Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 March 1948 — Page 12

EH 2 TES oe = : : rls. } a * CE > Indianapolis Times ARD WALTER LECKRONE HENRY W. MAN: "Editor BENET W, Wednesday, Mar. 10, 1948 "A SURIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER Emmen Owned and published daily (except by Indianapolis Times Publishing Co., Maryland St. Postal Zone 9.

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Give LAght ona the People Will Find Ther Own Woy

That April 1 Deadline : (CONGRESS is dragging its feet on foreign aid. The House has been slow from the start. Now a minority in the Senate is beginning to hold up the time-table of Chairman Vandenberg and the Foreign Relations Commit- ‘ tee. ‘. There is no excuse for further delay. Nobody expects Congress to act in haste or without due consideration. The ‘measure is far too important, and too much money is involved. But the Marshall Plan has been subjected to the most careful investigation by,official and semi-official bodies ‘ abroad and in Washington since last summer. Probably . no bill ever has received more thorough study. The measure should have been passed last December. Instead a temporary relief bill was enacted to give Congress extra time on the long-range measure. That time is now . running out, with the deadline only about three weeks off. At first some of the opposition hinted that there was ‘no reason for prompt action, that the emergency was an administration hoax for political purposes. Stalin has answered that one, and all too effectively—as the record in ‘Czechoslovakia and Finland shows. He is moving in on Italy and France. Indeed, the foreign situation has become so desperate that few members of Congress any longer are opposing American aid directly and openly. The main minority + group now talks “revision” rather than “opposition.” fA "x » a = =» BUT “REVISION” has a hollow sound after all the -¢ompromises the State Department and the Senate com“mittee have written into the bill. .Under the brilliant leadership of Sen. Vandenberg most of these changes have been ! donstructive. They have met all reasonable major objec- * tions to the original proposal without defeating its purpose. Phe fact that the new bill has received the unanimous ap_proval of such a divided group as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is sufficient proof of its bipartisan validity. Controversy now centers on two issues. One is the - total figure for European economic aid during the coming “year. The other is whether military aid for Greece, Turkey and China is to be included in the European Recovery “o In our judgment the European Recovery Program figojure of $5.3 billion in the Senate bill is the minimum for .:safety, but in any event the vote on cutting it can be taken’ “4s well this week as later. is We agree with Gens. Wedemeyer and Chennault, and “the long list of experts urging military supplies and advisers for China, as well as for Greece and Turkey. er such military help is lumped with the European Economic Program, or handled separately, obviously is much less important thal getting the supplies to the fighting fronts quickly. This is particularly pressing for China. There is still time to meet the Apr. 1 deadline if the Republican leaders in Congress follow Vandenberg statesmanship. =~ : !

Mr. Truman Chooses to Run

“NJOBODY should have been surprised by Monday's announcement from the White House. And hardly anyBody was. : The only real question has been when—not whether— President Truman would make it official that he is a candidate for another term. Now that question is settled. “If he is nominated by the Democratic National Convention, he will accept and run.” The words are those of Democratic Chairman MecGrath, but Mr. Truman authorized him to say them. > So that's that. Mr. Truman is not going to bow himself out and let his party pick some “more popular” candidate. He is not going to be scared out of the race by Henry Wallace or the Southern opponents of his civil-rights program. He chooses to run in 1948. i. Maybe the presidential primaries, which started yestérday in New Hampshire, will shape the decision of the

In Tune With the Times

ALL WEEK LONG

Monday wash your blues away, Tuesday iron your troubles, Wednesday cook your cares so hard * They'll burst in air like bubbles, Thursday mend your headaches, Leave no room for doubting. Friday, dust your fears away, Give your heaft an outing. Saturday relax and sing, Sunday sing some more; In just a few wee hours You'll find Monday at the door.

