Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 8

-PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE TTEDXE5DAY, FEBRUARY 5, .194: 3 The Unseen Audience By Webster I On the Record Europe's Pressing Problem Is to Bring Order From Chao! i Ie By Dorothy Tliomps4 WHAT OCCUPIES my mind, considering the experience of Poland, is whether we nave not been far too hsty in call- ing for elec- i and holding peace con- in ferences. It turns out that the un. or or-i out of a primordial jungle of twisted cables erT, cities, and twisted and ef lives snd minds. It will be years, and eVfm erations, before human will be able to see th eve-'" the past years in av trtj spective. Now torted not only the iar'f but, much more importairv minds and emotions ofV-i Is Yalta agree-ment was hardly more than a piece OUR PEOPLE ia optimistic or at least of presidential tenure on the basis of partisanship or personalities, although both of these have played an obvious part in bringing the matter before Congress just now.

Republican solidarity if such it proves was obviously inspired by previous battles against Franklin' D. Roosevelt. But it will be recalled that many Democrats were cool, if not actually hostile, to the third term idea in 1940 although it failed to keep them from voting for Roosevelt. Whether the Democratic minority in Congress will offer strenuous resistance to the Republican proposal remains to be seen. In 'bringing the question of tenure before the people, congressional leaders, in effect, open the door for other changes in the presidency.

Why should the limit be two terms instead of one term or even three? Would a single term of six years be preferable to re-election with an eight-year maximum? Should an able president who has been in office eight years be reelected if 60 per cent or more of the voters? wish it? What about doing away with the electoral college which is simply an anachronism and a potential hazard in the event of a close election? And what about enabling the nation to make use of the training and experience of its living ex-presidents? All these are matters that may well be considered along with presidential tenure. Whatever the decision and it will rest with the states which may or may not ratify what Congress proposes it should not be reached on the basis of either partisanship or personalities. The consti-v tutional principle that results will neces- sarily be applied to future circumstances that cannot possibly be forseen. There is no way of telling which party may have cause to lament or be thankful for the course finally taken. of naner.

IS "TRANSCRIBED-- USTSAHSCRIPTIOMS. I LIKE -TooTH PSTcT I fAf ALMOST" brush it on (each um.E TeMRrfD 16 Turn off iSaTHtc A lr1 iTL.L.'THeYREJSMocrrHt&tJ "THe radio SMOOTHIE, SMbaTH I G. LOVELY -PASTE ZP ywiwy. its gyjps more optimistic than thy a year ago. Although been a terrible winter a-- people themselves see T'g provement over last year -f rather otherwise.

reroc- -authorities are confident there will be an imprTr4 six months from now rt time, the results cf telligent policies will wa make themselves felt. I But the more intellige- VJ cies were the result Eotc'J curate analysis of the but of experience. Thnr-rt perience we are ing what is possible ard 4 possible, and what policies create greater chaos or w't some promise of order growth. As far as Germany is ec i cemed. a nr 1- EctAbllshed 17S8; Post KtbUab4 1843 Combined 1S27 BOLI-'TVARD Of THE AXJMK8 GRANT ST REST Telephone ATlaaae 6tOO ACL BLOCK, FCBUSRIB, 1921-1941 Paul BSoeit, ir.

asd WlilUun Pnblfjheri Ktr.oll. Aoc(ai Publisher Ac drew Ben: bard. Manastos Editor; Joeepa City Editor. Berber G. Wytnan, Director; A do! pa Prey.

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San Francisco, Seattle. Clear the Blocks Because Congress has wisely decided not to delay further the sale of the Big and Little Big Inch pipelines, the War Assets Administration will open bids for the $146,000,000 properties next Monday. Should gas interests make the highest bid, as is expected, the first step to remedying next winter the shortage now freezing industries in Pittsburgh will have been taken. But there will be other obstacles. For, despite the acute public need for natural gas, special interests in Pennsylvania are throwing blocks in the way of progress after the manner of special interests everywhere.

