Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 14 June 1945 — Page 16

PAGE 16

ROY W. HOWARD WALTER LECKRONE

Editor (A SCRIPPS-HQ

President

Owned and published daily (exeept Sunday) by Indianapolis Times Pub“lishing Co, 214 W. Maryland st. Postal Zone 9,

Member of United Press, Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance, NEA Service, and Audit Bureau of Circulations.

DANGER ON THE FARM FRONT

L SCRIPPS ~ HOWARD | Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way

HENRY W. MANZ Business Manager

WARD NEWSPAPER)

‘Price in Marion Coun-

ty, § cents a copy; delivered by eéarrier, 20 cents a week.

Mail rates in Indiana, $5 a year; all other states, U. 8. possessions, Canada and Mexico, 87 cents a month, :

oP © RILEY 5551

ENATE inflationists-have created grave danger by put-

ting over without debate—while administration leaders

dozed—the Wherry-Shipstead amendment to the bill for a

year's extension of the price-control law.

This amendment forbids OPA to place on farm commodities any price ceiling not high enough to cover all costs of production plus a “reasonable” profit to every producer. | It is unnecessary. Under the parity principle, which the amendment would scrap, agriculture’s wartime profits have

broken all records.

It is worse than unnecessary. Edward

A. O'Neal, head of the American Farm Bureau federation—e: the nation’s biggest farm organization—tells why: “This is an unsound, unworkable amendment. It would be impossible to administer such a provision applying to more than six million farms, no two of which are alike .. . the cost of producing wheat, for example, is twice as high

in certain areas as in more favored areas.

If the ceiling |

were set at the level necessary to give cost-plus profit to the high-cost producer, the low-cost producer would be given an exorbitant profit. 1f, on the other hand, the ceiling price were placed at a level to give the low-cost producer a fair profit, the high-cost producer would not receive the profit ‘which the amendment indicates he is entitled to. The same situation would apply in respect to every farm commodity. It would introduce confusion and chaos into administration of price control . . . and plunge this country into a vicious

economic spiral of inflation.”

The senate passed the bill with this amendment in it. The house should knock the amendment out and thwart the attempt to set off a disastrous inflationary explosion on the

farm front.

. " = . AND ON THE WAGE FRONT ABOR leaders who want to bust the Little Steel wage formula were delighted when members of the house of representatives voted themselves a 25 per cent salary increase which they called a $2500-a-year expense account. President Truman—although we are sure this was not his intent—further encouraged the fight to force wages through their ceiling when he said that congressional salaries, now $10,000 a year, should be raised to $15,000 or even $25,000. He said the same day that, for the time being, the Little Steel formula must stand. But obviously the government can’t fairly hold wage increases at the Little Steel line if congress, which passed the law under which the Little Steel formula was adopted, gives itself salary increases larger than the formula permits for ordi-

nary citizens.

Mr. Truman, in letters to congress, has now made his position clearer. He favors raising congressional salaries to at least $15,000—when but not until the government ends its control of other wages and salaries, At this time, he favors only a Little Steel increase for congress. That would be 15 per cent, or $1500. The house should give up its larger “expense account” and withdraw that inflationary

dynamite from the wage front,

RUSSIA'S “FREE PRESS” A THREE-MAN committee on freedom of the press, sent around the world by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, is back with. a thought-provoking report. Most interesting to us are its findings in Russia. Russian officials and newspapermen, it seems, contend that their government-owned press is truly free while our What Russian publications are allowed to print is “tested for truth and accuracy” hy the Soviet government. That, according to Russian journalists, makes it certain that their press “represents only the people.” The American press, they say, often represents the interests of its private owners and not the wishes of the people, as evidenced by President Roosevelt's four elections despite opposition by many newspapers.

privately-owned press is not.

. Hn * WELL, MAYBE the Soviet press 1

epresents only the

Russian people. We have our doubts, but we haven't seen what the Russian people think on that point. Any of them who may feel that their press doesn’t represent them prop-

erly aren't allowed to say so in print.