=-MEREDITH RODERICK HASKETT, 1502

Ruth Dr. * oo OLD MR. WORRY Old Mr. Worry—

Stay 'way from here, Don’t want you ‘round me, Don’t want you near, I don’t want to.see you— Nevah—No more, Old Mr. Worry— Get out of my door. For me, you don’t care, Old-Mr. Worry, You pay me no heed, When I tell you to scurry! So, Old Mr. Worry— Get on your way! -MARY R. WHITE, 854 N. Sherman Dr. ‘ ® & 9 A dish-washing contest in a western town was won by men. They've probably been sorry ever since. + 4

WITH DUE APOLOGY

I don’t suppose I'll ever know The fame that followed Edgar Poe, Nor can I ever hope to be As great as Mr. Riley.

And Shakespeare, Stevenson, and Bryant Immortal in the hearts of men, Would have no cause for jealousy From any verse born of my pen.

As I recall the truly great And those who yet may be, I can but offer you my works With due apology. ~-BETTY ABBETT. ® © ¢

THE CROSSROAD GRAPEVINE

Gramp Miller sez, “Some folks air fergettin’ thet a bird in the hand helps feather a feller’s nest.” 4 Slivers Sylvester bought hisself a saxiphony. He an’ Lonnie Mason with his sliphorn, an’ Lutie Hodges with his tuba afr almin’ to form a trio fer playin’. Pud Galimere got stuck in a revolvin’ door while up to the city. “Didn’t bother me none at all,” sed Pud. “Bin goin’ ’round in a circle all my life an’ I felt right to home.” It's bin sald that a knock is a boost an’ reckon it is providing it's Opportunity’s. -~-CATFISH PETE.

® 4 ¢ ay Alaska is recommended for the honeymoon. Swell for mushing.

4 '¢ THE DUEL. Whipping rain,

8wirling, twisting, As if in pain,

Umbrellas sway, As it afraid, On this. violent day.

Sighing wind, Tiredly waiting For it to end. : . The battle’s won, And who 1s the victor...

The flaming sun. ! --BESSIE CLARK. ¢ ¢ o

Few people have ever cleaned up consistently betting on ‘horse races—not by a long shot.

® © o FOSTER'S FOLLIES Bae ias-—EtsTaiory Report Firat Civill-

If we ever get to trav’ling (That's a yen we've always had) May kind fortune’s ways unrav'ling Turn us eastward toward Baghdad.

For 'twas there the civ’lization Its first impact did impart, It might be a nice sensation To attempt another start.

IN WASHINGTON . . . By Peter Edson

Finland's Constitution : Could Block Red Grab

WASHINGTON, Mar. 10—Close students of Finnish affairs

Ae ¢ AR NG

NATIONAL AFFAIRS . . . By Marquis Childs Congress Fumbles Recovery Plan

WASHINGTON, Mar. 10—-It is time for the American peqple to take a long, hard look at the actions of the Republican majorities in the Senate and the House. If it is on the basis of their present performance that the Republicans are asking to be installed in the White House, then that performance should be held up to the light. In the Senate the Republican leader on foreign policy, Sen. Arthur H. Vandenberg, has worked manfully to get the European Recovery Program adopted by Mar, 15. That deadline is set against the mounting political crisis in Europe and, above all, against the date of the Italian election—Apr. 18. That election may well be, as Mr. Vandenberg has said in urgent private discussions, the most important election of the past 20 years and the next 100 years. ’ Meeting the European Recovery Program deadline is supposedly official Republican policy, backed by Sen. Robert A. Taft of Ohio. But what is happening? The Republian whip, Sen. Ken neth Wherry of Nebraska, has organized a rump

revolt in his own party.

‘While he says blandly for the record that there must be no delay, he is keeping careful tabulation of those Senators who want to debate hour after hour. He is putting them forward to utter such fantastic moonshine as sane people would hardly believe at this moment in history. 80 it seems likely that the debate will run through this week and into next week while the sand in the hour-glass runs out. On Feb, 17, Sen. Willlam E. Jenner of Indiana delivered the keynote speech at Nebraska's Republican convention in Omaha. He attacked the Marshall Plan in terms so demagogic and so savage that it caused a bad reaction, even though Sen. Jenner apparently thought he was talking in territory where he could go as far as he liked. “Where was the Marshall Plan first proposed?” he is reported to have said in « speech which was Jot taken down and with no manuscript to speak m, vv-ahd Plan.”

