Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 15 March 1946 — Page 20

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"Friday, March 15, 1946

HENRY W. MANZ "Business Manager (A SORIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

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Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Woy

MacARTHUR TO INDIANA AN INVITATION to visit Indianapolis has been sent by The Times to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, supreme commander for the allied powers in Japan, and hero of the hard road from Bataan to Brisbane and back to Tokyo. It is earnestly hoped that America’s most distinguished soldier will be able soon to make a visit back home, both for the rest he needs and to receive the victor's acclaim to which he is entitled. The general should not wait too long to make this trip, because his is the type of thinking .that is needed in world affairs today. Gen. MacArthur has proved his adeptness in international politics as: well as in strategy. He has an abiding faith in our country’s destiny, and the determination to defend it against encroachment. If it is possible for him to come here to receive the acclaim of Hoosierland, it will be of inestimable value in giv“ing us here in the Middle West a fresher and perhaps more vitalized outlook on domestic and world affairs. In this general, we have a man of attion and a man of faith—qualities gravely needed in this period of unsettled world conditions.

RE = :

WHEN TO BE ALARMED RESIDENT TRUMAN says he is not alarmed by the international crisis’ created by Russia. all right for poblic consumption, but it is not the way the ‘secretary of state, the secretary of war, the military chiefs and our ex-amh or to Moscow talked to congressional committees. The official notes our state department has been sending to Russia about her treaty-breaking in Man_churia and Iran are not hay. — . The reason for alarm is the United States’ declining military strength—which in part has invited Russia's defiant attitude, and which reduces effectiveness of the state department notes. This is something very much in -the province of Commander-in-Chief Truman, nr ~All of us Americans share the blame for letting our nation fall within a few months from the strongest power in the world to something much less.

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"Credit Men Say Loan to Britain Poor Risk, Should Not Be Made"

By MERRITT FIELDS, Executive Manager, Indianapolis Association of Credit Men’ The proposed loan to Britain is a credit matter that affects everyone’s pocketbook, We do not like England as a credit risk. If we were handling your money for you, we would not give England one nickel on credit, for England's credit record is bad. Our officials have agreed to give England on credit $4,400,000,000 and this huge credit is now before congress for approval. From a credit standpoint, all you really want to know is, “Will England pay?” “. The Socialists are running England now, but even before that Eng-

VEN if the present crisis had not been foreseen—as it was foreseen by many—our present armed forces are

Though Americans as a whole are partly responsible, the main cause has been lack of leadership. That includes the administration, the army and navy heads, and congress. The administration's pollyannish approach has failed to provide an adequate defense program, or even to push through its incomplete proposals. The army and navy chiefs have been feuding over the long overdue unification of the armed forces, instead of

outside leadership from the executive branch has been to confused and intent on the November elections to provide from within the leadership which the public has almost ceased to expect from it,

£8» ss =» "THERE have been three problems. One is the wartime force—and it is too late to do anything now about

force, and the third is the permanent defense establishment. - Of course the size of the latter cannot be determined until the administration is able to make up its mind on a host of foreign commitments and political policies. That leaves the interim problem as the immediate one. This has been multiplied by failure of the army and of congress to provide sufficient incentives for volunteers to replace demobilized draftees, and hy officials’ run-out on the universal military training law. As a result, the army now says the volunteer system has failed and that extension of the draft beyond May 15 is the only alternative. i & =» - - » »

VEN if congress by delay has tricked itself into the

and many will balk at that—certainly this can be only a stopgap in a country which will not accept permanent peacetime conscription. The administration and congress at once should get ~ going on an acceptable universal training law, on financial and other inducements to recruit strong regular army and navy, and on unification of the services to eliminate waste and provide effective defense leadership. Only the strong can afford the luxury of not being alarmed in these critical times,

BASKETBALL GAMBLING (CHIEF OF POLICE JESSE McMURTRY has cracked

finals which will be held here tomorrow. - That action deserves highest praise.

| rivals that on horse-racing. : Of course, it would be ideal if all laws on gambling

% were rigidly enforced, as Chief McMurtry is trying to do.

