Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1944)
THE JOURNAL, PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA PAGE SIX THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1944 No Letup, and No Letdown Hilarious Celebration of Pearl Harbor The end of America's third year of participation in this war finds our forces in Europe approaching the climax of what may well be the greatest and most fateful battle in history. In ! the Pacific, against the enemy Ay hose attack brought us into the struggle, we have overcome his tremendous early advan tage and, after months of slow, painful effort, have definitely taken the offensive. Three years ago our military leaders chose to concentrate our major force upon our stronger enemy to avert our greater danger. And today the wisdom of that decision to beat Germany firnt is more apparent than ever. For the latest horde of barbar ians to overrun Europe presented a greater danger to civiliza tion than all the Vandals, Huns, Turks and Tartars who had scourged the continent in 2000 years. Civilization was more vulnerable because of the centrali zation that its advancement had brought. It was prey to the cunning of its own science. Vast territories and resources and populations of that civilization had been devoured - by Hitler to give him strength. Three years ago this country joined the last two great free powers of Europe to free and restore all that Hitler had taken. Today that freedom and restoration are almost complete. From the critical days when it seemed that America as well as her Allies might be faced with destruction, we have come to the place where the battle of Europe is now the battle of Germany. We have reached that point at the price of death and pain and unremitting effort. And the price will remain the same until both Berlin and Tokyo have fallen. Here at home there has seemed to be a feeling recently that the closer we came to victory the less effort is needed to win it. It seems to have been forgotten that it takes more power to overcome a stubborn enemy than it does simply to hold him in check. This is total war, and total war is no sport at which spec tators may sit in the grandstand and watch the thrilling finish. The least we can do is to stay on the job, buy War Bonds, and make our small sacrifices, not with complaints but with penitence and humble gratitude that they are no worse. At the end of three years of war we are on the road to vic tory, but it is a road on which there is no coasting. Germany must be hit with our maximum power on the day she capitu lates. Any letdown after that day will only lengthen the war with Japan, which at best must be long and bloody. What needs saying on the Pearl Harbor anniversary has best been said by General Eisenhower: "War is like pushing a heavily loaded wagon up a steep hill in a fog and never J knowing when you are going to reach the top. So you have to push like hell all the time." ' Smokes for Britain pro v wmjw . i An American newspaper was complaining editorially the other day that one-quarter of this years tobacc crop had been allocated to the British Empire. "Why," it wanted to know, "should we turn over so much of cur tobacco to the British when we're pinched for it our selves?" . A pretty good answer to that querlous question might be found in the British White Paper that was made public, the next day, even though there is no tangible connection between our cigaret shortage and the document entitled "Statistics Re lating to the War Effort for the United Kingdom" which tells, in the quiet understatement of figures, the tragic, magnificent story of British resistance. The White Paper reveals that war casualties in Britain's armed forces are greater than ours even though Britain has only a third of our population. It reveals 57,000 civilians killed by enemy action, and 84,000 wounded; one out of three British dwellings damaged, and one out of 30 destroyed. It tells that two-thirds of the pre-war shipping ton nage has been lost,' and with it the lives of 30,000 merchant sailors. r Statistics tell of the mobilization of almost all Britain's manpower and. of half its womanpower. Tabulations unfold a story of soaring taxes, poor food, worn-out clothing, complete disrepair of almost everything. j hey tell of immense debt and of foreign gold reserves exhausted to purchase war supplies. But there is more to the story than the White Paper tells. American correspondents who have been in France, Belgium and Italy report that nowhehe in these countries did they see the marks of strain and suffering that they observed in Eng land. England is tired and hungry and nerve-wracked. The