Organized to Defeat Recovery

SEN. JAMES P. KEM of Missouri speaks with the same blind disregard of fact. These men organized themselves into a private cabal to defeat the Recovery Program by sniping and sabotage.

They ‘are proceeding by sabotage because they

know a frontal attack could not succeed. Repeatedly, in public-opinion polls and in every other way, large majorities in this country have shown that they want to build peace and sta bility by peaceful means before it is too late.

“It was at. Haa-vv-ahd. This is a Haa-:

Side Glances—By Galbraith

In the House an enfeebled and confused leadership—if it can be called that—proposes to link with the Recovery Program a half dozen other issues. These issues are loaded with controversy. They stem in part from furious partisans who have their own individual foreign policies to save their pet foreign countries. One of these issues, linking military aid with economic aid, would have to be considered by the Senate if the House should attach it to the Recovery Bill. That would mean weeks and weeks of new debate. Now the House leadership is considering an Easter holiday. Congress would go away a day or two before Easter, Mar. 28, and would not return until Apr. 5 or 6. The House would not act on the Recovery Program until after returning from this holiday.

Which Party Is Bankrupt?

WHEN Secretary of State George C. Marshall heard of this, he went up to Capitol Hill with Undersecretary Robert Lovett to plead with Speaker Joseph Martin the terrible urgency of action. If the holiday schedule is adhered to and if the House persists in making the Recovery Bill into a six-ring circus, the program can hardly be adopted before June. Republicans of the Wherry-Jenner type are obviously counting on Democratic bankruptcy in November. They are counting on sliding into the White House by defauit. But they should begin to understand that there is a growing suspicion of something like bankruptcy in the Republican Party, That is the meaning of the persistent belief, evidenced ‘in wide sections of the population, that in spite of his firm no, Gen. of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower may still be drafted to serve his country in the White House. - ) This is an astonishing political phenomenon t the old leaders of the old parties cannot ignore. Why, éven Henry Wallace (Henry has, of course, gaid everything on every side of every subject) stated publicly that Gen. Eisenhower would sweep the country and, in office, would be more likely than any other available candidate to prevent a military dictatorship. Deep down in the common sense of the American people is an understanding that this is not the time for cynical politicians to slide into power by default. That is behind the wistful hope of millions of Americans that in some way a man of greatness—and they put Gen. Eisenhower in the hero's shrine—can lead the country out of danger and division. 3

money. Millions of half-trained American boys win be shipped like cattle to be slaughtered in

China, Greece and Western Europe, if World War III follows, as it probably will. . Wi Etrope will again be devastated and more in need than now. When the war ends, communism will be destroyed, we hope, but the Socialists will be standing by to take over as they have in Great Britain. Socialism will destroy free enterprise as

-effectivély as communism, so what has America ? es 4

America will lose the lives of a million American boys. She will lose hundreds of millions of tons of irreplaceable raw material. Returned soldiers and their children to the third and fourth generation, will be burdened with a huge debt that will reduce living stand. ee aig 2 Tepe n, an end of en here in al terprise Even before the war is over, Washington bureaucrats acting like a.Communist dictator, will ration food and other necessities, thus reducing living standards. They will fix prices, and raise taxes higher than ever before. No doubt civil war between Communists and Socialists will flare in Italy and France, which ‘wins is immaterial, either will destroy freé enterprise. America’s job is to preserve free enterprise here at Home. Our job is to show the world that free enterprise will provide more jobs at da living. wage, higher living standards than either communism or socialism. When wo do this, the latter will wither.and die.

* & o

Like Crocheting Rug 5

By Josephine Buck, R. R. 1, Westfield, Ind.

