davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26
Michigan Mirror
by gene allenlan

Inclination of the Michigan state
Legislature to accept Governor
Kelly's recommendation that addi-
tional state aid for local govern
ments be financed In part, by a
substantial hike in the state liquor
profits may be regarded as a COM
plimentary recognition of the basic
merits Of Michigan's liquor mono
poly system.
The legislators action is not be-
ing taken in any mood of senti-
ment.
Eighteen months ago a wave Of
criticism began to rise against the
state set-up. Consumers were COM
planning of a lack of supplies un-
der the rationing system; drys were
decrying lack of adequate enforce
ment. Frank Mckay, former Repub-
lican national committeeman, be-
gan a personal crusade to abol-
ish the monopoly system.
Public criticism was growing. One
year ago, a two-fisted mo man"
General L. A. Kunzig, was hired as
business manager. Last December
William F. Edmonson, former city
manager of Pontiac, was replaced
by John P. Aaron, the governors
personal secretary, as chairman Of
the commission. These moves were
frank admissions that Michigan
monopoly plan was on trial. Critics
were predicting dire things would
happen by the time the legislature
met at Lansing.
What happened to cause re-
verse of public opinion?
Nothing else than the power Of
information as gathered by Clar-
ence w. Lock, state deputy revenue
commissioner and Charles A. Par
rish, chief of the liquor commits
sion enforcement division, in a
finding survey of six nearby
states.
Whether the reversal is perma-
nent or temporary remains to be
seen. Michigan travellers who visit
New York City and Chicago in
wartime years invariably return
home with glowing accounts of the
abundance of liquor in those CT
ties. But for the most part they
say little. If anything, about how
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26

1t stopped not very far from us so
we all high-tailed it down to the
crossroads and proceeded to look it
over with the critical eye Of men
who haven't had too much to take
up their thinking in a long time.
We examined it carefully, caress-
ing each new detail with our eyes,
each new discovery giving an addi-
tional thrill to us men of the service.
Little things that had been for
gotten about were reused back into
our memories as We stood there
being jostled by the increasing
group Of curious men. BY this time,
We were pretty sure that we remem-
bered seeing one like it before, but
seeing one out here, ten thousand
miles from home on our tiny jungle
island was something that we were
not quite prepared for. The crowd
gathered so quickly that it reminded
us OF the times back in the states
that the crowds came from nowhere
to gather around an accident on the
street.
Sounds like something pretty spe-
cial doesn't it? Well, maybe not to
you, but to men that have been
whisked away from the heart of
civilization at it's fullest, most mod
ern stage right out into the Jungle.
the sight Of that regular passenger
car was about the most surprising
thing We had seen here in a long
time. Yes, it was real all right, right
there before our eyes and offering
enough conversational food for some
time. Besides giving us the thrill
Of living in jungle mud and heat,
the almost hopeless task of creating
a military city out of the wilderness
had been practically completed.
Up to this time, the only means
Of transportation had been heavy
trucks, built to pillow through mud
and jungle that nothing else could
hope to get through. When it was
necessary to go very far, we hitched
ride on the back Of a truck, or
later on jeeps became available and
now, regular car was able to travel
the roads on this island almost as
easily as 1t would back in the states.
Yes, seeing that car out here GER
tainly gave us jungle jolly men
something to talk about - kind of
made us proud too. After all, we
did get here when there was nothing
but jungle and now, only ten months
after, We were seeing cars go by
on roads that would make some of
the mountain states sit up and take
notice. We were getting some place
after all. We had built all along the
line, who knows, maybe in a few
more months we will be coraing back
home, this time to stay.
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26
An Old Story

1t is diSmaying to witness Frances De-
Gaulle saying: 1--WE intend to act in such
way that individual merit and private
initiative will remain as the basis of ma
tlonal activity .. We do not imagine our
French economy of tomorrow without
free sector as large as possible :. (But)
we declare that the state must hold the
master switches" The last words cancel
out the preceding pleasant phrases. Where
the state holds the master switches, the in
4vidual becomes cipher.
Why should any people, any nation be
subseFvient to small group of men hold
ng master switches? The excuse that die
ratorship can be confined to the operation
of certain industries and will not be felt by
the people, is bunk. The same fallacious
theory is being espoused in this country
We hear that our natural resources and
other basic industries should be controlled
or owned by the government. The idea is
encouraged that limited dictatorship
would promote employment and security
This is also bunk.
When the test of war came this country
where the people were least dominated by
government, was the most productive Other
nations whose industries and people func-
toned by the grace of dictatorial hand on
a master switch, made q poor showing by
comparison. 1t has been up to the United
States and its independent industries, to
provide the machines of victory and the fuel
to run them. to say nothing of the men.
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26
Poverty and Filth
Continue Together