And certainly the

American press has many faults, although expressing minority viewpoints—even, for instance, the viewpoint of the 22,000,000-member minority that voted for Governor Dewey last November—doesn’t strike us as one of them. However, most American newspapers give free space to people who want to point out their faults, Many of them printed long accounts of the Russian criticisms of the American press, as reported by the editors’ committee, When Russian papers open their columns to criticism of the Soviet press system by American newspapermen, or by anybody, we'll be more impressed by the claim that the Soviet press is, in any sense, free.

COME ON IN, N.A. M.

HE National Association of Manufacturers puts ‘itself in, an unfortunate light, we think, by continuing to stand aloof from the effort of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, the C. I. O. and the A. F. of L. to form a permanent post-war organization to preserve labor-management peace. The effort’s purpose is to supplement legal compulsions, which haven't worked too well, by sensible voluntary co-

operation,

N. A. M. objections that the peace charter

adopted at the start of this effort was “too vague” have been answered by its labor and management sponsors. They have joined in saying publicly that the other charter would not prevent management or labor from seeking changes in

existing labor legislation.

Nobody can know whether the proposed organization will be successful until it is given a fair trial, The N, A. M.,, we believe, can ill afford to create public suspicion that its influential members are not for labor-management peace, as

zation a fair trial.

it seems certain to do if it refuses to help give the organi-

\

The Indianapolis Times|

“. Thursday, June 14, 1945

A

scale,

REFLECTIONS — 2 Justice By Peter Edson:

WASHINGTON, June 14. — The honorable, the supreme’ court

every so often, if for no other reaRY son than that it’s’ comfortably cool inside. The court is running overtime this year because of a heavy docket: and, consequently, the honorable justices won't get their customary four-month vacation. pe 5 But. they earn it. Trying to decide right -from wrong is tough enough in itself, but the work of the court is so serious that what it really needs is one eof those old-time Puritan church wardens with a long pole to keep the justices and customers awake. If you remember your school books, there was a hard knob at one end to conk the boys with, and a feather at the other end to tickle thé girls with. When the

sermons got too dull and the congregation showed

any inclination to go to sleep on a long-winded

| preacher, the warden would swing into action.

People actually do doze off at supreme court sessions and it's no wonder, for the arguments are pretty hard to follow. When a spectator decides -to take 40 winks, he or she usually wrinkles up the brow and slowly closes the eyes to give an impression of deep meditation. Pretty soon, bang go their heads forward on their chests and they like to break their darn necks. The jerk wakes them up, and they look around slyly to see if anyone was watching. If you catch their eye, they smile back coyly to hide their guilt and then scowl all the harder in mock concentration.

Line Forms to Right:

THE SUPREME COURT chamber seats. around 500, but people flock in by the thousand, particularly on Mondays, when decisions are handed down. An hour before the noon opening, there's a line forming to get in, and it winds through those spotless white marble corridors during almost the entire session. Sight-seers can take only so much of this, and then leave. That makes room for others, but sometimes people stand in line all afternoon for just a peek. Lawyers, though, and lobbyists sit through the whole sessions and seem to lap it up. It is pretty inspiring and impressive at that, even if you don't understand all that goes on. You're struck by the big high-ceilinged court chamber; the thick red carpet with its subversive pattern of fascist emblems; the 24 massive marble columns behind which hang the thick; plum-colored drapes that just miss being purple; the heavy bronze grilles; the high

bas-relief sculpturing of nearly -a. hundred bigger

than life-size figures of big-winged angels and bigchested men with naked little boys. It's all as simple and as intfFicate as the law itself. ! Then up front is the high-polished bench which isn’t a bench, because there are chairs behind it—a crazy pattern of incongruous chairbacks padded to fit the bottoms of the individual justices—and it isn't a bar, either because it's too high for anybody's elbow.

