Editorial: A pre-invasion disgrace
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Editorial: A popular expression
The fact that more than 140,000 Pennsylvania Republicans voted for Governor Thomas E. Dewey as their presidential choice, in a primary marked by exceedingly light voting, is of real importance.
We say this without regard to the political implications in Republican pre-convention politics. The interesting and vital feature of this big vote was the fact that the voters had to write in the name of the New York Governor – that it was an expression of individual choice rather than of machine manipulation.
The political bosses of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania saw to it that no name of a presidential candidate appeared om the primary ballot – thus trying to defeat the purpose of the primary, which is to give voters a chance to express their desires as regards party nominees.
Therefore, the voters had to write in Mr. Dewey’s name. In the eastern part of the state, there was some organized movement to encourage such write-ins for Mr. Dewey and one Philadelphia newspaper gave it editorial support. But elsewhere neither politicians nor newspapers encouraged a write-in campaign, and what happened was therefore the individual and independent work of the voters.
Incidentally, there were about 25,000 write-ins in Allegheny County – where independent voters have long been a vital force in elections – while in Philadelphia there were only about 11,000 write-ins despite newspaper and political advocacy of them.
We are always strong for anything that encourages independence in politics. We like to see voters select candidates without regard to party labels; in fact, we’d like to see party labels eliminated from the ballot so that voters would have to make their choices on an individual basis instead of voting straight tickets.
The writing in of names in a primary is likewise an expression of independent judgment. It requires both intelligence and some trouble on the party of the voter; and in this case it served to upset the desires of party bigwigs who wanted to be left free to manipulate Pennsylvania’s 70 convention delegates without any instructions.
While the top-heavy vote for Governor Dewey is not binding on the delegates chosen last Tuesday, it was such a clear expression of rank-and-file wishes that probably few delegates will feel free to ignore it.
And the heavy write-in vote demonstrates that the people really can use primaries in a constructive manner, even though the party bosses try to keep them from doing so.
Editorial: Dewey’s foreign policy
There was more statesmanship than politics in Governor Dewey’s foreign policy address last night.
The fact that he chose to put himself on record is, in itself, significant. He is sitting petty as a potential draft candidate for the Presidency; under the political rules, all he has to do is keep his mouth shut and coast into the nomination. But whether he is or is not a candidate, he takes a stand on the big issue.
It is not a partisan stand. He does not try to copyright for one party the common aspirations of our people, as some others have done. He does not confuse the small minorities – the isolationists and international extremists – with the vast majority in favor of the responsible American world collaboration pledged in the bipartisan Fulbright and Connally resolutions.
Unlike shortsighted politicians who magnify minority division for campaign purposes, he emphasizes that America is overwhelmingly united in war aims and peace aims. And he gives Secretary of State Hull deserved credit for stating them.
Mr. Dewey’s own summary of those major objectives has the force of brevity and clarity:
To carry on the war to total crushing victory… To organize in cooperation with other nations a structure of peace backed by adequate force… To promote worldwide economic stability, not only for the sake of the world, but also to the end that our own people may enjoy a high level of employment in an increasingly prosperous world.
But mouthing fine phrases won’t win the peace, any more than the war. Mr. Dewey’s chief contribution to this discussion is his warning that words are not enough. Neither points, nor charters, nor treaties, nor alliances nor international organization will preserve peace automatically. Only as we “wage peace” – patiently, constructively and continuously – will we escape repetition of the 1919 peace that failed.
The thing that troubles Mr. Dewey is the apparent conflict between officially stated American war aims and daily developments abroad. He states bluntly the problem usually evaded by wishful thinkers, do-gooders and campaign orators:
Germany and Japan must not only be utterly defeated and completely disarmed – they must not be left in a post-war environment which might enable them to maneuver as a balance of power. After 1919, lethargy, jealousy and power politics resumed sway among the Allies… If after this war we reproduce the same political climate, we will get the same results.
Mr. Dewey says the chief responsibility is ours, and Britain’s, Russia’s, China’s – working together and with the smaller nations for a better world order. He offers no shortcuts, no easy road. He warns that it will be hard. But he believes that a young, strong, considerate America can lead the way by its example at home and by its common-sense cooperation abroad.
The Governor, who rarely discusses foreign policy, seems to know more than some who talk so much about it.
In Washington –
Defeat of Nazis to boost civilian goods output 35%
Victory in Europe to mean major cutback in armament, conversion planners told
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Soldier voting bill approved in Ohio
Columbus, Ohio (UP) –
A special session of the Ohio General Assembly last night passed and sent to Governor John W. Bricker for signature as an emergency measure a bill providing for absentee voting by Ohio members of the armed services.
