Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 May 1945 — Page 16

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he Indianapolis Times

"PAGE 16. ; ‘Thursday, May 17, 1945 -

ROY W. HOWARD WALTER LECKRONE President Editor | :

a

Owned and published ‘daily (except Sunday) by Indianapolis Times Publishing Co., 214 W. Maryland st. Postal Zone 9,

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Give Light and the Peoph Will Find Their Own Way

NO BLACKOUT ON NEWS

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@@5p + RILEY 5551

PRESIDENT TRUMAN has put a welcome kibosh on the foolish scheme, cooked up ‘by allied psychological-war-fare “experts,” to bar from occupied Germany all privately published American, British and other newspapers and.

magazines.

Like Mr. Truman, we agree with Gen. Eisenhower, who told the President that he ordered no such news blackout and that, in his opinion, “a free flow of information and ideas should prevail in, Germany in a: manner consistent

with military security.” :

We also agree with both gentlemen that “there can be no restoration of a free German press in Germany until the elimination of Nazi and militarist influence has been completed. We are not going to lose the peace by giving license to racialist Pan-Germans, Nazis and militarists, so that they can misuse democratic rights in order to attack democ-

racy as. Hitler did.”

» » = = »

MR. TRUMAN'S statement is fine. We hope he will

soon clarify a couple of other points.

According to the President, Director Elmer Davis of the office of war information spoke in good faith but under a misapprehension when, last week, he admitted and defeuded the scheme to ban imports of private publications

into Germany.

ell, OWI has grandiose ‘and expensive

~ plans to “conduct” neWspapers, magazines and radio stations in Germany. How far is it going to be allowed

to go with them?

We can’t safely let our beaten enemies prin

S Bona VO

t-or broad-

cast whatever they please. But is it necessary to spoonfeed them on a costly diet of official American, British or Russian propaganda? Why not let the Germans print such publications and operate such radio stations as they can afford, at their own expense, subject to vigilant and sensible supervision and control, so that they can't get away with

3

any monkey business? 4 ‘ i 4.8 8 a.»

"THEN, TOO, War Secretary Stimson has announced a censorship of news coming out of Germany. Exactly what does that mean? A censorship strictly limited to protection of our occupation forces is all right. But we hope the war department doesn’t intend to go in for political censorship. Or that, if it does, Mr. Truman will call another halt. He and Gen. Eisenhower believe it will be good for the German people to read uncensored information from other

_countries.

It is supremely important that the people of

America, Britain and other democracies shall have uncen- - sored information about what goes on in Germany.

“HUMAN RIGHTS” AMENDMENTS

HE Big Four at San Francisco: have agreed on four human rights amendments to the Dumbarton-Yalta

blueprint for a security organization.

This is a victory

for the United States and Chinese delegations, and for the many minority pressure groups striving for racial, economic and political liberties in the post-war world. Secretary

Stettinius thinks it “may well prove to be the most im- |

portant of all the things we do here.” The proposed amendments would:

(1) Make the

promotion of human rights and freedoms a fundamental purpose of the new league; (2) empower the league assembly to advance this purpose; (3) charge the economic ‘and social council of the league with responsibility for international co-operation in its two fields, and (4) establish under that council a commission for. promotion of human

rights.

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BEFQRE THE PUBLIC concludes from all this that heaven is just around the cornér, we hasten to add that How much that amounts to depends on the individual's point of view.

these are only expressions of good intentions.

Anyway, it should be clearly understood that the Big |

"m

Four amendments deal only with “purposes

They do not make observance of human rights a binding part of the charter of the proposed league.

tional law.

. They do not enumerate individual and collective human rignts,.or specify an itemized international bill of rights | they must make them to Vienna and not to Moscow. simi‘ar to that in the United States Constitution, or other- | This would amount to recognition of the Viennese wise bring the vague generalities down to earth, They do not commit any nation to a single definite

reforin,

Finally, as Secretary Stettinius frankly admits, “the provisions are not made enforceable by any international

machinery.’ > #2 .