Justice Goes Doggy

BUT ALL EYES are on the honorable, the chief justice and his eight associates—the nine watchdogs of justice. Stone like a St. Bernard; Roberts like a mastiff; Black like a retriever; Reed like a French poodle; Frankfurter like a fox terrier; Douglas like and Irish setter; Murphy like an airedale; Jackson like a setter; Rutledge like a shepherd. They're up there to guard your liberties and your rights if you get pushed around. The strange thing is that they fight among themselves as to what is right and 'what is wrong. They seldom hand down a unanimous decision. - From one to four usually dissent. Yet the majority rules and the minority accepts the. verdict, And, after all, what is justice but the peaceful acceptance of majority rule? The people of tls nation and many other nations have learned that on a small But nations themselves—the governments of which are only the representatives of a large number of people—have not yet accepted this fundamental principle of democracy in their dealings with each other, That's why they've been having such a hard time at San Francisco.

WORLD AFFAIRS—

Showdown By Wm. Philip Simms

SAN FRANCISCO, June 14. — Hopes here are high that a meeting of the Big Three is not only imminent but that the entire Yalta agreement, Polish problem and all, is in for an early review and settlement. Because of the sensation created by the arrest of the 18 Poles and the succeeding crises over Poland and the veto, the public.and delegates alike seem to have lost sight of the fact that the Yalta agenda contained mugh besides these items. The United States, Great Britain and Russia, for example, agreed. 6n common policies and plans for the occupation and control of Germany and on a commission to map out Naz reparations for war damages. ’ They agreed on.a method of assisting the liberated peoples of Europe to solve, “by democratic means their pressing political and economic problems.” They agreed on a formula for Yugoslavia not unlike that for Poland whereby the people of that une happy country might aspire to a democratic government of their own choosing.

Agreed on Principle of Atlantic Charter

THEY AGREED that the “principle of the Atlantic charter—the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live"— would apply to all liberated areas of Europe, including former Axis satellite states. And, finally, they pledged themselves “to main{ain and strengthen in the peace to come that unity of purpose and of action” which alone, “in the words of the Atlantic charter, ‘afford assurance that all the men in all the lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want.’ ” Since Yalta, these pledges have been ignored more often than honored. Instead of pulling together, Rus~ sia, Britain and America have appeared to be pulling apart. Russia has gone right on acting unilaterally in Poland, in Rumania, in Central and Southeastern Europe and elsewhere and, here in San Francisco, there has ‘been constantly bickering over the meaning practically every word previously “agreed” on in the Crimea. . Now United Nations envoys here believe they see a rift in the clouds. They are more optimistic than at any time since the conference opened. But it is the news from Washington, London and Moscow that makes the chief difference.

Regarded as a Good Sign INDICATION that the Polish situation may be

clearing up is especially regarded as a good sign. For the overwhelming majority here, Poland is the test.

They feel that if the Soviet Union refuses to honor |

her Yalta commitments regarding Poland, any new pledges given here would be more of the same doubtful currency. On his return to London, after the Big Three meeting by the Black Sea, Prime Minister Churchill told the house of commons that he—and presumably President Roosevelt—had yielded to Marshal Stalin's Polish frontier demands. But, he indicated, he and the- President had stood firm on something “even more important,” namely Polish freedom. “Are they (the Poles)” he asked, “to be masters in their own- house? ‘Are .they to be free as we in Britain and in the United States or France are free?

48 their sovereignty and independence’ to be un-

tramméled or are they to come to the mere protection of the Sqviet state, forced against their will, by an armed majority to adopt a Communist or a totaliarias oe ?. ‘This is the touchstone. Whare does Poland s

of. the United States, needs revisiting |,

But that doesn’t-last long. |

and where do we stand on this?”

/ 7

ELL

J) & ZN [ee ~f ome PLASMA = WE'RE GONNA

NEED (7)!

