davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-09-21

minimum Of 81 years for the franchise.
Many proposals have been introduced
in Congress to lower the voting age
through constitutional amendment. one
OF them by Senator Vandenberg of
Michigan. They rest before the House
and Senate Judiciary Committees and
nothing has been done so far about
them. But this does not mean that they
will necessarily remain dormant forever.
During the last two years proposals to
lower the voting age have been presented
in the sessions of 81 State legislatures.
Only in Georgia was effective action
taken.
Under the laws of the States men and
women are minors until they reach the
age of 81. They cannot handle their
property and in many OF the States they
cannot marry without their parents
consent. If they become voters-what
about these other laws? If they are old
enough and capable enough to vote, are
they to be denied the privilege Of ham
ding these other matters as they de-
sire? There Is still a bit Of food for
thought.
The British have stuck to 21 years as
the minimum voting age-the war and
draft notwithstanding In the Soviet
Union and in many Of the Latin Amer
ican countries. voting begins at 10,
among them Argentina. Brazil, Para
quay and Uruguay. Mexican men can
vote at l8 If they are married-other-
wise they wait until they are D. When
Germany had a republic men and
women voted at 20. In the Scandi-
navian countries, the age is higher, Nor
way and Sweden %. The Firms have
to wait until they are "a to vote; the
Danes and the Netherlands until they
are Is.
1t Is estimated that If the voting age
in this country was lowered to 18, $780,
900 more persons would be eligible to
vote This Is quite an addition to the
voting population. What effect on the
elections this influx of young blood
would have is anybody's guess. In the
case Of Georgia it will mean little under
present conditions. with the Democratic
party supreme. The only effect there
will be noticed in the Democratic pri-
mary elections.
Evening star., 1944-09-21
New Wage Approach

In a secondary line OF attack on
the Little Steel formula. some of it's
critics have contended or implied
that the War Labor Board ought to
order increases in basic pay scales to
compensate workers for the income
they will lose when payments for
overtime cease. This is an argument
which is apt to gain adherents. es-
pecially in view of the obvious difn-
Guilty of justifying current demands
for higher wage rates on the basis
OF living costs. But there are some
aspects of it which should be clearly
understood.
WLB Chairman Davis has said
that the board would certainly be
thinking about preventing wage
cuts" after the defeat of Germany,
and he pointed out that the execu-
tive order establishing the Labor
Board instructed it to block wage
cuts as we'll as general increases.
That is an interesting statement.
Since no one is proposing to reduce
wages by lowering the basic scales,
the fair inference is that when Mr..
Davis speaks of prospective wage
cuts he refers to the loss OF income
that would accompany a return to
the 40-hour week. And II his state
ment means anything, it means
that he and the other members of
the board are thinking about in
creases in basic rates which would
enable worker on a 40-hour week
to keep all or part OF the additional
pay he had been getting for a 49,
hour week.
From the standpoint of the ulti-
mate best interests of our national
economy this might or might not be
desirable. But from the standpoint
of the past attitude of WLB, it is
difficult to find consistency in the
position Mr. Davis seems to have
taken.
The function of the board has
been to help prevent imitation by
controlling and limiting general
wage increases. And the board has
said repeatedly that in performing
this function it was concerned only
with basic wage rates. These were
raised under the Little Steel formula
to offset an increase in living costs.
But the board refused to consider
the fact that overtime payments in
the steel industry had already more
than offset the rise in living costs.
Overtime, it was said, was thing
apart from basic rates, and was
form of income which the board
would not take into account.
But now it seems that Mr.. Davis is
swinging around All of sudden the
overtime pay, which formerly was no
concern OF the boards, becomes a
wage" which is threatened with
reduction, and is therefore a matter
OF direct concern to the board. On
the face of it, that is a form of word
juggling which does no credit to the
board, and which cannot constitute
a sound basis for consideration of
the question of the extent, if any, to
which straight time wages should be
raised to offset the loss of overtime.
Evening star., 1944-09-21
The Political Mill
BY Gould Lincoln

