Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 June 1943 — Page 16

RALPH BURKHOLDER _ Editor, in U. 8. Service WALTER LECKRONE ‘Bditor

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THURSDAY, JUNE -24, 1043

WHO WOULD MINE THE COAL?

RESIDENT ROOSEVELT’S announcement that he will ask congress to increase the military draft age to 65 for men who go on strike in government-operated industries raises some interesting speculative possibilities. For one thing it hints veto of the Connally-Smith antistrike bill, which labor leaders of all factions have denounced. If the president had liked the Connally-Smith approach to the strike problem, surely he would not have cooked up this mine-coal-or-join-the-army scheme. : Since the work-or-join-up rule would apply only to government-operated industries, the government probably would soon find itself in a lot of different lines of business. - Coal mining is already government-operated. The railroad industry isn’t yet. But Economic Stabilizer Vinson yester- * day rejected a proposed wage increase for railroad workers.

If the railroad workers don’t stand for that, then the only |

thing to be done under this scheme, if congress approves . it, is for the government to take over the railroads. Then the railroad workers, up to 65 years of age, would be subject to military draft. The same process could tumble endless other industries into the government's lap —with no procedure for turning the businesses back to the owners. : » ” # » # tJ ND what would be the end result of this work-or-join-E the-army rule? Take the coal-mining industry, for instance. The president's intention is not clear— whether the drafted strikers would go into strictly military service, like other soldiers, or be put back to mining coal under army orders and discipline. (He is clear only in specifying that strikers over 38 and under 65 would be used for noncombat service.) If the former, then the purpose evidently is to use the draft threat to force miners to forego strikes. But would miners be scared by that possibility ? A buck private’s pay is $50 a month plus his clothing and food, plus a chance to see the country and maybe the * world. If he is of non-combat age, there would be no unusual risk of life and limb. And he might like a change “in scenery, and an opportunity to get away from home responsibilities and environment. His wife would get $50 a month allotment, plus $12 for the first child, Plus $10 for each additional child. A striker’s wife, with six children—not an unusual number in coal communities—would get an allotment of $112 a month. That's not as much as the husband brings home now. But still she wouldn't have him under foot, wouldn't have to cook for him and fix his lunch pail every day, wouldn’t have to launder his coal-encrusted clothes— 80 there would be compensations. And.if he left home for wars, who would mine the coal? "8 yn» F, on the other hand, the intent of the president and commander-in-chief is that the striker, once drafted, should be sent back into the pits to dig coal, would he work side by side with other miners who hadn’t gone on a strike? And would he be content to work army hours of 60 or 80 a wezk at army pay, while the civilian miner continued to draw a base pay of a dollar an hour for a 35-hour week, plus time-and-a-half for all over 35—the base average is about $45.50 a week for 42 hours. Yes, the president’s Proposal raises a lot of interesting speculations. He is offering it, apparently, as a substitute for the Connally-Smith bill. ; Clearly it is no substitute for a real labor policy.

FOOD SUPPLIES AT GREENSBURG

T IS comforting to learn that the delegates to the 112th Indiana Methodist conference out at Greensburg are not going to go hungry this week, in spite of what looks from "here like a super-abundance of governmental red tape. On the contrary, the traditional heaping platters of fried "chicken with all the trimmings will confront Greensburg’s welcome visitors daily as long as they remain in session, _ in full accord with rural Indiana custom. OPA’s regulations allowed no provision for feeding

" these delegates at Greensburg, becausé they hadn’t met at :

. Greensburg last year, although with complete legality rations could have been available if they had held their convention again in the community that entertained their last meeting. So the ladies of Greensburg contributed their own ration coupons, out of their own family allowances, to provide the food required. OPA: regulations barred that generous gesture, too. The coupons couldn’t be- used: because they were torn out of the ration books. Just why this august bureau chose to get technical about that point is a mystery, since it is well known that coupons are loaned and traded back and forth as a matter of course, and that not ene grocery clerk

in a hundred ever sees or asks to see, or would have time

to examine if he did, the ration books of his customers.

Nor was the matter of why food would be conserved them into thinking they are licked in Life before they

the delegates ate at home or in hotels but wasted if they te together in the church dining room fully develdped. A regulation, in the wonderland of bureaucracy, is sufficient nto itself. ‘At this point tis" ‘members of the ladies’ aid society yandoned the devious ways of a planned economy and ded for the barnyard, determination in their eyes and s in their hands, Gardens gave up succulent green retables ol smokehouses yielded home-cured hams the ’s economists never dreamed of. The

| Fair Enough

By Westbrook Pe cor

bosses. of unions. Zeigler’s reputation was excellent. Two members of the treasury intelligence unit who

“knew him well give him a clean character.