In the General Assembly, certain spokesmen for both operators and miners have promised to employ vigorous measures to protect coal. This means simply that they will try to deny a right of way through the state for the pipelines to transport natural gas. Some idea of the opposition which a permanent franchise will face was signalized last fall by former Governor Martin. Shortly before he gave the Federal Power Commission temporary permission to use the lines, he said "There must be compelling reasons for us to favor any change in economy which would destroy these great industries (anthracite and bituminous coal mining)." Actually, the amount of gas which could flow from fields in Southwest Texas, even after relay pumping stations were built, -would not permit the local industry to compete with coal in seeking new markets. In fact, the estimated 120 million cubic feet which Pittsburgh would receive daily might not be enough for district gas companies which last year faced a demand four times greater than in 1939 even to maintain uninterrupted service to their present industrial customers.

However, there are other and more "compelling reason's" why gas should be allowed through the lines in Pennsylvania. The resources of the United States belong to all its citizens; and the millions of cubic feet of gas now being dissipated by flares in Texas are, in the end, as much a loss to the people of Pennsylvania as to those of Texas. taking place among GerrnaBv'i neighbors. By actual experWc I uiey rtauae mat, for better worse, Germany lies in Europe i central position and thr And it seems Miss Thompson futxUs to keep going on signing new agreements and new pieces of paper that events may sweep away. Actually, the Polish elections which were designed, at least as far as America and Britain were concerned, to assure a greater political choice to the Polish people turned out to be an all-but-ideal device for fastening the present regime more firmly in power.

The American attitude is that there has been a war, that it now is over, that the sooner everything returns to normal the better, and that normality consists in signing agreements or peace treaties. BUT IN Europe one realizes that what has happened is not described in the terms: War and peace. The European continent has been rocked as never in its history. To find any analogy to the present situation, one must go far back to the perioJ between the collapse of the antique world and the dawn of the Christian era. Indeed, we may well be seeing, as Spengler predicted, the liquidation of the Christian era.

A war which affects noncom-batants deserves a description other than "war." Europe has gone through a cataclysm; the cataclysm is still in a state of convulsion, and no "treaty" can deal with cataclysms. European urban civilization has been wrecked. From 20,000,000 to 30,000,000 people have been violently uprooted from their natural homes and dispersed -from Siberia to the Rhine. All these Ainparalleled violences and despaires have had not only physical but profound psychological effects. All standards political, social, and moral have undergone revaluation, and certainly not for the better.

The problem, then, is to create cer in that heart spreads to a 3 The Diplomatic Front 1US muus. IT IS, therefore, reasonable assume that a Vear frnrn Europe Seen In Need of Federation to Survive come to terms in the negotia Today in Washington New Liberalism Coming Back Under Republicans By David Lawrence Feb. 4 A new liberalism is coming back to America through the Republican Congress. Instead of sitting by and I I letting judicial "interpreta- By Sumner Welles farmer Undersecretary of State ONE OF the most heartening developments in Europe in recent months has been the rapid increase in the popu- tMxt. i i there will be less madness ar.4 more wisdom in all quarter.

This is because each of the Three will learn perhaps hard way what its own limita-t tions are. Up to now thing! have turned out far from wr.st any one of the occupying power thought the' would. That oug-f to be a contribution to general sobriety. At any rate, if a peace tot.i ference must be held, I thirj the American people should pre pare themselves for calm acceptance of the possibility tha: while it may not break up, may also reach no ccnclTisior.3 Should that be the case, it wouli be a cause for relief rather thai censure. Rome was not built 4 a day.

i ueuioiiu for the es-t a 1 i h-ment of a European federation. No one who talked with the Eu-r a states nun ia-Ke away I una amen uu. rights which were reserved to the people under the Constitution, the new Congress ia going to let the people decide how and when they want to change the Constitution. At least two important constitutional amendments men attend- have been introduced one i-iim icaiuciiutu to two terms of four years Mr. Lawrence eacn and the other presenb- party.

Prominent members of the Labor party and of the Liberal party are serving on it. A MOVEMENT known as "European Action" was simultaneously inaugurated in Paris under the presidency of Professor Brugmans, an outstanding leader of the Dutch Resistance and a guiding force in the Dutch Labor party. In explaining the objectives of "European Action," Professor Brugmans said: "Europe is not destined to be a Western bloc set up in opposition to other blocs, but an international system composed of independent nations which freely unite. We reject the theory that we are compelled to select between the TJ. S.

