The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-05-12
Observations
Personal Feuds
of Bureaucrats
Hsmpering War
BY Charles p. Stewart

| DON'T DARE TO name the mili-
tary man who made the remark
plan TO quote. Suffice IL TO say that
he is pretty prominent. and, like
many of his professional associates,
greatly fretted by the squabbling
among Washington wartime bur-
eau heads, with undoubted delays
TO the activities that our interna-
tional campaigns more practical =
managers are trying so hard TO &C
celerate. II did quote him directly,
II is a certainty that he would re-
pudiate his utterance. Furthermore,
j would lose his friendship and he
Is highly Informative. besides be-
ing a valuable cocktail-hour ac-
Quaintance.
Well, on one OF these occasions
was chatting with him concerning
the difficulties Uncle Sam is expert.
encing in getting adequate forces
as far away as Japan and other
areas OF conflict
Apropos these transportation
problems. If only" observed my
vis-a-vis, "our bureaucrats would
get their heads together. they could
provide the raw material for solid
wooden-block pavement from the
United states to the Jap archipelago
or Suez or any old place that we
need 10 unload men and supplies
in"
And it is an honest fact that cur
rent Washington news consists less
OF accounts OF our fighters doings
overseas and afloat than OF stories
concerning developments in our
capitals multiplicity OF internal
hostilities between local belliger'
ents.
There is no use in trying to list
them.
One OF my fellow scribes tried
1t recently.
He soon realized that IT was not
practical to summarize them.
II was a possibility to mention
Rubber Car William NJ. LETTERS and
War Production Director Donald NJ.
Nelson as in arms against one an
other, but the mere. bare inclusion
of the Jeffers-Nelson feud in the
category was insufficient. A few de-
tails were required TO make the tale
interesting.
That would have been all right,
insofar as the Jetfers-Nelson case
was concerned.
But how about the Ickes-Forres-
tai. the Moley-Peek and dozens OF
other similar clashes?
incidentally, 1t is common talk
that State Secretary Cordell Hull
a. state Undersecretary Sumner
Welles do not even speak to one
another.
The scroll is long enough to call
for an alphabetical record
It consists of columns and col
umns OF "smears, back-stabbings.
mud-slinging. name-calling and sly
whisperings.'
A newspaper column is made
uuate to deal with it. A whole series
of articles does not cover it. 1t de-
mands a series of booklets.
Things naturally have been agra
waited by the coal controversy, but
that only accentuated them; they
were waiting to be accentuated.
To tell about them all couldn't
be covered by a series OF newspa-
per- articles. A whole series OF vol
umes is necessitated. 1t is too soon
for such library to have manifest
ed itself.
The muss is not restricted to bur-
eaucracy.
1t slops over into Congress.
It isn't quite SO mean in Con-
gress. because congressman are ex-
pected TO disagree on Capitol Hill,
but il is ugly inter-bureaucratically;
these boys are supposed to be work
ing tremendously.
They don't, though.
Congress isn't supposed to clash,
either, beyond a certain point.
Il votes and that Is how II -
cides matters.
The bureaucracies 20 on dis
agreeing.
Their feuds keep the capital war
boiling.
Probably they do not much mat
ter as 10 the international wars
outcome. but they will figure IN sub
sequent politics.
II will count in 194s. II not in the
next American national election in
1914.