Boys and girls. Is, 10 and 20 years of
age. will vote in one State of the Union
-Georgia-on November Z. This is the
first time in the history of that country
that teen" ayers will take part In a
general, political election.
The upsurge Of the demand for low
ering the voting age below 81 followed
Immediately on the heels of the lower
ing of the military draft to cover boys
OF ID. "Old enough to fight, old enough
to vote was the slogan. This isn't the
first war that boys under 81 have been
in armies in large numbers. In the
Civil War, almost half the soldiers in
the Union Army were less than 10 years
of age-the average of the soldiers being
19i2-and in the Confederate Army
the average age was 1877.
The latest reports on ages of men in
the armed services in the present war
show that 35.2 per cent of the enlisted
personnel in the Navy. 343 per cent in
the Marine Corps. and 20 per cent in
the Army are under 81. This does not
approximate the youthfulness Of the
armies engaged In the Civil War. al
though more and more emphasis Is
being placed on the use Of young men
and boys as fighters under modern war
conditions. In the World War, the
average age Of the men was "a years
and months. The draft limit in that
war was not reduced to Is years Of age
until the war was about to end.
Whether the demand for lowering the
voting age will fade out after the present
war ends remains to be seen If a
system Of military training for all young
men is adopted for peacetime, it may
keep the demand alive.
Furthermore, the trend toward lower
ing the voting age will be enhanced be-
cause Georgia already has gone the
route Woman suffrage was not adopted
nationally until after dozen States
had enfranchised their women.
In the Anglo-Saxon countries the age
of political responsibility and the vote
has generally been 81, coming down from
the Middle Ages. The Constitution OF
the United States leaves to the States
the fixing Of the qualifications of their
voters. There is no general qualifica-
ton in the Constitution itself calling for
Evening star., 1944-09-21
Peace and Peoples

Though Governor Dewey spoke as
political campaigner at Portland,
he made at least one point that may
be regarded as nonpartisan truism
meriting the greatest possible en-
phasis-namely, that no peace plan,
however wise and far-seeing. will
succeed for long If it lacks the un-
derstanding support of the peoples
of the world
When Mr.. Dewey says that "the
peace we seek must not hang by the
slender thread of personal acquaint-
ance of any two or three men," he
is, of course, right, and Premier Sta
lin, Prime Minister Churchill and
President Roosevelt would probably
be among the first to agree with him.
For 1t is fact that although it is
imperative for the heads of govern
ments ana their representatives to
meet together to formulate COL
lective security system, that system
will deteriorate and finally fall
apart unless the world public has
sufficient will and determination to
keep it functioning from decade to
decade.
There can be no argument
on this score. In Mr.. Dewey's
words, peace, like war. must be
waged, must be "the work of many,
many people all over the world for
many years." if it is to be sound and
lasting. Such events as the Stain
Churchill-Roosevelt meetings and
the Dumbarton Oaks conference are
vital steps along the road, but of
themselves, even after the treaty
stage is passed, they cannot guaran-
tee an enduring peace. Only the
peoples Of the different nations,
working intelligently together to
give life and meaning to the solemn
agreements signed by their govern
ments, can do that.
All this is self-evident, but like
many other self-evident things, it
cannot be stated too strongly or too
often. History has repeatedly dem
onstrated it, particularly the history
of the years between this war and
the last. A relatively few men may
work out reasonably good formula
for the peace. but if the peoples of
the world are Indifferent to it, if
they are negligent in applying it,
if they let their leaders shelve it
or demagogues undermine it, then
1t will become as insubstantial as a
aream-a pious hope evoking at best
Evening star., 1944-09-21
Ferment in Denmark

The current crisis in Denmark.
though seemingly quelled by over
whelming German force, reveals
the unbroken spirit of that little
nation together with the increasing
popular resistance to Nazi rule. That
a country less than twice the size of
Maryland with fewer than four mil
lion inhabitants, lying on Germanys
threshold and with no natural de-
fense, should have remained rebel
lious to German domination despite
relatively liberal treatment is strik-
ing evidence of the hollow founda-
tions on which Hitlers European
Fortress" rests. 1t is one more proof
that this monstrous edifice is ready
to collapse under vigorous blows
from outside
When the Germans overran Den
mark in the spring of 1910, the vir-
tually unarmed country submitted
almost without firing shot. En-
couraged by this seeming passivity,
Berlin undertook to make Denmark
the shining example OF German
"magnanimity' to those neighbors
who did not resist. Although its
economic life was co-ordinated with
that of the Reich and scientifically
was exploited in the process, Den
mark continued to live under it's
own government and laws, German
control being almost invisible. New
ertheless, Danish National Council
at once was set up in London to
work for independence, backed by
Danes everywhere abroad and in
spring an underground movement
at home which fomented covert re-
sistance and sabotage.
The steady growth of Danish
popular resistance prompted the
German authorities to abandon their
policy of leniency, and that in turn
increased popular hostility. In Au-
gust, 1943, riots in Copenhagen, the
capital, coupled with bold strokes of
sabotage, resulted in the virtual end
OF self-government. The present
crisis was precipitated by a German
order interning the entire Danish
police force, accused Of political un-
reliability and connivance with the
patriotic underground, and its re-
placement by q German-picked
Evening star., 1944-09-21
This Changing w World
By ConsfsSfixs Broscs

