davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-02-02
Frank K. Kent

those Of the unfriendly John L. Lewis.
The chief difference between Mr.. Lewis
and the other labor bosses, who, as DO
litical allies of the President, are de-
manding fourth term for him, is that
Mr.. Lewis is less hypocritical.
Fifth-Last month after Gen. Mar.
shall had denounced the railroad strike
threat as a "damnable crime" against
the Nation, the President, under heavy
Army and Navy pressure, recommended
a national service act But he crippled
Its chances by insisting that unless four
other measures were enacted with it he
would not be for 1t.
From that day neither the labor bosses
nor members of Congress have taken
its passage seriously. Though it has
been strongly urged by Secretary Stim-
son the proposal is considered dead and
no move to restore it to life and vigor
has been made by the President.
There are other facts in the record.
such as the Presidents acceptance of
the phony 'no-strike" pledge, but these
are the big ones-and they cannot be
disputed. They show that Mr.. Roose-
velts attitude toward the labor bosses
Is the chief reason for the strikes, that
ne has at no time stood up against them,
that he has made concessions to them
that should not have been made and
permitted them to kick holes through
his own anti-inflation program. They
are still doing it,
And now we are told that the soldiers,
While angry over the strikes, favor Mr..
Roosevelt. 1t must be because they do
not know the record and it is easy to see
why. Clearly, it has not reached them,
and quite as clearly it isn't going to
reach them in the coming program
surely not through the owl or the
Army's special service. If they fully
knew the record, the reported stand Of
the soldiers could hardly be possible.
Evening star., 1944-02-02

have actually not more than one or two
square miles of habitable surface.
Each of these little islands is being
attacked by division-the 4th Marine
Division on Roi Island, the 7th Division
OF the Army on Kwajalein Island. 1t
would be difncult to find use for any
larger force Of troops in attacking such
small objectives, and 1t may be doubted
whether the garrisons Of the islands are
very much larger than was the garrison
OF Tarawa-between 1000 and 5000 men.
y \
What counts now Is not our superior
numbers, but the ability of our air forces
and naval gunfire to overwhelm the
Japanese defensive installations and
give cover to our landing forces until
these are well established ashore. The
crucial time is the period between the
time where our covering fires are lifted.
as our landing craft approach the
beaches, and the time when the leading
assault waves are firmly dug in on the
beach and have brought their own sup
porting weapons ashore to provide local
covering fires.
If the attack on Kwajalein Atoll
proves that we have solved this diff
Guilty, there is every reason to anticipate
the success of the operation. In both
American and Japanese reports there
is very strong suggestion that we have
brought overwhelming power to bear in
this new attack on the Marshalls.
That probably means much larger
forces Of carrier-based aircraft, espe-
cially fighters and dive bombers, than
were used ut Tarawa: and these are the
very types to be most effective In filing
In the crucial interval above referred to,
tcoYrisht, 1914, New York Tribune. 1ns)
Evening star., 1944-02-02

1939-the low point in recent years.
In the same period the number Of
pedestrians killed by automobiles
decreased substantially.
The cause for this may be beyond
the control of the transit company.
But the purpose of the current in
vestigation should be to determine
the cause, without necessarily fixing
blame. This growing death list un-
doubtedly follows some pattern that
can be established by study of each
case. Whatever it is, it should be
portrayed to the public in manner
that will emphasize the nature of
the hazard, on the theory that IA
miliarity will at least breed respect
for the dangers involved.
Evening star., 1944-02-02
Eiqhty-Nine Protests

The eighty-nine protests, repre-
sentations and requests which
Secretary of State Hull has sent to
the Japanese since Pearl Harbor-
all to no avail-serve to corroborate
the already abundant evidence that
1t is futile to deal with them on a
civilized basis.
It is not likely that Mr.. Hull, in
dispatching his protests, had any
great faith in their efficacy. For
nearly a decade the Japanese had
been making their record, and it was
a consistent record of perf1dy and
ruthlessness. But as long as the
smallest hope remained the Secre-
tary of State had no choice but to
exhaust the possibilities that were
open to him. Until the futility Of
the effort was wholly apparent, any
thing which offered the slightest
hope of improving the lot Of the
Americans who had fallen into
Japanese hands was worth trying.
Our Government has now aban-
doned this hope. It is evident that
no appeals based on humane con-
siderations or arising out of treaty
or other obligations will carry the
slightest weight with Japan. This
is fact which we must remember
when the war is over. For reasons
which may have seemed valid at
the time, we did much to build up
the military power of the Japanese.
And for more than two years this
power has been used against us,
with the end not yet in sight. The
day will come, however, when Japan
will be beaten, and then we will
have a decision to make. We can
treat the japanese as civilized
people and try to restore them to
the community Of nations, relying
upon them to keep the faith. Or
we can take their faithlessness at
its proven value and reduce them
to level from which they can
never again attack us or any one
else.
If we learn anything from expert
ence we will take the latter course,
and the record which Mr.. Hull has
built up will help to keep alive the
lessons of the past ten years.
Evening star., 1944-02-02