A. or the U. S. S. R.

We select Europe and a European Federation because we are confident that Europe can become a factor in bringing about international agreement." Some of the chief proponents of a federated Europe are of course obsessed with the belief that such a federation must be used as a barrier to Soviet expansion and be employed as a leverage to force Moscow to ing that all Federal justices shall hold office for 10 years and be subject to reappointment by the Washington Calling Truman Wants Lower Pricf 4 ing the re- Mr. Welles cent meeting of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs could have failed to be impressed with the sense of urgency in the opinions they expressed. They were frank in saying that only a federated Europe could survive. And these convictions were by no means voiced solely by representatives of Western Europe. Two weeks ago it was announced in London that a Provisional British Committee for a United Europe has been established under the chairmanship of Winston Churchill.

This committee is an outgrowth of Mr. Churchill's speech at Zurich last year. But it is significant that the committee is far from being an organ of the Conservative Rather Than Higher The State General Assembly should bear in mind what America learned long ago: that when the interests of special groups are put above those of the whole public, everybody loses. 1 1 I By r.i hi WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 The negotiations that begin this week between the United States Dire Speculations Cor- -poration and could be cured if the wag; 1 the 44,000,000 unorganized ers could be moved up to thj level of the 14,000,000 in trad unions.

That would have to oc cur while the union wage sea was held nearly stationary. Obviously such a maneuver impossible. Even if by sorn magic the wages of the uno-j ganized mass could be raised the union scale could not at th( same time be kept immobile j. V. I Letters From Our Readers The People Speak the CIO United Steel Workers will be followed with the nest interest, by industry and labor all over the country.

What hap Therefore the only way to cort rect the tremendous dispant is to get prices down. Even small waee increase would ir. crease the distortion, accordir to Eccles and others in Govern ment who think like him. AS NATHAN showed fn 1 rennrt. manv coroo rations a tion of the German treaty.

The violent diatribes recently emanating from Moscow against the doctrine of European federation and against its leading advocates are due in part to this fact. THE STARK truth is, however, as Prime Minister Attlee said a few months ago: "Europe must federate or perish." One of the great problems which now confront the statesmen of the United Nations is how this objective can be secured in the face of Russian opposition. There are two indispensable prerequisites to a United Europe. Under existing world conditions, no successful European federation can be created, save as a temporary military measure, unless the Soviet Union plays a co-operative part In its establishment and operation. The second requisite is that the provisions of the forthcoming German treaty make a European federation possible.

John Foster Dulles made a statement which is profoundly true when he said in his address of January 17: "The German settlement will not of itself bring about a federation of Europe. But the German settlement may decisively determine whether the movement will be toward economic unification or toward rebuilding the whole structure of independent, unconnected sovereignties." IT IS, of course, alleged that the active participation of the Soviet Union in a European federation would merely facilitate the consolidation of Russian influence over Central and Western Europe. Europe desperately needs some effective form of political and economic federation. But it cannot be obtained unless the German treaty facilitates it. And it cannot be advanced until the present suspicions of the Soviet Union can be dispelled, and unless the Soviet government can be convinced that its own enlightened interest will be best served by the construction of a European system founded upon political and economic federation rather than upon that anarchic conglomeration of clashing sovereignties to which so many of the ills which the peoples of Europe have suffered during the past thousand years can be directly ascribed.

Religion Day by Day By William T. Ellis MAP-MINDED Seven-year-old Turk knows more geography than the great majority of adults. He is map-minded. His delight Is to study the names and locations of geographical units. Thus early he is equipped for world citizenship.

Most Americans vaguely dismiss the rest of the earth as "over there." Radio commentators frequently betray their ignorance of geography; and their pronunciation of place names is weird, and amusing. How can we love our brethren of whonj we know nothing? Christian missions have taught myriads especially women and children about the habitation and characteristics of remote peoples. The average women's missionary society knows more about the b5g world than do the normal run of politicians. As for the missionaries themselves, I have found them better informed upon native conditions than the diplomats or resident business men. Although His earthly activities were limited to a small province of the Roman Empire, Jesus thought always in world terms.

His imperative "Go ye into all the world" is an implied admonition to know the geography cf His own mission field. Eternal aad Universal Lord, we pray for minds open to ail the world, that we may truly brothers be. Amen. Bernard Baruch has testified before the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy that the Russians may have tapped our atomic information. He is said to believe this because during UN discussions of international control, they asked certain questions which could have arisen only if they were privy to the bombs secrets.