OUR PURPOSE in stressing this weakness of these high-sounding Big Four amendments is not to undermine reasonable hopes. It is to warn against impossible hopes that the Four Freedoms are‘being guaranteed aty place or

any time in the near future.

ing could only lead to public reaction and despair. Russia and the several dictatorship nations in the allied ranks do not plan to grant civil liberties tomorrow. Britain and other imperial powers do not plan to give independence to their subject peoples soon. Even our own advanced American democracy does not yet enforce fully its ancient bill of rights—much less all of the four freedoms. * All that these propdsals of the Big Four achieve, if accepted, is an international forum for discussion of the

age-old problems of liberty.

Such a naive misunderstand-

But, in our judgment, even that first halting step would be worth lusty cheers.

For

public opinion, with that start, could force more and faster

-steps forward. r

AMONG THE MOURNERS ~~

PERHAPS the only head of a neutral state to express

~ = regret upon the death of Adolf Hitler was President de Valera of Eire. Maybe Mr, de Valera felt that protocol

‘that he call at the German legation in Dublin tod

that case, suggests the New. York ¥ E : e

.

with. th

REFLECTIONS— °°

‘Gardening By John W. Hillman GARDENING IS supposed to be a healthful, wholesome outdoor ac-

"tivity, one that puts color in your cheeks, a sparkle in your eyes and

buoyant vigor in your: step. But.

| we've always been a little wary of anything that is | heralded as “healthful and wholesome,” and with some cause. Whatever that phrase is tacked onto usually turns out to be just plain hard work, and not at all interesting. : - As for the color, sparkle and buoyant vigor— we've been watching our gardening friends in recent weeks and they're a haggard lot. They move with painful reluctance and any buoyant vigor they may possess shows a tendency to fold up and leave them an ashen, aching shell by 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Most of them are bent and bowed, as though leaning under the weight of centuries. That, my

er’'s back.” It's strictly seasonal and is likely to be followed by a secondary complaint which the doctors diagnose as weeder’s knee, Gardening may be fun, and it certainly does provide food—especially for the raBbits—but from where we sit it looks as though it's mostly manual labor, that nasty stuff.

Voice of the Gardener Is Heard

THIS IS the season, too, when the voice of the gardener is heard in the land, and we must admit that some of our friends talk a mighty pretty garden. We aren't saying much personally, as our own gars den, though planted in the toil and sweat of several Sunday - afternoons, to date has produced only a bumper crop of puddles. Our peas aren't in bloom yet, as some others claim. In fact, the darn things haven't even come up—not that we blame them much—and we're told that if peas won’t grow, nothing will. ; ; The outlook is pretty dark, and it looks as though, come summer, we wouldn't have any squash and rutabagas to give our city friends who drive out and look hungrily at our sweet corn. ; Perhaps we haven't been going about this gar.dening business in the right way and should seek advice from Frank Wallace who is our private oracle on bugs, bees, trees and when to draw to an inside straight. : = Frank knows a lot about gardens and dearly loves to_find someone who can’ join him in a learned discussion of chlorophyll, cotyledons, humus, bean beetles, acid soil and the merits of Pritchard or Bonnie Best tomatoes. So it was a bright day in his life when he discovered that the man who operated. the elevator over at the state library building also was a gardening enthusiast.

The Voice of Authority

AFTER THAT, Frank spent-a-lot.of time riding up and down while he and his fellow maestro debated the fine points of gardening, The other patrons of the building were entranced by their learning and vast experience. Some.who were gardening themselves, in an amateur sort of way, even stayed on the car for several trips—forgetting to get off at ‘their floors—and then rushed right home at night to rearrange their garden plans and install a different brand of beets. None ventured to interrupt or to testify on the lushness of their own produce, for here spoke the Voice of Authority. Two voices, in fact. u Then one day, the operator asked the usual queson: : “How's your garden, Mr. Wallace?” “Oh, it’s a dream,” Frank replied with enthusiasm. “Well, now, Mr. Wallace, that's the first word of truth you've spoken in two years. That garden of yours is just a dream.” ~ “Yes, as a matter of fact, it is a dream,” Frank confessed, sheepishly. “I haven't had a spade in the ground for five years.” . “And now that you mention it, neither have 1,” admitted the other expert. So if you want good advice about gardening, see Frank Wallace. He knows how to raise a garden. He's a smart man, Frank is,

