Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 August 1943 — Page 12
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“PAGE 12 rrsr— The Indianapolis Times
ROY W. HOWARD RALPH BURKHOLDER President Editor, in U. 8. Service MARK FERREE WALTER LECKRONE Business Manager Editor
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1943
- TAXES COMIN’ "ROUND THE CORNER
SECRETARY MORGENTHAU says the treasury tax program is still in the study stage and “fluid.” ‘Twas ever thus. Washington dispatches report that the treasury’'s experts probably will not be ready to sit down with the ways and means committee on Sept. 8, the appointed date, to discuss the new tax legislation. That shouldn't be surprising. After all, Sept. 8 will be only 21 months and one day after Pearl Harbor—hardly enough time for those experts to jell their ideas about war revenue. It's a good thing the same crowd isn’t in charge of the fighting fronts. ; Perhaps, though, it's just as well the treasury boys don’t know what they want. They probably couldn't get it anyway. Rep. Bob Doughton, chairman of ways and means, has returned to Washington in a testy frame of mind, and has served notice that his committee will not be bound by anybody else's idea about what kind or size of tax bill ghould be passed. “We'll raise what revenue we reasonably can without breaking anybody's back or shattering industry,” says Doughton, adding his “one hope that we can write a bill for revenue and not for votes.” With election year coming Wp, “some people may want to play politics with it.” © Whomever that shoe fits can put it on, seems to be Mr. Poughton’s attitude, and as a sort of afterthought he tosses in a second shoe, saying: “Incidentally, I haven't heard any talk of anyone submitting estimates for cutting expenses. It seems to me that is just as necessary as submitting estimates for more taxes.” And what an old-fashioned shoe that is. Benjamin Franklin said it: “A penny saved is two pence clear.”
LANDON AND LASKI ON FASCISM
J ASCISM is taking large chunks out of the front page nowadays, what with the fall of Mussolini. A lot of definitions of fascism have been expressed. The shortest we have seen is one in a speech by Alf M. Landon. Said
Landon:
x Fascism is fundamentally nothing but the philosophy | should me used impariely seine Sh Groot tha:
that political officeholders should run the people, instead of the people running the political officeholders.” Democracy was born of centuries of struggle by man versus the state. That is what the Magna Charta and Runnymede and the Declaration of Independence and Jeffergon and Lincoln were all about. Lincoln said it—everybody knows more than anybody. Another comment on the meaning of fascism has been written by a well-known English radical, Harold J. Laski. Though at the opposite end of the political scene from Landon, Laski seems to come out with the same conclusion. Says he in “Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time”: “That end (fascism) is a constant increase in the power of the state, regarded as the authoritarian embodiment of the national purpose. But since the state is, for all essential purposes, the Fascist party, the subordination of the individual to the Fascist party is the inevitable accompaniment of its evolution.” As for what's happening at home, let’s keep our eye on the indicator, with a clear and simple definition always in mind.
“ON WITH THE DANCE -”
LL the uproar over whether John Bovingdon was a ballet dancer before he got this $5600-a-year job as an economist for the office of economic warfare seems a trifle off the beam. A good ballet dancer may be just what the office of economic warfare has been needing. The office of economic warfare, formerly the board of economic warfare, had been moving in mysterious ways to promote victory and the century of the common man under the guidance of Vice President Henry A..Wallace until recently when Mr. Wallace disagreed with Secretary of Commerce Jesse Jones over a few paltry billions, Mr. Jones taking the position that we ought at least to count the money before we spent it. Mr. Bovingdon has been experting for it at long distance on labor conditions in Japan, where it is generally believed that the Wagner act and the 40-hour week have not yet been fully applied. Denying the horrid charge of a terpsichorean background Mr. Bovingdon himself leans to the belief that it may have arisen out of that time awhile back when he “developed a form of physical culture therapy” and gave lessons on it. Or maybe it came from that other time when he went about lecturing on economics attired in the native costumes of the countries whose economies he was expounding. = ” = N 1924, it appears from an old newspaper clipping, Mr. Bovingdon called himself a member of the “Church of the Rhythmic Ritual,” and said: “We are a band groping toward intuitive communication . . . when you conceive of a community, all members of which are swayed by kindred emotions of awe and wonder, expressing themselves through plastic bodies moving rhythmically, the picture is staggering.” ¢ Obviously he ought to feel right at home among our more advanced bureaucratic economists, and besides, that picture we saw in the papers of Mr. Bovingdon moving rhythmically in a pair of trunks corresponded pretty closely ith our own preconceived notion of what one of them would look like, if we ever saw one.