plans OF the Allies In the event they
enter Rome and pointed out the un-
comfortable position in which the Papal
State would find itself II the Allies sup
port new government in Italy in which
the Communists have a major role
The Pope Is aware that the entire
position Of the present italian govern
ment will be reconsidered on the day
Rome Is in the hands of the Allies. It
is admitted in official quarters that all
who have co-operated directly with
Mussolini, regardless of their alibis, will
have to disappear from the political
scene. They include not only King VIC
tor Emmanuel, but the entire House OF
Savoy Marshal Badoglio and all the
rest Of the oflcials to whom the
temporary conduct of italian affairs has
been intrusted.
X 4
Contradictory information has come
from sections of Italy occupied by the
Allies. Most of the reports indicate
that the majority of the politically
minded Italians favor a republican form
OF government. BY and large the 'man
in the street" is more interested in what
he will eat tomorrow than In who is
going to rule the country. He will
accept any government with the same
passivity as he accepted Fascism. A
small group Of officers and other officials
are in favor of maintaining the dynasty.
The political-minded Italians, who are
a minority, are very vociferous. They
demand the immediate suppression of
all those who have had any ties with
the previous regime.
The Allies have promised that their
demands will be complied with as soon
as the military situation permits So,
far Italy has been ruled by AMG
ofhcials. But as soon as Rome is in our
hands, there seems to be no doubt that
the wishes of the political men, some
Evening star., 1944-02-02
The Logic Is Sound

But you say you want the soldier
to vote. What soldier do you want
to vote? All soldiers? Oh, no, you
do not. That is not what you are
providing. There are at least two
million young men in the Army not
yet twenty-one. They would not get
a vote. Why do you not give them
a vote? -" Do you say to me, We
cannot, under the Constitution?
You cannot give the others a vote,
either, under the Constitution. If
you are going to violate the Consti-
tuition, let us go the whole way, and
let us give all the boys a chance to
vote. - Let us quit this sham,
talking about giving all the soldiers
a right to vote, unless we are to be
honest. If we are not to talk about
fraud, let us talk about honesty.
Let us tell the truth. ''' How about
the boys from the District OF Colum-
bia? No provision has been made
for them. They are just as patriotic
as any others. We have not been
asked to violate the Constitution for
them. If we are to stand by the
Constitution, in the name Of God,
let us stand by it. If we are to
change the rules and give all the
soldiers chance to vote, in the
name Of God, let us do that. But let
us do one or the other. Let US
either uphold what these boys are
fighting for, or say, We are going to
change the rules"
Senator Brooks views on the con-
stitutionality Of a Federal ballot,
subject to acceptance or nonaccep-
tance by the States, may be open to
question. But his logic is not.
Evening star., 1944-02-02

Most people will doubtless accept Life
boat as good authentic account of
what really happens under such cir
cumstances. - There are others, how
ever, who profess to detect grievous
sins. Their loud misgivings make
It one of the most controversial movies
OF recent years. These critics .
point out that the German submarine
commander who gets the upper
hand is the only nice guy in the
picture"
That the film is controversial is evi-
denced by letters to the Times apropos
Mr.. .Crowthers criticisms. Whereas
some support the film, others share
the opinion Of the unfavorable critics
and the most outraged of the letter.
writers is a sergeant in the armed forces,
who calls it an example of the weasel
minded fear of clearly selling our side
of the story in this worldwide war for
the minds and bodies of men"
II the controversy about the film were
whether 1t was artistic or inartistic, or
Evening star., 1944-02-02
Maj. George Fielding Eliot

