Nebraska Newspapers

    EDITORIAL- COMMENT
Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, June 23, 1945
WE NEED RELIGION
By Ruth Taylor
Perhaps the most encouraging sign that has
come out of the whirlpool in which our world is spin
ning so frantically, is the rebirth of faith — depen
dence on the intangible, finer things of the spirit and
the willingness to admit that dependence. We have
learned that we need to participate in something
bigger than we are.
In a recent Reader’s Digest there is a most
thought provoking article on this subject — on the
need of a religion. Not for us an ideology such as
motivates the totalitarian states, not for us reliance
on mere ethics. We need not a bland acceptance of a
way of life, but a faith based upon religion.
But this “religiosity” does not mean merely a
creed to affirm, nor a ritual to follow. No matter
what the tenets of our particular faith, no matter
whether we worship in church, cathedral or syna
gogue, there is a basic article of faith to which we
all give adherence — the Fatherhood of God and the
Brotherhood of Man. There is one rule of life we all
accept — the Golden Rule.
What are the things for which we are fighting
— if not the application of these principles? Our
forefathers cleared a continent and built homes in
the wilderness to feel free to worship their God in
their own way. Their religion was a very real part
of their lives. Why should we fear the scoffing of
the unbelievers and not dare to openly admit our
faith?
Our boys are not afraid to admit their beliefs.
Think what the popular war songs are: “I had a
little talk with the Lord.” “Coming in on a wing and
a prayer.” “Praise the Lord and pass the ammuni
tion.” Can you think of similar ones in any other
war?
In a news release describing Field Marshal Sir
Bernard L. Montgomery’s “knockout blow” message
to the troops of his 21st Army Group, the poem he
quoted was given. It was entitled “A Solider — His
Prayer.” Written on a scrap of paper, it had flut
tered into the hands of a soldier sitting in a trench
during the battle of El Agheila. It is a prayer in
which we may all join:
“Stay with me, God. The night is dark;
The night is cold; my little spark
Of courage dies. The night is long
Be with me, God, and make me strong.
I knew that death is but a door.
I knew what we were fighting for:
Peace for the kids, our brothers freed,
A kinder world, a cleaner breed.
Help me, 0 God, when death is near,
To mock the haggard face of fear,
That when I fall — if fall I must —
My soul may triumph in the dust.”
SAN FRANCISCO AND “VICTORY” IN EUROPE
America has spent about 170 billion dollars
to defeat Germany in this preventable war, compar
ed with 41 billion in World War I.
Vast supplies of oil, steel, lumber, food, tanks,
guns, trucks and ships have gone in the effort.
Most important, — we have had nearly 700,000
casualties including about 140,000 killed.
Britain, France and Russia have suffered com
paratively, much more.
Much of Europe is a charnel house.
Casualties on both sides are about 40,000,000,1
— men, women and children, — about one-half killed.
THE DAY!.By Collier
Plastic Production
In 1930, the industry produced
about 37,500.000 pounds of plastics
valued at about S75.000.000, or $2 a
pound. In 1940. the industry had been
multiplied by 8. with an output of
300.000. 000 pounds averaging about
$2 a pound in value. Estimated pro
duction in 1944 indicates a doubling
since 1940 with an output of about
700.000. 000 pounds valued at $1,800,
000.000 or about S2.50 a pound.
Granted Equal Suffrage
Wyoming guaranteed women suf
frage by law for the first time in
history in 1869. A plaque marks the
site in Cheyenne where the first
Wyoming territorial legislature met
to grant equal political rights.
Nurtured Pine
Locomotive firemen are credited
with the survival of the famous lone
pine tree growing in a large gran
ite boulder adjacent to the Lincoln
highway between Cheyenne and
Laramie. Wyo. When the tree was
very young, the original roadbed of
the Union Pacific was where the
highway is today, and as loco
motives puffed by. firemen drenched
the tree writh water.
Radiator Water
Prevention is better than cure for
radiator troubles. Water from the
rain barrel, ponds, swamps or
streams is usually much better
for the radiator than well water or
city water.
Plan Just and Speedy
Trials for Nazi Bigwigs
Allied Commission to Handle Cases of High
Leaders; Local Officials to Prosecute
Minor Offenders.
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C.
The legal profession is about to
meet the greatest challenge it has
ever faced.
The Moscow declaration, pub
lished November 1, 1943, and signed
by President Roosevelt, Prime Min
ister Churchill and Premier Stalin,
declares that "those German officers
and men and members of the Nazi
party” who are responsible for or
who have taken a consenting part in
“atrocities, evidence of which has
been received from authoritative
quarters in many countries,” will be
“tried, judged and punished” accord
ing to the laws of those countries.
