Askov American., 1942-12-31
MORE UNITY NEEDED

EOltOr ASkOV American.
1t has been a little over a year
since l wrote the last letter for this
column. In fact, a few weeks before
Pearl Harbor. The slogan is now
Don't Forget Pearl Harbor." 1t
should have been, Don't forget what
Lindbergh told you" Then we would
not have been caught flat-footed.
They did not believe him, but they
are believing Rickenbacker, and you
are going to have to believe Ivor
Sikorsky. Watch his prophecies.
Major AL Williams tells us that air
power has been at last recognized in
the Pacific, and that an airman, Gen.
D. C.. Emmons, has been placed in
command at Hawaii. This was good
news, but, now we read in the fine
print that Admiral Nimitz has been
placed as out-ranking Emmons at
Pearl Harbor. Are they on speaking
terms? If the Japs call again, will
we have the same split command, the
same disbelief of information and
execution of attack as
we had during the last debacle? And,
the air men will do a major share
of the fighting.
The Hindus and Chinese could fur
nish men and bases if we equip them.
We can equip them and we can de-
liver if we quit stealing good men
from farms and production lines to
sit in army camps where they have
no equipment to fight with; if we
quit putting miners in ship yards
where they sit and wait for copper
and iron to build ships. We must
give these Asiatics a square deal
now and at the peace table. Will
they get it? Will We get it? Pearl
Buck again states that they are be-
ginning to believe they will get no
salvation from the United Nations
but will have to work out their own,
but this war must be won by the
Allies first. India's and China's fate
is our problem. If we could answer
them now the war would be over
much sooner and that is our ultimate
desire.
Wickard has been appointed to
solve the farm production problem
with powers that were unheard of,
since the days of an imperial Ger
many. He cam tell you what to raise,
how much to raise. He can tell you
what not to raise and he can send
soldiers to take the crop or the farm
if you do not comply. Let us pray
that man with all these powers does
have better judgment than some of
the 81 year men who have been in
there. If he can do as much for the
farmer, and farm production, and
farm contracts, as some of the 81
a year men have done, farmers your
troubles are over!
The old commanders do not realize
that this is a mechanized war and
not a war of fighting foot by foot
and occupying with infantry, but a
war of swift and sudden decisive
movement. AS such, we should not
need such large fighting force but
larger maintenance and produc-
ton army. We are forfeiting the
maintenance and production now for
trained infantry. Various sources
estimate that it takes from 10 to 18
men behind the lines to keep one
soldier at the front With an army
of nine million it takes $50 million
to maintain it, to come from a pop
ulation of 13O million men, women
and children. You can't beat arith-
metic. Maybe we will have to arm
China and India. Let us hope, not
too little-not too late.
Some day you are going to get
the low down on the way the oil COM
panies and the rubber companies are
sabotaging our synthetic rubber pro-
gram, and why Jeffers dumped it
back in Washington's lap. Boy, will
you be sore! Some day there will be
more guns and less gravy. Some day
you will see the American Legion
Defense program which was written
20 years ago adopted. It advocated
draft soldiers, draft labor and draft
money. We have adopted the first
two clauses and when we adopt the
other, watch out for a quick victory
with a capitol v. Before these some
days-you had better start thinking
then start doing or your freedom
will be hollow shell. One of the
"somedays" was last election when
only two-thirds of the voters took
advantage of their rights. Suppose
you took that right away, what would
you do then?
Let us win this war, then let us
insist on our rights and then let us
be smart enough never to have an
other. HAP OMALLEY.
Hinckley, MINI.
THE JUNGLE THEORY