Evening star., 1943-01-12

- wash n ton,
Henry MeLensrs. were tycoons Of
this, tycoons of that, giants of
this industry, leaders Of that busi-
ness.
They do the very best they can
to shape properly the lives Of tho
little men. but they really don't
know how, inasmuch as most Of
the little men they ever associated
with lived out in the gardeners
cottage, or delivered the milk, or
picked UP the white tie and tails
for pressing. or came to the back
door Of their big houses to solicit
business.
This seems strange in q Gov
ernment that came into office
speaking CT the forgotten man.
and telling how it would watch
over his interests as does q mother
worm over her brood Of baby worms
when the robins are on the wing.
Take the most recent gasoline
edict, the one forbidding pleasure
driving. It's . great law-for once
the OPA has put some teeth into /
law aimed to cut down needless
waste Of petrol Il use the word
petrol" as proof Of my friendship
toward England).
Long haired Hot Shots
But when the OPA sat down to
define pleasure driving, who had
the say? Was 1t a little man rep
resenting the little men who own
most Of the cars and A cards in
this country? No, 1t was a lot Of
long haired "hot-shots" with brief
cases and suites at the Mayfiower.
As q result, the little man has no
clear cut definition of what con-
stitutes pleasure driving and what
doesn't. One Of the don'ts Is social
calls. You mustn't make them.
That's wrong. Millions of little men
know that the Sunday afternoon
call that the family pays on Aunt
Bess isn't social at all. Aunt Bess is
a crabby, sour old spinster who lives
alone and doesn't like the rest of
the family, but who feels that she is
being neglected unless her relatives
drop by once week to say hello.
These calls are no fun. Aunt
Bess shows you her nasturtiums for
the 50th time), makes you a pot OF
tea that lacks only crossbones and
skulls on the cup. and confines her
talking to malicious gossip concern
Ing the neighbors. To visit her now
Is to lose your A card, Not to visit
her Is to have every family skeleton
hung out on her clothes line to dry,
How Is the little man going to
decide whether taking mama and
the children to the movie involves
a threat to life. health or property7"
In his heart he knows they want
to go to the movies on q certain
night. Andy Hardy is mamas
faVorite (she feels that Ann Ruther-
ford looks just the way she did when
she was a girD and she just can't
miss it. She has aged right alons
with Judge Hardy and Andy, and to
miss one would send her into 4
sterling tantrum.
All, Wilderness.
Let papa refuse to get mama there
(and the movie Is 2 miles away)
and he knows that his health and
certain parts Of his property, II not
his life, are endangered. Shall he
risk having his A card, which he
needs to get to work, picked up or
buck mama's wrath7 Which Is
more to be desired, no A card or 4
week Of a pouting woman? A little
man should have been on the OPA
board.
If . little man goes to q penny
ante poker game and loses $3.50, has
he had pleasure? Men with bank
accounts would say yes, but the
little man who lives under the
shadow Of overdrawn checks and
the cashier might have = different
answer.
And what would the little man
say about mama going to town to
shop? Did mama really have to
have that slip, that camisole, that
corset cover? Or could she have
gotten by without them, thus making
her trip in the car one Of pure
pleasure?
All, Washington All, mightiest
of all governments! Some time
during this year, as the pinch Of
the civilian gets tighter and tighter,
make room for q few little men Oh
the all-important boards. Give
them hearing. Let them speak.
They may have had to stop on
the way to the conference to get
their only suit pressed and they
may not speak in the language Of
economists, but what they say will
come close to expressing the thought
OF the great bulk of Americans.
distributed BY McNausht Syndicate, Ins.)
Two Governors Propose
5-Doy Week to Save Fuel