This same declaration also de
clares in its final paragraph that
“major criminals whose offenses
have no particular geographical lo
calization” will be tried and dealt
with by “joint decision of the Gov
ernments of the Allies.”
That is where the United States
and the challenge of its legal profes
sion comes in.
The body which will try these "big
shots” is an international military
tribunal, to be designated by an of
ficial title, probably by the time
these lines are printed, and it is be
fore this court that a member of the
Supreme court of the United States,
Associate Justice Robert H. Jack
son, chosen as American chief of
counsel, will appear as prosecutor.
He will act jointly, it is presumed,
with the counsels of the United King
dom and the Union of Soviet Social
ist Republics.
Legal Body
Without Precedent
Never in history has such a legal
body been convened. Never has such
a task as the one it has before it
been of such potential significance to
the social and political well-being of
the peoples of the earth—never, at
least, since the day of a certain Ro
man procurator of Judea in Pales
tine. Pontius Pilate was unable to
face his responsibility, and finding
“that he could prevail nothing, but
rather that a tumult was made, he
took water, and washed his
hands. . .
The United States does not intend
to wash its hands of the responsibil
ity before it.
There seems to be a welter of con
fusion as to just what the function
of this “military tribunal" is; as to
just what, if any, policy has been
established by the “Office of the
Chief Counsel for the Prosecution of
Axis Criminality,” which is the title
on the letterhead before me. The
permanent address of this office is,
at this writing, a little uncertain, but
it can be reached care of the Penta
gon in Washington. Soon it will es
tablish foreign headquarters.
Despite the confusion, this institu
tion has a definite policy and I shall
interpret it informally hereunder:
(1) We shall avoid “the law’s de
lay” which so annoyed Hamlet.
My reason for this assumption is
the fact that Justice Jackson did
not retire from the Supreme court.
The fall term of the court begins in
October. Already he has made one
trip to Europe for the purpose of
rounding up key witnesses and doc
uments and is now beginning final
preparation for the prosecution. His
staff has been assembled for several
weeks and he has coordinated the
other government agencies interest
ed in war crimes (war department,
navy department. Office of Strate
gic Services, and others). Authority
for this action is vested in Execu
tive Order 9547 of May 2, 1945, which
named Justice Jackson as Amer
ican prosecutor.
Jackson himself said when he was
appointed: •‘There will be no delay
on the part of the United States, and
we think undue delay is itself a fail
ure.”
(2) There is no confusion as to
United States policy with respect to
the type of offender to be tried. Many
individual cases have already been
prepared, though net yet announced.
As I mentioned earlier, what the
United States is concerned with is
the big shots, that is Jackson’s job—
to try the men whose offenses are
broader than those committed in and i
against members of any single
community. To put it broadly, those
charged with crimes against human
ity as a whole. i
This rules out the persons brought
back to the scene of their crimes,
the trials of spies and saboteurs
which are coming up daily, offenses
against American nationals or
against Germans, or individual acts
of persecution against Jews or oth
ers.
In other words, Jackson is after
big game and he will not be content
to fiddle with minor offenses even if
corrftnitted by major criminals. His
job will be to nail those leaders who
are responsible for engineering the
whole general criminality of the
Nazi-Fascist program. The smaller
fry will be taken care of by other
legal authorities at the scene of the
individual crimes or elsewhere.
Jackson Versed
As Prosecutor
Justice Jackson’s reputation and
his record are a pretty good guaran
tee that he will not be stumped
by any hurdles that international
lawyers might try to put in his
way. But that does not mean he
will “railroad” the accused. He will
not let the trials sink below a dig
nified judicial level. They must be.
he says, “trials in fact, not merety
trials in name, to ratify a predeter
mined result.” On the other hand,
he does not believe that “every step
must be taken in accordance with
technical common law rules of
proof.” His record shows that ne
is a "direct actionist”—he can be
expected to pull no punches.
I said this was the greatest chal
lenge the legal profession had ever
faced. I said that because upon the
manner in which these trials are
conducted will depend just how
clearly Naziism will be revealed to
the people of the world in its true
light. These criminals must convict
themselves and their philosophies
out of their own mouths. They must
not be allowed to stand before the
world with their testimony and that
of their accusers as a background,
as martyrs to what Jackson himself
calls “farcical judicial trials” which
rationalize previously settled opin
ions. This would destroy the con
fidence of the people in the whole
case for democracy, he believes. Nor
must the case against them be pre
sented in such a manner as might
give even the skeptical a false sug
gestion that the enemies of democ
racy have a vestige of right on their
side.
