Ramspeck: Compromises hold key to ending labor disputes
By Rep. Robert Ramspeck (D-GA)
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Zones mapped for occupation of all Germany
Bavaria and Austria may be placed under U.S. Army
By Helen Kirkpatrick
London, England –
Germany, it is believed, will be divided into three zones for occupation by Russian, British and U.S. troops, according to plans discussed at Tehran.
The three zones suggested are believed to be:
RUSSIAN: Eastern Germany up to a line running from Kiel to the Bavarian border.
BRITISH: Northwest Germany, the Ruhr and the Rhineland.
AMERICAN: Bavaria and Austria.
By this plan, the complications of making three armies and nationalities attempt to administer German territory jointly, would be avoided.
It is clear that the plan is an interim one which may be subject to alterations. With closer cooperation being achieved between the French, on the one hand, and the British and Americans, on the other, it is probable that the French may seek and be given a zone of occupation. The general theory, however, is that the French as well as the Belgians, Dutch and other Allied people will have their hands full inside their own countries with relief and reconstruction work.
More WACs overseas
Allied HQ, Algiers, Algeria –
The largest contingent of WACs ever to arrive in the Mediterranean Theater, 372 enlisted women and eight officers, debarked recently at a Mediterranean port to bring total WAC strength in this theater to more than 1,500.
Marine is lost 2 days behind Japanese lines
Pittsburgher ducks bullets and Yank barrage to get back
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Jap Zero shot by New Castle ‘Black Sheep’
Lt. McClurg gets rare fighter – one with pontoons
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GOP fears political consequences –
Stokes: Republicans face on-spot decision on soldier vote
Choice is to support so-called states’-rights bill or to get behind federal-state compromise
By Thomas L. Stokes, Scripps-Howard staff writer
Washington –
Republicans in Congress face an important decision in their attitude on the soldier-vote bills which are expected to come up soon in House and Senate.
The question is: Shall they join with Southern Democrats in supporting the Eastland-Rankin “states’-rights” bill, so-called, which would leave soldier voting to varying and complicated state laws?
Secretaries Stimson and Knox hold that voting under state laws would be impossible for the Army and Navy to administer, although they take no position on any specific legislation.
Or shall they support compromise state-federal-cooperation bills prepared in both branches, which would provide for a simple ballot on President, Vice President and members of Congress, to be distributed and collected by the Army and Navy and turned over to state officials for counting?
GOP attitude disturbing
A tipoff on the probable official attitude of the Republican Party in the House, where the real test will come, was seen in the solid Republican vote in a House Elections Committee for the Rankin-Eastland “states’-rights” bill. Four Republicans were joined by three Southern Democrats to defeat the compromise federal-state measure sponsored by Rep. Worley (D-TX) and to report the “states’-rights” bill to the House. The vote was 7–5.
This attitude of Republican committee members, and reports that House Republican Leader Joe Martin (R-MA) is active behind the scenes in trying to put over the “states’-rights” bill, are disturbing some Republicans on both sides of the Capitol who are for the compromise state-federal bill and are fearful of political consequences for their party if they don’t provide some practical means for servicemen to vote.
They feel that the party has already suffered politically from the coalition of some Senate Republicans with Southern Democrats to pass the Eastland bill in the Senate a few weeks ago, they see an opportunity for the party to retrieve itself by supporting in both House and Senate compromise federal-state bills which the Army and Navy can administer, so that voting will be easy.
A compromise federal-state bill now before the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, sponsored by Senator Lucas (D-IL), is expected to be reported out this week. Senator Lucas is confident this measure will be approved by the Senate, as there have been some switches since the Senate acted previously.
Martin on spot
This puts the issue squarely up to House Republicans, who can gang up with Southern Democrats to defeat such a bill and put over the Eastland-Rankin bill, or can throw their strength behind the Worley measure and pass it with the help of Democrats outside the South. Some few Southern Democrats will support the Worley bill.
Because of the parliamentary situation, which will bring the Eastland-Rankin “states’-rights” bill before the House, it will be possible for Republicans to avoid a record vote on the Worley bill, which the Texas Congressman will offer from the floor as substitute.
He has announced he will seek a record vote.
Fourth term talk just like 1939-40 pattern
So, when Democrats meet this week, they probably will lay plans
Washington (UP) –
The Democratic National Committee meets here this week probably to elect a new chairman and to prepare for the 1944 campaign in which President Roosevelt is now generally regarded as an inevitable fourth-term candidate.
