Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 22 September 1945 — Page 6

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REFLECTIONS—.

PAGE 6 Saturday, Sept. 22, 1945

a ' y t +

‘ Editor (A SCRIPPS-HBOWARD NEWSPAPER)

+ Seripps Newspaper Alliance, NEA Serv . ice, and Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Give LAgM and the People Will Find Their Own

Way

NO MacARTHUR MISUNDERSTANDING

EN. MacARTHUR'S remarkable statement yesterday ~* cleared up a whole crop of misunderstandings about

" American occupation policy in Japan.

It also revealed the character of the supreme com-

mander.

Hugh Baillie, president of the United Press associations, asked him a long string of questions that have been His answers were as enlight-

troubling many Americans. “ening as they were frank.

: Several of the questions grew out of his earlier state- . ment that within six months occupation forces probably would be cut to 200,000, and an assertion by Lt. Gen. Eichelberger that the occupation might be over within a year. This caused consternation in the state and war departments. It was misunderstood in some places as meaning that the supreme military commander and those around him were making American and allied policy and favored a soft,

short occupation.

But in the long Baillie intervew the general made clear

that the opposite is the case. He said that—

“All major policies will be determined on the highest governmental level by the allied powers and will be executed

by me as their agent, as I may be directed.”

“] am sure it will take many years to fulfill the terms

of the surrender.”

. » x r ” . “THE Japanese are not being treated with brutality; but Phladetona and Charleston where Catholic churches every step provided by the surrender terms, no matter how harsh, is being enforced. Their humiliation, their _ despair, and the hardships which they face cannot be over-

estimated.”

One reason the misunderstandings regarding so-called MacArthur policies have been so explosive is the suspicion of critics—stimulated by some of the general's over-zealous * friends—that he is running for President. There have been reports also that he would return to this country within a «few weeks. To all this the general replied flatly— “I feel the situation here (Tokyo) will require my per- , sonal presence for some time to come. . ., I have never entered politics and never intend to do so. . ., I started * as a soldier and shall finish as one. I am on my last public _ assignment.” :

Well, that is that.

LET MR. TRUMAN TRY

AST May President Truman asked congress for broad : permanent authority to reorganize federal agencies _ and make the government “more businesslike and efficient.” In response to that request the house committee on executive expenditures has now approved, unanimously, a . bill, It would not give Mr. Truman all the power he asked set a time limit. But it would give him enough time, we think, to do a good and certainly an

power an urgently needed job.

Only four agencies would be completely exempted from “presidential change, one of these—the general accounting .office, which works for congress—at Mr. Truman's own suggestion.

. ROY W. HOWARD WALTER LECKRONE HENRY W. MANZ President : Business Managed

Now all concerned can concentrate on the close co-operation between Washington and our - Tokyo GHQ so essential to a successful occupation.

The other three—the interstate commerce, federal

trade and securities and exchange commissions—have semi- » judicial duties and should, as committee members say, be

kept free from possibility of executive dominat

ion.

etc., for the

President to work on. He could order them rearranged,

their functions transferred, consolidated or abolished.

Any reorganization order—this, also, at Mr. Truman's

Promises to reorganize the government, and grants of power for that purpose, have been made quite a few times before now. The results, in efficiency and economy, have

not been impressive, : The federal bureaucracy has kept right on

PEACE TAXES

growing in

size, complexity and cost, even in times of peace, and that trend has now been enormously speeded up by war, How well Mr. Truman can or will succeed in reversing it, we .do net know. But he is entitled to a fair opportunity to show what ‘he can do. We hope for quick action.

own suggestion—could be vetoed by congress within 60 days after it was issued. And his authority to issue such orders would end on June 30, 1948. The committee's idea there is to prevent any reorganization plan from going before congress as a political issue at the height of the next presidential campaign.

" TAX program for a solvent America” is proposed

by the committee for post-war taxation, independent group of professors, accountants, tax lawyers and businessmen,

It does not differ greatly from the “tax plan for high

years,

employment,” proposed a few months ago by the similarly constituted committee for economic development. Both plans optimistically assume a national income running to $140 billion, which would mean greater prosperity than our country has known in any previous peace Both optimistically assume a federal budget of around $18 billion, more than double the rate of any prewar spending—but much below the total of expenditures

which pressure groups are now demanding of congress.

