Springfield Weekly Republican, 1946-09-26

Not Pacifism but Survival Proposals for the political federa federation - tion federation of Europe, such as Mr Church Churchill's, - ill's, Churchill's, or a united political organiza organization - tion organization of the whole world, which Would extinguish national sover sovereignities, - eignities, sovereignities, are far less "realistic"; than the recent suggestions made; by Mr Wallace. If Mr Wallace's suggestions were not "constructive,"] ithey were not so utopian as to pre preclude - clude preclude some sort of peace in our time. A distinguished European commit committee - tee committee for "the study of European problems," meeting in London, has completed its deliberations with the result that it has issued a document; on the possibility of establishing a "new world." It protests, first, that while the world remtains divided into sovereign states, with the "na "nationalistic - tionalistic "nationalistic egoism to which this sys system - tem system gives rise," no "new world" is possible. Second, it concludes that the nations of the world, led by statesmen imprisoned within a po political - litical political framework that has remained unchanged despite the war, "are now setting out on the same roads that led them to w ar." That has a Wallace sound. But Mr Wallace suggested an immediate program of accommodation among the nations, especially the big three, whereby a world peace of some duration could be insured under present conditions. The "idealistic, visionary" Wallace, strange as it may seem, thus became essentially pragmatic to the point of "softness" toward Russia - as is maintained by his critics - for the sake of avoid avoiding - ing avoiding the early outbreak of another war, which the international com committee - mittee committee in London seems to think may be impending in the not dis distant - tant distant future. Both the League of Nations, now extinct, and the United Nations were founded on the principle of national sovereignty maintained and functioning within a rather amor amorphous - phous amorphous international compact. There is no compelling force in the United Nations now being exerted to fa facilitate - cilitate facilitate the process of peacemaking at Paris. The actual peace treaties must be made without the aid of the collective potential power of the United Nations. Perhaps this is the primary reason why the inter international - national international committee referred to be believes - lieves believes that the Byrnes-Bevin-Molo Byrnes-Bevin-Molotov-Bidault - tov-Bidault Byrnes-Bevin-Molotov-Bidault group of statesmen at i* Paris "are now setting out on the same roads that led them to war." If that is so, the fact forces Serious consideration of two prac practical - tical practical questions - What price war?

Films for Adult Education President Robert M Hutchins of the University of Chicago, who has been given a leave of absence to direct the adult education program Of Encyclopedia Britannica, inc., is counting on a wide use of motion motionpicture - picture motionpicture films to speed up future educational processes in the adult population. He recalls that he has been keenly interested in this pic pictorial - torial pictorial method of instruction since 1932, when the University of Chi Chicago - cago Chicago first experimented with the production of educational films. Many adults obviously may be reached by a showing of instructive motion pictures, who would not be attracted to a course of lectures or a series of night school classes, and as many as possible must be reached if adult education is to benefit the many different types of persons Dr Hutchins has in mind. "The war has developed a large number of persons who know how to make motion pictures," says Dr Hutchins, "and we are about to see. an enormous development in their use for educational purposes, not only in the schools, but in or organizations - ganizations organizations of adults." This ref reference - erence reference to the large number of per persons - sons persons trained in the expert use of motion picture cameras while they were in military service calls at attention - tention attention to the further fact that the proposed use of more and more educational films in programs of adult education should help to pro provide - vide provide remunerative employment for many of these former GI camera men even while advancing the «ause of popular education. There are stories current that a considerable number of motion pic picture - ture picture technicians who received their training in the army or navy are having difficulty finding employment, because the waiting lists are found to be very long and the union fees exceedingly high when an effort is made to land the more or less ex exclusive - clusive exclusive big-time jobs in the motion motionpicture - picture motionpicture world. There is room at the top, it seems, but there is no end of difficulty getting started at the bottom. For this reason, the former GI camera men who now find their efforts frustrated may have good reason to hail the pro program - gram program outlined by Dr Hutchins and to seek ways of becoming enlisted in his campaign for adult educa education. - tion. education. [September 23]