There is little support here for reports that Southern states would bolt a Roosevelt candidacy. But many persons do believe Mr. Roosevelt is the only Democrat who would have a chance to carry such vital states as Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
Therefore, practical politicians hereabouts incline to the belief that Mr. Roosevelt is the only Democrat with a chance to win this year. The National Committee meeting is likely to develop some fourth-term enthusiasm, and there is no hint that it will be discouraged from the White House. The committee’s scheduled business is to select the time and place of the nominating convention. Chicago in mid-July is expected to be the decision.
Wagner-Dingell bill attacked
Washington (UP) –
Rep. Stephan A. Day (R-IL) charged today that President Roosevelt has endorsed a program to place all practicing physicians and hospitals under government control as part of a “fourth-term platform.”
He said the Wagner-Dingell bill is a detailed program for socialized medicine and:
…a faithful epitome of what the New Dealers have in mind for the communistic America they now have on the Washington planning boards.
He said the bill, now before the House Ways and Means Committee, is the “boldest attempt of the New Dealers to date to apply communism by legislative compulsion.”
Rankin sees victory for vote bill
Washington (UP) –
John E. Rankin (D-MS), of the House Elections Committee, insisted today that the committee-approved “states’-rights” soldier-vote bill meets all fair objections and predicted its speedy passage by the House soon after debate begins Thursday.
The measure has been denounced by House Democratic Leader John W. McCormack as meaningless and ineffective.
The Army and Navy Journal, the unofficial service publication, has warned Congress that swift action on the soldier vote is vital if the Armed Forces are to gain balloting privileges this year. It called the legislation as essential as the Selective Service Act.
Allied armies may push into South France
Gen. Wilson, commander in Mediterranean, see victory in 1944
By Donald G. Coe, United Press staff writer
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Simms: Small nations await decision by U.S., Britain
Leadership of Washington, London at stake in Polish crisis
By William Philip Simms, Scripps-Howard staff writer
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Editorial: A demand from the people will get results
Some of the members of Congress either didn’t go home for their Christmas recess, or they didn’t get around much while they were home.
They would be the members of the House Committee on Election of President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress, who have rejected a soldier-vote bill.
The committed has voted, 7–5, to present to the House what the committee chairman, Congressman Eugene Worley (D-TX) calls a “ghost bill.”
It simply authorizes the War and Navy Departments to send a postcard to the members of the Armed Forces suggesting that they write to their home states for ballots on which to vote in this year’s elections.
This is not giving the Armed Forces the right to vote. Like the Senate measure, which merely recommended that the states set up an absentee voting system for the Armed Forces, it sidesteps the issue.
It doesn’t do anything.
Some of the states have made provision for taking a vote among the Armed Forces. Some have not. Some which have enacted such legislation, like Pennsylvania, did so before these was any idea that seven million fighting men might be overseas before the next election.
The Pennsylvania law was not adequate last year. It will be less adequate this year.
But it is not easy for the states to do an effective job of providing for a vote among the Armed Forces.
It is much easier for Congress to do the job. And it is Congress’ duty to do it. The responsibility of Congress to these men is greater even than its responsibility to the home front.
And there is one good way to get Congress to act, poll-tax Congressmen, coalitions, “unholy alliances,” or whatever.
That is for the people to act, to let Congress know how the voters at home feel about it. And the way to do that is to write them letters about it.
Depriving these men of a vote would be an unspeakable betrayal of the trust they left in the home front when they went abroad to fight and die.
National service proposal leaves public apathetic
Only trickle of letters received by Congressmen urging enactment of President’s recommendations
By Fred W. Perkins, Pittsburgh Press staff writer
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Straight-and-narrow line rules Hattie Carnegie fashions
Color is evident throughout collection, with revival of World War I blueprints have field day at New York showings
By Lenore Brundige. Press staff writer
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CANDIDLY SPEAKING —
Phooey on radio hooey
By Maxine Garrison
The dulcet tones of the soap program announcer pulsated across the airwaves. He queried:
Do you, too, want to have a lovely, man-tempting skin?
At that point, I became – to quote Mr. Lucius Beebe – sick in my hat. Or would have, had there been a hat handy.
This passion for purple prose has got to stop somewhere, and that little sample is as good a place as any to end it all, and better than most.
Maybe women do want “man-tempting skins,” if by that loathsome phrase is meant clear, bright complexions. But any woman who would express, or even think, her desire in such language should have her head examined. I think it’s an insult to women to appeal to them in such terms.
Insult to men
It’s also an insult to men to presume that such an item as a “man-tempting skin” is enough to make them fall madly in love on the spot, overlooking all possible flaws of character and any temperamental differences, ready if needs be to leave home, family and friends and follow the will-o’-the-wisp of a man-tempting skin.
Because that is precisely the implication.
Any woman wants to be attractive, if only to be able to face her mirror without flinching. To make herself more attractive to men is undoubtedly one of the aims of her grooming and primping, and from Cleopatra to Hedy Lamarr, such care has been a help.
