The Wilmington morning star., 1945-01-24
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicate.

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicate.) |
The episode of Elliott Roosevelt's dog which
ranked three service men off an Army trans
port plane on flight across the country is
unique not in itself but only in detail and
is merely another act of leering effrontery in
chain of incidents of outrageous royal privi-
lege. Obviously some Army officers are lying |
in this dirty imposition on the service men
and on the whole American people and COW
ering up the truth in the servile, selfish and
dishonorable hope of currylng favor with the
White House or in fear of punishment for
giving the public information which it should
have Somebody should be courtnartialed and
fired out of the service for this and the higher
the rank of the conspirators the more urgent
the case for dismissal in spectacular disgrace
If the responsibility goes up to general Of
fcer he should be stripped of his insignia in
the presence of the service men in some
ceedingly public place and charted out in the
very crate the dog flew in.
None of the standard Army and Navy ex-
cuses for smothering the truth of disgraceful
incidents need be accepted in this case. No
question of security can possibly be involved
and invoked to protect the guilty officers be-
cause the Germans and japanese certainly
know that we fly big ships across the country
and that they carry service men on various
priorties.
Tom Dewey said during the late campaign
that the first question to be considered nova
days in weighing news from the White House
was not whether it was good or bad, but
whether it was true or false. There was sound
basis for this challenging proposition when
Dewey voiced it and more shocking justlfica-
ton came few days after election when
news of tragic shortages of ammunition and
supplies in France gave the lie to Roosevelt's
fraudulent political statement in one of his
fabricated orations that the stuff was being
delivered to all the fronts, on time and in
the right amounts down to the last car
fridge" That was untrue when he said it
and if the pretext of security, meaning cen
sorship, had not existed to serve the political
purpose of the democratic nominee, the SOL
ders whose shells were ratoned at the very
time he spoke might have turned the election
by denouncing the falsehood. If General Mar
shall didn't know it was untrue he is no tit
chief of staff. If he did know it, his silence
served political purpose
This is not the Presidents Army nor the
Roosevelt family's Army, although some men,
bers Of the family and some bootllckers hold
ing rank seem to think it exists primarily for
their accommodation. 1t is the Army OF the
American people including many parents and
wives who have seen majors, ieutenant-co-
onels and colonies created by favor while their
own men have been unable to make sergeant
while serving under battle condition, and for
equal time or longer. 1t is the Army of the
people who have done without motor fuel OF
with very little while Mrs. Roosevelt flew first
to Britain and then to the South Pacific using
the Red Cross as preteXt for rouno-aOoul
visit to her political and social protege, Joseph
Lash, the professional youth promoter VINO was
ENJOYING the throes of love and presently came
home to marry Mrs Roosevelt's friend, Mrs.
Pratt while other soldiers and marines VINO
had been there long before him, stayed on
after him.
The Army deliberately and guilty covered
ITO the facts of Mrs. RooseVelts mission win
her little bow and arrow and connlved at thls
misuse of transportation, fuel and priceless
time and skill of fighting men, and the Red
Cross was equally guilty and serVlle 10 tne
privilege of the Presidents wife.
Whoever the officers are who have submitted
to pressure whether in hope of reward or Tor
lack of the character to refuse, and be II the
chief of staff or General Arnold himself, the
expose should 90 to the highest responsible
men. ~
nv has been used too often to conceal from the
public impositions on the people which amount
to royal privilege When Roosevelt goes TO
HYDE Park to rest he goes IN state unoer
elaborate guard, and the papers and the raolo
are forbidden to reveal his movements. But
when LaGuardia warned him that he would
have to get out and hustle 10 carry NEW L olh,
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, he went pub
lcly and drove through multitudes. NOBODY
begrudges the man his personal safety or MS
rest but it is inconsistent and dishonest to
keep a royal garrison constantly on DUTY at
HYDE Park to guard the private property and,
occasionally. the person of man VINO, Tor
political purposes can cheerlly expose NM
self to danger Other loyal important
Americans work as hard as he does and With
out rest and when they travel take their
chances on sleeping Accommodations lney
sleep on long nights of travel when the lights
fail, wrestle their own baggage and stand IN
line at hotels waiting to register for rooms
which are not always to be had Many such
men have literally dropped dead or laid them
down and died from exhaustion due to over
work for the same purpose that Roosevelt IS
working for, to win the war and bring their
own sons home George Marshall ana HAPPY
Arnold had better learn now that they can't
throw the sons of such men OFT the arnys
planes to accommodate any mans dog.
People who hold themselves so precious and
deserving of privilege are incurable IN their
/ vanity and selfishness. The case OF Elnott
dog. though slightly more spectacular ana pc
logged with naster display OF dlsnonesty ny
the army, is just typical OF the whole record.
so THEY SAY