The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-12

hs~sessss's~ANN bAASAk " VeMG obOSh wAaom and see just what
 this defense effort has done to you, Joe, and where you ate going to get of if things keep on going in the direction they're headed now.
 Speaking in abstract terms this business started out to preserve your Four Freedoms-freedom of wor- ship, freedom of speech, freedom from want and freedom from fear
 The first two are still in the bag Joe, but 1t isn't going to be very long before you're going to want q lot of things you can't get, and as for being scared--they're draping ghosts on every lamppoSt in town and putting "wowl" on all the door mats in place of "welcome!"
 YOU'VE ALREADY
 BEEN HURT, JOE
 A lot of these scares have @ cer- tain value in waking you Up in the middle of the day to make you realize this situation is serious. Tn that category put all tho buzzing around and biting that Horse Fly La Guardia is doing, getting civilian defense organized, telling everybody that the fire departments should be enlarged Ave times to be able to put out fires like London has had from incendiary bombs.
 Tn the same basket are the 1ckes ickieS that we'll have to 20 on f1a. tional daylight saving time, go without gasoline on Sunday and live In cold house next winter If you heat with oil, all because of re- gional power and petroleum short- ages, The War Departments origi- nal request for a bill giving the President the right to seize all kinds of property Is another thing of the same kind.
 There is certain amount of hysteria in all this propagandizing for home consumption, Joe. Let . rurnor get started about c shortage of steel or oil or sugar and every one will rush in to buy and stock up, thereby making the threatened shortage more acute.
 Everything that has been done to you isn't just to scare you. Whether you know 1t or not, you have al. ready been hurt and your aches now are nothing In comparison to what they will be.
 You will probably be making more money before the year Is out, If you're not already, but more l.. oi1ey will be taken away from you in taxes and things, 50 where does 1t leave you7 Next years tax bill is still being written, but such hints as have been passed out indicate that perhaps eight million people who haven't paid income taxes be- fore will be nicked now
 Six per cent of the national iil- come went for defense In 1040, 17 per cent will 90 in i94i, and the talk is that 1t will have to be 40 per cent before this Is all over.
 If that doesn't put the pinch on you, a lot of other things will. There are some real shortages that get to the supply of things you use very day. The number of new cars to be made next year has already been cut 20 per cent and may be cut more. .,.-=
 WASHTUB SHORTAGE
 IN OFFiNG
 There are 25 materials, most of them metals, so scarce they have to be rationed. That affects even such plebeian things as waShtubs, because there Is zinc in washtubs, and all the zinc in sight may be needed for the brass that goes Into ammunition cases.
 A price control machinery has been set up to make sure the costs of these scarce materials don't go spiraling out of sight. Maxmium price schedules have already been issued on eight materials. This Is really for your protection, and to check imitation, even if old tobacco. chewing Senator Cotton Ed Smith says it's Socialism.
 Socialism, Things haven't gone quite that bad yet but they're close to 1t. Some form of property seizure bill is likely to be passed by Con- gress. They've already passed Q bill giving the Reconstruction Finance Corporation authority to spend up to Si00 million ct any one time, up to total Of SIS billion to create corr orations or take any action nect ssary to speed up the defense program. If that isn't PasciSrn, what is? Especially, when it's put on top of the broad powers of the lease- lend bill. the selective service law, and existing federal statutes which already permit the government to acquire any and all property for just compensation.
 You still have your right to strike, Joe, but If you don't behave, even that may be taken away. Congress is legislating on all sorts Of things these days, limiting your right to leave or enter the country. your right to import or export, by indi- rection putting their okay on an. other A. E. F., changing the age limits of men for the draft.
 This is not to alarm you unduly, but to make sure you know what's up. Your liberties are slipping, Joe. Maybe it's all for the best and may be, before too long, you may get some of them back.
 Your correspondent,
 PETER EDISON.