in this city of Indianapolis called the crossroads of America. But, getting back to the mine owners’ grocery store, say you only worked three days in an average week and there are five in your

Side Glances—By Galbraith

family including mother and dad. Then the mine owners also own “company houses” which the miners live in. Of course, it is a convenience to the miner as not many own their own homes. The idea is that you pay your bills at the mine. The mine owner sees to that. Both grocery and rent. Your groceries are taken from your check before you ever see it. All the miner receives is a statement a few days before pay day stating what he has coming to him. In normal times, you do not work

Dr. Benes By William Philip Simms

WASHINGTON, May 17.—At Geneva and wherever else world statesmen used to foregather, Dr. Eduard Benes, president of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, now guest of President Roosevelt in Washington, was called “the, biggest little man in Europe'meaning, of course, big mentally and little physically. Not long before the Nazi ine vasion, I called on President Benes at his hotel in Sudeten Karlsbad, where he had gone for a rest. When my taxi drew up at the door I thought the driver had make a mistake, In a resort studded with magnificent hotels, his was one of the most modest. No guards were at the door; no soldiers; no policemen even. And when I ane nounced my business, I was ushered straightway inte his little parlor and asked please to wait. The president had gone down the hill to see his dentist and might be a little late. He was—just a little—but soon I spied him, out the window, trudging back up the hill, on foot and unattended.

President of All the People

BY SOME Czechoslovakia had been called the ade. vance-post of bolshevism in central Europe. I mene tioned this to Dr. Benes, and that led to the story of, how he entered the presidency, succeeding Dr. Thomas Garrigue Masaryk, “The Liberator.” After the votes had been counted, he called in the Peasants: “I want to thank you for voting for me,” he said. “I come of Peasant stock, too, and you are my friends, But if you expect me to be your president only, I wan, you to tell me now. Because if you do, I will resign.” Next he summoned the workers. He told them much the same thing. He appreciated their support in the election, but if they had any idea that he would be exclusively their man, he would refuse the presidency, Similarily he made his position clear to lande owners, industrialists and businessmen generally. FAR FROM being a “hotbed of communism,” as some described it, I found Czechoslovakia one of. the most truly democratic countries of Europe. As for the post-war Europe Dr, Benes thinks Germany should be decentralized—broken up. Prussia alone should be split into two or three pieces, for she is the big trouble maker. It was the Prussians who invented the herrenvolk formula. Soviet Russia must be weaned away from isolation. She is just as much a part of the European system, he declares, as Great Britain. Her isolation, and the disequilibrium resulting therefrom, was one of the chief causes of the second world war. Like Mr. Churchill, Dr. Benes believes in some form of world “commonwealth” comppsed of regional “federal blocs.” Something of the sort, he urged, is the sine qua non of a lasting world peace.

Tip Your Hat

By Peter Edson

x

every day at the mines, but your|

family still eats every day. Unless the miners get an increase they can hardly pay for necessities. The mine owner is first and the miner is not considered. You don’t tell the owner to come back later for his money. Instead of getting paid, the miner gets only his statement covering his house rent, his grocery bill, and other things that the miner may purchase. All deductions. If there is any money left over, you can bet that it's mighty little. Could you give your family the many good things which they are entitled to if you were a coal miner? You bet you could not. In closing, I only hope tHis goes home to some of you people who think the miners are not entitled to recognition as good American citizens. Please think this over and give them the break they deserve and God bless every one of them,

” ” 8 “WHY DO PEOPLE HARP ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS?” By Voice In The Crowd, Indianapolis Why do people harp about human rights in a society that consistantly gives more attention to the poor and unfortunate and for that matter even the lazy and thriftless than any system of living any place at any time? What do people mean when they clamor about “God given” rights? God gave man the earth to live in and told him to “earn his bread by the sweat of his brow.” He evidently gave squirrels the same right, but to the squirrel he gave an instinet that in times when he could hustle a little and get more food than he could eat, he should store it for the time when food could not be found. Who ever heard of a

