Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 August 1943 — Page 14

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Gir Light ind the Pease wa Find Their Own Woy

| FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1043

or AND PRICES |

IL men in session here see very clearly, as federal theo- , rists do not, the reason why oil and ‘gasoline are, or may become, scarce in America right at the moment in history when the security of this nation . depends upon virtually unlimited supplies. The reason is biundering price fixing. As any oil man knows, it costs more to produce oil from some fields, ‘and even from some wells, than from ‘others. If petroleum sells for $2 a barrel, obviously only ‘wells that can produce it for $2 or less will be in operation. Wherever it costs $2.01 a barrel to produce, none is pro.duced for a $2 market. This takes out of production a considerable share of the oil fields and oil wells, and leaves the _hation short by whatever amount they could yield. It also ‘practically stops any search for new supplies from new fields, ‘a risky business at best which can attract capital _only when there is hope of profits commensurate to risks. The office of price administration has resolutely refused to let oil prices rise even by the very small margin which Petroleum Administrator Harold L. Ickes, backed by the oil industry, says would bring more idle: wells into production and prevent a dangerous shortage.” OPA’s reason .is that to do so might make gasoline cost a.cent a gallon more or maybe even two cents. Its economists: take the ‘position that it is, better to have no gasoline at 18: cents than to have plenty of gasoline at 19 cents a. gallon, and we have Mr. Ickes’ word for it that that attitude has con‘tributed largely to a sharp decrease in petroleum supply . just when the: country needs more than it ever has needed. And at any price. ; The same line of reasoning has led to many another -. artificial shortage in wartime America—shortage of meat, and milk and butter and cheese for instance—exactly as it shas always done; whenever and wherever it has been tried | ‘for the last 3000 years. Price control is indisputably desirable as a preventive of inflation, but it is a dangerous implement, even in the most skilled hands, and few. Americans today consider OPA'’s theorists very skilled. Even at a slight increase in prices it might conceivably be better to have enough supplies of food and materials to keep the nation at top efficiency for war.

‘THE QUEBEC QUESTION

JNCLUSION of Secretary of State Hull and Foreign Minister Eden in the Anglo-American war conference is welcome proof that delayed problems of foreigft’ political policy :will be faced. jointly. That most of them will be solved— ‘or indeed can be solved without the presence ‘of other allies .—is teo much to expect. But at least more political unity between ‘London and Washington can be achieved on French, Italian and Russian ‘ questions, to mention only a few; and that is the necessary _beginning for larger allied agreement. : The Nazi propaganda radio now blatantly extends the feelers for a fake peace which Berlin and Rome have been ‘making less publicly for MORin, particularly since the fall . of Mussolini. The danger that the axis in 1 losing the war will win the peace, by a convenient change of color anid. other hocuspocus to wangle soft terms instead of unconditional surrender, is one’ with which the Quebec conferees must deal. This is the basic issue in allied. policy toward Italy today, and soon will be in our policy relating to. such satel‘lite countries as Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria, as: well ‘as Fascist Spain. bow, * = a x LSO the same issue is involved in allied disagreement concerning eastern European frontiers in particular and the post-war political settlement in general. Russia wants the Baltic states, and parts of Finland, ‘Poland and Rumania. Britain apparently was willing to . agree to this when she made her formal alliance with Stalin, ‘but American protest postponed that as a violation of the Atlantic charter.

: In addition to those territories which Stalin: considers | i essential to Russian security, he also is said to want to dom- | inate or protect eastern Europe and northern Persia in|

i exchange for sanctioning British: spheres of influence in iwestern Europe and southern Persia. : Will Russia. or Britain, or the United States; or all three, or the unitea nations as a whole, have the determin.ing voiee in’ Germany's status? : : Stalin's: own statements and the manifesto of his Mos- | COW “free Germany committee” indicate that Russia might ‘be willing to make a soft peace with the German army after ‘the fall of Hitlerism,| while the Churchill-Roosevelt terms | are unconditional surrender, ® » » » ® » : HESE differences cannot be. salved by. ignoring them. Recent experience proves they grow worse unless faced. | Somehow an agreement on basic European policy must be | i reached with Stalin. ! Presumably that will be possible only after a prior ten- ‘ tative agreement by Britain and the United States, plus a ‘ willingness to meet Russia part way in a ‘mutual adjust- : ment to. which all can give vigorous support. : Meanwhile, the sweep of military events is determining political events to our disadvantage. ‘The fall of Mussolini caught the allies politically un-