Both stress the need of reducing the gigantic private debt. Both show how that extraordinary revenue can be obtained with taxes lowered. Both emphasize the need of “re-energizing” private business to. provide more jobs and ‘produce more goods. Both would abolish wartime excess profits taxes and the present unfair and unwise doubletaxation of the earnings of risk ‘investment, by crediting the stockholder with his share of the corporate tax paid at the source of his dividends. 4 Many of these and other suggestions for peacetime changes have been advocated by responsible congresleaders and executive department officials, th enough basic agreement to take action, Isn't

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‘Bible Trial

| By Frank Aston

Three -judges at Champaign, 11, are studying a petition of Mrs. Vashti McCollum to ban religious - education from that community's public schools. Mrs, McCollum’s son, James Terry, 10, worships no God. The case may reach the U, 8. supreme. court.

attracted the country's attention,

forbade them to salute the flag. said all public school pupils must salute the flag. The supreme court upheld the Witnesses. In 1940, the Witnesses had lost a similar dispute in Minersville, Pa., over flag saluting. The supreme court that time upheld the state,

Scopes Case Aroused Nation IN 1925, a Dayton, Tenn. school teacher, John Thomas Scopes, set the whole country talking. He taught the theory of evolution in Dayton public schools. Dayton school regulations forbade that, With Clarence Darrow as his principal attorney, Scopes went on trial in July. The nation spoke of the affair as representing fundamentalism vs. modernism. Chief spokesman for the fundamentalists was William Jennings Bryan. Tiny Dayton suddenly swelled to big city size. Newspapers printed thousands of words as Darrow and Bryan lashed into religious debate. Scopes was found guilty but was freed on a technicality. Bryan died a few days later, The 1020's saw bigotry aflame in the antics of the Ku Klux Klan. Flery crosses burned on hilltops, hooded men gathered in secret conclaves and there were stories of initiates having to write the Klan oath in their own blood. The Klan talked tough and declared its membership was closed to Negroes, Jews, Orientals. Catholics and foreignborn. The Klan missed the boat as a national political force, although it was felt in some local elections.

Prejudice Was Long Standing § THE KLAN fed on an undercurrent of prejudice that ran back to the early 1800s. This feeling erupted as Native Americanism in the 1840s with the cry: “Americans must rule Amerca.” The organization was blgmed for riots in

were burned. The trend broke out in the "50s when the Know Nothings leaped into politics “with anti-Catholic shouts. Many people now living remember another group founded on religious animosity. This wag the Ameri can Protective association of the 1880s. It sounded ominous then, with its attacks on Catholicism, but today Catholics and Protestants can joke one another with gags about the APA.

Jefferson and Paine OUR REVOLUTIONARY period was not free of religious persecution. Thomas Jefferson, who was not a church member, fought for years to get the Virginia legislature to change a law which excluded Catholics and Quakers from the state. After he succeeded in 1788 he specified that his achievement should be mentioned in his epitaph. ‘ An outstanding figure in the religion turmoil of Colonial days was Tom Paine. He wrote, worked and argued for liberty but he subscribed to no orthodox creed. He died in poverty and neglect, much of which” was attributed to enmity he had aroused by refusing to conform to formal religion. Decades later Theodore Roosevelt referred to Paine as a “filthy little atheist.” z But Paine’s own writing showed his faith In a Supreme Being. In The Age of Reason Paine wrote: “The only true religion is Deism, by which I mean the belief of one God, and an imitation of His moral character, or the practice of what are called moral virtues—and it (is) upon this , , . that I rest all my hopes of happiness hereafter.”

WORLD AFFAIRS—

Peace News By William Philip Simms

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22.—Reports from the London peace conference, now remaking the map of the world, strike many members of congress as discouraging. What is wanted here—what, in fact, there must be if congress is eventually to implement America’s pledge to help police the world—is a peace at least somewhat resembling our war aims as set forth in the Atlantic Charter, What we may get, it is felt, is not even a reasonable facsimile. Rightly or wrongly, there is a growing impression that some of the Big Five have turned the clock back and are engaged in a game of power politics not unlike what happened at international conferences of 50 or 100 years ago. Knowing what she wants, Russia appears to have staked out a postwar world for herself and is now engaged in bargaining with the other powers to consolidate her position.