- & state tournament evokes.

Such enthusiasm might be corrupted one of these days,

USING CITY'S PLAYGROUNDS : ‘WHEN Paul V. Brown, the city’s director of public parks

00rs, playtime for youngsters, he figuratively unthe warehouse door and brought out slides and and other equipment to delight our boys and girls. ! ‘was not too impressed with the fact this done before, that he was three months the city's eight playgrounds, ; | by this thoughtful and efficient, operay certain the kids are, too. r. Brown,

down on gambling on the state high school basketball |

and recreation, saw that better weather was bringing |

| { |

inadequate for normal organization and occupation duties. uncle Sam, probably humorously materials or at our option in other

combining on an integrated over-all plan. Congress, lacking when she didn't pay, the treasury lar; on the 25 billions of lend-lease 0 made

too-rapid demobilization. The second problem is an interim [a good investment in a customer; croqyt o

This is more failure of leadership. n

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land was a bad credit risk on the basis of her past paying record, and her largest credit grantor made, ; ’ this notation on his books: “Un-| Within a reasonable time following collectible—had to charge it off.”|the close of hostilities, in similar

referred to in European circles as goods of many kinds, which they the C. C. C.—Champion Credit|can produce and which we need.” Chump, charged off as uncollectible] This 25 billion dollars of lenda little sum of only six billion dol-|lease under the agreement now belars! We taxpayers Aare. Uncle fore congress will be settled for 3 Sam. We gave England a 'credit cents on the dollar to be paid runincluding interest of six billion dol-| ning into the century 2000. As has lars in world war I; she didn't pay, been pointed out by credit execso the Champion Credit Chump lost utives, on the first credit granted six billion dollars. England got the England we collected 6 cents on the money from the U. 8, treasury and dollar.and lost 94 cents on the dol-

you pay by adding it on to We Will get.3 cents on the dollar (if

their credit judgment should be somewhat discounted. A bill furnishing an ideal solution to the con-

_| troversy has been introduced in

congress, It provides for a government bond issue to be bought by those American taxpayers who believe it good business to loan the money to Britain, these bond holders to be paid off when Britain repays the loan, If those who like the loan to Britain are sincere and believe in backing their judgment with their own money, they should urge congrass to issue these special bonds so they could buy them. Thus the taxpayers who don't want the loan made are satisfied, and so are its proponents. American taxpayers, in our opinion, have no business loaning anybody a single dollar, for we are already in the red approximately 280 billions. If congress disapproves the loan, England will somehow get along without it and American taxpayers will have the money to apply on their own debts which exceea those of all other nations combined. In any event, it is your duty to tell your men in Washington whether you are for or

ur personal federal tax. | England pays. it) and now we are Jue, pe [to loan her $4,400,000,000 more. Are we taxpayers really in favor We wonder if it is good ‘credit of giving England another $4.400- | s,4oment for our American taxpay000,000.00 on credit? It is reported oc ts try this same customer again in advance of voting on it that the |, edit and on the basis of treasury doesn't really expect Eng-|j3,4'c past paying record can we, land to pay this new credit; that|i, jew , even if she doesn’t pay, it will be |iione o { $4,400,000,000 as uncollectthat we should loan her the money |ipie? And we so she can buy from us, then we is 5 decadent nation, can we afcan afford to lose the money. That | ford to. keep propping her up with doesn’t make credit sense. Many these credits of six billion dollars, | of the British themselves frankly gq per cent of which we wrote off | say in advance of congressoinal ap- | ag uncollectible, and 25 billion dolproval that the loan will never be jars of lend-lease, 97 per cent of | paid back. We quote from the Loan | which we have written off as uncol- | News Weekly: “The chances are! jectible. |

that Jong before America can col-| re a : Some , liber $ | lect there will be a new inter- me American liberals say this

national wel ta throw the oun’ credit to England is too complicated

f . A and many” Kindred superstitions in. | x i se pclae 4 Wher 0 hogwash. | business; which is the credit busiDo you, a taxpayer, regard this ness that whenever a credit trans- | ew loan as a superstition? After |action becomes foo complicated to world war I we gave England 62! understand, there is something |

and after 1933 the U. 8. treasury the paying record—all that really! (you) didn't collect one more nickel. { counts—England, in our opinion, is! In the recent war, we gave England | a bad credit risk for you as a tax-|