squirrel that was so foolish that he did not follow his instinct? We might be better off if God had given us an instinet To man, however, He gave thinking power and the liberty of thinking as he pleased.. In America with its system of free enterprise where the hustler can make more than he needs and save some of it, most people—the “Amerjean middle class”—have found it possible to assume their own responsibilities through good times and bad. Unfortunately there are some people who are physically unable to provide for their current needs. In America since its beginning these unfortunate folks have been cared for in an increasingly better manner. These folks are too patient to complain much. Then there is another type of people. Those who do not want to hustle too much and who want to “live while they have the chance.” These folks always wind up behind the eight ball and it is very largely they and the idealists who have never honestly earned a dollar who complain most about the American system of free enterprise. Our system of living depends on every able-bodied man assuming his own responsibilities to his exist ence. Place that responsibility on the state if you will, and you will encounter an overhead burden on your labors that will leave you without decent shelter or food.

DAILY THOUGHTS

But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. — II. Kings 17:30. >

FROM PIETY, whose soul sincere

FT. KNOX, Ky., May 17-If you think some of these babyfaced second lieutenants you see strutting their gold bars around aren't tough, you might care to try out just one of the 10-minute tests: which officer candidates are forced to pass before they receive their commissions in the armored force school here. First, get an old suit of overalls, trousers and coat. Put the coat on backwards and have someone button it up the back for you. Then get one of the round-head steel hel mets and put it on, fastening the strap firmly under your chin so it won't come off under any circum stances. Put on army shoes, or their equivalent, and leggins. The leggins and jacket buttoned up the back will keep some of the dirt out of your neck and pants, as you'll see later on, Next, prepare the course for your exam. Dig a six-foot deep trench at both ends of a course 128 yards long. The ground should be rough and hard. A few rocks and sharp stones sticking up here and there will help. Midway in the course string some barbed wire, tangling it all up and ecriss-crossing it so that not even a wildeat could get through. Along the course, plant some 60 field mines of dynamite. If dynamite isn't handy, giant salute firecrackers of the old six inch variety will do nicely. You are now ready to play second lieutenant.

Machine-Gun Gantlet

THE OBJECT of the game is for you to crawl on your face from ome trench to the other in less tham 10 minutes. Before you begin, however, you must secure the co-operation of two of the people you like the least and who likes you the least. One of them will stand at the finish of the course with a machine-gun and fire tracer bullets and other live ammunition at the other end of the course. Aiming the gun so that the bullets are not more than four feet above ground, friend “A” will do this while you are crawling, firing right over you so that if you stand up or even get upon your hands and knees you will get hit, Friend “B,” in the meantime, will set off the land mines or sticks of dynamite or throw the giant salute firecrackers in your general direction, one every 10 seconds, so that they will kick up a lot of dirt and loose stones to fall over you as you crawl,

Helmet a Handy, Gadget

THE APPROVED technique, as rated here at Ft. “A Knox, is to make your steel helmet serve as a kind of skid, forcing yourself along by a kind of freee for-all swimming stroke, something akin to a crawl. Put your hands before your head, draw ‘up your feet, dig in with your fingernails’ and toes, Then

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‘shove with everything you've got, skidding along on

the part of your tin hat. just over your forehead. This takes a little managing, for if the nose is used as a skid in place of the tin hat, it is apt to remove some of the skin. Also it is well to remove glasses before beginning the test, and remember, above all, that if you get your elbows or behind up in the air toa much, or if you raise your head to see where you're going, you may get nicked by one of the machine-gun bullets going by just above, in easy reach. When you come to the barbed wire, if it seems to stop you, roll over on your back and lft the firss strand of wire. Then repeat. Par for the wire hazard is not more than a dozen snags in your overalls as you squirm through, After negotiating the wire, roll back on your ace and proceed as before till you reach the finish trench, which you roll into. If the ground has been freshly rained on by a good spring thunderstorm, ‘the test is considered much more sporting. Seriously, the object of this test is to teach i8eoond lieutenants what it's like to have to crawl from one trench to an enemy trench under fire. Some men do it in four minutes. Next time you pass a second lieutenant, tip your hat. )

To the Point— y

WHEN PEOPLE a ul are for what they do, they don’t need credit tor wha, ey, Bp, 5.