Work in the Dark GREAT BRITAIN and the United States, less 8 of themselves, are still further handicapped by having to work in the dark. They have only the faintest notion of what is going on east of a line from Stettin to Trieste. Therefore the report that Secretary of State Byrnes has asked John Foster Dulles to make a fact-finding trip through eastern Europe is welcomed here, But, it is pointed out, not even Mr. Dulles’ mission is any substitute for a free press and freedom of communications in the blacked-out two-thirds of Europe. Information which has seeped through confirms the impression that puppet dictators are running things with a high hand throughout the area which, at Yalta, the Big Three specifically promised would hold democratic elections. Belgrade sources, for example, say Dr. Ivan Subasitch, formerly King Peter's premier, but now Marshal Tito's foreign minister, is “seriously il.” London, however, learns that’ he is under arrest—a prisoner in his own house for political reasons.

Propaganda Build-up THE LONDON DAILY MAIL'S Alexander Clifford reports that Tito's propaganda is setting Yugoslavia and the Balkans on fire with tales of terror in Greek Macedonia; of villages in smoking ruins; of men and

burn alive and well. What's it all about? The guess is that it is a build-up for a Tito putsch of some kind to include Macedonia in his sphere of influence, Similar undemocratic incidents are said to be current in Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and other Soviet-

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23. —

The Official Starter

Religious disputes like that one have frequently

Two years ago, members of Jehovah's Witnesses carried. a religious argument from West Virginia to the supreme court... Witnesses asserted their faith West Virginia law

: > ® "Hoosier “COLBY A GOOD SOLDIER, NOT A YELLOW COWARD”

By Roxie Glidewell, 239 N. Illinois st. I was shocked when 1 read Mrs. A. A's letter in regard to Pvt. Colby. He was a soldier in a war to save his country and people, including you and me. After more than two years of being a good soldier in combat he cracks up, perhaps just for a second, say the time he killed two officers—which wasn't at all impossible. - Remember the soldier who dropped on the sidewalk and tried to dig a foxhole, and was okay in an hour or so.. Soldiers who have never seen battle have butterflies in their stomach—just nerves. : Perhaps Capt. Brown was a littfe tense when he ordered’ article of war 104—four days hard labor—to a soldier broken from strain who had already given so much. (I hear a critic say, you condemn the captain who is dead and can’t fight back. No, I see the captain's side, too.) “These were his men,” the act was a critical time when they had been alerted, the effect on the morale of his men was great. Yes, he had a duty to perform and no doubt it wasn’t easy. He made the decision he thought best. After all he wasn’t a psychologist. Another says Eisenhower thought the sentence just. No doubt he too felt a lump in his throat but he is a military leader who thinks in terms of decisions that save the most people and will be used in history for future wars. His decision is right in his line of duty, To the people who say Colby sane, I still see good in the soldier. If he had been yellow or a coward, he would have waited, shot his officers in the back in battle. It took a boy with guts to ‘go to a tent with the odds against him. He didn’t know how many armed officers were there and it was boys like Colby who fought when the odds were against them that won the War. If Colby meets death it won't be in vain for the case has been given a lot of publicity. In time pictures will be-made, books written about it that will put people to thinking all over the world—remember, the boy had a beautiful life until war. . 4 » 7 “RISKY TO ‘EMPTY YOUR OWN GARBAGE”

By Citizen and Voter, Indianapolis The taxpayers are supposed to be paying for protection, but it has come to the place where it is risky to even empty garbage in your own back yard, let alone going any place of evenings, I read: “North Side Woman Badly Beaten by" Assailant”—"Find Body in Ditch, Quiz Boys”—"Police Alerted for Sluggers”-“Forty-nine

Forum =:

(Timgs 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.)

Burglaries Are Confessed by Boy” in last nights paper, The Indianapolis Times, Friday, Sept. 7, 1945. Now is this unusual, These things have been going on for some time now. The boy of the 40 burglaries is reported to be but 16 years old. It seems probable that these people have very little respect for the “law and order,” does it not? Is it because so many law breakers go unpunished, or are never apprehended? The Claypool WAC murder case remains still unsolved. The city police do excel, and have been especially vigilant the last few years (1) in breaking up bingo games, lotteries, etc., (2) arresting streetcar smokers, (3) bawling out pedestrians who inadvertedly walk with the wrong light,- (4) riding along and tapping auto tires with a little stick. But why go on? The chief may be satisfled. Others are not. Seemingly any change would be an improvement. # . ” “AN OPEN LETTER TO CHIEF McMURTRY” By Robert Todd, Indianapolis An open letter to Chief McMurtry: On Sat evening at about 8:30 my truck was stolen from the intersection of Twenty-second and College ave. I promptly called your department and after describing the truck to your detective department it immediately went on the air to all of your officers. At 9:50 p. m., one hour and twenty minutes later, I, was informed by your Sgt. Hubbard that my truck had been recovered and the culprit was in custody. That, as Winchell would say, is “Orchids to You” Chief for the excellent co-operation I received. In day when criticism is so easy make, I wish to express the thanks of my. company and myself and. amplify the sincere statement your + department, in the face many odds, is in my opinion, well as the company whic

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Carnival —By Dick Turner

me, still “tops.”