This news, coming on top of the recent Canadian spy trials, is not so shocking as it is foreboding. Some time ago a convicted British physicist, who was reported to have "general knowledge of the construction of the atomic bomb," admitted that he told the Russians what he knew. And, as far as international morals go these days, the Soviet Union is not to be condemned simply because it has been trying to steal our knowledge. But what is foreboding is that the Russians should feel they must employ such underhanded tactics, despite the fact that the United" States has offered to share atomic data with them. Indeed, the only reason they do not now possess all this information or the certainty that it will be forthcoming is because they have persisted in stalling over establishment of effective international atomic controls.

By his distrubing testimony, Mr. Baruch was no doubt trying to point up the urgent need for our sealing all leaks on atomic matters. But he has raised another question: since the Russians at the moment seem more intent on getting, rather than outlawing, the atomic bomb, are not the most terrifying speculations about what they propose to do with it justified? And while these speculations emphasize er.ee more the wisdom of the United States policy in pressing for international safeguards on atomic energy, they also remind us how dreadful can be the results if we lose our race against time. i resiuem. ana connrmation by the Senate.

The new proposal for a change in the life tenure of justices has just been introduced by Representative Lawrence H. Smith, Republican, of Wisconsin, who has served several years in the House and is one of its able members. It is proposed that the justices, including those of the Supreme Court, shall be checked periodically by the people after 10 years of service and that present justices shall not serve beyond 10 years after they took the oath of office or not after December 31, 1948, whichever is earlier, but that they may be eligible for reappointment. Representative Smith points out that the Federal courts have been "packed" with New Dealers and that the Supreme Court, particularly in the "portal to portal" case, has been usurping legislative functions. IT HAS BEEN erroneously said by some observers that the new plan proposes to do what was condemned generally when in 1937 the late President Roosevelt indignant over the decisions of the justices then sitting because they refused to hold valid his New Deal laws tried to enlarge and "pack" the court.

But what Mr. Smith proposes is the exact opposite. The Roosevelt scheme was to try to do by a statute what the Constitution forbade. The method suggested by Mr. Smith is to ask the people to change the Constitution.

The idea of protesting against Supreme Court decisions is not novel. Abraham Lincoln once said Supreme Court decisions were not "irrevocable" and that the people had the final say. They do that is, they can have the final sav by utilizing the machinery prescribed in the Constitution itself. Thus, when the Supreme Court many years ago held that an income tax could not be levied by the Federal treasury, the matter was submitted to the people and by constitutional amendment they bestowed on the Federal Government that taxing power. Despite the fact that centralized government in Washington has since 1933 taken over many powers which for decades were rights never before delegated to the Federal Government by the people as, for instance, control over wages and hours not a single constitutional amendment has been submitted to the people since 1933.

This is because appointees who believe in restricting the power of the people and taking away their rights have been sitting on the Supreme Court bench. THE LATE President Roosevelt ridiculed the idea of amending the Constitution in the way prescribed therein. In a radio address on March 9, 1937, speaking in support of his "court packing" plan, Mr. Roosevelt said: "I have thus explained to you the reasons that lie behind our efforts to secure results by legislation within the Constitution. I hope that thereby the difficult process of constitutional amendment may be rendered unnecessary.

But let us examine that process. "There are many types of amendment proposed. Each one Is radically different from the other. There is no substantial group within the Congress or outside of it who are agreed on any single amendment. "It would take months or years to get suty-stantial agreement upon the type and language of an amendment.

It would take months and years thereafter to get a two-thirds majority in favor of that amendment in both houses of Congress. "Then would come the long course of ratification by three-fourths of all the states. No amendment which any powerful economic interests or the leaders of any powerful political party have had reason to oppose has ever been ratified within anything like a reasonable time. And 13 states which contain only 5 per cent of the voting" population can block ratification even though tie 35 states with 95 per cent of the population are in favor of it." Mr. Roosevelt forgot to tell the people that the Eighteenth Amendment was eliminated from the Constitution less than two years after it had been submitted to the people by two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress.