WORLD AFFAIRS—

) Confusion § By Wm. Philip Simms

SAN FRANCISCO, May “17.— Prime Minister Churchill's description of Europe, as in a state of “frightful * confusion,” - is characterized .by world conference diplomats here as- typical British understatement. If there was need for a Big Three meeting at Tehran and another at Yalta, they add, the problems to be faced now are even more compelling. Poland is far from being the only point of friction between British and Americans on the one hand, the Soviet Union on the other. According to diplomatic sources, here are some others: 1. Soviet Russia objects to Field Marshal Mont< gomery's “peace” with the Nazis in Holland, the Frisian islands, Kiel canal and Denmark, opening up the Baltic, via the Skagerrak and the Kattegat, to

*Soviet paratroopers seized the Danish island of Bornholm, at the entrance to the Baltic, after Bornholm had surrendered.

| Vienna 'Closed' to British, Americans . 2. VIENNA, WHICH was to have been occupied | by: the Big Three, is now “closed” to the British and

Americans. The Russians are now said to take the

{up and Moscow has recognized 'it. If Washington { and Loridon have any protests to lodge, therefore,

regime which, to date, neither London nor Washington has done. i 3. Events In Carinthia ‘have also taken a sour turn, That area of southern Austria was to have been’ occupied by Americans, but Marshal Tito's par=tisans have taken over the principal town of Klagen= furt for Yugoslavia. 4. Then there is Trieste, which Tito likewise has claimed for Yugoslavia. Not only does this bring British, American and Tito partisan troops in close, not to say dangerous, contact, but it threatens the peace of Italy. 5. Berlin was to have been under Russian, British and American occupation. So far the British ‘and Americans are not allowed in. Meanwhile, the western allies appear to be flirting with Adm. Doenitz and others of his ilk, while Russia is reported to.be

many headed by the. Junker generals. of her “Free Germany Committee.”

Headaches Are Just ‘Symptomatic’ THESE HEADACHES, of course, are not all. They are just symptomatic—just a sample of the “frightful confusion” in Europe about which Mr, Churchill spoke. While Poland doubtless is the most serious of the sores, others, real and petential, exist all over

Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Iran and so on,

Britain and the United States—especially the latter— have been working ahd prying for the success of the United Nations conference. More concerned with her | own future, Rusia, in that interval, .has systematically gone about consolidating her own security in her own way. . 5 . From Narvik to Trieste to Istanbul and back to

states which together form a Soviet West Wall, Russia's first line of defense. The new league of nations being erected by the Golden Gate conference is only her second. -? : hd So, . diplomats here - wholeheartedly echo Mr, Churchill's “devout hope” that Marshal Stalin will find a way to meet with him and President Truman at the carliest possible date. “They say itis up to

{met

friends, is an occupational malady known as “plant- |.

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RAT

“« wholly disagree with what

you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.”

‘L.between the President and co

threatening to set up a regime in her part of Ger-.

Europe and the Near East—in Romania, Bulgaria, |

' Between Dumbarton Oaks and San Francisco, |

Narvik, 1s a triangle composed of a dozen little buffer

“DEMOCRACY A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT" By C. D. C,, Indianapolis I have considered it very unethical for a person to tell anything that has been told to him or Her in strict confidence. Nevertheless - if the thing itself is morally wrong, ‘IT believe a person is justified in breaking that confidence. Lately there has been considerable criticism of Mr. Kennedy, a newspaper reporter, who chose to tell the people the truth about the ending of the war in Europe instead of letting the Big Three announce it simultaneously as planned.

