The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1942-02-05
THROUGH
n A z E [
{ Y E S
.
BY
Hazel Brasnea

me mann luea OF our iea0e
seems to be to keep the war aws
from the shores Of this country :
tnat our civilian population, OF
dear women and children, won't /
injured.
1t seems to US that few wei
placed direct bomb hits would do
great deal of good in this country.
At least If everyone had to suffe
alike it would be a long time befor
we had any more wars The reaso
we have wars is because one kin,
OF men make them and others hav
to fight them. If the rich and tn,
poor, the high and the low, the poll
ticians as well as the John Does hat
to fight and suffer alike it wouldn'.
be long before our Statesmen
would find a way to avoid wars.
900
Before the United States was ac-
lively involved in the war the people
OF this county were subjected to one
militant speech after another from
Secretary of the Naxy Knox. We
were told time and time again that
the Y. 5. Navy was ready for any
action in both oceans.
This week Secretary Knox made A.
mother speech. He said the u. b..
naval situation in both the Pacific
and Atlantic are Critical" because
I'VE are trying to fight two-ocean
war with one-ocean navy. He said
tnat the nation cannot expect quick
results in naval warfare because it
will take considerable time to build
sufficient strength to take the in
itiative on the worlds sea lanes 40
ainst the Axis partners.
1T is a problem of holding. and
doing the best we can with what we
have, and putting every ounce Of
pressure into getting more as fast
as possible" he said.
This last speech of Knox sounds
suspiciously like the truth even be-
fore Pearl Harbor. That is exactly
the reason why this column along
with a minority Of southern editors,
thought that we should so conduct
ourselves and our national policy that
we alone would decide when and If
We were to fight and where. We
shouldn't have provoked fight un-
til we were ready TO win, or at least
prepared to fight. 1t seemed COM
mon sense to us then and now.
900
Men with. depsndAnta and men with !.
minor physical defects, men from 20
to as "in the near future" will be
drafted in the armed services of our
country, says Brig. Gen. Lewis b. ,
Hershey, director of selectiye SER
vice.
All available manpower must be :.
oudgeted as carefully as appropria- =
ions, he has told Congress. He be- J;
noaned that fact that Americans
,hought we had an abundance of 4,
including manpower. I'VE :,
haven't" he said. ID
1t is nice to know that all those -
men in those age-brackets are going G.
to have chance to show their pat =,
riotism to their beloved country. If 80
they fight he Japs and Germans as ~
enthusiastically as they have talked IT.
about our entrance into the war then -,
we have nothing else to worry a
bout. =.
All those citizens who talked so ~
much about getting into the war be- ~.
fore we actually did are strangely ~
silent these days. ~
A few Congressman have subsidized y
too. One Claude Pepper, from Flori- <,
da, is eloquent in his silence. p
900
Mississippi legislators have invit-,
ed Wendell L. Willkie to address )
them at his convenience now that !,
'this outstanding private citizen has
again joined the Democratic forces
The resolution states that I'VE nov :,
recognize Mr.. Willkie as Americas :,
leading private citizen who has by n
MS loyal and enthusiastic support of y
,ur country in its defense program, b
has won the gratitude Of all Ameri-
cans and he is held in the highest q
esteem" !,
A member Of the Legislature is G
quoted as saying that Mr.. Willkie a
vas conversant with conditions here !,
md abroad and that eve need en-
ightenment." s,
Now that's just dandy. The state %
legislature has admitted its ignorance Il
If conditions here and abroad and :,
would like for Mr.. Willkie to come
Town and enlighten them.
We wonder just how much more
Ir, Willllie knows than anyone else
Who reads the newspapers daily and G
ollows the war news carefully. The c
opinion of any intelligent well-read c,
'erson is just as valuable, in our OPP
Mon more so, than is any opinion O.
f Mr.. Willkie.
AS for Mr.. Willkie straying from n
he Democratic party it is alright r
With us if he continues to stray
provided the Republicans will
eep him from making any more n