jalein Island and Roi Island. The for
mer has a seaplane base and submarine
facilities, the latter has major airfield,
long established. Wolfe and Maloelap
also were blasted by our carrier-borne
aircraft; the implication is that the
Japanese were there assembling good
deal OF their air power, since Jaluit and
Mill have become too exposed because
Of their proximity to the Gilberts.
All four Of these islands have air
bases, and Jaluit has good harbor,
being considered the principal naval
base in the Marshall group. Meanwhile,
what appears to have been q detached
task force raced some 400 miles west
ward of Kwajalein to attack the air
base on Eniwetok, which forms the con-
Meeting link between the Marshalls and
Japan proper by way Of the Bonins.
Marcus Island and Wake Island.
Kwajalein Atoll, the immediate Oh.
jective Of the great amphibious opera.
ton, is the largest atoll in the Marshalls.
Like all atolls, its coral formation in
closes a lagoon, with only few en-
frances practicable for shipping. In the
case Of Kwajalein, this lagoon is about
66 miles inland from northwest to south
east. The coral necklace which incloses
it is formed in part of mere reefs, with
here and there string of little islands.
OF these islands, the largest il Kwa-
jalein Island at the extreme southeast
extremity Of the atolls and the next
largest is Roi Island in the center Of
the northern side of the atoll. These
two islands are the points Of attack.
They are comparable In size to Betio
island IN the Tarawa Atoll, that is-they
Evening star., 1944-02-02
Streetcur Deaths

; In its opening statement yester-
day in the Public Utilities Commits
sion's investigation Of streetcar and
bus accidents. the Capital Transit
Company made an excellent statis-
tical showing of consistent accident
reduction, rejecting well-con-
Quoted safety program.
But the fact remains that more
pedestrians are being killed by
streetcars than in the past, and that
the number of such fatalities seems
altogether out of proportion to the
increased hazards. such as popula-
ton and mileage growth. The ia
tality rate per million streetcar
miles, for instance, has increased
from 1886 in 1884 to 1924 in 1943.
Thirty-one people were killed last
year a. compared with seven In
Evening star., 1944-02-02

FlUlerS ana MuSSOunlS s ventures is COM
mon knowledge. -
"The fact remains that In the great
historic battle Of freedom-loving people
against the enemy of mankind, the
Vatican has adopted an attitude of
direct support of Fascism."
y X \ X
The attack comes at time when the
Allied commanders in italy begin to see
their way into Rome. 1t is considered
significant that the of1icial newspaper
of the Russian government should have
chosen this moment to give the views of
the Soviet leaders when the Vatican au-
thorities have said or done nothing
which might be interpreted as favoring
either the Allies or the Axis.
That Pope Plus XII expected some
trouble from Moscow is evidenced by
the fact that about three weeks ago he
called Harold Tttman, the unofficial
American representative to the Holy
See, and talked with him at length. He
asked Mr.. Tittman about the political
Evening star., 1944-02-02

formally resign when the new main
tenaace clause with the escape Pc
riod was granted in September. Be-
cause Of this presumed misunder-
standing, the WLB Shipbuilding
Commission has authorized another
escape period, during which the
workers may resign in writing. Un-
less they do this they will be covered
in the future by checkoff arrange
ment, under which their dues will
be deducted by the employer from
their pay envelopes.
This record is interesting on two
grounds. First, it indicates that the
unions difficulties at this plant were
with its own members. and not the
employer. Clearly, the maximum
effect Of the new order would be to
compel $4,000 employees to support
the union when they are not willing
to do so voluntarily. The wisdom of
doing this, both from the standpoint
OF public policy and union policy, is
debatable to say the least. Sec
ondly, these revelations at the Fed
eral yards raise question as to how
effective the maintenance clause has
been. Has it actually given unions
benefits commensurate with the tur-
moil and bad feeling that it has
caused? 1t was reported several
months ago that a survey had been
made to ascertain the effect that
the granting of the clause has had,
but the findings were not given out.
If the conditions disclosed in this
instance are common throughout
the country, however, it would seem
that the public ought to be entitled
to that information.
Evening star., 1944-02-02

1aVor 1our more years OF the Roosevelt
regime. One might as well say that he
likes motor cars, but hates gasoline.
The only way to account for this para
doxical feeling among the soldiers is
that they have not been able to get the
facts. 1t would be surprising if they had
got them. Certainly, on this subject,
they would never get the straight stuff
from the foreign branch of the New
Deal-dominated OWL.
Yet there was never a clearer record
than that which links Mr.. Roosevelt to
the labor bosses and places primary
responsibility for the strikes on his
shoulders. Wholly aside from the close
political alliance that has existed be-
tween him and them for nine years
before we got into the war, during which
period extraordinary White House favors
built union labor into the country's most
favored class, the story since Pearl
Harbor Is revealing one. The out
standing facts are these:
X
FtrSt-ReSistinp all apealS for A sin.
Evening star., 1944-02-02
Dorothy Thompson

countries Is beyond my comprehension.
And imagine the effect in Britain!
British visitors to America are aston
lshed by our luxury in time of war and
ma 1T difhcult to grasp the miracle OF
the American production system. Nearer
the war and having suffered greatly,
the question in their mind is Are
Americans serious about the war? And
what Is the state Of American denaoc.
racy2
Now, though the director, Mr.. Hitch
cock, is an Englishman, he could never
have produced this film showing British
passengers in this light, and gotten
away with it in Britain. Compare it
with Mrs. Miniver! Mrs Miniyer is q
picture of an easy-going divided society
turning into a close tunit and oyercom-
ing the Nazis. "Lifeboat" is a picture
OF drifting, composites society accent
ing defeat-until saved by a miracle. l.
TINS the way we are, and the way we
want to present ourselves to the world!
When I saw the film it was followed
oy newsreel featuring the face of a
young American aviator who had shot
down great number of Jap planes.
HIS lace was an answer to the film.
Strong, young, purposeful and humane.
he, in real life, was a real American
type who never could have behaved as
the wretched creatures do in "Lifeboat."
And since saw the film we have had
the Army and Navy report of our pris.
oners OF war left in the Philippines. 1t
is a story of fortitude, endurance and
pride under the most unconscionable
suffering and the armies that took that
were just cross section Of American
men.
Pride in our country demands that
we DO not send this film abroad in its
present form, to soil our own nest.
(Released hy the 1eu Synhirate 1nnN
Evening star., 1944-02-02

gle-headed war production board, Mr..
Roosevelt's original setup was a dual
headed affair with labor politician
Sidney Hillman-holding "co-eoual"
power with Mr.. Knudsen. Eventually
this arrangement broke down, as 1t was
bound to do, but it was 18 months before
Mr.. Roosevelt got around to the single
head which the last war had proven
essential.
Second-Almost from the date of the
Pearl Harbor disaster, the war has been
used by the labor bosses to grab more
power and more money, and an cpl
oemlc OF strikes, retarding munition
production, has afflicted the country.
Instead OF condemning these strikes
more than 5000 in two years. Mr..
Roosevelt has consistently minimized
them, and, supposedly inspired by him,
his Undersecretary of War, Mr.. Robert
Paterson, has sent glowing letters to
labor bosses commencing them for
.abors magnificent work" at a time
when many millions of man-days were
being lost through strikes and billions
OF dollars of War Department contracts
were being held up. So far as there has
been an administration labor policy, it
has been policy of bribing the labor
bosses with wage increases and closed
shop gains.
Thlrd-From the start the President
has stood in the way of antistrike Iegis-
lation. Twice. through his personal in
huence, antistrike bills which had
passed the House were killed in the
Senate. Finally. he vetoed the feeble
Connolly antistrike bill and it was then
passed over his veto.
X
Fourth-In every instance where a
strike has threatened to bring produc-
tlon to standstill, in the end the labor
bosses have gotten nearly all they asked
and often more than they expected. In
no case has he made a firm stand
against labor demands-even against
Evening star., 1944-02-02
Constantine Br01Vn

OF them former political refugees and
exiles, will be complied with
The British and American authorities
will have little to say about who is to
be in the new government provided
these men do not interfere with our
war effort.
A number Of Liberals and Socialists
are already on hand to take over Italys
political administration. How strong
the influence of the former italian Com
munists will be is not known. But it is
believed that number Of Communists,
now in Moscow, such as Achille Ercole,
are packing their bags to fly to Italy
as soon as the present regime is dis
posed Of. The Vatican seems to sus-
pect that while at first the new Italian
government will be leftist Liberal it
eventually will move 50 far toward the
left that before long 1t will be led
exclusively by Communists.
The Vatican Is a temporal neutral
state. As such, in theory, it Is i'm
material what form of government
exists IN any of the neighboring coun-
tries. But, in fact, the Holy See is
within Rome and must look to thu
italian government to keep its rights
and privileges. While the world was
at peace this was not diffeult. But in
times like these, 1t would not be easy
for the Vatican to maintain Its present
status If the Italian government be-
came openly hostile.
The article in IZvestia indicates clearly
which way the wind will blow in the
event the new Italian government is
politically affiliated to Moscow. And
the timeliness of the Soviet attack on
the Vatican leaves little doubt in the
minds OF political observers that such
aff1liation is "in the cards"
Evening star., 1944-02-02

Gilberts, would be as hopeless as the
position Of the Japanese garrison on
Kiska after the fall OF Attu, or that of
the japanese garrison on vella Lavella
after our landing on Bougainville. The
Japanese garrisons on Wolfe and Ma
loelap Atolls to the eastward of Kwa-
jalein, scarcely would be better off;
their communications with their home
bases would be cut, and subsequent
American occupation of Jaluit and Mill
would spell their finish. Thus almost at
a stroke, the fall of Kwajalein would
deliver most of the Marshall Islands
into our hands.
X
The preliminary operations now begin
to fall into q pattern. The main at
tacks Of our carrier groups seem to
have centered on the two principal
islands Of the Kwajalein Atoll, Kwa.
Evening star., 1944-02-02
Till the Hour of Sun

NotD that the night and are strangers
No more. my fear OF the dark has gone,
Gone. like the dew that the morning
sun
Absorbs, like the frost and ice
That disappears Dhen the daytime
,Ddrnth
Groios sure. For years hardly kneD
The comfort darkness pape, its touch
Upon my face, its GOODNESS in my hands,
Its mist upon my lips and on my bro,D.
0 but l am glad that the years
Haze made me undtraid, that the
mystery
OF being invisible and not being able
To see, is no longer q mystery,
That can wdlE and smile and ,Uhistle
Through the night til the hour of the
sun.
LANSING O0NI0TMAN,
Evening star., 1944-02-02

amount OF uneaSi-
ness in american
official quarters.
The article, which
was broadcast by
the Moscow radio,
asserted that "the
servility of the Vati-
can toward Fascism
has not been con-
fined to Italy. The
Vatican has ap-
we'd Of many
Fascist acts Of ag-
gression. The n
glorious part played
by the Vatican In
Evening star., 1944-02-02
British Paper Quoted on F. D. r.
TO the Editor Of The Star:

40 the EolIoE OF The Star:
I hardly can believe that you are quite
as ingenious as one would be led to
think from reading that part of your
editorial on THE Democrats Meet" in
the Monday, January "a, issue of The
Star where you say: But there will be
strife and lot Of it If Mr.. Roosevelt,
intending to be candidate. persists in
masking his intentions until the con-
vention meets next summer. The Presi-
dent no doubt has his own reasons for
his attitude. But it is not easy to fathom
them
On the assumption that you are as
ingenious as you sound, and that
considerable number of the American
people are just as ingenious and really
do believe that Mr.. Roosevelt is lust too
pusy winning the war to give q single
thought to the nasty old game of politics,
may point out that our English cousins
either are not SO ingenious or else they
nave been let in on the Presidents rea-
sons that some Americans appear unable
to fathom?
In the same Monday, January "a, issue
OF your esteemed newspaper, on page
AS is short article headed London
Daily Mail Sees Race for Fourth Term"
l quote from that article: Reliable
inside information is that Roosevelt,
neither by word nor deed, will indicate
IN the next few months whether he will
run. but by midsummer will allow him
self reluctantly to be drafted by the call
OF duty, party and patriotism. Much the
same strategy used 50 successfully in the
third-term movement is being adopted
again"
You can thank the London Daily Mail
for laying out clearly and simply Mr..
Roosevelt's reasons, which you find so
difficult to fathom, and in the hope that
other Americans who may have the
same difficulty will see the light and
thereby be relieved of all mental agony
comparable to that of the young lover
pulling daisy petals and murmuring to
himself, She loves me, she loves me
not" I am taking this opportunity to
call attention to the words of prophecy
from the London Daily Mail.
ALBERT E. COMRADES.