Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-23
Bond Buying
Without Force
Blow TO Axis
Believers in Democracy
Urged 10 Purchase
BY PAUL MALLON

AIlHlkS IldN UttU 'NiubiiSiith, ny
this government. without pointed
advertising, the last few days.
Man Power MobiliZer Paul Nc
Mutt announced his efforts to
fill the labor shortage will "be
on a voluntary and democratic
basis"
That was not the way some
OF them wanted it, The demand
for a draft and the compulsion
that goes with il. was strong
within the administration higher
councils.
While Mr.. McNutt is making
his own decisions. as far as the
official record goes, IL is good
guess he would not have made
this controlling one at the out
set, without a little. private adj
vice from the White House.
Then Treasury Secretary Nor
genthau. whose batting average
in inner administration squab-
bles over policy has not been
high tprobably because he was
outnumbered on most occasions),
knocked two home runs in sue
ceSsion for the voluntary demo-
cratic way of rallying support
and money.
LIE AND Leon Henderson, the
IL price fixer. had been tan
Cling land hotly) over basic
financial policy.
Henderson wanted TO hike the
tax increase bill. some say, as
much as 100 per cent over Nor
genthau's recommendations to
the House ways and means COM
mittee.
Henderson also favored the
compulsory savings method Of
raising money for the war by
extracting it from salaries and
income at the source.
Mr.. Morgenthau called in
Chairman Doughton of the
House ways and means commit
tee and Chairman George of the
Senate finance committee and
found they were of the same
mind as he, in opposition to such
ventures.
The treasury secretary then
dropped into the White House to
see the President, and thereafter
was able to announce:
He (Mr. Morgenthau) ia
Il vored the voluntary SUBJ
scription method of selling gov
eminent bonds, and was opposed
TO compulsion.
Ole did not want the tax bill
- upped into the realm Of fur
Their income confiscation for eco
nomic effect in avoiding infla-
ton.
In view of the way his an
nouncements came about, after
obviously approving consultation
with the congressional finance
directors and the White House.
il looks like this is the way it
will be done.
IN SUPPORT of his position.
Il Mr.. Morgenthau appeared
with officials of General Motors
before Congress to testify that
their employee cooperation sys-
TEN of promoting the sale Of
government bonds was working
out extremely we'll
That seems TO leave the mat
ter of success for the demo-
cratic way, in preference to the
collectivist-compulsion methods,
pretty much up to the country.
I AVAL'S tricky political
IL speech was designed to
spread the impression that his
elevation to power means the
Axis is winning the war.
If he thinks so he is the only
one in the world who could, and
! mean any one in or out of
Maitland including der fuehrer
himself.
On its plain face, il means the
opposite.
If Hitler thought he was win
ming the war by the methods he
has been pursuing he would not
have gone TO. the extreme of
forcing Laval on the French
people - an extreme he has
wisely avoided before.
He avoided il for the good
reasons he did not want 10 force
the antagonism of the French
people too far. or loosen the re-
Straints of the British and us
toward a nation he secretly con-
trolled.
That he chose 10 do so now.
when things are not going well
for him in Russia. Libya or else
where, is not only confession
of weakness but a hint of deS-
peration.
THE move may yet clear the
u path he could not clear for
himself i'm the Mediterranean
and Near East. the path 10 the
oil fields. the Alexandria naval
base and Nazi domination over
that corner of the world-but il
Will take some working.
On paper. the French fleet
can chase the British out with
out much opposition, but there is
a question of how much Of the
fleet will want that kind of
work. Success depends on how
many vessels he and Laval can
get 10 my il.
True. also. the United Nations