Evening star., 1943-04-19


newspapers, the radio and the
movies for dissemination of official
material
No more fragrant case of abuse
of power and misuse of public funds
could be found than in the amazing
book of l20 pages called Battle
Stations for All of which 100000
copies have just been distributed
1t is already obsolete because GER
tain important claims made therein
have already been changed by cur
rent developments.
While Elmer Davis is doubtless
innocent of any such intention, the
book Is a splendid piece of propa-
ganda for the denomination and re-
election Of President Roosevelt for
a fourth term. Some parts of it
read like campaign textbook for
stump speeches. 1t is full of New
Deal phrases, strikes out with the
same innuendoes and catch phrases
at different groups which have been
the victim of class hate during the
last decade and leaves to some ex-
tent the impression that the war
Is not with Europe altogether, but
between the supporters and oppo-
nents of the New Deal.
Controversial Material,
The book is supposed to be "the
story Of the fight to control living
COSTS" but while containing certain
factual data, it envelopes much of
this in series of chapters which
are highly controversial and can
hardly be justified as pieces of war
Information"
Thus, what difference does it make
whether the Treasury did or did
not get its way in the controversy
about mandatory income tax re-
turns? What business is it of the
Owl whether this is or is not
loophole for avoidance of taxes?
Why should Congress be criticized
by inference and be made to appear
as against national policy" when
It sidetracks the plan for incentive
payments sponsored by Secretary
Wickard?
Why should pages and pages be
given to the enthusiastic tndorse-
ment Of the work of the War Labor
Board In correcting inequalities"
and "inequities" when the President
has since by executive order re-
versed that policy? Why should the
maintenance of membership for
labor unions be so eXtravagantly in
dorsed as one of the Nations basic
labor policies" when there are so
many citizens in America who do
not think it should be basic" la
Dor policy at all and who have tol-
Grated it only as an emergency
measure anyhow? Why are all the
New Deal phrases such as ever
normal granary" and labor knows
how greatly its position has i'm
proved In recent years" and "the
farmers have improved their lot"
included in book of war informa-
ton?
Argues on Taxing Bonds.
Why also are President Roose-
velt and Sterilization Director
Byrnes mentioned so often and in
such favorable terms while Congress
--slso part of the Government of
the United States-is so rarely men
toned?
Why also should we find in a book
Of this kind all the arguments which
the New Deal has made for the last
several years against tax-exempt
bonds, giving the impression that it
would be constitutional for the Gov
ernment to break faith with it's
bondholders? Even the breaking of
faith as between the State and city
governments and the people is boldly
advocated in this paragraph on page
SO of the book:
1T has been argued that these
securities represent a contractural
obligation on the part of the Gov
ernment to leave them tax-exempt.
The obligation is not that of the
Federal Government but of the
State and municipal governments.
This obligation can be weighed
against various other obligations
which have had to be viok.ted or
shelved because of the war, those
OF millions Of drafted soldiers, for
example"
Is this doctrine of broken faith
and broken contracts the kind of
ethics with which an Office of War