; {solely as a business proposition. We of our own heavy obliga- believe .that a .buyer-seller .deal flord to write off another| should be considered as well as a

wonder, if England any event, however, we believe the

to make our representative govern‘ment work.

Editor's Note: As The Times has | pointed out editorially, the loan to Great Britain cannot be considered

lender-borrower arrangement. In

money should be gotten inte Britain’s coffers to bolster world econ-

omy. Mr. Fields’ letter considerably .longer than .the 250-word Forum .romimum, but has .been

selected as the most complete: of several letters te the Forum opposing the loan. The loan is $33; billion, with an additional eredit of $650 million for purchase of leaselend stocks now overseas. » » »

“UNRRA FEEDING RUSSIA'S CONTROLLED AUSTRIA ZONE"

OUR TOWN . . . By Anton Scherrer a Leprechaun Demand for an

IF SIGNS AND PORTENTS mean anything, and I'm almost inclined to believe they do, something really big is scheduled for next Sunday. The rumor that this part of the world has settled down sufficient. ly to resume the celebration of St, to me by way of a letter delivered: by a leprechaun. It suggests-4 hell, it comes right out and declares that this column might take a turn for the better if, occasion- - ally, I'd tell a tale or two about the fighting Irish of Indianapolis, The old stories must not be allowed to die, concludes my nudging correspondent. Well, the best (and fightingest) story to illustrate the adorable qualities of the Irish around here is .the one about James Lynchehaun, a West Indianapolis saloon keeper whose extravagant and even boisterous past inspired James M. Synge to write “The Playboy of the Western World,” the singularly arresting comedy that had everybody talking. Indeed, it moved some critics (William Butler Yeats, for one) to declare it the best comedy in English since Sheridan. “The Playboy of thé Western World” was first produced at the Abbey Theater in Dublin in 1907. Five years later, the same players turned up with {it at English’s (sure, on the Circle).

Irish Commotion THE MATERIAL upon which Mr, Synge based his play amounted to nothing more than a handful of unadorned biographical facts. James Lynchehaun was a tenant of a woman named Agnes McConnel who lived on the island of Achill, on the coast of the County-of Mayo, Ireland. On the night of Oct. 6 1894, her house and barn caught fire and burned to the ground. In the excitement that followed, Mrs.

| McConnel was severely injured. Anybody but an

| Irishman would have called the commotion a riot. Be that as it may, Lynchehaun was suspected. After a wild police hunt, involving many slips and runarounds, Lynchehaun was arrested on a charge of assault and battery with intent to kill. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for life. He served eight years of his sentence. The reason it was cut short was because he escaped from a dungeon at Maryboro, His concealment by the peasants, sometimes because of fear and more often because of love, gave Mr, Synge the dramatic ma- | terial with which to work,

"WORLD AFFAIRS . . . By William Philip Simms | Red Army Hotheads Urge Expansion

WASHINGTON, March 15.—Generalissimo Stalin's violent outburst against Winston Churchill “and his friends,” plus military development in Iran and elsewhere, indicate three things: Pirst, the Soviet dictator has been taken into the camp of the young hotheads of the Red army— leaders whose dreams of expansion far exceed those even of Peter the Great. Second, the Soviet Union probably will be charged with aggression against Iran at the coming security council meeting in New York, whereupon anything can happen including a walkout by Russia and her satellites, Third, a rapprochement of the English-speaking peoples more or less along the lines suggested by Mr. Churchill will receive impetus, If Soviet aggression continues, the British and Americans will have no option but to act together to save what is left of the United Nations. President Truman has said, most emphatically, that the United States will not let the peace organization die.