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“l1 wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the

your right to say it.”

“WE SINCERELY LONG TO COME HOME” By Pvt. G. C. Walker, Cam I, as a member oO forces, ask your help for my buddies and myself, who are fathers, to return home to our wives and children. While we were fighting and serv. ing our countryduring the war, very few of us asked for any such favors but now that the war is over, please don’t forget us. We had our families before the war was even thought of, and now we sincerely long to return. Surely we can be replaced by single men who can enjoy their evenings a hundred times better than we. I am 28 years old and have three children. I am stationed a thousand miles away from home as hundreds of others are. My thoughts are always at home. Our hearts bleed for our kids. In the evening we can only sit down and write a letter to our wives, in order to keep our family together. Many, yes many of us have lost our wives, and our families are separated forever because of that dreadful We cannot blame our wives for finally stepping out because time can wear away happy memories and love as well as the huge rocks which it reduces in time to a mere pebble. Please, try to put yourself in our places. Think of us who will have nothing to come home to, because we were not allowed to come home sooner. I am not in this position, thank God, but plenty of my buddies are. Release us now, not sometime in the future. Regardless of points. * Yes, points in these men’s lives can do a lot of damage which will last the rest of their lives. How can anyone with any humanity in him expect these men who have won, yet lost, their greatest possession to come home with a bright outlook on life. Don’t make them come home with their world crushed by points, man-made points. This is my plea to you in behalf of my swell buddies whom I have

Blanding, Fla. the armed

with. Have you an answer to give us? We sincerely hope sp. We are watching, waiting, and reading every congressman's action. Don't let us down. We will not let you down. I end with just one word— please. The rest is up to you.

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POLITICS— : Army Issue By Thomas L. Stokes

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23.~—De-

He gave assurances that the men are coming back just as fast as the services can release them. At the same time, he seemed to rebuke Gen. MacArthur inferentially and indirectly, though he did not mention his name, by saying that it would not be possible until next spring to tell what size occupation forces would be needed.

a political issue is that it may ramify in directions that will threaten our whole post-war peace and international program.

Could Balk Peace Task : BRINGING the boys back home at once could easily be worked up gradually into a frontispiece for withdrawing ourselves from Europe and Asia, retiring from responsibilities that we shirked a quarter of a century ago but have pledged ourselves to assume now, It could develop into an insidious post-war isolations 1sm or nationalism, and that may become the iso= We have undertaken to do certain things in Burope and Asia for our own future and that of the rest of the world. We have resolved to destroy the Nazi war machine against any chance of revival

back of it—and to lay the basis for democratic government in Germany. 3 We have pledged ourselves to do the same in Japan, and the industrial oligarchy there is just as dangerous. The job is not made easier by the fact that there are certain interests in this country, powerful politically, which had business tie-ups and sympathies with German and Japanese overlords. They'd like to go easy. Our program will take time. It will take military forces. It will take constant watchfulness. We could easily lose everything in these early stages. Are we going to be played for suckers and fall for a cheap political issue?

IN WASHINGTON—

Veterans By Douglas Smith

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22.—1f there is a newly dise charged veteran who hasn't been asked to join am organization, he can expect to be asked soon. The veterans organizations, big and little, are practically meeting returning soldiers at the docks, Now that discharges are running into six figures a month the competition for members is getting hot. New organisations, some with resounding titles, are being announced at the rate of two or three a and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, are all fight it out for the bulk of tie millions of pomembers, .F.W. Got Convention 'Jump'

THE V, F. W. got the jump on the Legion by setting its first post-war convention for Oct. 1 tm Chicago. The V. F, W., which claims to have 700,000 membgrs among world war II veterans, is rounding up big-name speakers, pouring out publicity, and plane ning for a gathering which will be as big as the fae mous Legion conventions of the "20s. The Legion won't have its convention until Now, in Chicago—but it has a “world-wide” meme

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