| prepared, which enabled Hitler and Badoglio to strengthen :

the Nazi hold on northern Italian bases. Of more importance, Russian advances on the eastern ls nt are giving Stalin dominant influence in a future Ger- | man settlement because there is neither an allied oelitiend| nt “Hor a. western: land front. Where and when the western allies invade the: continent are questions of vast political consequence. Thus and iil oblcimg ‘have been fused | ountsy +4 the | heat of battle, and ted.

e boys. the. table, the bettas will -get By this time next year, the candidates 1.0.U/s into the middle, couched score by innings, all drawn against the ing the : future of the very peop receiving end of the promises, ‘This is all pretty thin, body knows that when this is over ladies come home, they will no or receive. They will just take ove cause this time there are so many of candidate or party will be able to Sd . A discharge bounty or bonus of $1000 for will be easy promising because, after all, run to only 10 billion dollars, which reckoned as a fairly sizeable pile but isn’t by comparison with the bill for the war an on want which preceded it.

Bonus of $5000 Each

IF WE ARE going to send groceries and food and machinery to the hundreds of millions of ex-enemies and“ ex-subjects of the ex-enemies (as we probably ‘aren't on any such scale as we are now leading these

added onto the bill, to provide a bounty or bonus of $5000 each, will not intimate people who will then be asking “What about me”.

veterans in somewhat the same mood and vein in which Winston Churchill laid it down to the people of Britain when he took .over and the Nazi across the channel was drowning from the effects of his big meal on the continent instead of plunging into the water in pursuit of the British. The honest candi~ date would say that from war the veterans must expect to turn’ te hard, steady work and a standard

it is over this country will be just about as clean stripped of things that people need as the leanest store in town today.

Hard Work and Heavy Taxes

HE WOULD say that, yes, a fellow would rate a little lay-off and some parades and ceremonies but that the recovery and rebuilding will call for hard work, starting almost immediately and continuing without prospect of any let-up for years and years. And he would promise them years of extremely heavy taxes, too, and point out that because there will ‘be

people,-most of whom will be either definitely old or ‘within @’ few birthdays of the downhill slope, will be EF inable to tote the ‘load and won't be here to tote it "more than a few years, anyway. “That would ‘be a hell of ‘a way for a candidate to speak to a block of votes which will run this country after the ‘war, so probably no candidate will take this "line and the promising about the brave new world of the future will be unconfined. ‘And I have no confidencé that the veterans will want to reclaim entirely the old freedoms ‘at home, which many of them (the younger ones) never knew anyway except by hearsay; and break ranks and have done with regimentation in their civilian life.

They Won't Be Very Patient

TRUE, THEY will. not be. very patient about questionnaires and forms but, if. it is put to them that by “filling .out the- blanks and giving certain information and complying with certain restrictive regulations saved over from the war, they stand to get benefits in money or tax-exemption or preferential status in government jobs, they will be strongly tempted to go along and to root for more and more government jobs. A man may. think he is tired of regimentation ‘when he only tired of discipline and routine but unconsciously dependent on the government as a result of years in.the service. That life does develop a feeling that “they,” meaning the government, will be sending along the food and clothing in time if not on «time, and there will be many persuasive talkers to promise “security” without mentioning that the price of “security” provided by the state is obedience to the state in phases of civilian life in which Americans always before were free. To be sure the veterans will want work because “work is the human way of life and the idleness was a curse equal to the poverty in the long depression. But what chance has a candidate who says, “I promise you only work and ‘taxes to pay for the shells you shot away” against one who promises cash awards, tax exemption and security?

