The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-07-14

1O11Cly O41 1l1S 4C1ot 4A4S44U 444 II
 It was one of his most enjoy able evenings since he entered the White House. Truman spent 1t playing poker with old friends, all members of the '.Harpy club" an organization Of Independence business men, founded in 1925. The game was at the home of Louis L. Compton, owner and manager of an Independence bot ting works.
 Truman, as . home town boy who made good, was given the honor of dealing the first hand. It was dealers choice and he chose seven-card stud.
 All players, nine of them,
 dropped out except the Presi-
 dent and John Hutchinson an
 Independence coal dealer. Six
 cards were dealt. Hutchinson
 had two Jacks showing and an-
 other Jack down.
 The President, who had
 bluffed Hutchinson into two
 raises, had two Queens showing
 and nothing down except nine
 spot and a seven-spot.
 Came the last card. Hutchinson drew 8 tray, Truman a Queen. That gave the Presidenut three Queens to Hutchinson's three Jacks, and he raked in the pot.
 It amount to $1.65.
 NOTE: Missouri friends are hoping Truman will be just as good a poker player when he sits down with the best of all diplo- matic card sharks-Joe Stalin. ARMY DISCHARGE SNAFU
 When the War Department an- nounced its demobilization plan on May 12, it set up the 85 point requirement. for discharge and also announced that 8 revised figure would be given within 45 days, or by June 27. It is now July IA, and millions of men are still waiting for that announcement.
 Meanwhile more headaches, heartaches and resentment have developed over discharges than almost anything in the Army. Some of this is unavoidable. Some on the other hand, seems due to Army inefficiency, including the amount of discretion allowed in- dividual officers and units.
 For instance, the Air Forces set up 8 separate demObilization
 program in some areas, and at Las Vegas, Nev., began releas- ing young officers by the hun- dreds. There was such as urplus of second Iieutenants that those with only 42 points were let out. First lieutenants with only 5S points were discharged, and captains with only 70 points were permitted to leave the ser vice.
 Meanwhile enlisted men who still need 85 points to get out are burning mp.
 Part of the irregularity in ad- ministering the point system re- suits from the fact that each commanding officer has the right to reject mans application for discharge-no matter how many points he has-by declaring him essential. Obviously certain key technical men fall into the category and cannot be spared. Also 1t is much more practical to use trained veterans then to break in new men. However, there is increasing resentment from battle-scarred veterans with points galore, some of whom feel they are kept in the service be- cause of some gripe or prejudice on the part of commanding of-. ficers.
 TOO MANY GENERALS
 An unfortunate attitude also Is growing among enlisted men that the generals don't want the Army scaled down. There are 1.6OO generals in the Army today, many of them lieutenant colonels or even captains before the war. And enlisted men are wondering whether "essential'' and military necessity" aren't sometimes con- venient excuses for keeping Army manpower padded. For, if the Army is cut too sharply, large number of general officers will be retired. This view does not make for morale, but unfortunately it exists among enlisted men.
 ONE THING which G. I.'s can't understand is why the Army, when fighting . tWo-front war,