While the American people were entitled to know the facts as soon

nouncement or the scoop itself] amounted to little as far as the American people are concerned. The real question is whether we are living under a democracy in which the people are entitled to know the truth or whether we are living under a totalitarian form of government in which the military and civil leaders can tell us the news that they want us to know and at any time they see fit to tell us. In this particular case, there was no question involved whatever in regard to military security, The

Hoosier Forum

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Because of the volume received, letters should be limited to 250 words. Letters must be “signed. Opinions set forth here are those of the writers, and publication in no way implies agreement with those opinions by The Times. The Times assumes no responsi. bility, for the return of manuscripts. and cannot enter correspondence regarding them.)

with the brass hats, decided to tell the people of the end of the war by the totalitarian method instead of

opinion morally wrong. Furthermore, the freedom of the press ‘and its prestige have been waning for a good many years and this particular incident has added nothing to its glory. The reason for this is because the other war correspondents and the Associated

and demand their full constitutional rights in the matter. Instead they bowed humbly to the totalifarian: method used by the Big Three together with the brass hats. Joseph Goebbels once boasted if Germany lost the war, it would win

brass. hats admitted that thems selves.

| We were already at peace when the | {news was sent out. There was no

anyway as the democracies would

be considered anti-Fascist. It seems to me the American

“STILL FIGHTING HITLER'S BATTLE” By McKinley Brewer, 325 W. New York st. While the conference is in session out in San Francisco, trying to lay the foundation of an everlasting peace, I notice there is a Mr. Petrillo, the dictator of music, carrying on discrimination in its=worst form. When he and his Fascist group practice such, they are still fighting Hitler's battle. Now what I am referring to is the case of one of America's most noted singers of folk songs in the person of Mr. Ludbetter, just because he happens to be of another race, This Mr. Petrillo refused to let him make recordings because he had white musicians to play for him.

as they were available, the an-|the democratic way was in my|Of course Mr. Petrfllo’s name im-

plies that he or his ancestors came from somewhere in the old world and no such names came over on the Mayflower. The good people of America cannot tolerate such actions in a free America. I am a Negro but I have a mind

Press did not stick to their guns|

{and feeling like any other human. {And I, as an American, protest such |actions since my race has given 50 much to make America what it is —blood, sweat, toil and tears—and

we are still giving our all. | Then there is the case of William (Burk) Johnson, who is 64 years old, lone of the inventors of jazz, who {was thought dead. And when he was

The surrender had been|be obliged to.adopt fascism. Huey discovered working in a cotton field, signed, the war was over and Ger-| Long once predicted the U. 8. would | '® Was taken to San Francisco by (many had already announced it.|become Fascist although it would| the museum of art. But Burk was

{forced to return East after local {union No. 6 ruled on its own in-

{ question of military censorship in-4{ people should back up Mr. Ken- terpretation of the four freedoms. | volved for the reason that war had | nedy, the correspondent, and insist| Is this the kind of America our

{ already ceased to exist, Furthermore, censorship can only | exist in a democracy in time of | | war. . The only possible excuse for hot | tgiving the people the news as soon | |as possible was that the Big Tnree|

jor imagined it might add some- | thing to their own political pres- | { tige by letting the people in on

bol but a constitutional right. : yy » “PET POISONER IS STRIKING AGAIN” By Mervin McNew, 1445 Blaine ave.

pet poisoner, is striking egain, This time he has taken “Smokey,” a part

| that democracy. is not a mere sym-|bOys are to come back to? Is this | the kind of an America that is sup“|posed to set an example for the rest

of the world? Such hypocrisy can’t endure. 3 : I am a reader of your great paper and I say it is the most democratic

the British fleet. As If to offset Montgomery's coup, | Vanted to tickle their own vanity| The yellow, filthy, lirty rat, the Newspaper I ever read. I only want

ito see justice done. I feel sorry for

(people who are so ignorant that (they stand in their own light. Here

POLITICAL SCENE—

|Big Issue

By Thomas L. Stokes

WASHINGTON, May 17.~Conservatives in congress had hopes

| when President Truman assumed.

office that they could mould him 4§ into something approaching “their man.” : : wilt They are having to readjust’ their calculations considerably. - . These are the gentlemen, comprising many olde | ‘line Southern Democrats as well as G, O. P. type Ree publicans, who spoke of an erg of “co-operation” . By this they meant co-operation by the President with them on their own terms. They were echoed by quite & claque: outside congress. a y Their pious declarations fooled some peqgple, but not nearly everybody. They did not fool the new President. Thus far he has exhibited sturdy independence.