TO SEND

“THERE 1S NO GOOD IN WAR”

By James J. Cullings, Indianapolis Your paper has carried for several days statements being made in favor of and. against peace-time conscription as given in Washington. I cannot agree we need a law of that kind and especially at this time while many people let their patriotism get thé best of their better judgment and while several million young men, as soldiers, sailors and marines, are at sea and in foreign countries, and many of them not knowing how our leaders expect to regiment and - regulate their lives and the lives of their children and unborn children.

It seems to me a cowardly and low program to try to legislate through at this time when there is no sound or patriotic reason for such legislation. War and war training at its best, regardless of how it is glorified, is a degrading and filthy low-bred thing. These pressure groups, like the various military associations, the training camp associations, the Legion and the veterans and all those advocating peace-time training, admit lack of faith in the American -way of life by sponsoring this type of legislation, These same groups could do our country and the peace-loving people of the world much more good if they would yell as loud for the world to disarm. I am not in favor of teaching or regimenting any young man or woman inte military life.and the teaching to kill and murder, until I am sure there is no peaceful or American way to do it. When I mention a man or woman, I mean if we are foolish enough to regiment our unborn children in the near future, we will be {foolish enough to regiment our women and girls, I.do not like to think of the American woman as the women of some countries. Our country has grown and prospered as a free country, and I believe the only way our country can go forward is by controlling the militarists and not by letting the militarists control the people. -There is no good in war, nothing good is gained in war.. I challenge any group or pressure outfit or individual to show proof of anything that has ever been gained by war. So, I cannot see any reason, partiotic or otherwise, why we 1should make the United States a

Hoosier Forum

“l wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.”

“WHAT'S THE MATTER,

’| foe of monopoly. He pointed out-to the committee

(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 responsibility for the return of manuscripts and cannot enter.correspondence regarding them.)

would say:

it? :

pride.

‘three shifts. Y

military nation instead of a peaceful nation by passing legislation creating peace-time conscription. We can protect the United States the American way, as we have for 150 years.

hours.

#8 8 =» that's too bad.

“l GIVE ALL CREDIT TO ARMY TRAINING”

By Oscar C. Kindig, 1138 Olive st. I see in your editorial column of June 7 that you are very much in favor of universal military training. And to prove my point, I would like to cite myself for an example. I am a man of 52 years. When I first enlisted in the army in April, 1912, I weighed 145 pounds. By the time I was discharged at Texas City, Tex., March, 1915, I weighed 180 pounds, with a big chest, and built like a greyhound. I was also in world war I as a drill and athletic instructor with rank as sergeant, 150 Depot Brigade at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. I am now employed at the Kibler Trucking Co. hauling produce and groceries. I work from 54 to 60 hours a week, and still going strong after 15 years. : I give all credit to army training in my early youth. .I certainly feel sorry for some of the youth of today, as they look so frail and sunken chested, and haven't the stamina and strength to put up with hard work, let alone the hardships of war. I will admit they are doing, and have done, a fine job in this war, But a lot of it was due to

hour schedule,

were in a trance.

you received.

so soothing.

” LJ “DON'T PEOPLE

ou

Mr,

Some of you!

AT HOME REALIZE?” By Pvt, Harold D, Miller, Germany

But that]

WHITE-COLLAR WORKER?”

By Frederick O., Rusher, Indianapolis In reply to -the article captioned “Poor Abused Defense Workers,” I What's the matter White-Collar Worker, can't you take

I wonder how it feels to go to work at 9:30 a. m. and go home at 5:30 p. m. and have the lunch hour thrown in. How nice it would feel to sleep the morning of a holiday and laugh at the person who must-go to work. Oh, you couldn't think of that, it would hurt your