We the People By Ruth Millett

BY HAVING a certain amount of money taken out of their pay

war bonds, a lot of young people are saving systematically on their first jobs. It ehould make saving easier for them the rest of their lives. Take Johnny Jones, for instance. The army is his first “job”—the first time in his life he : has ever earned a monthly pay check. Well, Johnny is putting a set amount out of ‘every pay check into war bonds. He is establishing a habit-the habit of saving before spending, which,

saving. The same thing is true of his sister Mary, wha is a: welder. getting used to the idea of saving a certain portion of her pay each week. -When the war . over and Mary and Joruny Start. counting their war bonds, ‘they are bound to be impressed : with what a tidy sum they have saved in a few. years by saving first and saving systematically. .

It's Easy to Spend

BOTH COULD easily have spent every cent they earned during the war years, and consoled themselves with the assurance that they couldn’t do otherwise, thai it took every cent they made to “ But the need for Americans to started them saving with their first If the experience teaches he kind of saving can be, and how good it feels

people to expect) 10 billions or even 50 billions more

But the really honest candidate, if we have one | next year, will be the man who speaks up to the

of living considerably below our old one, because when |

so very many veterans this time the rest of the]

checks each week or. month for

The Hoosier Forum

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

“SEGREGATION ‘WILL NOT SOLVE U. 8. PROBLEM” By Mrs. Faye Rodman, Indianapolis

Mrs. Herbert Larsen on Aug. 11 expressed some views with which I must differ, although I believe that she is absolutely sincere. Unfortunately, many sincere, Christian, and tolerant people believe slong the same lines. She has expressed the belief that many riots and labor troubles are caused by putting Negro foremen over white men. The fact is that most of the unrest and strikes in defense plants have been caused by the upgrading of Negroes from janitors to skilled and semi-skilled jobs. The white workers objected not to Negro foremen, but to Negroes working in anything but a menial capacity. That situation occurred recently in Indianapolis, but, fortunately, was soon rectified by thinking workmen who realized that intolerance, here or abroad, must be conquered. The European Jew has been living in ghettos for centuries, but the Jewish problem is a more burning question than ever. Btrict segregation of the Negro will not

there can be no equality of opportunity . within a segregated pattern, nor is there room for the exercise of much ingenuity within the invisible :walls of race prejudice that beset the Negro, no matter what his capabilities may. be. Every race or nationality has a hoodlum element which seizes on a public disaster to indulge in promiscuous looting. The great Chicago fire—the fires resulting from the blitz over London—the Detroit riot — the Harlem upheaval — all these produced looters and scavengers. It is unfair to blame a minority race for a crime common to a certain class existing in all

races.

Mrs. Larsen has made much of a Mr. Spaulding, the president of the North Carolina Mutual Insur‘ance Co. He is a=Southern Negro whose success stems from the fact that in the South white companies would . not take Negro insurance

" |risks. - His success was not due to

equality of opportunity, but to a monopoly on a business which he and a few others had the courage

|and brains to exploit.

We cannot cry the four freedoms to the world and keep the Negro in a state of quasi-citizenship. We cannot ‘condemn Britain for imperialism in its treatment of India| and protest against Negroes working in anything but menial jobs, We cannot sing “Land of the free and home of the brave,” and believe that a tenth of the population, because of facial coloration, is inferior to the other nine-tenths. It .is only through the medium

suits. or racial. strife—that racial

solve the problem in America, for

of public opinion—not through law-]

(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.)

minorities will reach the point of equality of opportunity. My only hope in writing this letter is that Mrs. Larsen and other individuals who believe as she does will realize that equality of opportunity cannot be found in a segregated or semisegregated pattern.