Crocheting on a rag rug I thought how like one’s life it is. The continual pulling of the needle impressing one with the struggle. The steady increase of the size proving the value of patience included. The brightness of each color and: their blending bring thoughts of emotions threading through a life lived. We have the heart of the rug’s white bringing thoughts of yellow of jealousy as youth began to strive for adult ways. Pink came along bearing the mature full bloom days of marriage and homemaking. As days began to beat unto old age we find the drabness of brown in the monotony of unexciting days. Death brings the stripe of black. The rug is almost done, but we must not forget to add the purple of the royalty of Spirit in Christ. And so a living rug is lovely and useful; alike one’s living years donated to mankind. ® o¢ E

In Defense of Trucks et By A Truck Driver's Wife, Oity : In answer to R. V. H.'s letter about sixwheeled trucks, I wonder if you ever stopped to think you are not the only one working for

a living. What about the owners and drivers of those trucks? They're not playing you know. Maybe they would like to come home at night and rest and be with their families but they can't, they Rave to stay on the road in order for you to have things in your home and food to eat. Then you have the nerve to gripe. Did you ever hear of truck routes? Maybe your street is one. I live on one, too, but you don’t hear me griping about it. Did you ever try to make friends with them? They are a swell gang of boys. I am all for them, 100 per ¢ent. I'll fight for them any time.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS . . . By William Philip Simms France Poised to Put De Gaulle in Power

WASHINGTON, Mar. 10—France is poised to put Gen.

Republican National Convention. Maybe not. We're making no rash predictions as to what will happen there— especially since Gen. MacArthur has broken the news, also not entirely unexpected—that he wouldn't refuse to be a candidate if the “people” insisted. But the Democrats’ decision seems to have been made for them. It now appears that, despite turmoil within the party, their convention will have to nominate Harry 8. Truman for President.

Well, How Soon?

EP. CLIFFORD HOPE of wheat-coated Kansas, who is chairman of: the House Agricultural Committee, says bread should come down a cent a loaf. He says there has been no net change in the price of bread since wheat prices began to skid some two weeks ago. He's wondering why. And he's not the only one. . Indianapolis housewives have been scanning their grocers’ shelves expectantly but in vain, And what we wonder is what has become of the difference in the price of wheat. Someone is getting it—but who? Surely not our housewives. And they need it most of all.

Loan to Franco?

REPORTS persist that Spain wants to borrow $200,000, 000 from American banks, and that American policy may be altered to permit the loan.., For if the Franco government fell, communism would probably take over in Such a possibility, if true, would put this government

* “Ih an embarrassing spot. But is Spanish fascism tottering? 2#8pain, though perenially in a bad way, has survived for + three years without the help of her old Axis partners. It

could be that, with the spread of Russian conquest, Franco

thinks he has us over the barrel, and that any. requested

y a polite form of blackmail.

belleve Finland's constitution offers the only hope for a block against immediate Communist domination from Russia. - In their post-war moves to take over control of Eastern Europe, the Communists have tried to give the impression they were using constitutional means. They have used the abdication of King Michael of*Romania, the flights of Prime Minister Ferenc Nagy of Hungary and Stanislaw Mikolajcyzk of Poland and the resignation of anti-Communist cabinet members in Czechoslovakia as their constitutional justification for coups in those countries. * Another political maneuver which has helped them take over in Eastern Europe is the technically legal “trial” of opposition leaders, like that of Nikola Petkov in Bulgaria and Gen. Draja Mikhailovich in Yugoslavia. Findings of “guilty” enabled the Communists to remove these patriots. Such tactics give the Communist minorities the propaganda arguments that their seizures of power are peaceful changes of government in the best democratic traditions. To make the arguments look even better, the propaganda is always accompanied by charges that it is anti-Communist opposition which is conspiring to overthrow the government by force and upset the constitution.