The small but efficient staff which
Justice Jackson has selected is
worth looking over.
There is Maj. Gen. William Dono
van, colorful World War I hero and
successful lawyer, now head of the
OSS; Sydney Alderman, a distin
guished trial lawyer and general so
licitor of the Southern Railway;
Francis Shea, assistant attorney
general and well versed in compli
cated litigations; Naval Lts. James
Donovan and Gordon Dean. Dono
van is general counsel of the OSS.
Dean, a former assistant attorney
general under Jackson when he was
head of the department of justice, is
a brilliant and successful lawyer who
is being transferred from active
duty by the navy for the job.
There are no hand-washing Pon
tius Pilates among them.
* * •
The rise in income payments to
individuals in the United States from
an annual figure of $66,168,000,000 in
the prewar year of 1938 to a record
high total of $156,794,000,000 in 1944
was extended during the first quar
ter of 1945. according to the Alex
ander Hamilton Institute. Income
payments during the first three
months amounted to $39,825,000,000
this year as against $37,726,000,000
last year, an increase of 5.6 per cent.
Income from every source showed
expansion. Salaries and wages rose
from $27,357,000,000 to $28,628,000,000,
an increase of 4.6 per cent, while
dividends and interest rose from
$2,454,000,000 to $2,770,000,000, an in
crease of 12.9 per cent.
Although spending by consumers
was at a record high rate during
the first quarter, it is evident from
preliminary information that con
sumers income exceeded spending
by an amount sufficient not only to
meet taxes but to add to consumers’
wartime savings, thus increasing the
threat of inflation when peace re
turns.
BARBS . . . by Bauhhage
The government has sold the camp
in New Jersey seized from the Ger
man-American Bund. It will be
made into a boys’ camp—not a con
centration camp.
• • •
Some German business men re
cently asked the American military
governor of one of their cities how
to make out an application for a loan
to rebuild the town.
TAKES LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Mr. Arthur B. McCaw who has
been employed in the Assessor’s
office. Douglas County Court
House beginning under the late
Sam Greenleaf and for the past
eight years under Joe Stolinski
is taking a leave of absence for
a year to take up a position with
the Urban League as director of
the Boy’s Department and as
sistant to the Executive Secre
tary. Mr. McCaw was employ
ed in the Court House for ap
proximately 12 years.
Field Marshal Mannerheim, com
mander of the Finns in their wars
with Russia, congratulated Stalin on
his victory over Germany in 73
words. Stalin replied in 19.
• • •
The British Broadcasting company
says it has proved during the war
that telling the truth can be more
effective than calculated lying. May
be Goebbels was wrong after all
Test Oven Heat
Lacking an oven thermometer or
thermostatic oven control, one can
compute roughly the heat of an oven
by placing a piece of unglazed paper
in center of lighted oven. When pa
per browns in half a minute, heat
is 475 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit; in
one minute, 400 to 425 degrees; min
ute and a half. 350 to 375 degrees;
two minutes, 325 degrees. A cake is
done when it shrinks from sides of
pan, springs back when pressed
lightly on top with finger, does not
“sing” when held to the ear, does
not stick to toothpick or straw in
serted in center.
y Hepxvii&i
gin WASHINGTON
*By Walter Shead
§ WNU Correspondent
Freight Rate Problem
WNU Washington Bureau
€21 Union Trust Building.
\ VtHAT the recent ruling of the
* Interstate Commerce commis
sion, attempting to equalize freight
rates in the South and West with
the East, will mean to the small
town shippers, merchants, manufac
turers and farmers in the 15,000
small towns and rural communities,
no one here is prepared to predict.
No one believes, for instance, that
the present temporary rates, even
if made permanent, will play any
appreciable part in a reduction in
the cost of retail business, or in the
costs of commodities in the affected
areas, except perhaps in some rare
specific instances.
The Interstate Commerce commis
sion ruling, made after six years of
study, and perhaps with an eye on
the Supreme court which has under (
consideration the Governor Arnall '
Georgia case, roughly reduces class
freight rates from Chicago and Illi
nois west to the Rocky mountains
and south below the Ohio and Po
tomac rivers and in Virginia south
of Richmond, about 10 per cent.
East of the Illinois-Indiana line and
north of the Ohio and Potomac the
class rates are increased 10 per i
cent. Class freight rates, however. I
comprise only about 10 per cent of
total freight shipments, the other 90
per cent being in commodity or bulk
carload lot shipments. The class
rates on the Pacific coast are not
affected.