8 » » “SHOOTING TOO HUMANE FOR HITLER AND STOOGE” By Richard Neese, Indianapolis

I just read Raymond Clapper’s article “No Trial for Hitler or Il ‘Duce” and I disagree with him on one point. He wants to shbot “Der Puerher and Stooge.” 1 say this is much too humane. Shooting is too clean and too quick for two criminals who have caused so much suffering in our world, If the “powers-that-be” after this war should think back to such happenings as “Lidice” and “Rotterdam” and “Coventry”—I could go on until this becomes a book— if they would think back they would surely take my point of view, I am sure the natives of Borneo or New Zealand or even the old Romans could think of a much better way: Like the anthill and syrup method, (Treatment also recommended ‘in large doses for various Japanese.) ” » # “USING THE OTHER FELLOW’S MONEY ISN'T EQUALITY” By James R. Meitzler, Attica The best article in the Forum for a long time is, undoubtedly,

Mrs. Herbert Parsons’. It is direct~ ed -to our colored citizens, but it applies to us all. She quotes Charles C.. Spaulding, Negro head of the $60,000,000 North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co.r “Equality is a thing that should not be demanded because it cannot be granted. It has to: be earned. No utopian dreamer can achieve it for another man.” ©; Yet, letter after letter appears in the Porum demanding equality as a matter of right to be given by law, through the pressure of politics, and liberal politicians, liberal with the other fellow’s money. One after another promise it, not merely to the citizens of America but to the people of the world, Before the New Deal with its lev-

its Wagner acts, its social. security

for most human beings, is the only safe plan of :

She is.on her first job, too, and she is |

Side Glances-By Galbraith

eling down and anti-business policy,

laws we had equality of opportunity as far as it was possible to guarantee such by law, We were all equal under .the law except the privileged ' poor supported by the taxpayers money. The New Deal changed all that, It has been passing out the other fellow’s money to those who never earned it in its effort to make all equal. Its latest and greatest is social security, from the cradle to the grave for all, a project in which all deficits are made up out of the other fellow’s money, and which, when the other fellow’s money gives out, leaves us all equally bankrupt. Spaulding was right. No one can give you an equality that is worth-

liberals can’t, socialism and commuDi [can 20%, YOU cant vole i. te yourself, you have to earn it.

2 = =» “PARENTS MAKE WORSE TENANTS THAN CHILDREN” By Mary Studebaker, 22 E. 224 sf. In a recent issue of The Times there appeared a letter from Mrs. F. L. White on the subject of landlords ruling against tenants with children. Her letter has a whole-

some sound in spite of her desperation in trying to find a home for her family. Now, I have been on both sides of this situation: I have been a landlord for many years and I was a tenant for two years. When I had to look for a place to move to, I ran into a couple of turndowns because of my 10-year-old child. But both turned me down with a tone of sincere regret at this rigid ruling. At the third place I was informed that no children were allowed, but after conversation that breached the gulf between Jandlord and tenant, they broke their rule in my favor. My advice to Mrs. White is to take her children along with her and if they are the mannerly, wellbehaved kind, their presence is the biggest appeal she can make to the landlord. Above all, do not show belligerence over the Tuling against them. As a landlord I have rented to people with babies and children, and found the whole trouble is not with the children—but with the parents of children! Parents make the worst tenants! I could run a nursery or boarding home for children and there would be no

difficulty mainly with parents. Parents appear so indolent, I have watched a tenant resting on the porch while his children loosen a paling from the porch rail, and throw it in the yard. He just sits, busy with his resting. He never repairs the damage. In a few weeks, my porch was almost demolished. Tenants have an uncanny way of getting doors off their hinges, losing: the hardware, and thus it remains! r door glass is broken by the chilor a tenant will spend $50 to So it goes. 10s arants, from

while. The New Deal can not, the |

trouble. ' Landlords encounter their| oy i5 that delay in disposition of cases is.

If window panes

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20. Home front Hoosiers are sore as can be at two of the home kt who have made S00d—or they?—here. That was the: report brought to Washington by Rep. Earl Wil- * son, ninth district Republican, ‘Who came back during the congressiohal recess to try and help the railroad men get a pay raise. The pair pegged by Mtr. Wilson as being “on the list” with the home folks: are WMC Chairman Paul V. McNutt and Maj. Lewis B. Hershey, selective . service director. ° reason, given by Mr. Wilson, is their “joint. cons fusion” in regard to drafting pre-Pearl Harbor fathers,

Resembles Ring Routine

THE CONGRESSMAN pointed out that their cone flicting statements on this subject resembled the broadcast of a prize fight—" He's up, he’s down, etc.” —and that every family in Indiana and elsewhere with young fathers of draft age have been made dizzy as a result. ‘ Latest date set by Mr. McNutt for dratting the fathers is Oct. 1. ; Meanwhile, Rep. Andrew J. May, chairman : the house military affairs committee, has that he will introduce a bill to prevent drafting yo fathers. He has received considerable support: ahd approval from both congressmen and senators. This idea long has been sponsored by Senator Burton K.