Probe of Canol Project There has been no little mystery' about the development of the Canol oil project by the United States' army in northwestern Canada, and the sudden abandonment of the costly enterprise a year or so after) the last link ih the 1600 miles of pipe line had been welded in Feb- - ruary, 1944, and that fact will tend to increase public interest in the new hearing on the issue scheduled to open in Washington on Thurs Thursday. - day. Thursday. Senator James M. Mead is chairman of the investigating com committee, - mittee, committee, and he plans to call Admiral King, former chief of naval opera operations - tions operations as one of the chief witnesses. The committee recently assailed the admiral and the joint chiefs of staff for their continued refusal to re reveal - veal reveal what secret reasons prompted: them, as the committee alleged, to "waste more than $100,000,000 on the project." This accusation prompted Admiral j King to brand the report "a wilful distortion of facts," but he did not indicate that he was inclined to of offer - fer offer any more details to the Senate s investigators than he had when, in speaking for the joint chiefs of staff in 1943, he advised the senators to keep their hands off the project "on the basis of secret information and on the basis of future military op operations - erations operations so recret in character that it would be seriously detrimental to the war effort for a committee of the United States Senate to possess such information." Whether the committee can get at the facts be behind - hind behind the expenditure of $133,000,000 on a project that was later aban abandoned, - doned, abandoned, now that the war effort no longer can be offered as an excuse for silence, remains to be seen. That Senator Mead, as chairman iof the committee, will make a de dei - i dei termined effort to dig up some def defi - i defi inite clews in the Canol mystery at this time may be assumed from the fact that he has an election campaign ahead of him as Demo Democratic - cratic Democratic candidate for governor of ; New York state. Conducting a spe- I cial investigation of this sort is one of the most effective means whereby a member of the Congress can make the headlines day after day - and, a possibly favorable impression on many voters - and such results are | almost always useful to a candidate |in an election year. [September 24]

views held by Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln and other great Americans. Furthermore, the commission de declared - clared declared that "the question of the ex existence - istence existence or nonexistence of a divine being is, in itself, a controversial issue, and that in refusing to make time available for arguments in support of the atheistic point of view, the stations complained of are; not presenting all sides of the issue] and, therefore, are not operating in; the public interest." The commis-| sion's ruling was certainly in line] with the constitution of the United ] States in upholding the right of al citizen disbelieving in a deity to the] same freedom of expression as any other citizen believing in a deity. The only conclusion is that, if Communism is to be fought in this country on constitutional lines, it cannot be fought because it is athe atheistic - istic atheistic without bringing into grave question one of the primary free freedoms - doms freedoms of an American citizen. That freedom, so far as religion is con concerned, - cerned, concerned, is to believe or to disbelieve. Communism is exposed to attack from various points of view. One can legitimately oppose it, under suitable conditions, because it is ir irreligious - religious irreligious or materialistic. But athe atheism, - ism, atheism, or irreligion, or materialism are privileged beliefs under American constitutional law. To attack Com Communism - munism Communism as being atheistic in a partisan campaign for a political! office amounts to appealing for votes on religious grounds and to I undermining to that extent funda- ] mental religious liberty. The tendency is very strong to attack Communism from the re religious - ligious religious point of view, even in this country where full religious free freedom - dom freedom is guaranteed. With free speech also guaranteed, religious discussion is open to all. Yet, in crossing the line into party politics with a religious, or quasireligious, issue so elemental as belief or dis disbelief - belief disbelief in a deity, one confronts im implications - plications implications that are dangerous. (September 24]

Law and the Squatters The end of the squatters' invasion of a few "luxury" apartment houses in London has come with a minimum of violence for which the police deserve much credit. No heads were broken. The Com Communists - munists Communists cashed in with publicity enough to satisfy them. The law finally triumphed as the squatters moved oilt in obedience to court or orders. - ders. orders. Private property is still sacred in Britain under a Socialist government. But the squatters continue to be a problem just the same. There are thousands of them unable to find decent habitations. The gov government - ernment government will try to accelerate its new housing program, in conse consequence - quence consequence of the squatters' direct ac action, - tion, action, which was not very much dif different - ferent different in principle from a sit-down strike in a factory. Probably the government will concentrate more on its housing program at the ex expense - pense expense of its program for the con construction - struction construction of new blocks in the busi business - ness business part of London. The shortage in business accom accommodations - modations accommodations in the city is less adver advertised - tised advertised than the shortage of homes. How serious it may be is disclosed in this extract from a news letter from London: - A typical example is that of 30 firms which occupy an office building in London West end. They must get out of the build building - ing building by September 29 because the lease has been purchased by a cinema company. After applying at 84 real estate agents one tenant has failed to find alternative space. Another found only premises which rent for SBOOO a year; his present rent bill is S2OOO a year. To resist this eviction the tenants of the building have amassed a fighting fund and they are appealing to their local mem member - ber member of Parliament. But their prospects of halting the eviction seem slim since office premises are not subject to rent control.