POLITICAL SCENE— Nn SLE Rumblings By Thomas. L. Stokes

WASHINGTON, June 14 Rumblings in congress: over the surplus property board and its ap- | parent inability to get going on its big job of disposing of billions of dollars worth of war surpluses of all sorts are about to explode. : As a starter, Senator O'Mahoney (D. Wyo, is opening an investigation into the policies and’ program of the board. He summoned its members, its chief counsel and its administrative officer for a hearing Thursday before the war surplus subcommittee of the senate military affairs committee. The house military affairs committee has been investigating the board's affairs for a month, with hearings planned later. ‘ : Simultaneously with ordering the “investigation, the senate military affairs committee postponed action on the nomination of the newly appeinted member of the three-man board, W. Stuart Symington of St. Louls, for an inquiry into his business activities in connection with Vehicular Parking, Ltd. . This is a separate, but complicating factor, {a the troubled affairs of the board. 4

Appointed to Replace Gillette _

MR. SYMINGTON was appointed by--Pr Truman to succeed former Senator Guy M. Gillet (D. Iowa), who resigned because of his dissatisfaction with the board's policies. His resignation directed’ attention to the board's difficulties. Action on the Symington nomination was deferred at the suggestion of Senator O'Mahoney, inveterate

the anti-trust convictions by a Delaware federal court of Vehicular Parking, Ltd, on charges of monopoly and restraint of trafle in the manufacture, distribution and sale of parking meters, parts, services and accessories. : : : The suit was brought in 1942, Mr. Symington, who had resigned in September, 1938, as president of Vehicular Parking, Ltd., and Kar-Park Corp. was not a party to the suit, but his part in organizing Vehicular and in creating a patent pool to keep out competition was described in detail in the court's order. Letters in which he’ was very frank about the pool arrangement and its purposes were put in evidence. One carried the injunction “kindly destroy this letter.” It spoke about the ignorance of another [ person involved in the proceeding “of the great im- § portance of masking the Vehicular development.”

THE COURT said of Vehicular Parking, Ltd., that 8 “though empowered by the state of Delaware,” it B “has not since its inception manufactured or sold any product faintly resembling parking meters; and as far.as the court can see, has no facilities for research or development of such devices. Bluntly, it is a pat § ent holding company.” Describing the formation of the company in 1936 § the court said that Mr. Symington and Vernon L. Taylor and John Howard Joynt, two defendants in the case, “formulated a plan to secure domination over the parking meter industry, then in its infancy. “Symington and defendants Joynt and Taylor planned to regulate the parking meter industry by : inducing only ‘reputable” manufacturers of parking meters or manufacturers ‘with patent positions’ to take licenses under patents which these defendants and Symington planned to acquire. These licenses were to fix uniform prices, terms and conditions of

sale. All other manufacturers were to be refused & licenses.” :

Most every defense plant works white-collar ; workers: have one shift, daytime, . naturally. You even get the privilege | Another Company Also Investigated of doing shopping during working Oh you're so selfish. These people oi and. shipping var, investigated by the house military affairs committee material don’t mean a thing to you. | a couple of years ago in connection with war conThe share-the-ride plan which [T2CtS. but novreport was ever made. The committee disturbs your precious rest. Oh,| Seemed satisfied with Mr. Symington's testimony | Our government| 2nd dropped the inquiry. requested it in order to save gas for our boys over there. doesn't mean’ a thing to you. let the war plant shut down so that you can get your beauty rest. If salespeople had a twenty-four John Q. Citizen wouldn't be able to get along | {with people like you. walk around the store now like you

. We've made more money tan, B rd Guide

you have, that’s true, but while we| were making more money, Mr. Busi{nessman was reaping his reward |also. «Of course you no doubt would probably refuse the raise in pay that

Just

When it comes to griping, I feel that every individual has done his share, barring none. Did it ever occur to you that we didn’t come to town on Monday night just to see you. We came to shop and were greeted by pleasant people, not including you. If you have any further discussions to bring up, let’s have them. I like to hear back-fires.

They're

mechanical improvements and not

physical strength.