‘Wheeler (D. Mont).

That the McNutt-Hershey stand has some logis behind it, however, was pointed out here in a sta ment of Rep. Estes Kefauver (D. Tenn.). He sald® “A strong emotional appeal can be made against the proposed drafting of pre-Pearl Harbor fathers, Mr. May and several others have indicated the opposition to the order of the selective service a ministration which will make fathers Subject to eall after Oct. 1,

Army Needs Not Known

“THE DIFFICULTY is that the public genersily and members of congress do not have as much infore mation about the needs of our army as the military men who are charged with the direct responsibility of winning the war. “In matters of this kind the only safe course te pursue is to follow their counsel, They have informa tion as to the strength of the enemy, the size of the army, navy and air corps that will be required to fight the war to a victory. “The leaders of our armed forces deserve the cons fidence and co-operation of congress and the natio Congress would be very unwise to upset their plans.” Other home front complaints come from the cone fusion of “directives” issued by the various administra« tion agencies, particularly OPA and WFA, Mr. Wilson said. “Our people are fed up with the complex orders coming from Washington and creating complete cone fusion,” he concluded. “They feel that the bureaucrats would attempt to repel the law of gravity to keep an apple from bruising by falling off the tree. ig a ii o

Fast Workers.

By Fred W. Perkins

Eo Y {

CHICAGO, Aug. 20.—Chicage is headquarters for the largest’ the 12 regional war labor a) through which the war labor board in ‘Washington hopes to cut defn its big accumulation of cases: and reduce labor-management dise agreement to as near the vanishe ing point as can be expected.’ + + The Chicago board, with 28 members and alternates, has about 200 panel members in Illinois, Ine diana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South

- Dakota, claims to be and apparently is taking the

wind out of the critics who predicted fatlure for the; regional set-up: These critics contended: i 1. That the tri-partite system of organization, with equal representation in decisions for labor, management and the public would Become unworkable through internal disagreements. .2. That so many of the public members of the boards are collexe professors (in this region nearly all are from the scholastic field)" that they should be replaced by “practical” men conversant with the conflict in interests between employers and workers. As to No. 2, the contrary evidence seems to be in the fact that the Chicago board has had no important failure in its handling of thousands of cases, Cid

Reducing the Backlog or

FROM AMONG the 75,000 industrial plants dn this industrially diversified region, employing about 7,600,000 men and women, the Chicago board had received 16,500 cases up to early this month; As that time there was a backlog of 2000 cases, or an accumulation of abproximately three weeks. The regional board now is receiving 500 to 650 cases’'s

week and disposing of 600 to 750. | The importance of this gradual advance toward

important cause of “quickie” strikes contril toward reduction of war output in a region respons! for one-fifth of military and naval materials; “." Answers to the criticisms of the three-sided a zation of the war labor boards were given to: ‘this writer by Dr. Robert K. Burns, Chicago regiopal chairman. He said this’ system’ has resulted in *a surprising degree of mutual understanding industry and labor, involving a recognition by sides of the necessity for making certain: . Probably one of the greatest achievements: of the war labor boards.” :

Board Works Smoothly

“DECISIONS OF the boards,” sald Mr. “have revealed a remarkable degree of agreement,

In almost 80 per cent of the cases the decisions have b

been unanimous. In approximately 10 per cent the public members have voted with labor and in the remaining 10 per cent with industry.” The Chicago board is prepared to ‘get tough® with men who impede war production. Among: its recent actions were a denial of the maintenance-ofe membership plan to a unien because of a work stop page, and a request to sn international unjon’ discipline of members Who engaged in an

Jzed strike.

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