The bill provides that absentee ballots be ready 90 days before the November election instead of the present 30 days; applications for absentee voter ballots may be made by the soldiers, by mail or in person, or for them by relatives; applications received Jan. 1 and until Nov. 4 shall be considered valid, and ballots will be accepted from soldiers until noon of Election Day.
Avery won first U.S. tiff before New Deal came in
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Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
Naples, Italy – (by wireless)
On the hospital ship which I rode back from Anzio, part of two decks remained just about as they were when the vessel was a luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean. In this part the permanent staff of doctors and nurses live, and also the officers of the ship.
But the rest has been altered just as liners are altered when made into troopships.
Cabin walls have been cut out to form big wards. Double-deck steel beds have been installed. The whole thing is fitted like a hospital operating room and wards.
The wounded men get beautiful treatment. They lie on mattresses and have clean white sheets – the first time since coming overseas for most of them.
There is a nurse to each ward, and the bigger wards have more than one. Enlisted men serve the meals and help the nurses.
The doctors have little to do. On this run the wounded are on the ship less than 24 hours. Their wounds have been thoroughly attended before the men are brought aboard, and it’s seldom that anything drastic develops on the short voyage.
Pennsylvanian aboard
One of the doctors took me in tow and showed me the entire ship after supper. He was Capt. Benjamin Halporn of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Capt. Halporn’s wife is also a doctor back in Harrisburg, practicing under her own name, Dr. Miriam R. Polk.
Capt. Halporn said:
We really have so little to do we almost forget how. My wife back home does more work in one day than I do in a month.
But that’s nobody fault. The doctors must be on the ship for advice and emergency.
As we went around the ship, our trip turned into a kind of personal-appearance tour. When we left one ward, the nurse came running after us and said to me, “Do you mind coming back? The boys want to talk to you.”
And while I stood beside the bunk gabbing with a couple of wounded men, another one across the ward yelled, “Hey, Ernie, come over here. We want to see what you look like.”
If this keeps up, I’ll have to have my face lifted. Nobody with a mug like mine has a right to go around scaring wounded men.
The boys had read about the proposal in Congress to give “fight pay” to combat troops and they were for it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The proposal resulted from a suggestion by Ernie Pyle.
Most of them said it wasn’t so much the money as to give them some recognition and distinction, and money seemed the only way to do it.
Men made comfortable
As we went around, some of the wounded would call to the doctor and he would have a nurse attend to them. One boy with an arm wound was bleeding too much, and needed a new bandage. Another one in a shoulder case said good-naturedly that he couldn’t tell by the feel whether he was bleeding or just sweating under his cast.
A Negro boy with a shattered leg said his cast was too tight and hurt his instep. So, the doctor drew a curved line on it with his pencil and ordered the cast sawed off there. Each cast has written on it the type of wound beneath it.
We stopped beside one man whose right leg was in a cast. The writing of it revealed that he was a British Commando. The doctor asked him if he were in pain, and he smiled and said with some effort, “Quite a bit, sir, but not too much.”
When you ask a wounded man how he got hit, the majority of them are eager to tell you in great detail just how it happened. But those in the most pain are listless and uninterested in what goes on around them.
Mattress for everyone
When the ship is overcrowded there aren’t bunks enough for everybody. So those who aren’t in bad shape – merely sick or with slight wounds – sleep on mattresses on the floor of what used to be the salon.
Everybody does have a mattress, which is just so much velvet to any soldier.
Down below in smaller wards were the shock cases.
Actually, most of them were what doctors call “exhaustion” cases and would be all right after a few days’ rest.
Their wards had heavy screen doors that could be locked, but not a single door was closed, which showed that the boys weren’t in too bad shape.
In addition, the ship has four padded calls for extreme shock cases. The steel door to each one has a little sliding panel peephole. Only one cell was occupied.
This was a boy who refused to keep his clothes on. We peeked in and he was lying on his mattress on the floor, stark naked and asleep.
‘Biggest air battle in history’ –
American airmen are cocky but realize that Nazi Luftwaffe will be no pushover!
First mission usually gives men real idea of the war
By Ira Wolfert, North American Newspaper Alliance
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Poll: Farm voters prefer Dewey to Roosevelt
President slips from 54% to 42%
By George Gallup, Director, American Institute of Public Opinion
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Beer for all urged
Evanston, Illinois –
A “Beer-for-Evanston” party was launched here today by two staff members of The Daily Northwestern, student publication at Northwestern University. The party advocated a three-point program advocating beer for the United Nations, assurance that all men in all lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want of beer and establishment of an international police force to aid in the democratic distribution of beer.