And as for the “kindred emotions of awe and wonder”
—just wait till the taxpayers get the bill for what they |
Fair Encush
By Westbrook Pegler
NEW YORK, Aug. 4 —Fascism, in Italy, was the reaction against ‘the violence of communism which was beginning to reproduce the Russian revolution among a sick, poor and confused population whose government had lost authority and respect. It was not an unpopular reaction, for it offered attractive bribes to the people and promised to punish the rich and humiliate the high-born. It also promised to put down disorders which always terrify the majority of the citizens and the saying that Mussolini made the trains run on time was not as empty as it sounded; for it meant not merely that he put them on schedule and kept them there, but also that he imposed discipline on revolutionary railroad workers and made them behave. ‘ Mussolini did pay off many of his promises to the workers, but, in return, he seized absolute power over their lives and what he gave the Italians, after a time, was the moral and practical equivalent of the government that the Communists had tried to sstablish, x
Business Tightly Regulated
BUSINESS, ALTHOUGH not seized outright, was so tightly regulated that business became a state enterprise and was fed upon by petty agents of the party and looted by the more pompous grafters and oppartunists.
Any worker who thought his employer had mis- | used him could readily and easily go to court and get | his rights, and it was pleasant in the early stages to |
be able to stand up in court and point a finger at the boss without fear. Mussolini was especially crafty *in his treatment of the journalists for although he could create a one-
party press by force it was even better to create a loyal body of enthusiastic defenders whose devotion had been bought by a form of job-security that made it more expensive for an employer to fire an income petent than to keep him on the payroll for life. "Anyway, the press was receiving government subsidies to cover any deficits that might result from the overload, so the employers, too, were reasonably happy in their new condition. On the whole, fascism was not unpopular with the Italians as a domestic government. But it began to
hurt when the bum dressed up his empire and in the | darkness before dawn the hobnalils of young Italians, |
faceless in the gloom, clopped in broken steps over the cobblestones of the streets leading down to the transports for Abyssinia.
Italians Wanted Only Parades
THIS WAS WAR again and the Italians had not wanted real war but only parades and music and demonstrations of patriotism. Mussolini also put through his program of public works and resettlement projects and paid baby-bonuses and altogether, there were elements in fascism which have been copied here and rapturcusly praised as social, political and economie gains. There, also, those who criticized the content and the objectives of the government's program put theme selves in an exposed" position, for there were many to say that Mussolini was a great and good man whose heart beat only for the people and that his opponents had no motive but greed and bitterness over the loss
of their old privileges. Governments all require force behing them which
challenge their authority. It may be the force in the policeman’s night stick, implied but not exerted, or, in extreme cases, the force of arms under martial law, But if the former is used effectively in the first place and never spared out of political consideration for any element of the population, the need for martial law does not develop.
Communists Exploit Discontent
IN ITALY, just before fascism, the force behind government had flinched, then failed utterly and the popular appeal of fascism lay in its promise of order and law and an era of employment and sufficiency, if not necessarily of plenty. It is always the method of the Communists to take advantage of discontent arising from poverty and discouragement to arouse elements of the people to riots which may develop into insurrections, and it is always a mistake of any government to condone or accept any excuses for any challenge to its authority.
When such disturbances go just so far the government loses the initiative and the authority and may be unable to regain control. Britain had some dangerous experiences after the other war, including a strike of policemen in Liverpool, a very tough city, and Britain came through, thanks to the character of the people and their civilization and respect for law. In other countries, though, communism faded into fascism as ‘Herbert Hoover has repeatedly pointed out to the boos of a multitude of Americans who seem to think that law and order mean reaction and oppression of the many by the few.
We the People
By Ruth Millett
THERE are a number of things Mrs. America ought to remember when the war is over. She ought to remember how to treat household help. She is being a thoughtful, considerate employer, now that help is scarce enough to make her so. She ought to remember how easy it is to be “reasonable” and go right on being a fair-minded pleasant employer if ti'e time comes again when she could possibly get by with a high-handed attitude. She ought to remember, too, the pleasant relationships she now has with the people with whom she trades. She has had to learn that she can’t always have exactly what she wants, when she wants it.
A Simplified Life SHE SHOULD remember, too, the many ways in which she has simplified her life so that she can do volunteer war work outside her home. She may not be needed as a nurse's aid when the war is over—but she could keep her life simple enough so that she can spend the time she is now devoting to hospital work at some worthwhile community project. She should remember the thrift that wartime living is teaching her. It would be siily for her to forget it, just because she may be able to splurge when the war is over. If she ever starts trying to keep up with the Joneses again—she will be a foolish woman. And above all she should remember the thing she tells herse\f over and over again: “If our family is once more united—I will niver again let little things make me unhappy.” :
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THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES Dance of the Dying Swan!
