Draft changes bring protest
Rubber director fears ‘disaster’
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Draft plan called labor conscription
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New Lend-Lease pact to protect industry, government promises
Notice taken of newspaper reports that gain will accrue to British manufacturers only
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In Washington –
Battle near on promotion of two generals
Higher rank opposed for Somervell, Patton
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Dies to answer Walter Winchell
Washington (UP) – (March 18)
Chairman Martin Dies (D-TX) of the House Committee on Un-American Activities today accepted the Blue Network’s invitation to follow Walter Winchell with a 15-minute radio speech at 9:15 p.m. Sunday ET, March 26.
The invitation was extended by Mark Woods, president of the network, and Phillip W. Lennen, president of the advertising agency which represents Mr. Winchell’s sponsor, after Mr. Dies announced yesterday that he would investigate the commentator-columnist.
In his 15-minute radio speech, Mr. Dies said he would “point out that certain Winchell broadcasts have been replete with misstatements and innuendos.”
President’s survey shows –
Half of states plan to use federal ballot for soldiers
Washington (UP) – (March 18)
An unofficial survey of replies by state governors to President Roosevelt’s question on the Soldier Vote Bill showed today that probably at least half of the 48 states will not use a federal ballot for servicemen if the Soldier Vote Bill passed by Congress becomes law.
The replies from 16 state governors left no doubt that they would not use the federal ballot. Six others indicated they would not. Several of these indicated that present laws are adequate if the Army delivers the ballots.
Five say ‘yes’
Only five states replied with a categorical “yes” to the question of whether present laws permit use of the federal ballot. But 14 others replied that they would try to get their state legislatures to make use of the federal ballot valid.
Seven states have given no indication of their answer.
President Roosevelt will announce his summary of the replies late tomorrow afternoon. He may indicate then whether he will veto or sign the compromise bill passed by Congress. He has said that his decision will be based on whether that bill will give more servicemen a chance to vote than did the 1942 Soldier Voting Act.
States are summarized
The replies showed that most of the existing state laws do not permit use of the federal ballot as proposed by Congress, and many of them plainly stated that they would do nothing to change the law.
Here is a summary of the position of the states, based on either the governor’s reply to the President or other statements:
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States that will not use the federal ballot – Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Iowa, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Washington, Minnesota, Montana, Virginia, Arizona, Texas.
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States whose present laws allow use of the federal ballot – California, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Vermont.
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States whose governors have promised to take steps to validate use of the federal ballot (special sessions of legislature, etc.) – Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nebraska, Indiana, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, Utah, South Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
Columnist Pyle back on job after bombing
Ernie escapes blast by leap from bed
Somewhere in Italy (UP) – (March 18)
Scripps-Howard columnist Ernie Pyle was back on his job of reporting the “human side” of the war today after narrowly escaping death or serious injury in a German air raid on the Anzio waterfront yesterday.
Mr. Pyle was asleep in his room in the “Villa Virtue,” headquarters for the Allied war correspondent on the beachhead, when the Nazi bombers came over shortly after dawn.
Hurled across room
Awakened by the crash of the anti-aircraft batteries nearby, Mr. Pyle leaped out of bed just in time to be hurled across the room by the blast of a bomb hit only 10 yards from the villa.
He picked himself up in a corner as a second bomb exploded alongside, the building blasting in the walls and tumbling slabs of heavy tile down on the bed in which he had been sleeping.
Four other correspondents in the villa were wounded by the flying debris – three of them seriously enough to require hospital treatment and win them the Army’s Purple Heart award – but Mr. Pyle escaped with a slight cut on his right cheek.
His narrowest escape
Other correspondents who were bruised and shaken up by the explosions agreed that Mr. Pyle probably would have been killed or badly injured if he had been in the bed when the second blast went off.
It was probably his closest brush with death in months of roving reporting on the North African and Italian battlefronts.
Roosevelt, Willkie favored by women
New York (UP) – (March 17)
Women voters favor a Republican ticket headed by Wendell Willkie and a Democratic ballot with President Roosevelt again a candidate, a survey conducted by the Women’s Home Companion showed today.
Answering the magazine’s question of “Who would be the best candidate in 1944?”, 28.2% of the women voted in favor of Mr. Willkie for the GOP ticket. However, the 1940 presidential candidate received only 0.2% more than New York Governor Thomas Dewey. Ohio Governor John W. Bricker was third.
Forty percent of the women polled favored Mr. Roosevelt’s renomination. The second choice was Senator Harry F. Byrd (D-VA).
Poll: Sales tax preferred by public to raise extra war revenue
Survey finds nearly half of the country willing to pazy additional levies
By George Gallup, Director, American Institute of Public Opinion
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Chinese actress to star in monologue for club
Story is said to have been woven about life of Mme. Kai-shek
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Willkie offers 6-point plan for farmers
Opens his campaign for primary aid
Richland Center, Wisconsin (UP) – (March 18)
Wendell Willkie, opening a three-week campaign for Republican votes in Wisconsin and Nebraska, said tonight he was sure a majority of farmers were convinced “that a change of national administration is… overdue.”
Addressing several delegations of farmers prior to Wisconsin’s April 4 primary in which he hopes to demonstrate his strength as a candidate for the Republican 1944 presidential nomination, Mr. Willkie decried administration farm policies and outlined six “specific policies for desperately-needed farm production.”
For “the quickest winning of the war and for the soundest building of the future,” Mr. Willkie made these suggestions for “this year.”
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A manpower policy which “simply must not be permitted to strip our farm below the irreducible minimum of strength and skill.”
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A speeding of war machinery production so machinery now wearing out can be replaced “before it is too late.”
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“A workable policy for the fair distribution of food…”
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“Food policies that take account not only of production but also of marketing…”
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“Policies based on real horse sense in pricing for production.”
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“Complete elimination of partisan political scheming from the farm-producing agencies of government.”
In his “beyond victory” program for the “building of economic foundations of prosperity and peace,” Mr. Willkie said:
Thirty markets are a No. 1 need for the wellbeing of the farmer.
He added:
The second need of agriculture is for decent prices.
200 kept at bay as Marine dies
Heroic efforts made to rescue a pal
By Sgt. Gerald A. Waindel, USMC combat correspondent
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Meet Hyman Abramovich – the Nazis did and regret it
Major from Australia led British in blunting Anzio spearhead
By John Lardner, North American Newspaper Alliance
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Editorial: Do-nothing party?
Failure of the Senate Republicans to select a permanent leader is not so important in itself as it is in indicating a state of mind.
Aside from espousing an occasional easy-to-climb-aboard issue which seems popular at the moment, the Republican membership of both houses of Congress has shown a remarkable ability to evade decisions and positive action. Faced with political opportunity inasmuch as natural reaction against a too-old administration is running in its favor, and Democratic-controlled domestic policies are inept and fumbling, the GOP nevertheless seems determined to play it the cautious way, the indecisive way.
As Thomas L. Stokes pointed out the other day, the only conspicuous example of forthright expression and plain speaking in Republican ranks is furnished by Wendell Willkie, who is campaigning frankly for the Presidency. Do the other spokesman for his party imagine, in the light of recent byelection results, that this is just naturally a Republican year, and all they have to do is sit tight and win?
If so, they’re in for a rude awakening. The country may be willing and ready to change from what it has to something better. But there’s no reason for thinking it’s in the mood to change to a do-nothing party to run the war and win the peace. That’s the only alternative, so far.