The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-12-18

NeStmenL. II e
missus reproached him bitterly for
falling TO realize the gravity Of the
national emergency. Next a whole
delegation Of members of his local
ladies' defense organization de-
scended on him at his place Of
business and gave him hades He
got the blackout curtains all right
irresponsible chopping down Of
japanese cherry trees on the capt.
tails Potomac river waterfront con-
tinues. The park police watch the
trees all they can. but the anti-Japs
are too slick for EN-. They snoop
onto the reservation o nights and
go on with their amputating. There
will be no Jap trees left shortly.
Gilbert and Sullvans opera,
THE Mikado." has fizzled out in
Washington and Baltimore the
aters. 1t was scheduled, called off
when the real Mikados bombers at
tackled our outposts. and then put
back on the stage, on the ground,
upon second thought that such
prohibition was ridiculous. Audi
ences were too skinny, though, to
pay, and the few customers who
did come did so to boot and catcall
Several German delicatessens
around town and in its neighbor-
hood have had to shut up shop
boycotted.
The italian shoe shinery I've
been in the habit of patronizing has
gone out OF business.
A big Jap laundry in Baltimore Is
busted
Plenty OF Excitement
wasn't in the United States
when we went into the last war.
was over on the west front" But
If our reaction then was what it is
this time. it. must have had to go
some. l refer particularly TO our
reaction when the Japs attacked
US. The German and Italian decla-
rations, being expected, as sequel
20 the Jap performance, not only
created no excitement, bit came al
most as an anti.climax.
However, If we think our plan
for the semi-military registration
Of all American males between the
ages OF IS and "a or IS is anything
unprecedented we're mistaken.
Back in about the era OF our own
war Of secession, Dictator Lopez
OF Paraguay, where l lived for q
while a great deal later, got into 3
conflict with combined Brazil, Ar.
gentina and Uruguay, and his con-
scription limits were II TO 20. He
and nearly all the rest Of the men
in the country were exterminated.
Returning to the subject of our
troubles here in the u S. A, alco-
holic prohibition is being increas-
ingly urged-at least prohibition OF
hard drinks.
An outstanding opponent Of this
scheme is DR.. j. NJ Doran, last
would-be dry enforcer in the era
when we did have prohibition-on
paper He says he half killed him
self trying to make it stick, and it's
absolutely impossible. whether in
wartime or peacetime. In fact, he
says it's worse than legalized liquor
selling, because that can be regu-
lated, whereas boouegging's utter
ly uncomfortable.
To get into Washington from my
home in a Virginia suburb ordi-
narily should take me approximate
ly Is minutes. II ! do il now in an
hour and a half, in a supposedly
fast buzz wagon, I've done well, the
highways SO blocked by army
trucks. Wen beat the Axis in short
order If our forces are as efficient
against the enemy as they are at
o0structing traffic.
Knox Trip Kept Secret
Would it seem as II as high a
mogul as Navy Secretary Frank
Knox could get as far from Wash
ington as Honolulu before the gen.
crafty Of folk in the capital learned
that he'd left it?
Well. that's what he did An
nouncement Of his presence in Ha-
wall was the first inkling Washing
tonians had Of his absence from
their own midst.
On the opposite hand. a lot Of