labor Draft FDR's Bid
For Support of Veterans
^Legislation Would Signify Full Backing ot War
1 Effort; See Servicemen as Powerful
Political Group.
By BAUKHAGE
Nom Aaalyl CoauwiliMr.
WNXJ Berries, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C.
"If the President realljr intends to
crack down and )am this national
service bill through congress one
thing is certain?he doesn't intend to
run for a fifth term."
That statement made by a sea
soned old-timer who is a very good
political weather prophet started
me off on a Journey of exploration
which disclosed a number of inter
esting observations concerning the
President's plans for the next four
years which can be reduced to four
main points:
1. Whether or not the President
believes he owes a debt to labor for
the activities of the CIO Political
Action committee in the last elec
tion, he doesn't intend to pay such
a debt.
2. He has found a "better 'ole,"
and he intends to make use of it if
he can, namely, another much more
important pressure group which
will probably be getting up steam
long before the next election, but?
3. Mr. Roosevelt is not interested
in the next presidential election?for
himself, because?
4. He has much larger fish to fry
before and after IMS, and some
thing's cooking right now.
How can the President afford to
overlook the support of labor (point
1) and hunt a "better 'ole" (point 2)T
Because the moat powerful pres
sure group the country has ever
known is now in the making, the
veterans of World War n.
Election Indicate*
Vetd Influence
It la still too early for the men
and women In the military service
to wield much direct political power,
but Judging from the vote cast in
the last election and the efforts made
both to prevent and to obtain it, the
pradiachargs importance of veter
ans cannot be entirely overlooked.
Already, there are a number of
very clear signs of the stirring of
tremendous potentialities of the vet
eran in the postwar political world.
At present, three hundred thousand
have already Joined the American
Legion. We are not allowed, be
cause at security reasons, to print
the number of men elready dis
charged, but as of some Ave months
ago it wes a million and a half. The
Legion does not take any but those
with honorable discharges and that
would mean that World War II dis
chargees are Joining up at about the
same rate that World War I vet
erans became legionnaires.
The Legion has nearly a million
and a half dues-paying members
out of the three-million who served
in the last war. If the same propor
ticoa ware maintained we can envi
sion a future veterans' organization
(either the Legion or a new group)
numbering at least Ave million
persons. And that calculation is
uaiiiu m un ?< mm ibicci ll OI to
day. By the time the war U over
the number of thoee who will have
served will be much (reater.
That le looking at the potential
strength of the World War n vet
eran pressure solely in tertns Of
numbers Another highly important
factor must be considered. The tela
ranch evidence Indicating that the
present day fighting man is much
mare politically conscious than wa
ware in 1911 and 'II. This is seen
tn the discussion ("orientation")
groups which are carried on by the
army and navy all over the world,
by the tremendous amount of news
which reaches the troops even in
remote corners of the world, by their
constant call tor more, and by their
|vsqr emphatic and continued gripes
about how the civilian front is being
I have talked with one of the edi
tors of the present Stars and Stripes,
with the head of the legislative divi
sion ef the American Legion end
with a member of the Veterans Ad
ministration who keeps in close
touch with current veteran affairs.
AH agreed emphatically to the thesis
that tha man and women in the
fighting forces mill come beck srtth
a keen interest in how the coun
try is te be run and srith a firm
Intention of easing that they ere go
ato have their say In tha running,
i feeling is paralleled by the de
mands hi every liberated country by
{the peepls who carried on the
teal slurs against the enemy, who
in every caee demand strong repre
sentation in the new government*.
Vets Demand
All-Oat Effort
We can see that any man with his
eye on the political future will have
to woo the veteran. And that brings
us back to the National Service bill.
Now one of the chief gripes of
the'serviceman is the fact that he is
drafted to light where and when he
is told but the men who work in the
war plants do not have to take or
ders from anybody. The sorest spot
on the Q.I.'s soul is the strike of
the miners last year. Naturally, he
thinks a labor draft law should be
passed.
