Evening star., 1942-04-25

Henry McLsmors. should have
chosen is interment, which means
the act or ceremony OF burial.
Right under the ground, good
10 feet under, in a box that wasn't
cut for comfort, is the place for any
Japanese, German or Italian alien
whose household equipment includes
such items as firearms, ammunition,
short-wave radio sets, dynamite
fuses, coastal maps and the like.
Every day the efficient and hard
working F. B. I. agents round up
such characters. men and women
whose hidden possessions automat-
ically brand them as traitors to this
country, And what happens to them?
You know. They are courteously
escorted to the Black Maria, taken
to a comfortable and in many cases
air-conditioned jail and, eventually,
without SO much as smart rap over
the knuckles, removed to an intern.
ment camp. There they are given
three square meals day. dry. clean
lodgings and are generally looked
after as IL they were rare animals
that must not be lost to humanity.
I've said 1t before and / say n
again that this country Is going to
pay a whale of a, price for It's
courtesy. It's all right TO say that
just because our enemies are savage
and unyielding is no reason for us
to lower our standards of conduct,
but that's just bunch of phony
sweetness and light. There is no
sense in fighting skunks with an
atomizer OF Christmas Night or
Chanel No. 4. The thing to do Is
to fight them with their own musk.
and that goes double when they're
out In front in what all of us have
been told, and know. is q battle
for survival.
Personally, and I believe a lot Of
other Americans feel the same way.
I'd rather be a free, live. tough
American than a dead or conquered
American gentleman of the old
school of warfare.
What do you think would happen
to an American in Berlin, Toxic or
Rome who was caught with a short
wave set or drawerful of dyna-
mite fuses2 Can't you just picture
the Lord Chesterfield manners Of
the Gestapo boys who picked him
up, caught him red-handed7 He'd
be lucky to last long enough to
straighten his tie. They wouldn't
even wait to. see II his rent was
paid before shooting him.
The rules of warfare call for
shooting an out-and-out spy. A spy
takes the job knowing that the
reward for bad job as spy is
death. So there Is something to
admire in a man who'll venture on
such assignment.
How much better 1t would be to
spare an out-and-out spy, who,
after all, has courage and brave
ness somewhere within him, and
shoot the enemy aliens who delib-
erately prey on the leniency of their
adopted country. The senseless de-
cency of this country. even when
its back is to the wall, Is the only
thing that gives enemy aliens sufii-
cient courage to carry on their
cowardly. underhanded work. They
are not men and women of courage
in any language. The world would
lose nothing by their passing.
II your son were on tanker
plying the coastal waters, how would
you feel about an enemy alien
caught on the coast with a short
wave receiving set? Would you vote
in favor OF a measure which guar
anteed him comfort and safety for
the duration? Or would YOU?
Our soldiers don't get that. so
why should an enemy alien. who
aids in getting our boys killed, be
handled with consummate kind
ness?
The day the first American
soldier was killed in this war, we
should have started leveling and
started admitting that this was no
musical comedy war where the
social graces had a part to play.
The one sure way to put an end
to sabotage and subversiye work is
for the Government to say-aad
mean it--that in the future, enemy
aliens viii be treated Just as they
are treated in the countries of our
enemies.
There isn't blessed one OF them
that won't know what that means.