Russian Masses Think Won War Alone STALIN'S BLUNT TIRADE against Britain's former prime .minister is widely regarded as the most significant, and at the same time gravest, of Russian post-war -developments. Up to now, many had hoped that the Red army was only feeling its oats and perhaps overdoing things a little. Now Stalin himself

against the Joan. That is the way |

By Evan C. Clearwater, Greencastle |

article headed “Russia Viewed as Blocking Restoration of Free Austria.” Of course, only a very small per-|

|another ‘credit amounting to 25|payer. Many American liberals want centage of the population of the |

{billion dollars, only the ingenlous|to loan money again to England. U. 8. A. will read the article.

enough volunteers.for a (in a

Mr. Roosevelt did not call it a In the past we have taken some of

credit, he called it lend-lease; and | these “liberals” apart and find their message to. congress relating| mainsprings to be made of other! to lend-lease said, “For what we| people's money. They are always send abroad we shall be repaid!liberal with that, and we think |

———————— :

Side Glances—By Galbraith

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; Basketball has been a cleanly-played, hard-fought sport in Indiana. It las not known the taint that gambling has forced on the sport in certain other places. The police | chief says state tourney betting in bookie establishments |

But, he is absolutely right in resisting, at this particular | time, the gamblers’ efforts to capitalize on the enthusiasm |

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JDOPR. 1944 BY NEA SERVIOR, WC. 1. M. REG. U. 8. PAT. OFF.

"You were with Patton's army, weren't you? How absut taking

tomorrow off and escorting my wife en-a shapping tour to hep her capture some scarce TC eer

How- | ever, the article relates that although Russia controls the situation the U, 8. A. and Britain through the United Nations Relief and Rehabiliation Association will take over the burden of feeding the whole zone. which Russia controls. Figure it out, U. 8. A. taxpayers. This. is only one out of a thousand ways -your “dough” goes to keep foreign governments going so they can wage another war in which the U. 8 A gill participate.

Editor's Note: The same information had appeared previously in The Indianapolis Times. The U. 8. provides 75 cents of every dollar spent by UNRRA. = ” » 7 “WARN KIDS AWAY FROM PITS, RAISE POOL FEES” By Dorothy Ritter, Indianapolis I know there must be thousands of mothers and fathers who feel the same way we do about the raise in swimming pool admissions. What kind of a city do we have? Taking out of little kids’ pockets to keep the mayor in luxury! The mayor was enjoying a very comfortable living before they gave him more money, And about the big kids—the city wants them to stay away from | gravel pits, ete, Yet, we raise the | fee! : i | And about the extension of “free| time.” We are trying to keep the, pools clean. It will be so packed, they won't be able to swim. f

DAILY THOUGHT

For rulers are not a to good works, but to the i win

thou then be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou “shalt have praise of the same.— Romans 13:3.

years to pay off the first loan, but| wrong with it. There is nothing] One the front page of the New ftv of a paid on it.for only nine years,| complicated about those last two|York Times, Feb. 28, 1946, is an of which to pay miners more money. necessity of prolonging the draft for a few months— {amounting to 6 cents on the dollar, | loans to England; on the basis of |

seems to be behind Soviet imperialism. “Keep your eyes on Stalin,” a high-placed Euro-

IN WASHINGTON . . . By Peter Edson John L. Lewis Coal Strike litters

. WASHINGTON, March 15.—Every time the United Mine Workers get ready to negotiate a new contract, the operators, the government, and the general public get the jitters. The government fears John L. Lewis is out to wreck the new wage-price policy. Operators talk big about not being intimidated by this “dictator.” And the general public, in an emotional tizzy, loses sight of any common sense appraisal as to what the argument is all about. Prom the miners’ viewpoint, any background study of today's coal strike threat must consider that there has been no increase in basic pay rates for the miners since 1941, when they were raised $1 a day. That gave the miner $1 an hour for a seven-hour day, five-

| day week, a total of $35 a week.