Adriatic. So far Great Britain and the
United States have contributed mill
tarily only indirectly to the defeat Of
the Balkan States which have surren-
dered to the USSR.
Russia was given q free hand to im-
pose on the satellites whatever terms
she wished. and has signed her own
armistice terms with no known dissent
from her two major allies.
Because Of this situation, some polit-
ical men in England feel that the Bal
kan States recognize the USSR as the
only power with which they will have to
deal in the future. The states recognize
only the tangible military power which
actually occupied their country. During
the last war composite force of French
British, Serbians and Greeks with .
sprinkling of American officers, entered
the countries Of Germany's defeated
allies.
But regardless of how few Allied men
In uniform were there, the Bulgars,
Turks, Magyars and the other satellites
OF Germany knew they were dealing
with the Allies as bloc. Under the
present conditions they see only one
power-the USSR. This power may rep
resent all the United Nations but this
is not very apparent to the people of
the Balkans.
So far. the Red armies have entered
Romania, Bulgaria and portions of
Greece and Hungary. The Russian ar
mics are poised on the boundary of
Yugoslavia. Whether political or MILL
tary reasons have prevented them from
going deeper into Yugoslavia toward
Belgrade and Zagreb is not known at
present.
The British Government, and Mr..
Churchill in particular, is very anxious
that an American British force land
on the Adriatic coast of Yugoslavia and
head toward Vienna by way of Croatia
and Slovenia. The British are princi-
pally interested in Western Yugoslavia.
For several months there has been
pressure from the British suggesting a
common British American action in that
area. But so far there has been a mega :
tive answer from Washington, where the
political implications of the war in the
Balkans are considered with little
interest
Whether the last few weeks have
brought any change in this attitude re-
mains to be seen. In any event 1t is
considered likely that If the American
high command agrees to a campaign In
Western and Northern Yugoslavia such
action will be taken with the full an
proval Of Moscow.
Evening star., 1944-09-21
Polish Relations

Whatever may be its domestic
political implications, the chief
significance Of President Roosevelt's s
appointment of Arthur Bliss Lane
as Ambassador to the Polish gov
eminent in exile appears to be a
strengthening of that regime as
against the Russian sponsored
Polish Committee of Liberation.
There seems a possibility, too, that
the development may foreshadow
a new understanding between the
Soviet Union and the London group
as a result of Premier Mikolajcyk's S
recent visit to Moscow.
In any case, the Senate's con-
flrmation of the appointment fills
a diplomatic vacuum that has
existed ever since Anthony Biddle
ended his service some months ago
as Ambassador to the several exile
governments in London. Coming
after a long period of difficulties
with Russia. this change for the
better must surely lend encourage
ment to the Mikolajcyk regime.
Another hopeful development is the
fact that General Bor and his
Patriots in Warsaw-a resistance
movement taking its orders from
London-have begun receiving help
from the Russians.
1t is hazardous, of course, to
speculate on the course of Russian
Polish relations, but Mr.. Lanes
appointment and the aid delivered
to Warsaw by the Red Air Force
combine to indicate a general i'm
provement. 1t does not seem in
conceivable, in the circumstances,
that some workable compromise
may yet be worked out between the
Mikolajcyk government on one hand
and the Committee OF Liberation
and Moscow on the other.
Evening star., 1944-09-21