But here is some background
on freight rates. . . . The trend
since 1935 has been upwards . . .
the ICC has refused to lower
rates on appeals of shippers
even in the height of the depres
sion . . . railroads applied for a
15 per cent increase in 1940 and
in 1942 the ICC handed down a
decision giving them about a
6 per cent increase on all rates
. . . then on the instance of OPA
this 6 per cent increase was sus- ■
pended from year to year, the
last suspension expiring January ,
1, 1946, when the case is auto
matically reopened and rail
roads will ask the increase be
reinstated . . . and they will '
have the argument that war
shipments are off. reconversion
has set in and with reduced ton
nage they can’t operate in the
postwar era with increased costs
and loss of business.
But here are some optimistic ,
gleanings from the decision, which
may result from this ruling of the
commission as aids to small busi
ness and to farmers:
1. Decrease in the rates in the
West and South will give impetus
to establishment of new small busi
ness and manufacturing enterprises
in those sections which can compete
on a more even basis of equality
with similar business in the North
and East.
2. The new rate reductions may
bring about greater decentralization
of big business from the North and
East to the South and West states.
3. The ruling opens the way for
future revision of the variations of
the class rates, known as exception
and column rates, and those who
have studied the situation believe it
will mean the end definitely of sec
tional freight rates.
4. The next freight rate battle may
be on the charges of violations of
the anti-trust laws, which is the ba
sis of the suit brought by the Geor
gia governor.
Individual Situations Vary.
The effect of these rate reductions
on any one line of business or on
any one commodity cannot be fore- '
cast in exact terms. Advice from
the department of commerce, for in
stance, is for individuals to study
their own situation . . . where they
are buying, from manufacturer, bro
ker or distributor . . . whether they
are buying or shipping from distrib
utor's stocks which would carry the
commodity rate, and how they are
being billed, whether FOB manu
facturer, distributor or broker . . .
and then to change their methods
if it will be to their advantage.
In the North and East some harm
ful results can be foreseen. For
instance a small manufacturer of
condiments, jellies, etc., in New
York state, who ships in minimum
packages of 100 pounds or less with
a present rate of 55 cents per mini
mum shipment, will be forced to pay
75 cents under the new rates, or an
increase of 20 per cent, which this
manufacturer says will put him out
of business.
A small manufacturer in Arkan- j
sas may, under the new reduced
rates, ship to Indianapolis and com
pete on equal terms with his compet
itor in Ohio or Michigan, who must
pay the increased rates. The farm
er who buys a $10 article from a
mail order house, upon which the
freight may be $1, wiil not feel the ef
fect of the 10-cent decrease or in
crease in the freight, depending on
where he lives, which likely will be
absorbed by the marufacturer or
some place else along the line. The
same thing may be true in lot ship
ments to the retailers.
Farm Lease
The farm lease should be written.
Many landlords and tenants try to
get along with oral contracts. The
difficulty arises when they do not
understand each other and find that
they have different ideas about cer
tain matters. The written lease re
moves this chance of disagreement
and insures more harmonious rela
: tions between the landlord and ten
j ant. Both lose when they disagree,
particularly if the disagreement re
I suits in a move for the tenant.
; Forms for written leases are avail
| able in the offices of many of the
county agents.
The Omaha Guide
■4r A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER JL
Published Every Saturday at 2±30 Grant Street
1 OMAHA, NEBRASKA—PHONE HA. 0800
I Entered as Second Class Matter March 15. 1927
at the Post Office at Omaha. Nebraska, under
\ Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
1 C- C- Galloway,_Publisher and Acting Editor
All News Copy of Churches and all organiz
ations roust be in our office not later than 1:00
p- m. Monday for current issue. All Advertising
Copy on Paid Articles, not later than Wednesday
noon, preceeding date of issue, to insure public
ation.
i SUBSCRIPTION RATE IN OMAHA \
[ ONE YEAR . $3.00/
! SIX MONTHS . $1.751
! THREE MONTHS $1-23 |
SUBSCRIPTION RATE OUT OF TOWN \
ONE YEAR . $3.30
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National Advertising Representatives— ^
INTERSTATE UNITED NEWSPAPERS. lnc\
545 Fifth Avenue, New York City, Phone:—
MUrray Hill 2-5452, Ray Peck, Manager *
Governor Dewey Visits Home Town
OWOSSO, MICH.—Soundphoto— Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, G.O.P.
Presidential Nominee, rides through streets of his home town with his
mother, Mrs. George Dewey (center) and his wife. Owosso gave the
New York Governor one of the biggest homecoming receptions in
Michigan’s history.
It’s a
50-50
proposition
.