When war came, coal mines were about one-half mechanized. When mechanization began; Lewis and the U. M. W. executive board accepted it without protest and stood pat, in the belief it would mean lower cost of operation and, therefore, greater earnings out

| Mechanization Outmodes Wages

TODAY about 556 per cent of the mines are mechanized. But the miners contend that since mechanization began the union has not been able to sit down with the operators and write a contract truly reflect-

| ing the advantages ¢f mechanization through a re-

classification of all jobs and skills in the industry. Bome adjustments have been made, but in general wage rates in the coal industry are still based on old pick-and-shovel mining standards. Operators claim their costs of operation are now $2.93 per ton. Mine Workers’ officials can be counted on to dispute these figures as being too high. It is out of this margin that the union hopes to squeeze the increases it will demand in writing a new contract.

Patrick's day came

‘of victory. They are going to want to carry the Red

Old Tale]

Subsequently, Mw Lynchehaun fled to France and thence took passage for America. With the help of Pinkertons, English detectives picked him up in Indianapolis: Forthwith, he was hauled before U. 8. Commissioner Charles W. Moores for extradition. | © “When the ‘Irish of Indianapolis learned of Lynche- | haun’s sorry predicament, they dropped everything to! come to his rescue.. A defense, committee, headed by | Andrew Sweeney, collected enough money to engage Henry Spaan to defend the prisoner, Most of the: money came frofs the pockets of the O’Connors, Me- | Nelises, Donnellys, Mahoneys’ Flynns, O’Mahoneys, McGowans, Readys, Quinns, Feeneys and Kellys. And, | begad, the chairman of the committee came through | handsomely, too. * ! : \

Battery of Prominent Lawyers i HENRY SPAAN talked Ferdinand Winter into | helping him with the case. And, for some reason, | Addison C. Harris volunteered his services. It was the most formidable battery of lawyers Indianapolis | had to offer at- the time and, indeed, one of the greatest of all time. The trial took place in the fall of 1903 with Federal Judge Francis E. Baker op the | bench. The British government was representsd by Charles Fox of New York and Jesse J, M. Ls te of Indianapolis. piein The Crown contended that the prisoner, being &n escaped convict, should be returned to the demanding government, Moreover, that there could be no investigation of the nature of the offense, and that no American court could question or review an English conviction. J : To combat this claim, the Indianapolis lawyers | maintained that the prisoner’ must be tried accord- | ing to the law. of the place of his arrest; that the | plain intent of treaty-making power was to that ef. | fect; and that, therefore, the place of trial must be | the place of residence of the accused. { When Ferdinand Winter finished his argument | one of the greatest in local legal lore—he had the British lion gasping for breath. the lion's tall was so twisted that the only thing left to do was to acquit James Lynchehaun and wish him God-speed on his journey. ; H For some reason, though—probably because of the nice treatment of the Irish around here—Mr. Lunchehaun elected to. remain in Indianapolis. To get started, he opened a saloon in’ West Indianapolis. And, so far as I know, he never again wes seen in a court room,

pean statesman told the writer before V-E day. “What he does after thé war will give you a pretty | good idea of which direction Russia will take.” The Russian masses, like the Red army, have never heard anything but their own propaganda. They think Russia has won the war by herself, They think that neither the British nor the Americans contributed anything worth while, either against Germany or Japan. This, he said, means that the Red army will feel mighty cocky when the war is ended, particularly the younger officers

Restless Urge for Expansion THESE YOUNG OFFICERS are not going to relish quiet life on lonesome farms after their years

banner to the far places. Russia wants outlets and bases in the Mediterranean, the Indian ocean, the Atlantic and the Pacific. Then why not take them? This week, in Washington, hearings on the British loan are under way. At the same time, within the framework of the combined chiefs of staff, the problem of U. S. peacetime bases in British-held territoryis on the agenda. > Exclusive peacetime alliances with any country are contrary to American policy. But, it is observed, nations far’ more incompatible than those of the | English-speaking peoples, have been driven into éach | other's arms by lesser pressures than Moscow and the Red army are now bringing to bear on Russia's anxious neighbors. i

During the war, the government, in effect, sat in on all wage negotiations, in order to enforce its stabilization program. At what point the government steps in now, and how insistently, has yet to pe determined. To get increased coal production needed in the war, a supplementary amendment to the coal contract wes agreed to, authorizing a 84-hour work wéek of six nine-hour days. In place of wage increases, the niners were given compensation for travel time in the mines, lunch periods with pay, and paid vacations. These extras amounted to a little over six dollars a week, in addition to which the miners got time-and-a-half for overtime on all hours above 35 a week.