Okinawa civilians we bring in are
pitiful. The only ones left seem to
be real old or real young. And they
all are very, very poor.
They're not very clean. And their
homes are utterly filthy. Over and
over you hear marines say, This
could be a nice country If the peo-
pie weren't SO dirty"
Obviously their living standard is
low. Yet I've never understood why
poverty and filth need to be synon-
ymous. A person doesn't have to be
well off to get clean. But appar-
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26

Actually it doesn't look a great
deal different from most of Amer
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26
Ernie Pyle With the Nary:
Dry, Brown Okinawa Like
Indiana In Late Summer
NatiUes Lire Poorly, Ho,0eUer;
Cultivate Small Farm Tracts
Editors Note: This dispatch was written
his death on Okinawa last Wednesday,
BY Ernie Pyle

OKINAWA Since this island is the closest to japan
we've landed and since to feel this really is
JAPAN rather than just far outpost I'll try to describe
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26

emily he has to be well off to want
to keep clean. We've found 1t that
way clear around the world. The
people here dress as we see Japa-
nese dressed in pictures: women IN
kimonos and old men in skin-tight
pants. Some wear a loose, knee
length garment that shows Their
skinny legs.
The kids are cute as kids are all
over the world. I've noticed ma
rines reaching out and tousling
their hair as they marched past
them. We're rounding up all the
civilians and putting them in camps.
They are puzzled by it all.
Most of the farm families must
have got out when Our heavy bonn
bardments started. Lots Of farm
houses have either been demolished
or burned to the ground before we
came often, in passing o wrecked
farmhouse, you smell the sickening
odor of death inside.
But there are always people who
won't leave no matter what. We
couldn't help feeling sorry for the
Okinawans we picked up In the first
few days. We found two who spoke
a little English. They had once
lived in Hawaii. One was an old
man who had a son (Hawaiian-
Japanese) somewhere in the Amer
lean armyl
They were all shocked from the
bombardment and yet I think rath-
er stupid too, so that when they
talked they didn't make much sense.
I don't believe they had any idea
of what it was all about. AS one
marine officer said. THE poor dew
lis. I'll bet they think this is the
end of the world.
They were obviously scared to
death. On Love-Day the marines
found many of them hiding from
us in caves. They found two old
women. rs or more, in a cave, car
ing for paralyzed girl. She wasn't
wounded, just paralyzed from nat
ural causes. One of the old ladies
had a small, dirty sack with some
money in it. When the marines
found her she cried and tried TO
give them the money-hoping I
suppose that she could buy herself
off from being executed.
After all the propaganda they've
been fed about our tortures, it's
going to be a befuddled bunch Of
Okinawans when they discover we
brought right along with us, as part
of the intricate invasion plan,
enough supplies to feed them, tool
CONTINUED on Page 15)
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26
IS YEARS AGO
IN WYANDOTTE

A wrestling bout took place at
the Marx opera house between
Louis Eastman and Ben Stefanski,
Young Gotch and Tony Smiegel and
Farmer Niefert and George Novas.
The Wyandotte band will fur
nish the musical inspiration for
the occasion.
The wearing o. the green was
brought to all the residents of our
fair city when the Colleens pre-
sented songs of old Ireland and also
a program complete with all the
interest of old Ireland.
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26
MuddIetown, USA

There's no such place as Muddletown.
Thank Heaven! For if there were, this is
how things might have happened there:
1t was fine Spring morning when the
citizens of Muddletown went mad. They
were tired of war, with all its regulations
and controls and interference with old
fashioned American individualism. They
threw the war out of the window along
with War Bond buying, rationing, price
controls, wage sterilization and gas con-
Servation.
With carefree hearts the people of
Muddletown gathered up their war bonds,
went down to the local bank, and cashed
them in. They drew all their money out
of their savings accounts. Then, loaded
with cash, they headed for Muddletowns
department stores, food stores, hardware
stores and places of amusement
Rationing and price controls were for
gotten. People bought everything they
could get their hands on. AS stocks dwin-
died, merchants raised their prices. In one
store alone, mems shirts which had gone on
sale for $285 at o'clock were nearing the
$40 mark by noon-and, as the last few
shirts were dragged out from under the
counter, the price went to SIS. Worried
housewives called their husbands, urging
them to ask the boss for a raise in order
to meet the sky-rocketing cost of living. The
husbands asked and the bosses gave. When
families gathered around their dinner tables
that night, they were pleased with them
selves. Suddenly, they were making more
money and buying more things than ever
before. 1t was pleasure to hop into the old
jalopy after dinner, stop at the service sta
ton, buy as much gas as one wanted (what
if it did cost 80c a gallon?) and 60 on to a
movie, where fairly good double bill was
showing for only $3.50 person. Middle
initiation a bit.
However,
In the days that followed, two un-
pleasant facts became evident The first of
these was that when available supplies are
bought up, then no more supplies are avail
able. The second was, that once initiation
hits prices no amount of salary initiation can
keep up with them. And then-no matter
how much money people have = they're
really very poor.
The people of Muddletown began to
get pretty angry. AS one housewife in
dignantly put it, There ought to be law
SO that everyone gets chance to buy what
he needs, like rationing or something" And
as one old gentleman expostulated, "There
ought to be a law to keep those prices
down, like price ceilings or something"
And, as one smart young boy shouted on
his way to high school, There ought to be
law about wages so they can't just go
jumping them all over the place"
There ought to be law There is.
That's why there aren't any Muddletowns,
U.S.A.
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26


