Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-20
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

rudely TO put out all their
lights The host was beWlldered.
He hadn't heard about the
hlackout. lie was told that 1t
was on.
"Mhy ." AN air raid d."
when: BY whom" IL don't
know hut If YOU don't put out
those lights, I'll call the state
cops" 90. h. Call them"
So the cops came They
didn't know what II was all
about either but those lights
had 10 go out. BY this time The
outraged householder had his
AmericaniSm up.
"Who says 500" "We say So"
"well YOU can just 20 to hell
IN ANOTHER similar case,
L one burly cop started 10
push past the door with a re-
mark
Tf you don't put EN- out
I'll put 'em out"
The householder asked him to
consider and said
"If you break into this house
without a warrant, II will he my
right and duty To Kill YOU
"Ah-ha. so you've got gun,
have youc" Here seemed 10 be
something final on the village
Hampton and the copper trI-
umphantly qucricd:
"Got a permit ."
The answer was simple and
sufficient;
Yes"
There was an Official retreat
but with a parting threat.
go. h. Buddie. bui-Nnu- viii
probably he reported 10 the FBI
as un-American. probably n
Nazi sympathizer and possibly
spy"
Considering the mans stand
Ing. this was perfectly ludlcrOuS.
In the meantime tho blinkerS Of
the highway lights were going
like mad and ladies in "attrac-
tive uniforms, were daShing up
and down the roads in FIRE
trucks and other vehicles fully
lighted. caring fer the synthetic
casualties.
MAYBE 7 don understand il
VI all. but this sort of Illegal,
unauthorized and unnecessary
triding with privacy seems 10
me utter nonsense. There isn't
any more likelihood Of Ger
man AIR raid in any such pro-
portions As would Justify TINS
than there is Of the collapse Of
the solar system. II there were.
there would be nobody who
wo0ld fail 70 cooperate
Since there isn't what APP
praiSal can be made OF this sort
Of monkey business other than
that it IS n deliberate attempt
TO scare up a war hySteria on
the basis Of fiction rather than
fact.
Mayor LaGuardia seems 10
have been drafted in this qucS-
tionable service. 1t would be a
lot better If they got Orson
Welles He demonstrated n
this country what really could
be done in sending some people
into an emotional and panic
stricken fit
THIS kind of thing is not
Il merely an unauthorized Off
cial bulldozing OF private clti-
zens. II interfercS with the
normal functioning Of our eco
nomic system so necessary ia
our real defense effort, not 10
mention. lis attempt 10 scare
people out OF their unveXed
reasoning on the awful question
of war or peace
II adds nothing 10 the essen
tialS Of sound national defense
and. considering StupendouS fail
ureS in the organization and cX-
ecution of that hard, slow work.
a-day Job. it raises some queS-
ton whether IL IS not a spec
tacular attempt 10 divert critical
attention away from in. and to-
ward the opposite side Of the
stage.
Mrs. Roosevelt is reported "a
have said that. while she docSn
expect or desire it. just a little
actual bomb or two might stt
people out OF their apathy.
We might even get that next
Distributed by King Features synd Inc.
Reproduction in whole mr. IN part
strcly prohibited.
25 YEARS AGO TO-DAY
Oct. 20, 1916