Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 15 June 1950 — Page 20

The Indianapolis

"A SORTFPR- HOWARD NEWSPAPER por Ww. HOWARD WALTER LECKRONE President Editor

— W. MANZ Business Manager

PAGE 20 Thursday, June 15, 1950

CEETERRETRIT SRETRSEHT

o's [riod ai’ ky 2 : FE Tdi Give LAghs and the People Will Pind Thew Own Woy

Brin Rocks the Boat

JATIER all of the soem paced am the nent IL * unity at the recent London conference, it is disconcertto see the ruling party in the country from which we expect the most enlightened leadership to divide the free of Europe-into-Socialist-and anti-Socialist ca es _ That is what the British Labor Party has done “by a foreign policy manifesto on the Schuman steel-coal pool and related issues. ! It is understandable that Britain may have prior commitments and obligations within the empire and the sterling area which do not permit its complete participation fn the Schuman program, or in any program for the integration of European economy. But it should “have been possible to explain that position without entering the political realm by virtually Yelling the rest of Europe to “adopt socialism or else.” :

THE manifesto announced the Labor Party's opposi~ tion to the Schuman plan until the industries in all the gountries concerned have been nationalized. In an even tone, it rejected proposals to grant legislative to the Assembly of the Council of Europe, because that assembly -would have an anti-Socialist majority. -

American government and people had insisted on applying their non-Socialist yardstick to Britairi—as the British Labor Party is now trying to use its Socialist ideology 38 Hurope S thatv WOR] have bean so > 8. aid to Britain and no British labor government by this time.” ~~. Not content to state its own position and let it go at ~ : tha, th Bah Labo Paty ha cal 4 mocting hi week-end of the Socialist jastion of Western Europe at which it wil “\inited support for its views. This BR be regarded as an act of friendship by

r Party should not. be assumed usually more considerate and mature views of the British labor government, and particu.

jot

il

But surely, | in these troubled png. Britain's friends a right to

@

ment.

How About Peanuts? — SEN. GEORGE of Georgia, one of the Senate's great orators, made an eloquent speech in opposition to renewal of the federal rent-control law. Rent control, he said, had ceased to be a national problem and no longer justified a national law. Such cities as still need them could put on their own local controls. Congress should not give in to political pressures, for— “We cannot yield to pure pressure groups and hope “to guide the world back to a condition of sanity and stability. Are we to sacrifice everything for votes? Are

we willing to pay such a A price for seats in this body? Are we?” ”

THE Senator's speech would have been even more Impressive if it were not for his stand on peanuts. - For years the federal taxpayers have been saddled with a peanut price-support program for which Sen. George and other Georgians in Congress are largely responsible. Peanuts are grown on a big scdle only in a few southern states. But this year they're on the statute books, along with cotton, corn and wheat, as one of the “basic farm commodities” which the U. S. Agriculture Department must support at. 50 per cent of parity price.

” » & DID the political pressure of Georgia peanut growers have anything to do with that? Is the price of peanuts a national problem so important as to justify burdening the whole country with the cost of propping it up? And, since Sen. George regards rent controls as a local problem, doesn’t it seem that, in consistency’s name, he should advocate returning the peanut problem to local

govérnments and letting the state of Georgia support the price of its own goobers?

WENTY Republican Senators joined in Sen. Capehart's —— resolution directing the Judiciary Committee to make a complete investigation of the Justice Department’s handling of the Amerasia case. Democratic Leader Scott Lucas, apparently referring “to the Tydings committee which is already sitting on the Amerasia affair, declared two investigations at the same time weren't necessary. One investigation would be enough, Mr. Lucas. is, if we had one real investigation. :

That

Speaking of Size A NEW tenant will move into the world’ 8 largest industrial plant next January. The plant is the government-owned building at Chicago, in which airplane engines for B-29s were made during the war and which later housed the Tucker automobile venture. ; The new tenant will be the U. S. Treasury's Bureau of __. Public Debt. ' Well, those who look after the biggest debt in the world doubtless need plenty of room. But let's hope they won't get over-ambitious and try to outgrow their new quarters.