Book four. Red stamps T5, Us,
VS., VS. and KS good through April
%; Us, rs, Az. B2. CO and Do valid
through June 2: e, F2, ca, h and
u valid through June 80; K2, L2,
M, NJ and P2 valid through July
81.
Canned Goods
Book four. Blue stamps CO, Do,
e, F2, and CO valid through April
%: HI, 20. K2, ID and M valid
through June 2: NJ. P2, O., RI and
50 valid through June 30; II, U2,
w. Wa ans x2 valid through July
81.
Sugar
Sugar stamp No. IS good through
June 4
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26

Continued on Page l5)
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26

vegetation. There are tropical-like
trees on and near the beaches-I
think they're Pandanus bushes. But
there are also many trees Of the
fir family with horizontal limbs.
The country over which my reg
iment passed during the first two
days was cultivated. 1t rose gradu-
ally from the sea and was all
formed into small fields.
1t didn't look at all unlike IN
diana in late summer when things
have started to turn dry and brown,
except that the fields were much
smaller.
The wheat, which looks just like
ours, is dead ripe in the fields now.
The marines are cutting it with
little sickles. In other fields are
cane and sweet potatoes.
Each field has a ditch around
its edge, and dividing the fields
are little ridges about two feet
wide. On top Of the ridges are
paths where the people walk. All
through the country are little dirt
lanes and now and then a fairly
decent gravel road.
AS you get inland, the country
becomes rougher. In the hills there
is less cultivation and more trees.
1t is really a pretty country. We
had read about what worthless
place Okinawa was, but I think
most Of us have been surprised
about how pretty it is.
The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-26

lea. In fact it
looks much more
like Am eric a
than anything
the m ar in e S
have seen for
the last three
years.
The climate is
temperate rath-
er than tropical,
and so is the
The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-09-14

WASHINGTON, Sept. IA -
R-With three out of four men
now in the Army already assur-
ed of release by July !, military
leaders held out the possibility
today of still faster demobili-
zation speed-up.
The Senate Military Commit
tee was advised by Maj. Gen. l.
H. Edwards, assistant chief OF
staff, that estimates of occupa-
ton troops needed in Japan may
be scaled down.
If so, this would permit a re-
duction below the Arny's plan
ned strength Of 100000 by
next July.
Edwards said general staff Of
ficers now are discussing the
matter with Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur and that the Supreme
Commanders estimates are
very fluid"
Any change probably would
be downward, he added.
The plans for an Army OF g.
100000 by midsummer of next
year are based on a division of
troops in this manner: In the
Pacific, 100000; in Europe and
The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-09-14
Three-Quorters Of Army
to Be Out by July 1916

Atlantic bases, 100000, and In
the United States, 100000.
LESS THAN 100000
Maj. Gen. S. G. Henry, also
an assistant chief Of staff, gave
it as his personal opinion that
needs would work out to fewer
than 100000 troops.
The plans for a reduction to
that figure contemplate release
of about 100000 of the present
Army Of 8,050,000, or about
three out of every four men.
They call for induction, mean
time, of 100000 additional men.
The Army hopes also to enlist
a regular army Of 100000 vol
unteers, but the majority of
these may come from men al
ready in uniform.
Bearing out previous testi-
mony before the committee that
rehabilitation is ahead of
schedule, the War Department
announced last night that five
divisions previously set for lat
er return from Europe will be
home by months end. They are
the 9th and 10th armored and
the 63rd, seth and Goth Infan-
try.
SENATORS SATISFIED
Members of the Senate group
generally expressed satisfaction
with the Army's plans as outlin-
ed in two days Of testimony.
Senator O'Mahoney (D-Wyo)
said he thought the hearings had
cleared up many points for the
public. Senator Quincy (R-SD)
added that he thought the Army
had made a good presentation" y
1.-THE new separation centers
ought to help" commented Sen
ator MayLank (D-SC.)
Henry reported yesterday that
the Air and Service Forces are
setting up las temporary sepa-
ration centers to speed the dis
charge of $4,000 men eligible
for release.
He also said that 100000 Of
ficers already have been "tagg-
ed" for release and 100000 9TH
ers will be out by July /.
The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-09-14
Weather Delays Flight
for Wake Island Hero