"Zeigler had fought for a clean union in his Chicago local of the operating engineers which had been taken over by a mob of which William E. Maloney was the boss. He knew the union’s funds were. being mishandled and had Teported certain ‘information to the government. *

He also had pleaded with William - Green, the

president of the Ametfican Federation of Labor, for

help in rescuing rank and file workers from the

oppression of a racket which kept him and others out

of jobs while favorites of the mob got the jobs.

Appealed to A. F. of L. Head

ON JAN, 9, 1933, Zeigler wrote to Green: “I am

. writing you in the interest of a large rjumber of engi-

neers, hoisting, portable and stationary, located in various cities and towns throughout the United

States,” and said that many of the officers had so |

muscled their way into local unions that the rahk and file despaired of relief within the international or parent body. . “I ‘believe,” he told Green, “you have been thoroughly advised of the corruption. It is a" by-word all over the ‘country. The membership is sick, tired and disgusted with being dominated by the worst form of racketeers and hoodlums in America.” Green refused to help Zeigler who therefore wrote him again on Jan. 18, saying: “You say ‘Surely there is a way by which your complaints can be considered and adjusted’ Do you have in mind any tribunal to which we may go? “We are not permitted to assemble in convention. Whole local unions are voted by ‘supervisors’ appointed by the president of the international. Our local unions are bodily disfranchised, The: votes of other locals are flagrantly miscounted, so that we

may be denied the privilege of assembling in con- |

vention. In the absence of a convention the only remaining tribunal is the officers themselves whom we charge with misconduct.” "There was much more in Zeigler’s letters, all of it unanswerable and the man told the truth.

Rebuked by Green 2

- NEVERTHELESS ON Jan. 23, Green threw his influence on the side of the brutal racketeer, Maloney, since risen to the international presidency of the union, which he rules by might and terror along with the notorious Jersey thug, Joe Fay. Green threw his influence against Zeigler and the workers. “Your letter dated Jan. 18 makes quite clear what I ‘suspected when I received your former communication,” he wrote. “The spirit which you have displayed shows you are not so much seeking redress

‘| of real grievances as you are seeking to denounce

the officers of the labor movement, myself included, and to utilize real or fancied wrongs as an instru. mentality through which you can engage in the denunciation of the labor movement and its officers.” On Feb. 23, Zeigler made a statement in which he said he had been pursued on the street by two of the high racketeering officers of the union, one of whom yelled “I will kill you yet.” Zeigler reported this to one of his friends in the treasury intelligence.

Slain While Going Home

THE NEXT night as was going home to dinner, a street light ‘was blackéd out at a point near his house and as he reached that spot a gunman jumped out of a car and shot him three times. His wife kept together the family, five of whom were in school, One son is now in the army and recently wrote a letter expressing his hatred of the sort of racketeer who murdered. his father. As Maloney rose in the racket and in the dirty underworld politics of unionism and the New Deal machine ‘of Chicago, he grew rich and - rose even higher in Green's favor. On Aug. 15, 1941, the mob and .a lot of visiting racketeers, including Fay, attended a testimonial dinner for Maloney in Chicago and Will Green attended in his official person as president of the American Federation of ‘Labor. And this is what Green said of Maloney that night: “Among other things, Bill Maloney is a highly efficient administrator and executive of great talent and more than that, though there is no need to tell you people here tonight who know Bill, a loyal, intelligent, honest; courageous leader of organized labor.”

We the People By Ruth Millett

TOO MUCH sympathy isn’t good for- young peorle. Tell them over and over that they had the misfortune to.come to maturity at the worst possible time, that it is a pity they have to live through a war before getting on with their own lives, that the trouble the world is in isn’t their fault and they are likely to develop a “What difference does anything make?” attitude toward life. Young folks don’t need sympathy; they need fighting talk. The kind of talk that a southern editor, Edward J. Meeman, recently gave to a college graduating class. Mr. Meeman told them: “I congratulate you on the enormous tasks you must undertake; on, the enormous difficulties you must face. I congratulate you that you must fight with. the odds against you. “You are not to be pitied that you are called upon to play a hero's role. The opportunity to be a hero is the best that can come to a man.” “That is the kind of fighting talk that, young people want to hear. It offers them something.

Point Up the Challenge PITY DOESN'T get them anywhere. It soothes

start. It softens them up.

attitude. ; ow them that a world in a mess should be a challenge. A mess can be cleaned up. But not if the tion that is faced by it sits down in the clutter .and shambles to feel sorry for itself. It must roll up its ‘sleeves and ‘say: “I won’t live in this mess. I'll set Tm ¥."

To the Point—

If you want to help them, give them a fighting |

temp THE INDIANAPOLIS 1 And | They Call This the Month of Roses!