Not America’s Pride 2 Moscow, radio doesn’t like American female hair-

wrestlers. Well, we're not exactly proud of

- off-shoot of the Chamber of Commerce. Yet

throne,

¥ As Times writer Ludwell Denny has observed, “at the,

thought they had such a compromise. It was

government doubtless will repeal the law ‘bans

better co-ordination and under. my, “Party and the labor overs. = have been d

i gtatements against the King, thus creating a

- 1s not so much national averages as the regional

Times REFORM MOVEMENT . . . By Peter Ed ‘Indiana ‘American Guard,

(Firat of Series) : ANDERSON, “June 18 This smoke

stack city in central Indiana is the home of doms “The American Guard”-—one of the most con It was troversial political reform movements in recent Years.

“he ASPET GTR HEB dived By anne the C10 as a natiye American Fascist movement which might spread all over the United States. 80 far it is confined to Madison County. : The American Guard has been damned by local Democratic Party leaders as a Republican

been fascistic,

the Guard leaders say it is strictly bi-partisan and that it has been coffipletely divorced from the Chamber of Commerce, The American Guard movement is a little more than a year old. Two Anderson lawyers ~C, 0. Davisson, Republican, and Walter Bagot, Democrat, drew up its constitution and by-laws in April, 1949, This formal action had followed several months of preliminary discussion by Anderson business men, First the two had met at Junch and partisan good government movement. drew in five other -Demoer licans., These 12 got 12 more. The committee of 24 did the organizing. One of the 24—who prefers to remain anonymous -- suggested the name American Guard. He had served in the National Guard, and had been a student of martial law and use of the National Guard as the final defense of

TROUBLE . . . By Ludwell Denny How Leopold Can Save Face

Belgium King Must Agree - To Give Up His Throne

WASHINGTON, June 15-Leopold of Bel. glum may save his face but lose his unoccupied That is the compromise being cooked up behind the scenes in Brussels. If it fails, serious trouble is expected in bitterly divided Belgium, Before the recent election political leaders

i -

kicked over by the King. The idea was for him to réturn to the throne, from which he is temporarily excluded by a 1945 law, only long enough to turn it over to his son, Baudouin, Leopold agreed to that but, wishing fo rule through the Crown Prince, he would not promise to stay out of the country.

ELL King's position has been weakened by

ae Social Christian (Catholic) Party which campaigned for his return. The new Catholic .

ning his return, and he 9 . in Brussels within a few weeks. long remain there without splitting the country wide open.

Powerful Faction

THAT is too high a price to pay in the judgment of several responsible leaders of the Catholic Party. So . the renewed hops of a ‘compromise is based less on faith in Leopold's patriotism than on that of the powerful Eyskens . faction of Bocial Christians. Two other factors favor a compromise. One is the small parliamentary margin of the Social Christian cabinet, which will force return to coalition government in the not distant future. ascond factor. is that the-Socialist Party since the election has made fewer inflammatory

Anis dor a solution. Th ; in the election was really a severe detent. In the national advisory ‘referendum three months ago he polled 5T per cent. This time he got less than 47 per cent. So he is now a minority monarch. The fact that his party, by a fluke in the electoral representation system, has a bare majority of the chamber seats does not disguise either his: own heavy popular percentage loss or the 1 per cent parliamentary gains of his Socialist opponents, :

oil industry.

Regional Line-Up

FROM the Leopold angle the election was even worse than his minority figure indicates: Because for practical purposes the unity test

line-up. Ethnically Belgium is two countries — Wallonia and Flanders—plus a capital, The purpose of the constitutional monarchy is to hold the three units together as a single nation. A majority of Walloons is against Leopold, and so is Brussels. The significance of the recent election was that the people of Wallonia and Brussels swung even further away. from the King than before: The old disputes as to whether Leopold was or was not pro-Hitler, and whether his second wife is acceptable to the Belgians, are of secondary importance now compared with the paramount issue of Belgian unity and survival. For this reason there is a fair chance that patriots of the King's party, after a face-saving gesture for Leopold, will maneuver the Crown Prince onto the throne.

The

perhaps names, jo a the war, thers had attempt to organize an American Guard as Eth

“Strong pro-Nazi leans ings. - It disappeared, but critics of the Ander-

son American Guard movement were quick to point out that the first user of the name had

ats and-five Repub»...

an unfortunate

"The Anderson American Guard held its first meeting last August and opened for business in October. Iis first and present executive Charles Harbaugh.