What price peace? Not only that, but also - What price under the existing conditions? These are im immediate - mediate immediate realistic questions which stand by themselves. They are not necessarily tied to the remoter so solutions - lutions solutions of the peace problem sym symbolized - bolized symbolized by the phrases "one world" and "The United States of Europe." Plainly, the immediate question comes close to the question of sur survival - even - vival - even survival - even the survival of civiliza civilization - tion civilization under conditions of warfare in involving - volving involving the greatly increased use of atomic bombs and all the other new refinements of war in the air and under the surface of the sea. The crux of the criticism of the national statesmen at Paris is that, in their struggle of power politics for safeguarding, consolidat consolidating - ing consolidating and strengthening their respec respective - tive respective national or "bloc" interests, they have tended to override and subordinate the vital need for peace now, a peace that will endure for at least one generation. This criticism applies to the entire group - Molo group - Molotov, - tov, group - Molotov, Byrnes, Bevin and Bidault. They all became very tough toughminded. - minded. toughminded. And what finally caused a tremor of apprehension in this country, as well as in the outside world, was the evidence of a steadily accelerated deterioration in our re relations - lations relations with Russia since Mr Byrnes's shift to his socalled "firm" policy after the Moscow conference of last winter. It did not seem to be working. Just before Mr Wal Wallace's - lace's Wallace's "indiscretion," our relations with Russia had struck a new low.

For the Teen-Age Drivers The American Automobile asso association - ciation association has planned a "major pro program" - gram" program" for the extension next year of instruction in "driving technic" in high schools. In other words, it is to conduct a campaign to make the teen-age driver less of a menace to the public safety and his own safety. Statistically expressed, this is the record that has prompted the association to act: Teen-age drivers have the worst accident record of any age group. Highway fatalities in which they were involved were 41 per cent more in the past 12 months than in the previous year, while the percentage increase of the 65-year-and-over group, their near nearest - est nearest "competitor." was 18 per cent. Potentially, the drivers of the teen-age group are especially com competent. - petent. competent. Many are so in fact. The trouble with many of the others is that they are or, perhaps more accurately, they are show-offs and "smart Alecs." Lou E. Holland of Kansas City, chair chairman - man chairman of the traffic-safety commit committee - tee committee of the AAA, explaining the pur purpose - pose purpose and program of the coming drive, reported that clubs of youth youthful - ful youthful drivers have been formed on the Pacific coast with membership based on speed. Mr Holland notes that about 800.000 pupils are graduated from this country's high schools each year and that more than 650,000 become licensed drivers within about a year and a half. Their mental and moral equipment as drivers is sure surely - ly surely a fair subject for the public school curriculum, not to ba dis dismissed - missed dismissed as just "another fad."

Mr Lie in the Balkans The moat forceful element in the United Nations organization seems to be its secretary-general, Trygve Lie. Hitherto he has displayed an unexpected capacity for initiative and leadership. No mere secre secretarial - tarial secretarial functionary careful not to overstep the bounds of his authority, Mr Lie is becoming an international statesman of the first rank. His most recent act arresting general attention was to extend the authority of his office to fill a gap that the Security Council was un unable - able unable to fill. After the Council had declined, or failed, to authorize an investigation of the situation in the Balkan states, caused by the con continued - tinued continued reports of factional fighting, frontier disorders and terrorism, Mr Lie announced that he would make his own inquiry. And it would be neither pro-Russian nor pro- British, nor pro-Greek, nor pro- Bulgarian. There's a man for you. He's big bigger - ger bigger than the United Nations, meas meas; - ; meas; ured by that particular test. It is already noted that his projected Balkan inquiry has established him, as having considerably more power than was enjoyed by his counter counterpart - part counterpart in the old League of Nations. Mr Lie knows the United Nation* charter so thoroughly that he was able to find in it justification far his enterprise. He is acting under article 55 which authorizes the sec secretary-general - retary-general secretary-general "to bring to the at attention - tention attention of the Security Council any matter which, in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of inter international - national international peace and security."