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

“LONG LIVE ERNIE, MAY HIS SUCCESS GROW” By Myra Carey Morgan, 6668 Cornell st, I have always ‘admired Ernie Pyle and his writings, but now that I have a flier son somewhere in Africa, Ernie's articles to me have a deeper meaning. In other words,

everyone of the articles in The Times written by Ernie Pyle seems like I am being brought closer to the boys over there, including my son. A friend sent me a clipping from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch written by Alvin H. Goldstein titled “Literary Violet Becomes a Rose.” I wish everyone who admires Ernie's

‘articles could read this.

A grand person as well as a great writer, Ernie Pyle is on the way

‘to make history by his wonderful

writings in this war. Long live Ernie and may his success grow by leaps and bounds. » # » “INSURANCE LAW ONE OF MOST BAFFLING” By George ‘Maxwell, 450 N. Senate Of all the questionable things . . . one of the most baffling in my opinion is the automobile insurance law. ; > While that law does not specifically compel a person to carry insurance, yet the penalties prescribed in case of accident for those not having insurance are such as to amount to compulsion. Everybody should know that under this law a person without insurance in an accident with a person with insurance is clearly out of luck. This plainly ought to be. Accidents like every case at law ought to be judged on their merits and that only. All laws should be so drawn as not to allow the least suspicion of partiality. But this law goes even further than to protect the guilty. It invites accidents. A person with an insurance policy and knowing that the policy will protect him in any case will drive without any regard for the other fellow’s rights. Assurance that the law will protect you in any case is sure to breed recklessness. . . .

elections. . . .

(Times readers are invited to express their these columns, religious controversies excluded. Because of the volume received, letters ‘must be limited to 250 Letters” - be

views in

* words. must

signed.)

“TO REAP FREEDOM WE MUST SUPPORT IT” By James R. Meitzler, Attica George Brown holds himself aggrieved at what he calls a misquotation of his remarks on the qualities of voters at different presidential I apologize if I misinterpreted him, though the conclusion was obvious that he thought shiftless voters elected the best presidents. Quoting Mr. Brown, “ ‘The poor-in a lump is bad’ says the ‘Northern Farmer,’ and Mr. Meitzler agrees with him.” Now I said nothing like that. The poor are not bad, only inefficient. The first qualification of a man is to support himself. If he cannot do that he is less than nothing, he is a burden on others. If he is unable to pay .a trivial poll tax he is an incompetent citizen.

Mr. Brown warrants I voted for Harding, Coolidge and Hoover. Wrong again. The only Republican presidenitial candidates I ever voted for were McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt and Willkie. Whatever liberal infection, liberal with other people’s money, I had was cured by F. D. R.’s second term. “Mr. Meitzler considers all virtue and worth are on the side of . property-minded.” Mr. Brown makes much of this term as though it were a crime. I'll warrant he is property-minded himself. Even if he doesn’t covet . his neighbor's goods, I'll warrant he holds out for the last dollar as much as any prop-erty-minded conservative. Abe Lincoln did say, “God must have loved the common people, he made so many of them.” But Abe did not say that the common people were such poor citizens they could not and would not pay a paltry poll tax to support their country. No,

Side Glances—By Galbraith

.|the common people are too prop-

.| Christian country . . . * | officers who are trying to hold up

{bling places. Jesus said, “You shall make you free.” bling .

| SPEED RACES ON ROADS?”

erty-minded for that. “Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it» : » » » “WE, LIKE SHEEP, HAVE GONE ASTRAY”

By 0. D. K., Indianapolis If M. L. McArthur, Bridgeport, Ind. dislikes Westbrook Pegler’s items, why read them? It is evident Pegler’s items are facts and truthful or he would be sued for libel. If they are truthful (and they ‘evidently are) shouldn’t the commonwealth know it? Personally, I feel we are in a bad way from just the things he writes about. Even so, what's to be done?

Our present form of government ||

has now passed from the people— a few in Washington have reached the conclusion we the people haven't sense enough to govern ourselves. Judging from the way men and women go to the primaries I think the few in Washington are right. We are due for a dictator and nothing can or will stop it. We, like sheep, have all gone astray and are swallowéd up with material things. Read what Jim Farley says about our 150 years under this form of government. Because of freedom and liberty thus far does not imply that we will always have. it. More power to Pegler. Pegler’s items are like the Bible; people do not believe what he says.

