The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-02-26

Martin Dies tus and a sea
nymph. lie also was a friend OF
mankind. This irritated zeus, the
Greeks high ranking god, who
was thinking OF destroying the hu-
man race at the time. To teach
Promnlie not to butt in, the boss
diety had him changed to rock
and sicked an eagle onto him, to
chew on his gizzard-very painful
" TO the chewee. In due course,
however, along came Hercules, who
chased the bird OF and turned
Prommie loose. to resume his ac-
uvities IN humanity's behalf.
Wen. during Moscows recent
memorial celebration for Vladimir
Lenin. founder Of the U. S. $. r,
Spokesman Of the occasion referred
to Russia as a modern Promethe-
US. a national friend of mankind,
with the Nazi eagle picking az its
inwards. The inference was that
it's now up 10 the democracies to
play the Hercules role, helping to
slaughter the eagle and setting the
Muscovite Prormie free to so on
with his good work for humanity.
Doing a Good Job
I'd have thought, off hand, that
Comrade Prometheus, on his own
account. has been taking pretty
good care Of the eagle lately. How
ever, maybe Prommie meant only
that supplies are all the help he
needs from Hercules, rather than
the actual physical assistance that
the original Prometheus was in
debted for to the NEUROLOGICAL
Herk.
Perhaps also Prommie was max
ing a bid for anti-AXis mankind S
recognition that he really is the
latter's friend. As a purely Com
munistic Prometheus, before the
eagle jumped him, 1t didn't so con-
slider him.
Up until then he rated simply as
a bunch Of Communists, in the
same general class with Nazis,
Fascists, Falangists, Jap nilitar-
lists and miscellaneous totalitarians
"a separate, distinct breed Of EN-.
possibly but equally Objectionable
and dangerous. I
Accordingly, some time ago,
when congress went TO work to
put stop to the undercover work
of potentially enemy aliens in the
United States, Communistic agents
were included on the same basis as
Bundists, Fascists and Japs.
Subsequently another bill was
passed, Tightening restrictions on
foreign totalitarian shoppers and
propagandists and requiring 'em to
label their literary output, besides
registering themselves-and again
the Communists weren't excepted,
any more than the other Axis rep
resentatives were.
In fact, agents from our various
~ affiliated United Nations aren't
specifically excepted; the bill as
sumed that they're all required 10
comply with regulations. Every
one understood perfectly. though,
that our friends representatives,
such as those from Britain, China,
the East Indian Dutch, the Free
French and the Latin Americas,
weren't to be interfered with bit
Dies Fought In Vain
But Russia? That remains
Communistic, and we still have in
our midst anti-Communists who
are afraid Of too close an acquaint-
anceship with folk Of that political
faith and they fought, in congress,
for the inclusion Of countries
names in the pending bill. Repre-
sentative Martin Dies, investigator
Of un-American activities in our
midst, and as much an anti-Com-
munist as he is an snti-Naz or an
anti-Fascist, put up a notable
scrap. The recalcitrants didn't
fight because they feared we'd be
anti-United Nations. for they knew
we wouldn't be, or because they
thought we'd be pro-Axis. for they
knew we wouldn't be that way,
either. What they fought against
was the adoption Of any measure
that might finally align US With
! Communism by so much as frac-
ton Of one per cent, no matter
Z how small a fraction.
II didn't suit the violent anti
Communists, because, as ultimate
/ " adopted, It didn't specifically
turn thumbs down on the Sovets.
Yet IL didn't suit the whole-heert-
ed United Nationals, either. be-
cause il didn't line US UP unquali-
hedly with Russia, as an alliance
into the indefinite hereafter.
Congress passed It, anyway.
The other day President Rose
welt vetoed II.
He did It in the interests Of Joint
action by the United Nations
Russia obviously included. Now