Right after the ceremony, adjustments begin. Joe starts to
learn how to get along with Jane and Jane to get along with
Joe. Small sacrifices on both sides pave the way to a happy
marriage. (Just as they do to good relations on a party line.)
Jane learns not to monopolize the conversation. (Party
liners avoid making a long string oj calls in succession.) ^
Joe finds that Jane hates to be interrupted. (Party dinert
taever break in when the line is in use.)
Jane senses that Joe is bored w ith a long story of household
difficulties. (Party diners keep their calls short and to the point.)
Joe locked Jane out—once!—by forgetting to leave the key
under the mat. (Partydiners make sure the receiver is in place
to they don't "lock out" the other party.)
; And so on. Practically everybody wants to make these
small adjustments and practically everyone does.
*
NORTHWESTERN BEIL TELEPHONE COMPANY
Vs of an ALL-GAS
KITCHEN.
Besides gas cooking and refrigeration you’ll
want an AUTOMATIC GAS WATER
HEATER. They are now available without
certificate for replacement purposes . . . and
under other special conditions. Ask us for
details.
GET AN AUTOMATIC
GAS WATER HEATEB
(Continued from Page 6)
tended our Sunday schools and B.
T. U.s. There are hundreds of
others who were not associated
with any church. Shall we let them
down on their return? We should
appoint committees from our or
ganizations to study these prob
lems; hold round table discussions,
! open forums and invite authorities
from the War Department to ad
vise us on these problems. If the
church does not take its part in
this program, I fear, it will lose
I its grip on many of these boys.
Christian Education
The Sunday school should be the
nucleus of our Christian education
in our churches.
The lack of Christian education
is being seen daily in our churches,
communities and in our entire na
tion. Statistics show that eight
times more hours are spent in
movies than in Sunday schools.
Only one out of twelve attends
church. Seven out of eight quit
Sunday school and church before
they are fifteen. There are more
barmaids than college girls. There
are three times as many criminals
as college students; eighteen hun
dred suicides monthly; thirty-six
murders daily. Women are buying
more cigarettes than men. Seven
hundred dollars go for sinful pleas
ures and amusement to every dol
lar for foreign mission. This only
means that we are suffering a
moral let down such as was never
experienced before. Just a few days
ago, the War Department lifted
the ban on horse races, which ne
cessitates the transportation of
I thousands of people, horses and
equipment, but this same depart
ment kept the ban on religions
gatherings. It is up to the church
to wake up and stay in advance
of this corruption. These alarming
conditions are laid at our very
doors. These are challenges to
every Christian in America. Let
us as a Sunday School and B. T.
U. Congress wake up. Wake up,
not by cursing the darkness but
by lighting a candle that will dis
pell the darkness. That candle
is Christian education. We can
light a candle by holding leader
ship training schools. We can
light a candle by providing a pro
gram that will touch every indi
vidual in the community.
The church should develop a
more positive point of view toward
community welfare, thereby inject
ing into it that spark of Chris
tianity that is much needed. Our
program should extend far beyond
the walls of our church. It should
touch every home in our com
munity and reach the unreached.
Christian education does for us
what science did for the late Geo.
W. Carver, Burbank and many
other scientists. It enables us to
co-operate with God and be in
' harmony with nature. God cre
ates, but man working in co-oper
ation with Him and nature can
make out of the created what He
would have it be. God alone cre
ated the little wild rose, but God
and man working together devel
oped it into the great American
Beauty. God alone produced the
peach, small in size, but God and
man working together through the
process of grafting and cultiva
tion, developed it into the great
Elberta. God alone gives the
child a mind, untrained and un
skilled, bundled into a body of
just flesh, bones and tissue. He
expects us to work in co-operation
with Him and in harmony with na
ture to develop it into a Christian
Personality.
The late Geo. W. Carver, one of
the greatest scientists known, per
formed his miracles not by magic
nor sleight of hand, but by trained
hands, heart and head made to
work in co-operation with God and
nature, causing the world to focus
their eyes on his products. Bur
bank, with his skill and training,
discovered how to co-operate with
God more effectively and perform
ed miracles in the plant world. So,
that trained Christian leader, pos
sessing keen insight, working in
co-operation with God and nature,
can perform their work as teachers
and Christian leaders so effective
ly among our youth and adults,
that instead of seven of eight
| youths leaving Sunday school be
j fore they are fifteen, there will be
j seven of eight to remain. Instead
of three times as many criminals
as college students, there will be
three times as many college stu
dents as criminals. Love would
take the place of hate and the
Golden Rule would be practiced so
(Continued on Page 2)