OMINATO, Japan, Sept. IA
Up Foul weather today delay
ed the flight Of Marine 1t. Col.
James P S. Devereux, famed
defender of Wake Island, from
Chitose airfield on Hokkaido to
a carrier in Ominato anchorage,
en- route to Tokyo-and home.
Devereux talked with cores
pondents by telephone yesterday
and assured them that his con-
dition good despite nearly three
and one-half years in japanese
prison camps in China, Korea
and northern Japan.
The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-09-14
Case History
Of EX.Fuehrer
Being Compiled

OBERURSEL, Germany. Sept,
14-(Pl-- Reports by three OF
Adolf Hitler's doctors are the
basis of a l2,000-word case his
tory on the former Fuehrer now
in preparation at the new u. S.
Army Interrogation center here
The report will be released
to the press when finished.
The three doctors are DR.. Ed
win Closing. ear specialist: DR.
Tieeo Morsell, surgeon, and DR.
Karl Brandt, Surgeon, all three
Of whom insist that Hitler is
dead.
The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-09-14
Col. BIomberg Louds
Generosity Of the French

Americans are great souvenir
hunters, and hence they attach
ed BOBBY traps to everything
attractive as a war souvenir.
Carl Brandenburg will have
charge of the meeting on Sept.
20. This weeks meeting opened
the start of the regular attend
ance contest for the year l945-
as.
Ray HITLER, manager of the
B. F. Goodrich store in Mount
Clemens was given his Lion pin
as a new member of the club.
The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-09-14
Poland Sewers Ties
With Vatican Civ

LONDON, Sept. IA - (P -
The Swiss radio quoted a War
saw dispatch today as saying the
Polish Council of Ministers had
decided to inform the Vatican
that the concordat between Po-
land and the Vatican had ceased
to exist, having been broken un d.
Naturally by the Vatican"
The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-09-14

The old-World generosity OF
Frenchmen and women towards
Americans billeted in France
will never be forgotten by Yank
forces, according to Alfred
Blomberg, ex-lieutenant colonel,
who spoke before the Mount
Clemens Lions Club Thursday.
Despite the fact that Nazi &C.
cupation forces had systemati-
cally plundered the farms, gran
aries and hen houses, and the
French themselves were under
nourished and sorely in need OF
good food, an American soldier
found himself an honored CUES.
with generous proportions of
food greatly at variance with
the Frenchmen's own servings,
Blomberg said.
If the French family's few
remaining hens laid five eggs
three of them would be provid-
ed for an American soldier
while the French folks got by
on the other two. They were
generous to fault, and we will
always remember their friend
ship Blomberg asserted.
The young AAF veteran of
scores of missions, who has now
returned to his Mount Clemens
LAW practise, was introduced to
the club by Jack Schmidley,
who was in charge of the pro-
gram. President William Floore
presided.
SUBJECT WELL COVERED
Blomberg's talk was one of
the most interesting given be-
fore the service club. He cover
ed the subject of his war ex-
perlenceS from every possible
angle-from the Yanks' Joy in
adopting" orphaned French
children to the great value of
radar in the Air Force cam
paign.
One Of Blomberg's most in.
teresting experiences, he relat-
ed, was the period when the
late Ernie Pyle, noted war COR
respondent and columnist spent
a week with Col. Blomberg' 5
squadron.
Pyle mingled with the men in
the utterly democratic spirit
which was his trademark, and
he was unanimously voted the
most popular newsman the unit
had ever encountered. The home
spun sincerity expressed in
Pyle's writings was a genuine
reflection Of the mans true self,
Blomberg said.
He spoke of the experiences
he had while serving in the Air
Force in London, and in France
after D-Day. He paid special tri-
butte to the infantry and ground
troops who had the hardest and
toughest job in clearing the in
vaslon area after D-Day.
HIT BUZZ BOMBS
Most of his missions while in
combat were in destroying, buzz
bomb installations in France be-
fore D-Day and in destroying
bridges and transportation facil-
tiles along the Seine River jus.
before the invasion. He also
helped cover the troops after
they landed and were advancing
toward Berlin.
After D-Day, Blomberg told
OF the job of clearing out the.
Germans and of ground forces
cleaning out the mine fields and
BOBBY traps that were so thor
oughly planted. He pointed on:
that the Germans knew that all