The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1946-04-18

Ing III HIS SulIe M
like third
string prima
donna and in col ~ z
umn two we find that an old gentle
man, alleging direct communication
with his Maker, has just murdered
four members of his family with a
pickax. The country is dotted from
coast to coast with what the press
Idelicately refers to as ''semi-nude''
bodies-in fact, murders are only
exceeded in numbers by the wild
eyed organizations that are spring
ing up on all sides.
F'rinstance, there's a little dilly
known as League of Arts, Sciences
and Professions, that calls for bit
of scrutiny. Mysteriously and large
ly financed by guess who, this Or
ganization, which has recently ap-
piled for tax exemption, is paying
James Roosevelt a salary of $4,000
yearly and, for Honest Harold Ickes
services, they are laying a reputed
sum of $4,000 on the line. Members
of this eerie association include a
motley assortment ranging from Or
son Welles-who is certainly taking
himself seriously these days-to Lou
is Adamic, who should know better.
Also on the roster are Frederick
March the capable and charming
actor who always did list to port
politically; Crooner Frank Sinatra,
who is waging a sincere and lonely
battle against racial intolerance; war
correspondent and author John (Bell
for Adano) Hersey; CT cartoonist
and brass iampooner Bill Mauldin;
Colonel Evans Carlson of Carlson's
Raiders; superb singer, Paul Rob-
eson and others too numerous to
mention.
What this little group of serious
thinkers is up to, no one seems to
know Nor has anyone the vagucst
notion of why the joint services of
Messers Ickes and Roosevelt are
worth close to 10000 iron men per
year to anyone. There are those who
hold that third party is in the
making allied with the Political
Action Committee of the CLIO. In
any case they'll bear watching.
AS if this weren't enough food for
thought, this week saw an outburst
from something which calls itself,
with simple dignity, the win the
Peace Conference With more than
700 delegates" present, this crack
pot crew had fine big meeting in
the auditorium of the Commerce
Building in our nations capital. For
one glorious day, in the space gen
Ierously provided by Secretary of
Commerce Henry Wallace, whose
friends they presumably are, the
boys and girls whooped it up by
eXtolling the virtues of Soviet Rus
STA; tearing the government of the
United States, the Administration
and our considerably clarified for
eign policy to bloody bits; Kissing
the name of Herbert Hoover, and
bursting into wild cheers whenever
Henry Wallace was mentioned. Prin-
cipal speaker at this noteworthy
affair was Senator Claude Pepper,
who freely critised President Tru-
mans Army Day speech (the most
forceful and significant of Truman's
Iutterances to date in most informed
opinion) took few pot shots at
Winston Churchill and Great Britain,
and grovelled sickenly before the
ikon of the USSR.
All in all it was, in my opinion,
one of the most tasteless exhibitions
of abuse of the privilege of freedom
of speech ever staged on government
property. When most people want
to revile the government they hire
a hall. These boys and girls got
theirs for free-courtesy of a men,
Der of the Cabinet Prominent among
those present were Colonel Carlson,
Mr.. Robson, Miss Muriel Draper,
who heads up something known as
the Friends of the Soviet Union"
or some such title (she'd better go