Important conversations dealing with
the political and military phases Of the
war, with special accent on Europe,
are believed to be continuing between
President Roosevelt and Prime Minis
ter Churchill at an undisclosed point.
It Is possible that among the many COM
plicated matters now being studied is the
question whether the Western Allies
should move force into the Western
Balkans In the near future.
Whatever agreement is reached at the
undisciosed meeting place will, OF
COW for approval. Moreover, 1t is be-
lieved that since another Roosevelt
Churchill Stain meeting is In the offing
the American and British leaders wish
to have heart-to-heart talk on the
map Of Europe and the war in the Far
East before q conference of the big
three.
Informed quarters believe that such
final conference will replace, tempor-
arily at least, any peace conference.
When the enemies fold up long armi-
stice will follow, but the fundamental
basis of the future peace will be laid
by the leaders of the three nations
which were responsible for the collapse
Of the Axis.
Mr.. Churchill is believed to favor an
Anglo American offensive against the
Germans In Yugoslavia. Technical
difficulties have prevented the American
military men from indorsing it, The
American military point of view is that
the Allies must concentrate every ounce
Of strength to bring the war to an end
as soon as possible. We are hammer
ing successfully at the Germans from
the west and the south.
The more men and war material we
apply against the enemy from these
two fronts, the sooner his resistance will
be overcome. Neither Gen. Marshall
nor Gen. Eisenhower relishes the idea
OF winter and spring campaign and
they believe that any diversion of Amer
ican forces to other fronts of lesser mill
tary significance will result only in
delaying the end of the war.
The British hold a slightly different
view They also wish an early end of
the struggle, but they have some polit-
ical objectives which are not the direct
concern Of the United States.
While on the surface there seems to
be no cleavage between the British and
the Russians, it is known that a num-
Der OF high-ranking Britishers are un-
easy over the prospects of Russia ap-
pearing as the only military power in
the areas between the Vistula and the
Evening star., 1944-09-21
Allied Landing Power
Bv Mai. Georse FieIdinf Eliot

and small, needed for the infinitely
various exigencies Of a landing opera
ton. And We have trained not only
the men to use these weapons and these
tools, but the STATS to combine them
in one great smooth working fight
ing team.
The results are written across the
face of the Pacific Ocean from the
Marshalls to the borders of the Philip
pine Sea. They will be written across
the fire-blackened face of Japan itself
before many months have passed.
In accomplishing all this, the men
charged with the conduct of the war
in the Pacific have disproved many
fallacies which were once accepted as
being almost as automatic as that which
they have demonstrated to be true. They
have shown that naval gunf1re can be
brought to bear, under modern condi-
tions, against shore fortifications, and
with effect.
They have proven that carrier based
aircraft can deal with shore-based air.
craft, and win. They have made obso-
lete the theory that a landing on a
hostile shore is the most costly and
risky Of all operations of war.
What all this means for the future is
something which the Japanese high
command is probably thinking about
with no small apprehension. They can
not count on holding any Of their island
conquests. They cannot count on being
able to prevent an Allied army from
landing on the coast Of China. They
cannot even be sure Of repelling an in
vasion Of their own homeland.
What they can do, Of course, Is fight us
on land after We get ashore. They have
done that as best they could wherever
our men have landed and they probably
will 60 on doing it, and it is because we
are now going into larger land masses
where there are much larger forces Of
Japanese troops, that we shall need
many more troops OF our own in the
further progress of the Pacific war
But 1t is only in China or in Japan
itself that we shall come to grips with
the main Japanese Army.
tCopyrisht, 1914. New York Tribune, Inc)
Evening star., 1944-09-21