Miner Works 45 Hours a Week ACTUALLY, few miners ever worked the full 54hour week. ‘The bureau of labor statistics puts the industry average today at 45 hours a week, although the operators still get a 12%-cent per ton increase granted them as reimblirsement for producing oal on a 54-hour weekly basis, The current $58 weekly earnings figure quoted by BLS for the industry includes. supervisors and others whose higher pay rates step up the average salary. Employed in the coal industry today are slightly less than 500,000 people. Over 150,000 miners went into the armed services, and another 50,000 left the mines to take better paying and pleasanter jobs in war plants. There are an estimated 30,000 over-age miners who should be retired. Adding In all these factors, and taking into consideration the fact that no one wants to continue the 54-hour work week, mine union officials say the industry in the next two years faces the need of an additional 50,000 workers. They argue that present wage scales, hours, and working conditions do not offer sufficient incentive to recruit this many new workers.

TODAY IN EUROPE . . . By Randolph Churchill. Ignorance Molds Views on Britain

NEW YORK, March 15.—The world is a vast jigsaw puzzle in which all the separate bits lle around in meaningless disarray. All thoughtful people know that the bits must be put together if the world is to become a tolerable place for human being to live in. It was the realization of this fact which caused Clarence Streit’s plan for Federal Union to receive such sympathetic consideration, Wendell Willkie's concept of “one world” stemmed from the same root. And more recently, the pleas of Anthony Eden and of British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin for a world parliament and a world government have been widely applauded, save in the Kremlin. All these plans and ideas depend for their realisa. tion upon some greater or lesser abdication of sovereign rights, However much the idealists may cheer the reiteration of these noble aspirations, realists know that there 18 no hope of their attainment in the foreseeable future.

Why Break Up Colonial Empire? IP YOU HAVE a jig-saw puzsle, would you expect to solve it by gazing at the pieces and .muttering incantations in the hope that they would sort themselves out of their own accord? Would you not

see if could first flit two pleces together, rather yoa by bit? And if you

20 pieces, would you insist on scrambling these up before you attempted a solution? ‘ Yet this is the attitude adopted by a large majority of people the moment if is suggested that the

TERROR cioses the ear of the simplest way to set ahout building a world state would

mind.—-Ballust.

| pe by first achieving some measure of integration be-

$id

tween the British commonwealth and empire and the United States. Even those Americans who favor closest co-operation with Great Britain and the great self-governing dominions insist, as a condition to their help, upon breaking up the British colonial empire, Attitude of some Americans towards the British empire is based on so much ignorance and prejudice that it seems almost hopeless to alter it.

Need U. S. Help, Not High-Sounding Talk CANADA, South Afrféa, Australia and New Zealand, like the first 13 states of the American union, all started as British crown colonies. Though they are still a part of the British empire, they are as free, sovereign and independent as the United States. There is no truth in the myth, which is still widely believed in the United States, that Great Britain can levy taxes in the British dominions. Britain has sedulously fostered self-governing institutions throughout the colonial empire. But many. colonies are still far too backward to be capable yet of either governing or defending themselves. The British administration levies taxes in the colonial empire, but these are all spent inside the colonies themselves. : : oy If the British move out, someone else will move | in. In many cases, it would be Soviet Russia. 1 If the United States is genuinely anxious for the British nies to achieve self-government, why don’t they come and help us in our task? That would be more useful than the trumpeting of high-sounding principles and much more useful than sitting k and jeering. 5 - J v ef

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