Two_ Significant Developments ‘SIGNIFICANT ARE two cwrent developments, one having to do with general policy directly, the ‘other having to do on the surface with personalities A but also with. general policy, ;~—There is a movement, backed by conservatives | in congress and big interests outside, to “let off the brakes” now that the war in Europe is over, to “give business its head.” It is the same sort of agitation | that followed the last war. Then it was successful, | Taxes, particularly on the big fellows, were cut sharply. Tariffs were raised for their interest. There was a merry ride for a while, but it ended in somee Jung we called “the depression” less than 10 years ater. A campaign has started now to reduce taxes and to ease off restrictions by OPA, rationing and price control, which would tend to promote inflation, some times disguised as “good business.” It gets encourages ment, too, from the isolationist attitude that we should take care of this country and not get too exSieg about helping and feeding the people in other s. The campaign this time is more quiet, more cautious, for we still have.a big war on our hands.

President Slaps Down George Proposal RISING IN CONGRESS ‘to champion tax reduce tion is Senator George (D. Ga.), chairman of the finance committee, an influential’ figure. He talks of a graduated reduction over five years. : President Truman, when confronted at a press |

:| conference with the George proposal, immediately

slapped it down. There can be no tax reduction, he said bluntly, until after the war with Japan is over. He added that 85,000,000 bondholders must be | protected and their only protection is in continua tion of high taxes. : Likewise the President is standing staunchly against attempts to break down OPA price controls, | A powerful senate figure on the Republican side, Sene ator Taft (O.) is active in the campaign to ease OPA | ‘restrictions. : The President took issue boldly with another powe | Sriu] Soumnern leader, Senator McKellar (D. Tenn), | president pro tem of the senate, by rn David E. Lilienthal chairman of the oluting ley Authority. The enemies of public power would have rejoic | if Mr. Lilienthal had been unseated. In the nes | ground a big issue was involved here which could

have ramified in other directions. The Pr | aware of this, deny

IN WASHING TON—

Veterans By Ned Brooks

WASHINGTON, May 17.—The house veterans committee has served notice that witnesses in its investigation of the veterans administration will be unwelcome unless they come prepared to prove any allegations against the agency’s operations. The policy was revealed during a 90-minute inter rogation of Rep. Philip J. Philbin (D. Mass), whose charges of neglect and mistreatment of veterans hospital patients resulted in the house vote for the inquiry. Rep. Philbin encountered a hostile reception after offering the committee “full co-operation” and suge gesting subjects for investigation. Rep. Tom Pickett (D. Tex.) challenged his evidence as “hearsay” and Chairman John Rankin (D. Miss.) reminded him that “we don’t need any lecture on our duties.” The New Englander protested that letters cone | taining complaints from veterans and their families about hospital conditions were being offered to the committee as a basis for further inquiry.

"Investigation Is Committee's Job' “OBVIOUSLY I can't establish the truth of all the charges,” he said. “The investigation is the come mittee’s job.” Rep. Philbin, first witness in the public hearing, ar« rived with a sheaf of letters which he said had come to him as a result of his acfivity in promoting the inquiry. The committee permitted the. material to be accepted for examination by its counsel, Joseph McQueen, but insisted that the witness confine his

| their secret at the physological | Persian kitten belonging to Orris/we are telling the world what to do

| time. | | In this war we have already had |

McNew, 1445 Blaine ave.