people of its southern coastal towns were literally in the front line for four year3, under unrelenting fire from planes, cross Channel artillery and, finally, robot bombs. They lived in caves and, like London's millions, groped nightly month after month through the depressing, dangerous blackout. But Britain has endured it all with courage and with aus terity "austerity" fashions and "austerity" living. Nor have the English complained like the Italians who, almost before they laid down the arms they had borne against us, were find ing fault because we did not do more for them. Surely we have helped the English mightily. But did they not help us too, when they alone in all the world fought back the conquering Nazis? Somehow, in the light of all this, it doesn't seem too im portant whether the British Empire will actually get a quarter of our 1944 tobacco crop or not. Few Americans would think it a great sacrifice to offer a cigaret to a friend and neighbor who had been through a harrowing experience. It seems rather ungracious that some of us should resent it when this simple, friendly gesture is performed on a national scale. '"';' . . ' - Biirlingion Gives Aid In Sixth War Bonne! Drive Henry Frey Notified That Burling ton is Crediting $10,C00 to Cass County The Butlir.-ton railroad that has operated in thb ity and the north ern portion of Cass county since in the late seventies, is agrain do":n their p3rt in the quotas assigned in the counties through which the -railroad operates. The railroad has alloted the sum of SI 0,000 in government war bor,di that will be credited to Ca?s county and Plattsmouth in the " sixth war loan drive. This is a fine demonstration by the railroad of its interest in the counties through which it operates in the state. The bonds will be handl ed from the Chicaaro headquarters. BARBS AN appropriate holiday slogan: on with the Christmas seals! It does no good to bury the hatchet if you keep the hammer out. Gcebbels has ordered the Ger man people to stop talking about the war situation. Unfortunately for him, he can't stop them from thinking. Jf you icant to play safe, hide the children's presents with their school books. The more War Bonds sold the quicker peace will come. Lny your share away for a reigning , day. Undergoes Operation . Thursday rooming Mrs. Davis Pickrel departed for Omaha where she visited at the St. Joseph hospital with her husband, David Pickrel. former police officer. Mr., Pickvtl has been in poor health for seveial months and wan operated on this morning. He' has Leon at the hos- Mrs. M. S. Briggs, who has becn'pital for sbie time under obser- Report Intense Earthquake From Vicinity Of Japa California Institute Reoeris Record of Iatersity Greater Tha 1306 - , .. Edson EPSON'S WASHINGTON COLUMN BY PETER EDSON NEA Staff Correspondent A NUMBER of proposals to limit postwar immigration into the United States will die unacted upon when the 78th Congress goes out of business within the next few days, leaving for the next session deter mination of what U. S. policy will be on admitting foreigners to this country when the war is over. , Many of the bills now pending will probably be re-introduced. They range from banning all immi gration for the next five years to increasing the present quota restrictions to admit many of refugee millions. Pressure from without to admit these millions is in direct proportion to resistance from within against lowering the bars. With the fear of postwar unemployment for perhaps five or 10 millions now citizens of the United States, there is a natural reluctance to admit more millions if they would only increase the burdens. On the ether hand, every humanitarian impulse calls for giving every possible relief to the homeless war refugees. A GAINST the plea for admission of large numbers of immigrants to this country, however, there is the sound argument that when the war is over the countries of Europe and Asia will have a manpower shortage and a great need for labor to rebuild their economies, whereas the countries of the western hemisphere will have a manpower surplus. Wartime manpower shortages in the United States can be attributed directly to restricted immigrciticn, if you are interested in making the best possible case in favor of increasing immigration on a long-term basis. Between 1905 and 1914 U. S. immigrants averaged a million a year. After the first world war the Quota Act of 1921 restricted immi gration to an average of 3C0.00O a year for the next 10 years, while from 1931 to 1911 the average was less than 50,000 a year. In 1942 the number dropped to 23,000 and in 1943 was 28,000. F.ecause cf this drop