In Congress, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a reselution by Sen, Homer Ferguson (R. Mich.)-and Sen: Joseph O'Mahoney (D. Wyo.) to investigate oil pricing. The resolution is given a good chance of winning a place on the Senate calendar. Sponsors say hearings will be held throughout the summer if the resolution is approved. A similar investigation year by the Banking and Currency Committee, but it fizzled out. after two days. mittee did not make a report.

Anti-Trust Suits Planned

MEANWHILE, the Justice Department was ~—reported to be preparing a series of anti-trust suits against the major oil companies, patterned _ after the suit filed last month in California against seven major West Coast oil companies, most recent rise in gasoline started in April when Gulf Coast producers raised the refinery prices. In the companies east of the Rockies raised wholesale prices a half-cent. _ No public outery followed, except in Mich-

was started last

The com-

prices

May most of

igan where Democratic Gov. Mennen Williams

‘TIS SAID

Glamour is not a gift; you have to work for it. And we've been spending millions on cosmetics for nothing?

prices.

An attitude can make or break a day. Maybe’ there 1s Something * in this “laugh clown laugh” theory.

~B, C., Indianapolis. just one

SIDE GLANCES By Galbraith

2.4. R80. U. 6. PAT. OFF. _

SSL LLY CTY Loc Pop! | picked up all the change you forget nd left on

the 8 plete-—sow can | have thse roller skates?" -

threatened a state investigation of gasoline Mr. Willlams said Detroit has had 10 post-war gasoline price Increases, without an increase “in-state gas taxes. In suggesting a Senate investigation, Mr. Ferguson sald he recognized that economic factors “obviously have their bearing upon the market price of gasoline.” noticed that such factors “seem to operate .in way—to . rationalize price increases

But he

THE FAR RIGHT .

said he had -

WHAT'S THE REASON? . . . By James Daniel Two-Pronged War on Gas Price

WASHINGTON, June 15 — Rising gasoline prices throughout most of the nation have prompted a two-pronged attack in Washington on the problem of alldgged price-fixing in the

and never to suggest the possibility or necessity of decreases.” A committee source said the Senator wanted to find out whether it is competition or “price leadership” when one oil company raises its price and all other Sompanies in the same area follow suit.

Clear It Up or Expose IF THE oil companies can proves that price leadership is above board, the Senator wants to clear them; otherwise, he wants them ex-

So far the .Benate investigators say they have kept “purposely” ignorant of what the Justice Department is doing. about gasoline prices. The committee source said this was so because they want to be free to consider the effectiveness of Justice Department enforcement of existing anti-trust laws, as well as the possibility hat, new legislation is needed. : ~The Justice is not aimed directly at forcing down prices to consumers, but seeks to require major oil companies to sell their filling stations. The purpose is to make room for small independents, not necessarily to reduce prices to consumers.

Statistics Accomiloted:

MEANWHILE, the Justice Department has accumulated statistics on gasoline price increases in 59 cities. The figures show that since 1940 the wholesale price to filling stations has risen an average of 6.2 cents, exclusive of taxes. Smallest increase: Memphis, 2.4 cents; largest, Albuquerque, 9.2 cents. Sample 10-year wholesale price increases for other cities: New York, 8.6 cents; Covington, Ky. 5; Birmingham, 5; Cincinnati, 6.5; Dallas, 7.5; San Francisco, 5.1.

. By Marquis Childs

—suit in California -

"1 do not agree with a word that you say, but | will defend fo the death your right te say MH."

‘Abuse of Press Freedom’ By Mrs. Walter Haggerty, City | It used to be that when one saw an item

printed on the pages of a newspaper that was law and gospel, This freedom has been so abused by some dishonest citizens that few even

__bother to exercise this

right. These verbal battles are fought like jungle warfare. One skunk, using the name of a fox, will steal an honest name and try to belittle his family, then steal away into the foliage of the jungle and into oblivion. There is too much o this “hit and hide” going on in our local papa. I have tried for years to teach C.D. have come to the conclusion that the on one can press anything on his mind is brick. - This old . fuddleduddie will read. * thinig one has writtén and make out something entirely different than was intended. Everyone knows that the average citizen wants his standard of living raised so that he “Hay enjoy life abundantly. Becauss one writes that we are satisfied to have enough to pay for our daily bread, he (C.D. C.) takes this literally _ nd tsies 14 say we als satisfied 10 be .a 1450. ~So-many honest citizens

”

their freedom of the press or 1. that a freedom | :

anymore?‘Following Caveman Ways’