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In Washington
By Peter Edson
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 4~The “wage incentive” plan, hailed by the war production board som months ago as something that would increase war production and give the workers nore money at the same time, has been getting no place fast, although all the snags and objections to incentives seem to have been worked out in a few recent labor contracts which have been approved by the war labor board. One factor that hasn't helped any is that there has been no over-all statement of policy on waged, incentive plans. War labor board members are on” record as saying that increased wages earned under incentive plans shall not be considered as breaking the wage stabilization formula. The way is thus opened for more incentive pian wage agreements to be put into effect, provided on” _ that such agreements do not increase the lever of production costs appreciably, or furnish the basis either to increase prices or resist otherwise justifiable reductions in prices. Chief objection to most incentive plans from labor is that they are associated with speed-up plans or Bedeaux efficiency systems or that, as soon as a higher rate of production is obtained, the employer cuts back the piece-work rate, thus leaving the em-A
~.| ployee worse off than he was before.
'Bonus for All'
SOLUTION TO that difficulty is obtained by agreement that incentive rates shall not be cut back for the duration of the war. Freezing piece-work 4 rates permits the workers to go all out on the pi, with every assurance his earnings will not be reduced. A second objection to incentive payments by piece-work employees is that no benefit goes to the hourly-rate or day-rate workers, though all of then are usually forced to perfom more labor to keep 3
| with increased production of the piece-work em-
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‘|down into the agony of childbirth
The Hoosier
I wholiy disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.
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“MR. JEFFERSON SAID A MOUTHFUL” By George Maxwell, 450 N. Senate ave, It is plainly apparent that these New Deal reformers are trying to tie in or link up the international | situation with their domestic reforms, as witness Vice President Wallace's latest speech. 1f they make as big a muddle out of the international situation as they have out of the domestic one » who'e world will be in a pretty pickle. These New Deal bureaucrats have hedged the people about with such restrictions and regulations that they don't know what to do or what not to do. The people are living in a state
of fear lest they might innocently violate some of their pseudo reform measures. Nobody could keep up with their bureaucratic orders. Mr. Jefferson said a mouthful when he said that that government governs best that governs least. But Jefferson's idea is outmoded now. Gone are the liberties we used to cherish so.
» =” » “I'M FOR WAR MOTHERS WHO FIGHT TOGETHER" By R. 8, Indianapolis I have read in the paper where a group of women are trying to tear down an organization that was
formed to do things for our boys and girls fighting in the armed forces. It is a funny thing to me |
that these “mothers” don’t have |
anything better to do than to tear down something that other people |
have worked to build up. I can't see how it happens that some of them call themselves mothers, when lots of people know they don't have a child to their name. Most women who have gone
would do anything to help that child and others, too, but a woman who has never had any children of her own, even if she does claim someone else's, has no right to try| to wreck some other mothers’ best
| selves well informed by getting the
(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.)
efforts to help the service men and women, There is plenty of work to do back here on the home front, if we want to bring these boys back again, so why do these war mothers try to wreak havoc because they don't] have the ingenuity to make an or- | ganization grow and amount to something? “War mothers?” I ask you—don't you think “war. ring mothers” would be better? I am for war mothers who fight together for their own and other sons, not who insult and slur each other, and keep someone from doing something good when he wants fo. n » » “RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM UP TO OUR EYEBROWS” By W. H. Edwards, Spencer A feminine writer in the Forum recently stated that Westbrook Pegler could stump the best of them. Like all who want to keep them-
views of others, I always read Pegler's column, even as I read all letters printed in the Forum. But I am not at all fooled by Pegler's acrimonious statements. Any analyst can readily see that Pegler allows his own private opinions to take first place in his writings. Pegler is_right, nevertheless, in stating that union labor has become
a racket. But why is it that he never mentions that oldest and strongest racket of all: the Wall Street business racket? All of us assume the right to crit-
Side Glances—By Galbraith
| brows,
|
icize the president or congress, but | |
why should any of us assume, as) Pegler does, the questionable right | to play a tune on that critical string | day after day without letup? True, the bureaucrats appointed | by the president have made many blunders; the price administration | alone having, under Prentiss Brown's administration, been a comedy of
errors. But why should Pegler or any other writer make those errors so magnified that the commander- |
in-chief's conduct of the war effort appear to be of secondary importance? Or has Pegler only one or two strings to his idea machine? The overrated ideal of rugged individualism which is so glorified by Pegler and other reactionary politicians and writers, means nothing | less than a reaction towards tribal instincts of “Get what you can, any way you can, without giving any consideration to the rights of others.”
We are now in that rugged in- | .
dividualism idea up to our eye-| with farmers demanding more money for cereal products, ! unionized labor threatening a na- | tion-wide strike unless prices are, rolled back and business insisting | that prices be freed of any price | control. Those three pressure] groups, if allowed to have their |
ployees operating under an incentive plan. Both of these innovations are incorporated in an agreement which the war labor board recently approved, covering 1600 employees of the National Automotive Fibre Co. of Detroit. This contract, worked out with the C. I. O. United Auto Workers’ union, is almost a model incentive plan agreement.