~

Elect Representatives and Successors

IN THE case of Finland, however, the constitution is so rigid that forced resignations of cabinet officers or members of its parliament—the Eduskunta, or Diet—would not have the same results. When members of the Finnish Diet are elected, their successors, or alternates, are elected at the same time. The Diet member and his successor both belong to the same party. If the member dies or is removed from office for any cause, his elected successor immediately steps into his official shoes. By this unusual election procedure, the political division of the 200-member Diet is guaranteed against change. It would be constitutionally impossible for the Communists to force the resignations of any non-Communist members with any hope that they could be’ legally replaced by Communists. There is a further protection in that the Finnish constitution cannot be amended except by a five-sixths majority. One sixth of the 200 members—34 stubborn Finns--could thus bloc any legal change in the constitution and so prevent a Communist coup. ii

Only 40 Communists in Present Diet

THE NEXT election in Finland is scheduled for July, to choose a new Diet. The present Diet has only 40 Communist members, linked with 11 left-wingers in a pro-Russian Demeocratic Union bloc of 51 members. The Communists thus control only from 20 to 25 per cent of the Diet.

It is believed there are less than 50,000 Communist Party members iff Finland, Most of the labor unions are under non-

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"| often wish I'd taken up practice in a large city—it must be much easier to bring suit against a stranger!”

Communist control. The Communist press is noisy, but not too strong, and of limited circulation. Most Finns still remember how hard they had to fight the Russians. Under such conditions, an upset at the polls is not considered likely, if the coming elections are free. : The mutual assistance pact requested by Stalin is bound to be the number one issue in the election. The chances that a decision on the pact can be delayed until after the new Diet is installed are considered slim. * Knowing that they must live next door to communism, most Finns are said to realize that they must get along with Russia. There is nothing in -the proposed treaty, covering only friendship, cultural relations and mutual assistance against future German aggression, which in itself would seem likely to enslave the Finns. : It is the fear that such a treaty would be only the first

step toward later demands for military and economic control of Finla¥id by Russia that causes concern. 2.

Charles de Gaulle into power as an act of national defense, according to private but authoritative information received by the writer. The signal would be a new effort on the part of French Communists to seize the government or cripple the state, by another series of strikes like those of last fall. This does not mean there is any widespread dissatisfaction with Premier Schuman’s government. On the contrary, it is credited with a magnificent job ,under difficult, even dangerous, circumstances. . ' But France has now become keenly conscious of the Russian menace. Also her Communists are showing signs of a new uprising. And the lightning coup in Czechoslovakia was a terrifying warning of what can happen to her unless positive steps are taken. .

France Split Between Right and Left

FRANCE'S weakness today is due to the fact that she is divided. There is an extreme left—the Communists—and an extreme right. Both are against Schumann whose middle-of-the-road majority is precariously small and is split into groups held together only by the fear of what might happen if they flew apart. What France must have to weather the storm gathering over Europe is a government of national union—a government supported by dll save the Communists. And that is what General De Gaulle hopes to head. The General by all accounts is a “difficult” man. He could not “get along” with Prime Minister Churchill or President Roosevelt. After liberation, he failed to get along with his own people. The reason was that he held strong opinions and wanted to have his own way. At home, after the break, leftists accused him of wanting to become a ‘‘dictator,” and this. view in time came to be shared rather widely abroad. .

Point to De Gaulle as Strong Man

This, of course, Gen. De Gaulle denies. Those who know him best claim nothing could be wider of the mark. They recall that in all great crises, even in America, the Chief Executive is forced to assume powers not ordinarily exercised. They cite Woodrow Wilson in World War I and Franklin D. Roosevelt in World War IL ‘ Loosely geared democracies may be all right in normal times, they argue, but when disaster threatens from one day to another, quick decisions are vital, : De Gaulle holds that to save Europe, a strong Frande is necessary. And a strong France must have the backing of all. He insists that his is not a political party. He asks every Frenchman, whetiter Socialist, Radical or what not, to rally to the tricolor which he promises to hold high now just as he did in 1940 and the war years which followed. De Gaulle has committed himself ena to the Bue ropean program. He goes the limit for a union of the Western PO ecoNOmle ang miliary Tagan Russia, He even includes Germany, his only being allied controls to vent her from again . aggressor, re

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