Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-02
Asks Even
Division on
War Burdens
johnson Says Oil Ban
O. K. if Allies Do. Too

By HUH -. JOhNSON
SPECIFICALLY, it seems
~ groteSquely ridiculous 20
talk about ratiening, down TO as
low as five gallons of gas a week.
the eastern part of nation with
such an abundance of petroleum
that most of it's wells are
pinched in TO a fraction of their
potential production.
The answer is of course:
"Oh, there Is plenty OF gas.
Our trouble Is that we cant
transport IL from the midconti-
nent fields to the eastern points
OF use"
The reason why we can't trans
port it is that we have taken
away 50 ocean-going oil tank
ships from their private owners
TO give 10 Great Britain and eX-
pect TO take away 100 more.
O. K. if that is necessary and
a fair and just balance of bur
dens between our own people and
those of another nation. But
who says that the balance OF
burdens is fair. just and neces-
Sary? How does he arrive at
that decision? In arriving at 1t,
who speaks for the American
people =?
DON'T know the answers TO
those questions, but with AT
least a reasonable contact with
what is going on. the mere fact
that | don't know is enough TO
write this column of queries.
We seem TO have taken the lid
off the public treasury and the
great American Storehouse and
workshop in unlimited generos-
ity first to Britain and now, 1t
would appear, to Russia.
We haven't yet felt much
pinch ourselves but, boy, we are
going 10 feel it! Still we say
20. X. if necessary and the
pinch is equal all around, but
there remain good many
Americans from Missouri whose
motto is still show me.
WE HAVE practically said TO
w Great Britain and are about
to say TO Russia:
I'VE will send YOU whatever
YOU ask for and you don't have.
to pay a cent for II. The Amerf-
can people will pay"
Not 10 criticize these nations
at all but just 10 be little
realistic in our own behalf. in
such circumstances. what would
restrain them from asking with
out stint or limit-what would
restrain any nation?
Is there any No or Lets
see about that department in
our government and, if so, where
is it? The man in charge Of
this handout part Of our effort
is Mr.. Harry Hopkins. sort OF
modern Rasputin in the palace,
who is the greatest spender of
public funds with the least re-
gard for public debt and tax
payers interests that ever APP
peared in the whole history of
mankind.
After a second visit TO Lon
don, where the canny BritonS
took him over just as completely
as Grant took Richmond and
Dear Winston .sbegan writing
friends here about Dear
Harry" Mr.. Hopkins has winged
his way TO Moscow to see what
he can spend there.
That's all right too. in prin-
Cipie. but there would be moro
confidence If our "lease-lend'
ambassador was some guy who
had ever exhibited faint suSpi-
Cion that there really is a bot
tom TO even the biggest bag of
public treasure, or that Ameri-
can taxpayers also have to feed
their own families.
THE President has said that
Il the ex-WPA master-spender
is only "bookkeeper" i'm his
present Job as "leaSe-lend" adj
ministrator. If he is. he is a new
and very convenient kind of
bookkeeper - one who doesn't
know that there is debit side
TO every ledger and balance
sheet. and that outgo must be
kept at least within hailing dis
tance Of income.
Among some Of the more rad
ical New Dealers. TO whom Mr..
Hopkins is an idol, are many,
still in government. who believe
and have said that government
control and Specialization Of prop
erty and income are desirable
and that they can be achieved
quietly, subtty and without rev.
olution by spending, taxing and
the incurment of public debt
until the government to all in
tents and purposes does own
or control everything in the
country.
They also have said that the
political power necessary to do
this is easily retained by SIM
pie formula best expressed by
Mr. Hopkins himself: