The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-01-08
Observations
Win War Slogan
May Not Become
Roosevelt Help
BY Helen Esssry

DT f1clGn ESSAY
President Roosevelt has lighted
a bright IRE under the nations pU-
htical kettle with his publtcly-eA-
pressed desire 10 change his adj
ministration slogan from New
Deal" 10 Win the War.
hWirs mStoDheld, is
The story of this proposed change
told nrst to d, newspaper column
list. repeated by the Presidents
press secretary aud finally told for
n third time 10 a news conference
by the President himselt-is view
ed in Washington as the opening
gun in the pre-conyention political
scramble.
one group OF obseryers-and per-
haps the dominant oue-holds that
the Chief Executive has publicly
coined the phrase under which he
will campaign for a fourth term.
This belief has been strengthened
by Mr.. ROoseyelts refusal TO
answer d direct question on wheth'
er the phrase constituted a fourth
term declaration.
This faction always has held that
if the President planned 10 retire,
It would have been a simple mat
ter to answer the query in the
negative.
Another school OF thought insists
that the Presidents new slogan
signifies nothing more than his
desire TO remove politics from his
realm and get on with the war.
This group insists that the Chief
Executive is tired of his Job and
wishes to retire Further, II Is
contended. the President has limited
as much to his political colleagues.
Holders of this view declare that
Mr.. Roosevelt cannot disayow
fourth term aspirations now with
out disfuptinE further a Democra-
tic party already torn by factional
differences.
In any event. all eides agree that
the slogan-Changing spells increas-
ed political activity and has height
ened speculation on the Presidents
future course.
A SERIES OF UNRELATED
EVENTS1Tn Washington, Pearl
Harbor and Algiers-once again has
served to hishlight the unayailing
efforts of the Office OF War lnforma-
tion to handle war news for do
nestle consumption.
In Washington. a h.gh-rankinS
government official told newsmen
OF continuing "complacency" on the
home front, of public unawareness
OF the war, OF public scrambling
for monetary profit and escape
from wartime taxation. OF an erron-
eous belief that the war is in the
bag.
And this official, who for some
unaccountable reason refused TO
let his name be used in the story,
topped off his blast by forecasting
huge United States casualties in
the next 80 days and broadly limited
that the European invasion would
get under way in that period.
As this story was moving on news
association wires another dispatch
from Pearl Harbor-quited Gen.
George c. Marshall, Army chief or
staff, as stating fatty that Japan
is licked"-just a matter OF time.
Then. from Gen. Dwight Eisen-
hower's headquarters in Algiers,
the newly-sppolnted commander
in the European theater charged
with leading the European inva-
sion, stated unequivocally that the
war will be over in Europe in
year.
What makes these three news
stories related occurrences Is the
fact that owl Chief Elmer Davis
is charged with informing the pub
lie on progress OF the war. His
is the job OF presenting a war pic
ture that will save khe public from
confusion" arising out OF conflict
ing statements by high public and
military figures.
But Elmer Davis, with presi-
Dental orders to handle war news.
knew nothing Of the three stories
until they were in print and on
radio Notwithstanding their own
bits OF ontradiction-too late for
him TO do anyt' ing to correct the
situation.
CIVILIANS WHO WERE OBLIG-
ED more and more to rely upon
the lowly bean this year TO supple
ment meat and other animal pro-
tein foods, were told this week they
will get more OF them in 1914.
There will be more peas. too. for
the family table in the coming
year
While filling domestic needs,
beans and peas also make an excel
lent food for EXPORT purposes. Rus
sis. largest Allied consumer. will
get $4,000 bags OF beans in the
first quarter OF 1874 and nearly
all Of them will be eaten by the
Red Army