Evening star., 1944-10-03

papers seem to Lowell Meliett.
be living nightmare. They do not
see their Government the way
you or I see it, Government
of average citizens doing a job,
Job that is either below or
above average, depending on our
political prejudice. They see Gov
ernment of goons, gestapos, labor
racketeers, communists and power
mad autocrats who stop at nothing
in their purpose to regiment the
American way of life. They see
Washington as something truly
sinister.
And we read that young candi-
date for the presidency had this to
say few days ago: "Ten million
men want to come home TO a coun-
try where they are not ordered all
day long what jobs they may have
or may not have by an all-wise
group Of braintrusters who sit in
ivory towers in Washington and
think they know how the American
people want to live.
what We Want"
what we want is a country with
an opportunity for every man who
has a little business to go ahead
with it. An opportunity for every
man who has an idea to go out
and create a job for himself and a
business for himself and more jobs
for people"
He told the people that he was
mot afraid that we won't have jobs
for all after the war If we get a
Government in which the people
will have confidence"
Getting back to Washington, life
doesn't seem especially sinister here.
The streets have about the same
appearance as those of other cities.
Regimentation doesn't 60 much be-
yond trafiic lights and no-parking
signs. True, the lovely little WAVES
and WACS are in uniform, but they
trip the streets with smiles on their
faces. They don't even keep step,
except when they are marching. And
soldiers are to be seen, but they
are mostly men on leave and they
saunter about in a free-and-easy
manner. obviously giving no thought
to either COON or gestapo. Private
cars and taxicabs weave in and
out of their own trafic in the Gus
tomary free American manner. The
stores are all open and lots of
people go In and out the doors.
In a three-block walk today saw
only one indication of regimenta-
ton. This was neon sign
above a shoe repair shop. The sign
Is . tricky little electrical device
whereby the lights form a pair of
shoes and the shoes trudge across
the front OF the building all day
long. Those shoes certainly look
reginented-Id hate to be in them
but you've got to admit it's a pretty
slick sign, something you won't
find In any other country. The
proud owner probably thinks this
country already offers ''an opportun-
ity for every man who has a little
business to go ahead with it."
Cashing In on Idea.
A nearby neighbor Of the shoe re-
pairnan has opened up a nifty
new restaurant. His twinkling neon
signs include red lobster, a green
dsh and a red, blue and yellow chick
en-. That restaurant supplants an
old-fashioned eating place which fed
large numbers of people satisfactor-
lily, but the new proprietor is taking
advantage OF the opportunity for
every man who has an idea, ETC."
It's like this along your famous
old Pennsylvania avenue today.
There's nothing sinister to be seen
except ghosts.
On clear day, or dark day for
that matter, you can see ghosts on
the Avenue. You can see ghosts of
the>>bonus marchers and ghosts of
the unhappy soldiers who drove
those jobless veterans of World
War ], from the city, on the order of
a frightened Commander in Chief.
That Commander in Chief had ideas
like those of his present young
protege, ideas that didn't work out.
and. when his Make Believe World
was shattered by reality he could
think of nothing better to do than
to call out the troops.
Those ghosts have been nretty