That is the kind of news the Presi
dent wants to get out. That is ooe
of the reasons why he wants a na
tional service bill passed. He knows
its importance to the morale of the
lighting men gs well as to the pro
duction of supplies. That is why he
is willing to risk the anger of labor
pressure against the measure. He
knows that the morale of those boys
now will affect their attitude toward
the government when they return
and their confidence in the leaders
of the country.
But where, then, does point 3 (Mr.
Roosevelt is not interested in the
next presidential election) come In*
The answer is in the "Bigger fish"
he has to fry (point 4).
When an American reaches the
presidency it is usually considered
that be has hit the ceiling and from
there on there is no place to go but
down. True, the United States is a
pretty big outfit to boss, but what
about the United Nations? Bigger.
Whether or not the United State*
puts its weight behind a United Na
tions organization to prevent future
wars will depend on the verdict of
the men who know more about war
than anybody else In the world, the
men who are fighting this one.
And anyone who champions this
undertaking, whether he is finally
chosen as its leader, or whether he
merely goes down in history as the
man who made it possible, he will
have to have the confidence and the
support of the veterans, whose opin
ions on the subject will receive gen
eral acknowledgement, it is con
ceded.
Incidentally, another Roosevelt
figured in one of the most ambitious
efforts at international organization
for the preservation of peace, "Ted
dy" having prompted Czar Nicholas
II of Russia to call the second Hague
Peace Conference of 1907.
? ? ?
Her* la ? little human interest
story that will interest you if you
have a boy In the service or If you
are a psychiatrist.
My friend Joined me In the club.
He was obviously fee Una very proud
and happy about something. He told
m* he had Just had a telephone call
from his boy who was training to be
a paratrooper. It is something to be
allowed to take the training?all
are volunteers. It is a lot more to
make good.
Well, the boy had mad* his first
Jump from a plan*. It was, he had
phoned his father. Just like riding
on a roller-coaster. The real hard
Jumps, he said, were the first at
about 39 feet from a tower with a
cable attachment. And the fifth
Jump from the plane. That is the
ona that ends a lot of careers. Some
of the toughest-flbered boys can't
make that on*, even if they have
gone through those preceding. In
cluding the first tower Jump. Then
they are "washed up" as the say
ing goes, and they disappear.
But a lot disappear after the first
Jump. Man who have corns back
with medals for bravery In action
sometimes stand there, the tsars
streaming down their cheeks be
cause they Just can't dive off Into
nothing.
But my friend's boy said It eras
like a roller-coaster. And as the
father sat there you could see that
that meant a lot to him and at last
he revealed why.
"I couldn't help remembering," be
said, "when the boy eras about five
and his older brother had Just
climbed up on a chair and Jumped
off. He got up on the chair but he
Just couldn't make the Jump . , .
now he's done It"
: | BARBS . . . by Baukhag*
?" Tlx Italian Boy Scouts had their
list rally tat X yaars. What a lot
those kids aril) has* to unlearn. Just
what would a good daod bo, Fascist
fc atyWT
K-v r *
It was recently reported that Fala,
(he famous White Boose aberdeen
pup, was la bass a "wedding."
SSSAHCiS?*-2**
k ^
?Lau &:<&. La. . ,
Egg* are reported PM a pi re* k
Jap-occuplcd Shanghai Howtver,
ahella art much mora plentiful in
Tokyo, 'tie averred.
ate
If H weren't tor the OP A, even the
Pullman berth-rate would increaaa.
tea
Ton couldn't make an haoaat it!
lar?it were really honeat
Supplies for Luzon Invaders
Supplies are being landed on Luzon from LST which was under Are
from Jap artillery at the time. Now that regular supply routes have
been opened to Luzon, the Invading Sth army will be able to continue
their rapid advanee Into the enemy territory leading to the recapture of
Manila and the rest of the island.
The Fourth Term Inauguration
Photo shows ceremonies on sooth portico of White Boose as President
Roosevelt takes the oath of office from Chief Jostice Harlan F. Stone.