Establish Man-hour Basis
TO SET UP the rate at the National Fibre plant, the total production per man-hour was determined on a given date, as a base, That standard was established for each department. The man-hour basis is used to take care of fluctuating employment, the hiring of additional men or the laying off of others for given periods. At the end of each payroll period, the production of every department is determined on the basis of man-hours worked, Production above the standard is measured in terms of “credit hours.” To determine the amount of the incentive payment, the number of credit hours is multiplied by the hourly rate of each emplovee and that amount is added to his base pay. To put a ceiling on the system, for the protectio of the employer, it is provided that, if production | 35 per cent above standard, payments shall remain ® fixed at that level, pending restudy.
Time to Retire By William Philip Simms
WASHINGTON, Aug. tril tary attaches here believe Cery many has either begun or is abou to begin a systematic withdrawal to positions nearer home and therefore more easily defended by herself alone. When Italy cracks up, as practically everyone here is convinced she will do before long, the Nazis are expected to retire to a line roughly conforming to the valleys of the Po, the Sava and the Danube, ’ Failure of the German offensive in Russia, these observers say, will force Hitler to fall back in the east to a line, say, from Odessa to Riga. Norway may be evacuated for two reasons: First, Norway was useful mostly as a base for U-boats, and the U-boat campaign seems to be petering out. Second, Sweden may soon withdraw permission for Ger-
way, would guarantee us a vicious |-man troops to cross her territory, in which case the
circle of rapidly rising prices that, if the confusion resulting thereby | reaches to the war fronts, might endanger our ever-brightening chances of victory. » ” on “WE ARE FIGHTING FOR AMERICAN WAY” By Harrison White, Indianapolis Nazism, Fascism, and Communism are all of the same family, and are all cohorts of anarchy. They are all adjuncts of the continent of Europe, and by them, all the hatred, fear and distrust between all the Buropean states, and the consternation, and bad conditions in the United States of America for more than 20 years to my knowledge, have been caused and agitated into flame. As an illustration of this European mess, “One time in Montana I went out to dig me up a prairie dog; and I dug up a rattlesnake, a hoot-owl, a lizard and a hornedtoad, all out of the same nest. I have often wondered what part they played in the enocomic and political life of that ‘prairie dog town,
or just why the prairie dogs permitted them to hang around.” If we are not fighting for “The American Way of Life” we have nothing to fight for; if we are, we should collaborate with all the different people of Europe and offer them our way of life as a guarantee against future war; we can do no more than that; it is something they have never experienced; we should not collaborate with Anarchy, Nazism, Fascism, or Communism in any respect, for their every tendency is to break down our form of government, which is a “just” form of government for all men unto an “unjust” world of “Internationalism.” Hwa Sey
| garrisoning of Norway would be difficult,
Will Cling to France
FINLAND WILL drop out of the war before or at the time of the evacuation of Norway-—that is, if Soviet Russia will offer her an honorable peace. The Germans are expected to eling to France. unless and until Pierre Laval, the French Quisling, is. deposed by internal revolt or otherwise. France is too = hard for the allies to invade, either from across the straits of Dover or the Mediterranean or from Italy, to be given up without a struggle.
Similarly, the Nazis will probably hold on to their positions in the Balkans until they are subjected to some pressure by the allies. Like France, the Balkans provide excellent terrain for a slow rear-guard action which would delay the final showdown-—especially if the line of the Po, the Salva and the Danube is strongly fortified meanwhile. :
Rumania will not be abandoned without a struggle ' —even if Bulgaria quits the axis and Greece and Yugoslavia fall to the allies. A third of Germany's gas and oil comes from Rumania. The rest, or most of it, is produced from coal inside the Reich and many of these plants have been blown up by allied bombers,
Balkans Next, Experts Say Sf
THE BETTING among the experts here is that, after Italy, the Balkans will again become the cockpit of Europe. Allied landings would probably be made more or less simultaneously in Greece and along t. Dalmatian coast where Gen. Draja Mihailovich, Yugoslav patriot, is waiting with his army of Serbs.’ Somewhere in this scheme of things—probably after Germany has become punch-drunk from so much pounding from so many directions—will probably come the attack promised by Elmer Davis of OWI this week in his broadcast from North Africa. That is to say, the invasion from England. By unanimous consent, invasion from Britain promises to be the bloodiest and most difficult. But, carried out at the right moment, it also promises by far the greatest results. Properly timed, it would be the knockout blow. If it missed, the allies might ‘ caught off balance—wide open to a counter b straight for our solar plexus. For Britain is by all odds» the greatest and most important of all allied bases. For that reason, invasion from England, though it could come any day, is not widely expected until Ger pe many and her defenses in France and the low coun<tries have been properly softened up.
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