“Smokey” was only about six

{and how to live, how to educate {their children, how to be good world

| too many times when military cen- months old, yet had learned many citizens, when we should start here | sorship was used uhder the guise | tricks.

| political blundering.

i

For instance,

: : : . | of security wh fact it w They do not make human rights a matter of interna- | position that the problem is no longer in their hands. | y. when in fact 1t was to]

| An “independent” Austrian government has been set

The heartaches caused by the

{ous to mention. This promiscuous

{at home and do a whole lot of |teaching and educating of our own

cover up military inefficiency and | senseless poisonings are too numer- citizens. Can a person be 50 narrow

las to ban another person from mak-

after three and one<half years, the [killing of pets smacks very nfich (ing recordings where the public

| | people have never vet been told the |of one Adolf Schicklegruber (de-|doesn’'t know whether the voices

truth about Parl Harbor, That the Big Three, together

{ceased, I hope) and his hirelings lin crime.

Side Glances=By Galbraith’

|

|

; . ® : "Yes, we'ré saving more than we

oll I'can scrape up into war bonds and my family is . | is ashamed to cash ‘em AR

4

ever did in our lives—I'm puting

vs

heard are white or black? I often wonder about the Christian reiigion we have in our country —when the Master said, “How can

.|ye say ye love me whom you never

have seen, and yet hate your brother whom you see every day?” x 8 = “GALLANTRY HAS REACHED SUB-ZERO” By Bert Wilhelm, 2106 8. Emerson ave,

It seems an apathetic regard for gallantry has reached a sub-zero degree in our municipal family circle when a kind-hearted lady is placed under arrest and branded a scofflaw for feeding a dove of peace on V-E day. No one has suggested that she may consider feeding these harmless birds as her constitutional right in her conception of the “pursuit of happiness” and her right to liberty as well, It would be. well for our Jegal department to look that up as well as some musty-law of 1015. As a nation, we have stretched the public welfare clauses around a fifteen billion dollar debt; why not stretch the “pursuit of happiness” around a city ordinance? And, if Indeed we still insist that she has violated a valid ordinance, why not ask the citizen who never violated a city ordinance to “throw the first stone” y

DAILY THOUGHT Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory; remember, break not BY Sovenant with us.~~Jeremiah

ov ¥

~

NO, when the fight begins ‘within| Dempsey a himself, fn i i .

testimony to matters of which he had first-hand knowledge. Rep. Rankin, who repeatedly has pledged “no whitewash” in the inquiry, said he had checked on some of the letters previously quoted to the house by Rep. Philbin and had discovered “that many of | them were from insane patients.” ' } “The committee ought to investigate conditions, not the credibility of persons making the charges,” Rep. Philbin retorted. Other committee members led the witness through lengthy questioning on the number of hospitals he had visited and-what he had found. To the asser% tion that his evidence was “hearsay” he replied: “I satisfied myself that there was ample basis for inquiry by this committee.”

Interviewed Veteran After Discharge ‘WHEN HE described an interview with a patient who had received a black eye in a fight with another inmate at the Northport, N. Y., hospital, Rep. Rankin reminded him that the institution was for mental cases. Rep. Philbin also had quoted the patient as saying that the hospital lacked any facilities for surgery. “Don't you think you ought to have investigated your informant's responsibility” the chairman asked, “I get lots of letters from insane patients but they shouldn't be exploited.” ° SR Rep. Philbin said he had interviewed the veteran after his discharge from the hospital. Rep. Philbin said he had withheld the identities of complaintants “to protect them against reprisals” ‘but Rep. Rankin sald the committee “will use the names if necessary to show the basis of the charges.” Amid frequent interruptions, Rep. Philbin read a prepared statement wrging the committee to conduct hearings at hospitals from which complaints have been most numerous, and to Investigate delays in hospital ‘construction; possibilities for higher medical standards, expansjon of onal guidance and elim. ination of red tape in setting death and disability claims, pA ¥ Rep. Rankin at one point obseryed-that “we don’t want a lecture” and reminded the. witness that he had been invited to “give any facts you may have about misconduct or the mistreatment and neglecy || of patients.” . : J 1

To The Point— VACATIONTIME is coming eround again and once’ more home will be A 8 ’ last resort,

. GREAT FIGHTERS, our _boys—Cmdr, Jack

1

y atter gid