Charles Cropley, clerk of the eoort, is holding the old Dutch bible. Col.
James Roosevelt, In onlform, stands with his father for the fourth time
dorinf inauguration ceremonies.
Tea, Poi and Spaghetti Bowls
Unable to attend the Rote, Cotton, Surar or Oranca bowl football
elasaiea, membera of the armed forces abroad had their own elastics.
Lower, cheer leaders at 8pachettl bowl, Florence, Italy. Upper left,
actlee daring the Pel bowl elastic at Pearl Harbor. Upper right, the
Tea bowl game at London. On sidelines are Dageaham girl pipers along
with benched >th air force men.
Snow Insulated G. L Foxhole
Yankee intensity U called lata play and this "tasmlated" foxhole to
aval rod ea the Belftoa "bulfe" froot. Bay aad straw proride insula
tien against the weather. A blanket carers the deer tote the iapre
rtaed shelter. Shafts ef a hayrake proride resI supports. The teaaat is
1st 8?t. Albert Lets, Manchester. N. fl.
a.
Old Feud Renewed
When President Roosevelt an
nounced the appointment of Henry
Wallace (above) as Secretary of
Commerce, Jesse Jones (below) re
newed their old fend and told con
gress that Wallace was unsulted for
the job.
G.I.'s Teeter-Totter
This G.I. Just eoaldn't resist the
temptation to stop and teeter-totter
with these three Filipino (iris in the
town of Datnpan on Luzon in the
Philippines. General Krneger and
his 6th army had Jnst taken Darn
pan.
Burmese Temple Rest
At Tonkwa, Burma, in the shad
ow of a Burmese temple, a C. S.
soldier pauses at the grave at an
American killed In action when the
Mara task force met the enemy in
this vicinity. A plot has been
cleared for the American cemetery.
It will be landscaped.
Underground War!
Capt. Eddie Kieken backer kaa
waned aI a leaf aaderrroaad war
by both Germany and Japan after
Aitted rlctortoa. Ha has riaited all
BRITISH AID IN PACIFIC
Ex-Representative Norris Poulson
of California, Repablican, returned
from London recently and refused
to be quoted in the press on what
he had learned there about British
aid to the U. S. A. against Japan.
Finally, confronted with the detail
of a conversation in which he had
participated, Poulson admitted that
he had discussed the Pacific war
with two influential members of the
British parliament.
"Just what sort of help can we
expect from you people once Ger
many is knocked out?" Poulson
asked them.
"Well, we've got an army of over
7,000,000 Indians," one of the two
Britons replied. "You can . have
them."
I "But you know perfectly well we
cannot rely on them," Poulson said
bluntly. "You'll be lucky if they
don't fight against you; let alone
fight for you against Japan."
The Britisher admitted he, too,
was worried about the Indians, but
added, "At any rate, there's a large
army of Australians and New Zea
landers." / 1 ? -
"In other words," countered Poul
son, "you people here on the island
are going, to. pull . out just as soon
as you can, leaving to your coloni
als the responsibility for any aid we
get in the Pheiflc"
"That's about right," was the re
ply. "We've had five years of war
here. That's,enough."
Note?Despite congressional con
cern, sonic high U. S. navy men
are not enthusiastic about either
British or Russian help against Ja
pan. They feel U. S. forces can do
the job themselves.
When the British wanted to send
a naval force to cooperate with the
American fleet in the Philippines,
Admiral King objected and the Pres
i ident virtually had to overrule him.
I ? ? ?
' BRITISH TROOPS PROTECT
GREEKS
For some reason the news was
suppressed In the United States,
but a very significant event took
place in Salonika, Greece, during
the trouble between the British
and the EAM-ELAS Greeks.
When the British ordered troops
in Salonika to suppress the Greeks,
the troops sided with the Greeks and
refused to fire on them.