By H. E. Marts, City With all the new angles being brought into play in the present world situation, it is a wonder someone wouldn't think of a the whole question from an entirely novel and unprecedented standpoint. Partly from habit and partly because we still haven't any more sense, we keep on follow. ing the methods of caveman days when a little ingenuity in developing an Sutiwy new formula would outdate and overcome all these og ““fashioned notions. Tr New? Well, not exactly, but Jove) and un-

tical? All right, you are smarter an the Bible writers put rope But they were smart enough to see what would happen to you if you =. their advice. And you are smart enough 10.400 18, ou 2000 of 4000 YSAIS S{R they told

Yn go along with the Bible theorists. Maybe we just haven't read them closely enough, er with the proper insight and understanding.

What Others Say—

THE cold war is a good war. It is the only war in history where the question of destruction Jdoesn’t enter into it at all. . . . We have rebuilt Europe, not destroyed it.—ECA Administrator Paul Hoffman.

I STILL hope that the unity . . . among all the western democracies and Atlantic powers will ward off from us the terror and unspeakable miseries of a third world war.—-Winston Churchill

THE growth of the United States will be stunted if we allow discrimination and denial of rights and opportunities to any group of people.

" fried. It is In & book called the Bibl

_==Dr. Ralph Bunche, United Nations trusteeship

director,

AMERICANS will find an Army, Navy and Afr Force in a healthy state of preparedness. Defense Secretary Louis Johnson.

Memo to Congress:

Expenses of operating the Panama Canal went up 79 per cent between 1038 and 1948 but toll rates remained the same. + @ Adjustment of toll rates to keep pace taxpayers’

with ; costs would save money.

New Group Faces Congress Contempt Action

WASHINGTON, June 15—Sooner or later it was bound to

LOBBY committee investiga-

same bill of rights and other

happen. Organizations of the reactionary right have come up against the same kind of treatment meted out for a considerable time by Congress to organizations of the extreme left. The Committee for Constitutional Government faces possible contempt action by a House committee investigating lobbyists

and their sources. of revenue. Dr. Edward A. Rumley, executive secretary of the committee, has refused to produce records showing who paid the costs to send out vast quantities of propaganda including John T. Flynn's Book, “The Road Ahead.” { ou = THIS case would seem to

parallel —cilosely ‘that of the

Joint Antl- Fascist Refugee Committee, which is on the _attornéy general's lst of sub'Jersive organizations. That committee refused to produce

its records showing how it’

was financed. Eleven committee members were sentenced

about to serve their sentences, thus ending nearly four years

private

= . -

BUT the committee plans a second and carefully prepared g at which he again will be ca upon to produce the records of his organization. The purpose is to make plain, if he refuses, why a citation for contempt is inevitable. Mr. Rumiey, in other words, will be put publicly in the position of defying a duly constituted committee of Con-

gress. The lobby committee, headed —¥Frank Buchanan of Pennsylvania, has ambitious plans that go beyond this. Members of the staff believe it will be possible to show a carefully worked-out and well financed plan to destroy the Democratic Party, or more accurately the Fair Deal section

of the party, using the Flynn

book as the chief weapon of

i ahrigging the freedom o speech or

tors have evidence indicating that several wealthy individuals in Texas and Colorado, who are personally paying for the distribution of large numbers of the Flynn book, are also supplying funds to aid Sen. McCarthy of Wisconsin in his attacks on the Stats Department. . The McCarthy help is being funneled in part

lobby. If current leads can be proved up through further investigation, the committee intends to look into that lobby, which has generally been

ing and well-heeled in in whole roster,

—UNDER attack, the Committee for Constitutional Government is making a loud outery about the violation of the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution. A. letter appealing for funds quotes the bill of rights: “Congress shall walks uo Jaw. . |

at least through the Nationalist China .

con= sidered to be the most flourish-

-

constitutional guarantees were invoked by the Joint AntiFascist Refugee Committee. In repeated appeals the same arguments in behalf of the Newt of privacy and the right of free speech were raised. : .

against the Anti Fascist committee:

appears to be based on the same refusal

to produce private papers that the Committes for Constitu-

their political beliefs, whether they are of the extreme right or the extreme left. Such a

. precedent is exceedingly dan-

gerous to all of us who cherish the freedoms that have made

§

this nation great. It is danbecause

gerous in