What I think you need is a lot of publicity’ to get your idea across.

And TI for one hope you succeed.

It has been some time since I have written you a letter, I feel as though it’s time to do so again. After witnessing the actions of these Germans as conquered people,

1 keep thinking they could be Amer-

Side Glances=By Galbraith

icans. And the German soldier could be living in our homes as we are in theirs, :

f

|

\ tf. § PAT. OFF,

Ais tei WE lL ibe 3g it ©." | Hour be cast into the midst of "t's a good thing you mbrrisd me before you ever took me on one “fburning fiery furnace.

Don’t the people at home realize this? Or don't they give a ? In our newspaper, The Stars and Stripes, every day there is a column devoted completely to the strikes at home. It makes you sick to your stomach to read about it. While they are sweating out a strike most of us boys over here are sweating out the C. B. L Boy, we'll trade places with them any day: What's a few more dollars when possibly their ownesons are going through hell on some filthy diseased island? 80 snap out of it, folks. There's still a war on,

“nw v “WE'VE EARNED . THAT RIGHT”

By An Ex-Wave, Indianapolis After months of educating, the general public is becoming ace quainted with the honorable discharge button and knows what it stands for, Fellows, yes, girls, too, wear it because they have earned that right and are very proud to. It certainly can’t be asking too much of these armchair commandos to not wear that pin because their boy friend has been discharged. We've earned that right the hard way. Y ;

‘DAILY THOUGHT i whoso falleth not down

d worshippeth shall the same a

‘t tioh; treasury agents. and various departments on

Subsequently various other parking meter companies were brought or forced into the monopoly. .

ANOTHER COMPANY with which Mr. Symington formerly was connected, Emerson Electric Co, was |

There were indications that the current investi. gations into the surplus property board and its policies will be extensive and some important changes In policy may result. Substitution of a single admin-

istrator for the three-man board was amon Toposa. being discussed, 6p i’

IN WASHING TON—

|

By

WASHINGTON, June 14.—The Byrd economy committee, after a two-year study touching every federal agency, is about to come up with a blue-print for brushing away the bureaucratic cobwebs and saving some money, Rep. Ramspeck (D. Ga.), house majority whip, recently discussed with President Truman the idea of a “general manager” for the government. The President is supposed to have been receptive. The aim would be to cut through a snarl of red tape and whack down the mountain of paper work that bogs ay R bureau. e Byrd committee's blueprint would offer a pattern for a general manager; without it, some committee people say, no manager could get far anyway, Here are some ideas the Byrd blueprint probably will contain: Eliminate vast duplication in government legal work by making the justice department in effect the government’s “law firm,” instead of having large legal staffs in many departments,

Suggests Cutting Down Staffs

AT PRESENT, when a federal department undertakes prosecution against a citizen violating a law in its field, frequently its attorney investigates extensively and works up the case, then turns it over to the justice department, There other lawyers familiarize themselves with it. Sometimes it may be sent to a federal district attorney for action, and he must learn all about it. The Byrd committee's research suggests cutting down big departmental staffs, leaving only one or P two legal advisers, and centralizing all the detail of! litigation in one place, Another place where overlapping would be stopped is in personnel investigation—-and with 2,900,000 on the payroll, there mist be a lot of it. The Byrd committee has found as many as five different investigation records in a single case, It believes one agen should do the job. . Investigations are being run now by the civil service commission, the federal bureau of investiga-

harles T. Lucey

their own.

Centralized Administrative Service THE BYRD .committee probably will urge a centralized administrative service to do purchasing for the whole government on office supplies and equipment, act as the clearing agency for all govern‘ment transportation problems and otherwise run the Uncle Sam's “office management™ job, Lack of trained transportation men has cost the government money in freight rates, it is charged, and the shortage of buylhg experts in particular fields likewise has been expensive, Ta Widespread reorganization and consolidation of government agencies are being studied in connection with the Byrd committee works.”