The troops were a garrison of the
British Indian army. The Indians
threw their weight on the side of
the Greek organization which bitter
ly opposed the return of King
George, and which Churchill claims
to be communist. There was no
rioting or bloodshed. The Indian
troops simply cooperated with the
Greeks.
Simultaneously Krishna Menon,
secretary of the India league, made
a speech in London attended by sev
eral members of the British parlia
ment in which he praised the
Indian troops in Salonika and said:
"They go in their landlords' cars
and vote against him."
The incident is considered ex
tremely important not only as
it effects Greece, bnt as it ef
fects India and the Far East.
General Stiiwell, when in the
Bnrma theater, was reported by
C. 8. Ambassador William Phil
lips as considering British-In
dian troops mercenaries who
would not put their hearts into
any battle as long as India was
not given its independence.
? ? ?
SECOND CALVIN COOLIDGE
In more ways than one, Harry Tru
man is like Calvin Coolidge. He
comes from the same backwoods
origin. He seldom makes speeches
on the senate floor. He is thrifty,
remembers the days when the drug
store paid him $3 a week.
But more than anything else Tru
man has the same brand of Coolidge
political luck. The lightning hit Cal
first during the Boston police strike,
later when the party bosses in the
smoke filled room at the Blackatone
hotel wanted a good composite vice
president to go with Harding.
The lightning struck Truman when
his investigating committee hurtled
him to fame, later when the Demo
cratic bosses dining at the White
House decided that he was the com
promise candidate to replace Henry
Wallace.
That is the man who has assumed
the life insurance duties of vice pres
ident of the United States. He will
be worth watching.
? ? ?
CAPITAL CHAFF
c When Allied troops entered a
little Belgian town for the first time
the local church warden climbed to
the carillon tower of the church and
the bells started to ring out "The
Star-Spangled Banner." Next came
"God Save the King" and, finally,
"Swanee River."
C. John Danaher of Connecticut, who
failed of reelection to the senate in
November, may get back here even
though he lost out to Brien McMa
hon. Connecticut law requires a
four-month notice before an election
to replace the late Francis Mo
loney can be held, and Republican
Governor Ray Baldwin may name
Republican Danaher to serve in the
interim, with Danaher also running
in the election.
C Burma engineers have coined a
new word to describe Jungle trails.
A fairly good trail is described as
"Jeep able."
CLASSIFIED
DEPAR TM EMT
AGENTS WANTED
lady wanted la ?tot7 i, nawwRr. hi
bslhs,
dudes sud? scarce ltwaa ae ckeeye ?d
r?eifas?e*Cewpas7
GAS SAVER
OA* MILEAGE increased up toXML. Eas
ier starting. Mora power, wiil eat aire
finest motor. Full details 9.50.
EDY. B19CO ? - - - Pray, MaAsew
Shoulder a Gun? _A_ ^
Or the Coet of One W 1
ft ft BUY WAR BONDS
Gas on Stomach
ss3?S5?
How To Relieve
Bronchitis J
CreomnMofi relieves promptly be
cause it com right to tlx ant at fee
trouble to help loosen end expel
M^enfer^^t!
flamed bronchial mucoue an
brenee. Tell your drugttlet to eell jea
e bottle of Creomulslon with the un
derstanding you must like the wey K
quickly allaye the cough or you an
to have your money beck.
CREOMULSION
in riniiriiiiii in.
SNAPPY FACTS
rv ABOUT
fe) RUBBER
m '
Dm day Is not far distant when
package! of fruit, vegetables, other
foods and perishable materials erW
be sealed with flexible materials
In the form of lacquers, odkeshres
and plastics.
Few sources of substitutes for
natural rubber bave been
overlooked by II. 1 scieetitfs.
In 1941 more then 2,000
varieties of plants were
m m .a . J * 4L?1_ ..LI. ..
w^pSV^TSi w^p. IRU
possibilities.
Rubber-tired vehldes hove been
mainly responsible for the devel
opment of America's 3,000,000
miles of roads and highways ? the
I org est and finest highway system
In the world.
^EGwdrich]
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