Arkansas State press., 1945-09-28
Vets' Attitude
Bears Watching

Vets Attitude
Bears Watching
The complaints from the veterans
Is another matter. They are not Sc
much concerned over who gets into
the army as who gets out A lot Of
them are marking time right now.
later lot will be sent overseas in
the boresome Jobs Of policemen.
Why shouldn't get out now and
get start In business7
Why shouldn't my husband come
back and support me in the manner
to which have been unaccustomed
since he Joined up?
Why shouldn't my boy get back to
school where he helongs7
Why shouldn't my sweetheart be
allowed to come home and marry
me like he said he would?
And some day sonny and daddy
and lover will come back. And
they'll Join a veterans organization
and they will vote at the polls; all.
there's the rub!
Now We come to the third point
which Is really the most insidious,
the one which has to be handled the
most delicately. We may have
learned in this country that an
ocean Is no longer a barrier against
the enemy. But we know there is
another barrier which separates our
maritime states from the heartland
OF the nation bordering the Missis-
sippi food plain. That part Of the
country forgot Its so-callod isola-
tonism and threw Its whole heart
into the war. But the war Is over -
on paper anyhow. It is time to put
the hand back to the plough again.
There is need Of stout arms and
strong backs In the fields. and
though laps and the Germans may
te0nirs watching. ,wA1H SpaAn1
veor1s 10 1t?
That Is q natural feeling and
clever politicians would have little
trouble in turning II TO account, by
raising the cry of militarism. Of i'm
perialism and all the other isms
which men whose barns are their
castles and whose meadows are
their empires, dislike. Such a senti-
ment could be turned against one
administration as well as another
but 1t so happens that the mid
die west is naturally somewhat Re-
publican In It's leanings normally
and the Democrats are now in the
saddle.
One very keen political observer
who has watched the way Of the
voter for many years said to me the
other day; III there were a Presi-
dental election tomorrow Truman
would win it" And when you con-
slider the matter coldly there are
good reasons for the statement. The
Republicans have had one healthy
issue after another knocked out
from under them. Truman has CIV
en- business Its head, he has sat on
the OPA, he has released one con-
troll after another. he has most soli-
citously deferred to congress, he is
on the way to break up the war
agencies and get the business Of
government back into the old line
departments.
Such Is the picture as OF today
all clear except for one little cloud
in the sky. not much bigger than a
serviceman's hand, but there Is
thunder and lightning in that cloud
and il the circumstances were such
that its bolts Of wrath were directed
at the administration 1t would not
even take, say a Stassen, to win
the Presidential race on a walk.
by next accomplishing unex-
pected developments-all soldiers in
Europe except those in the army Of
occupation and the minimum re-
CURED to dispose OF the army's sur.
plus property will have been re-
turned to the United States, Mai.
Gen. @. P. Gross, chief Of transport
tation, said in an announcement by
the war department.
Return Of American forces in the
Pacific will be completed next June,
according to present estimates.
More than l,750,000 men are SEIZED.
uled for return from the Pacific
theaters, while approximately 1000.
900 remain to be returned from Eu.
rope. Some 100000 other troops
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