But the distortion of such a phrase as “man-tempting skin” is a rank injustice all the way around. And that’s only one of many equally distasteful mistreatments of the language in vogue these days.
It’s enough to make a woman vow never to wash her face again, never to have a manicure, never to use comb or lipstick, never to dab perfume behind her ears (shades of Westbrook Pegler!).
No guinea pig
And it’s enough to make men swear off women entirely. Any self-respecting male would be likely to lay down the law to himself:
Just what sort of sucker do they think I am? “Man-tempting skin,” indeed! Well, there’s one man that won’t be tempted.
In fact, I henceforth refuse to be a guinea pig for any cosmetic treatment undertaken by any fair lady. I shall wear dark glasses so dark that I can’t see through them at all, and judge any woman solely by whether or not I like the sound of her voice.
Things have come to a pretty pass when it is generally accepted that the only way to appeal to a woman at all, whether you want to sell her scouring powder or a subscription to a magazine, is to promise her that she will promptly become irresistible to all men.
Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
In Italy – (by wireless)
I was really starting to worry. Here I’d been in Italy a month and I was continuing to feel fine. What was going to become of my record of being sick in every country I’d ever set foot on? Could I be slipping in my old age?
But it’s all right now. I knew how to fix that. I just took a bath, and sure enough next day I started to sniffle. By neglecting the snuffles for the next two days, I promoted myself a first-class cold. And now everything is fine.
The only trouble with this cold is that I can’t find anything funny to write about it. I’ve moved into town for my convalescence, have a nice room in an apartment house, have good food and several friends, and don’t even feel too badly.
The only reason I’m mentioning it at all is just to let you know my record is intact. I’m ashamed not to have had a really bad sickness, but maybe I can do better when we hit Germany.
While sick I stayed at the apartment of some Air Force friends. Pilots from the various fields drop in there when they’re in town on leave. One of them is Maj. Edwin A. Bland Jr., commander of a bomber squadron.
Ed almost got his’n
Ed Bland is a tall, friendly fellow with blond haircut in crew style. He loves to fly and is torn between flying after the war or going back to Colorado and settling down to enjoy the mountains.
Ed almost got his’n a couple of weeks ago. These boys dive absolutely straight down at their target for about 8,000 feet and pull out at very low altitudes. This certain day, Ed couldn’t get his plane out of the dive.
The tab on his rubber had either been shot or torn loose by the pressure of the dive. The stick vibrated so violently that it flew out of his hands and he lost control.
The only chance of saving himself was to get hold of that stick again. I asked him if it was vibrating so fast he couldn’t grab it. He said, “Hell, it was going so fast I couldn’t even see it.” And he meant it.
So, Ed clasped his hands, reached clear up to the dash, then lowered his hands toward the cockpit floor and drew the, back toward him. He knew the stick had to be somewhere inside the circle of his arms.
As he gradually pulled back, the stick beat upon his hands and arms with killing pain, but he kept going back until finally he had hold of it. The infernally flailing stick hit with such fury it literally pulled a big hunk of flesh out of the palm of his hand, but he finally got the plane out of the dive, just by brute strength.
He was only 400 feet above the ground when he leveled off. It was as narrow an escape as a man ever wants to have. Ed said:
I thought it was my time. I figured my number had come up, and I sort of said goodbye to everybody.
In the summer of 1941, I decided to get a new car. As usual I wanted a convertible. The Pontiac dealer in Albuquerque didn’t have a convertible but said he could have one sent from the district agency in Pueblo, Colorado.
Memorable convertible
So, three days later the shiny convertible arrived. It was a beauty and is still a beauty, even though it has spent half its life sitting in storage. But I’m happy just to have to anyhow, and it is often in my thoughts the way your wife, or your fireplace at home, or your dog, is often in your thoughts.
Now what, you are probably asking, does a convertible coupe in Albuquerque have to do with a dive-bomber pilot in Italy?
Well, when Maj. Ed Bland came to our apartment, he told me about that car. It seems that in the spring of 1941 he was a salesman for the Pontiac people in Pueblo.
They had just one convertible left, and salesman Ed had it all sold and was ready to deliver it next day. And then came word that the Albuquerque dealer wanted that car to deliver to me. So, they took it away from Ed and he thereby lost his $80 commission. He was so disgusted he joined the Army a month later.
I said:
Well, it looks as if I owe you 80 bucks, to be real ethical about it.
But Ed just laughed, and I didn’t have 80 bucks with me anyhow. And one thing led to another until we became good friends, and it wound up that I’m going out to live with Maj. Bland’s dive-bomber boys for a few days.