in immigration and wartime unskilled labor shortages, it has been necessary for the United States to bring in on temporary permits over 100,000 workmen from Mexico and the Carib bean areas to harvest farm crops and maintain railroad lines. T.IOW all this will shake down after the war is over no one can say. As a result, there is considerable belief that there should be no immediate change in the present quota restrictions, limiting annual immigration to 3 per cent of the number cf nationals of each foreign country already in the United States. For a long-range immigration plan, there is growing interest !n proposals for selective immigration, under which quotas would be mr.de up of skills for which there would be ready employment. That would do away with the more democratic, unrestricted, first-applying-first-admitted type of immigration on which this country was built, but it is argued that selective immigration would be best for this country and also best for the immigrant. Mrs. Briggs Critical m feeble healtn for the pat year, was taken much worse Wednesday, and is now in verv critical condition at the home cn West Locust street. Mr?. Briggs was reported as resting a little easier this morning but very weak. vation. HUNTERS GUUIDE Thursday- Friday Sun sets at 5:56. " ri?;s- at 8:13, Sun PASADENA, Calif., Dec 7. CUP California Institute of Technology today reported ar earthquake of catastrophic . intensity in .southern Japan. Recorded la.-t night at 11:18 .05 cwt, it was stronger siesmologisti said, than the earthquake of 190G in San Francisco. Dr. Beno Gutenberg, head of the department, said, the record showed the powerful tremors were some 5,700 miles to the northwest and in the 'gene-ral region of southern Japan, although he could net deter mine whether the'rhock w-as center ed in a land or sea area cf the chain of Japanese island?.' The general shock waves spread from the epicenter around the world, Gutenberg raid ,and were recorded from Japan for a number of hours aftsr the initial shock. , ... Cpl. Frank Kalasek Home from Iceland FREEZE SOCIAL SECURITY Washington, Dec. 7, (U.PJ The Senate Finance CCommittee today approved 13 to 2, a bill to freeze the Social Security Payroll tax at the present one percent level through 1945.. Cpl. Frank C. Ka!2,ek is home for his first furlough since he joined the armed fcerviee over two years sgo, coming home from Iceland, where he was .stationed for the greater part of the time of his service. He states that in this country one doesn't know what cold, snow and wind can be until they have visited the bleak lands of the north Atlantic, snow often covering the huts of the American forces a well as the homes of the native resi dents. . On his way home from Iceland Frank lost fifteen pounds in weight as the result of the severe voyage. Car is Returned Cal's from Mississippi Wednesday evening Mrs. Sherman Adkins was most - pleasantly surpris ed when her husband, Pvt. Sherman Adkins, called from Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He stated that, he was well and hard at work in the train ing course at the camp. Saturday evening" Fay Wise left his car parked on South 9th street where it had run out of gas, on his return discovered the car was miss ing. Thinking the car had been brought in by the authorities, he contacted the office of the sheriff and found that there had been no report of a tow-in Later it was found that the car had been seen operating over the city and driven by some , local youth but the sheriff was unable to overhaul the car , Late Monday, the car was return ed to its parking place Buy War Bonds BUY MORE WAR BONDS WE'VE COME A LONG WAY SSNCE PEARL HARBOR 1 A gap in the written history of the Confederate States of America has been filled by a book recently published by the Louisiana State University Press". It is "Jefferson Davis and His Cabinet," written by Dr. Rembert W. Patrick, associate pro fessor of social science at the University of Florida. li I V.n KAMCHATKA w sea, mM: I t '1 . Vno,los above graphically illustrate the incredible advances maae uy mncu iviw u "Ii" 9 tfcS trcacheroSs Uoi at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1911. Not only have the WSSffS ya.ivuijue.une of their farthest advance," but most of the ships sunK ro.w"'.'. - j I MA Essentially classic in feeling1 is this boxy coat in Herringbone Tweed which continues in the traditions cf good taste, simpli city and subtle flattery. Clever pockets trimmed with stitching... attractive buttons-.raglan sleeves for comfort....faskioncd in deep autumn shades. rich Ladie s Toggery are pacitinpmmisisLon.and havcecnjvcngeiuiacuyuusaiM9i.tii.