” ” dl “WE WON'T GET FREEDOM BY GAMBLING” By Virginia Lloyd, Indianapolis I have been taking and reading The Times for 22 years. I always read the Forum with much interest. I like the different views of people

on different subjects, but this is my [*

first writing. I want & heart to heart talk with T. M. on gambling. You say a gambler is a good sport. Gambling is a pull on morale, first aid to uncivilization and a short cut to hell, no matter where it takes place, under cover or in the open, among the

much money gambles and loses it, then goes out on the highway and robs someone to get it back . . The devil gambles with the souls of men under cover. I suppose you call him a good sport. This is a I praise the

the standard by raiding the gamknow the Suth, and the truth shall That is what we are’ working for and praying for and fighting for— freedom. We will not get it Am. CE [ Sh

“HAVE YOU SEEN

By Mrs. W., Mooresville

Buttonholing Ahead or

rich or poor. A man that hasn't Te appropriation.

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, Our Hoosiers * By Daniel M. Kidney ;

WASHINGTON, June.

Rep. Raymond 8. Springer RR Dg aie

ful of congressmen who listened

not more than 45 of the bers of the house were Thus far in this war they have taken the anything the army or navy wants must “sight unseen.” Realizing that this may be a contributory a possible $300,000,000,000 national debt, Mr.

took the house floor and addressed his few colleagues

who were there. - “This is the largest appropriation measure tha¥ has ever been presented to any legislative body im the history of the world,” he told them, “a bill calling’

for the stupendous sum of $59,037,599,673 of a new

appropriations and the sum of $12,472,839,200 in re appropriations. »

War's Cost Appalling

“WE ARE amazed at the frightful requests which have been made by the president and the war de< partment for funds with which to prosecute this war, “Every American is appalled at the immensity this appropriation bill. We do not know how muck money is embraced in this measure, We see ‘the figures, but we cannot appreciate the amount. “When we remember that the cost of the last world war, including loans made to foreign countries, totaled approximately $41,000,000,000, then we refl that this one appropriation bil far exceeds the total cost of that war, . . . “While this measure appears to be very large—if may be too large, and all of this huge amount may

"not be absolutely necessary—I cahnot say tWat it is

too large. I do not know and the people generally do not know whether this appropriation is too large ox too small, A

Must Prune Payrolls : Me

“WE HAVE to accept the demand of the army experts. We must be guided by our fervent desire to win this war and the statements made by the army experts that this sum is necessary for victory. “These are serious days in our country. I shude der when I look forward into the future, .Throughe

out the coming years, the people of this country will

be faced with the staggering debt created both before this war and since we became involved in this titanie struggle. “It is highly essential that every non-essential item of spending be entirely eliminated. Every useless and needless employee in civilian personnel must be released from the federal payroll. Waste and extravae gance must be stopped and we must get down to the sole business of winning this war. “Every other project which costs money must be abandoned in this crisis.” a——

3

In Washinglon

By Peter Edson

WASHINGTON, June 24.

Most unpredictable critter in all the vast organization of your fs flung federal government is honorable, the august, the distin guished house of representativ The remark may be trite, but & truism. \ You can always predict what the weather in Washington will be—terrible. But predicting how the house will behave is impossible, unless, of course, you want to be stubborn about it and condemn that behavior with the adjective “ter rible” too. In the past week, the house has been in one of its worst runaway tantrum moods. On the same day that approval was whammed through for 27 billion dollars for the navy and 72 billion dollars for

the army, almost without opposition, the house took

vicious socks at comparatively minor appropriations for the office of price administration, office of war information and the President's pet. national Tee sources planning board. i A few days before a house committee had cut funds for the war manpower comtnission, and a week befors had put curbs on the president's use of his em funds.

/f } oe i % : “ : these agencies may be hbfefimitien by even their fost

y have a job to do and !

NO MATTER how administered, it must be vociferous critics that

deserve better than to be cut off with a few ‘mere .miilions. = Stopping their: work isn’t going “RE «done, either.

And so, following’ ite usual procedure, a laf & telephoning and buttonholing in the oan corridors will be done} to.get some of the cuts .propriations put back in, and a lot of fixing Yo to be done in the senate to right the mistakes o

house,

An example of this fixing was the recent | of the senate in restoring funds to the farm administration after the house had previously

The question is, why all this lost motion? all this unnecessary confusion from. the

‘summing thihgs up in general, requiring a ot

pair work to get things back under control? . . Attend a normal session of the house and. it's usually utter bedlam. Nobody pays any atte | only half of them are there, and the whole affale seems run with the utter nonchalance of a. combing. tion kindergarten class and cocktail party. It’s easy to condemn the house on these but the answers aren't as simple as ths shot. It's a cinch to say this is the the country ever had, as some men in tion are wont to do, and let it go at blanket indic tment, ,however, misses |

mile, Like Sunday in the Park

THE FACT is that die funawsy; is one of the healthiest Bo ican system of democratic go the house floor is like a 0apho : up