There is one fact about the conduct
Of this war which has now been so
amply demonstrated that it is virtually
axiomatic-we have solved the problems
of landing against opposition on hos
tile shore We can, in fact land any
where This. is a fact Of tremendous
significance, 1ow and for the future.
BY I'VE" I mean the forces Of the
United States and our Allies of the
British Commonwealth, nations which
are traditionally sea powers. whose
fighting strength is mobile by sea. land
and air. and whose dependence in war
is always primarily based on control Of
the sea.
Grand Admiral Won Tirpitz said sadly
after the last war, THE Germans have
never understood the sea-" 1t Is still
true. Hitler and his generals appar-
emily were convinced that we could not
land on the European continent. When
we landed in Sicily the Germans said We
could not land in Italy: when we landed
in italy they said, THAT Is all very
well, but just wait until they try to
breach the Atlantic Wall" Now that
wall is burned-out memory. and our
sea borne and air-borne armies are bat
tering at the gates Of the Rhineland.
In the Pacific, too, the wonderfully
co-ordinated amphibious war machine
which we have constructed has demon
strated that 1t can land anywhere. The
Solomons, New Britain, the successive
landings on the New Guinea coast, Ia
rawa. Kwajalein, Eniwetok. Saipan,
Guam and now the Palaus and Hal
mahera-these are examples of the in
vincible technique which American
Navy, Marine Corps and Army COM
manders have worked out for the defeat
Of the great maritime empire of Japan.
We have overcome the tremendous
handicap of distance, we have worked
out system Of supply which is ade-
quate to our needs. We have overcome
the engineering difnculties of breaking
through underwater obstacles, clearing
mine fields, smashing enemy strong
points and turning to our advantage
every yard Of level ground and every
strip of beach.
We have co-ordinated into one con-
tinuous overwhelming torrent of fire
the gunfire of our warships and the
bombs OF our planes We have designed
and built all sorts Of landing craft and
every variety Of weapon and tool great
Evening star., 1944-09-21
There Will Be No Birds

Move not a,oay from lone,
For on that darkened shore
Where lope is not -.
Reason ,Dill grow
To the height OF great tree,
Casting no shndo,D on the earth,
And in the holloW OF the sky
The moon tDil hang like ptsdont's eve.
But there WiH be no birds to sing.
There apiH be no seasons
MoDing In ,rdDes OF light and shade,
AUTUMN already colored by the spring
Mope not diDdy from lope,
For In the air abopc are words unsdid :.
And not for long triH the ear listen
And the heart say
Come, Ioue. Come to the ,Deary heart.
Stay.
SARA VAN ALsTYNE ALLEN.
Evening star., 1944-09-21
Prosperity and Debt Synonymous

Prosperity and Debt Synonymous
To the Editor of The Star:
The American people well may ques-
ton the depth of understanding Of
those whose postwar planning is get
ting the newspaper publicity. Over and
over again these planners are quoted
as saying that our ability to begin pay
ing of the public debt depends on our
ability to maintain full . employment
and high rate Of national income.
1t would seem that If these men know
enough about the operating characteris-
tics of our economy to be trusted with
any postwar planning, they should
know that we never have been pros
porous in America except during Pc
riods Of heavy debit expansion"
In short, the phenomena Of pros
perity and of paying off debt are mu-
tually exclusives is evidenced by our
whole economic history, as we'll as by
the most basic economic laws Of capi-
talism
Evidently the only plans" we are
likely to hear about are those which the
right people want" rather than those
which are realistic in the sense that
they have any possibility of meeting
our needs. H. J. M.
Evening star., 1944-09-21
Correction

In an editorial yesterday 1t was
stated that Frederick Douglass was
appointed recorder of deeds by
President Cleveland This was err
roneous. Mr.. Douglass was ap-
pointed by President Garfield and
served from 1881 to 1885.
Evening star., 1944-09-21
Times Were Different

Prom the Kansas City Star.
New American history is cited to show
that a good majority of the men signing
the Declaration of Independence and
framing the Constitution were mere
striplings of 40 years or younger. But
didn't take men Of much experience to
put over big things in those days.
Evening star., 1944-09-21
French Patriots Criticized

AlSuSll L dtIlOtS NAI1tlClZeQ
To the Editor Of The Star:
Pictures coming out Of France re-
Gently show women, with their heads
shorn, being forced to stand facing .
wall while so-called patriots" threaten
them with rifles. The characters Of the
two groups show in their faces to q
degree which no caption can disguise.
The impression one gets from these
pictures is that the women are of the
better bred, more intelligent class and
that their captors are little better than
guttersnipes who have taken advan-
tage of the confusion attending the
entry of the Allies to grab guns and set
upon all with whom they disagree.
We will do the French people little
service II we free them Of the Ger
mans only to put them at the mercy
Of the riff-raff that primarily was re-
sponsible for Frances degradation and
impotency when the Germans marched
IN. ALLEN ARTHURDALE.
Evening star., 1944-09-21
New Nickname

From the Omaha World-Herald.
Although the people are thirsting for
Information, scarcely word comes
from Deaf-an- -Dumbarton Oaks.