If there is serious division of any fundamental subject, of course, it is right that the matter should be delayed, but it is illiberal and reactionary to refuse to give the people a chance to amend their own Constitution and to argue that ail that Is needed is to change the judges. from participation in the primaries of the Democratic party. The elimination of Negroes from the Democratic primaries Is in reality a denial of their right under the Constitution to vote, because the primaries are decisive in Southern etatea. The Polish government in Warsaw has not taken away a man's right to vote and to take part in the affairs of the country because of his creed, color or race. The Warsaw government has taken measures against their brand of Ku Klux Klanners, pogromista and reactionaries wrho are opposed to land reform, industrialization of the country, elimination of ignorance and modernization of Polish life.

These reactionaries have arms (as well as American and British money) and kill and rob their neighbors. It is the duty of the Polish government to break this terror of armed bands. Those who are so eager to condemn the governments in Central Europe should first speak out against the lynchings, discrimination and disfranchisement of American citizens in our our country. CALVIN BROOK. Pittsburgh, Pa.

EDUCATION Editor, th Pott-Gazettet Your columns disclose much agitation relative to' education of our youth. An urgent addition to the curriculum of schools would be a course in common courtesy. The frequent strikes by pupils against something they do not like regsxdless of their parents who are paying taxes for their education is taken as a natural thing. We recently saw the aftermath of this, in the embarrassing howl of American soldiers in Europe "We wanna go home to Maw." Were we proud of those boys? I doubt whether 'teen aged boys are given helpful education by female teachers. Someone once said we were a Christian nation, j'et the Jewish-Protestant-Roman Catholic Bible, with grand mora! teachings, is barred from public schools.

H- W. SMITH. New Brighton, Pa. CUT MILITARY Editor, th Post-Gazette: The current political talk about economy in Government, and the possibility of a 20 per cent tax cut should serve to focus public attention upon the one place in our budget where really significant cuts can be made in expenditures namely, military appropriations. Military expenses for this year alone will be $18,500,000,000, an 0 amount which, it is interesting to note, is 27 times the appropriations for TV A during the 10 years of its existence.

Two things can be done Immediately by the Federal Government to reduce this astronomical sum and thus give the taxpayers needed relief. First, our representatives to the United Nations should seek immediate and specific action on the Russian disarmament proposal. Now that the Soviet has agreed to the principle of inspection of armament production by an international agency, nothing stands in the way of implementing the general disarmament prop'osals in which, all of the poVers are committed in principle. The second way in which we can save money, on military expenditures is for the Congress of the United States to reject forthwith the plans of the army for universal military training. Here we need not wait for international action, though, of course, we should press for world-wide abolition of conscription.

But independently of such action, we can in our own country reject compulsory military training. Our army general staff has openly recognized that the only defense against the atom bomb is the4 political defense. Rather than concentrating our energies on universal military training, we should devote our time and attention to the building of a strong world organization through the United Nations. MARJORIE H. MATSON.

Pittsburgh, Pa. HOW ABOUT HERE? Editor, th PoMt-Caxettet I question the right of any newspaper, organization or individual in the United States to get heated up about the elections In Poland or in any other European land to demand an "investigation of such elections while, at the same time, the Legislature of the state of Georgia passes a law by a vote of "133 to 62 to bar Negroes pens in "Big Mr. Childs Steel" is likely to set the pattern in wages for the nation. President Truman's economic advisers are well aware of how much turns on the outcome. They will follow the negotiations with bated breath and with fingers crossed.

The beginning is hopefuL Both sides have agreed to continue existing conditions until April 30, which removes the possibility of a strike until after that date. But it is felt here that a substantial wage increase, ouch as the CIO was talking about six weeks ago, can be as disastrous as a strike. Robert Nathan made no converts in Government when he presented his elaborately prepared argument that industry could afford to give a 25 per cent wage Increase out of profits at this time. Even the liberals who have survived in the Tru-rnan administration feel that Nathan's 25 per cent thesis was a disservice to labor. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Marriner Eccles, who in the past has frequently supported organized labor on the need to sustain purchasing power, feels so strongly on the price issue that he is contemplating a speech in which he will air his views.

In a recent public statement, Eccles said that in his opinion the danger of inflation was over. But Eccies and those who think like him believe that a further distortion of the wage picture can do very great harm at this point. ON THE one hand are the 14,000,000 workers who belong to trade unions. Since V-J Day they have used the power of organization to force pav increases that have put their wage level on a peak far above the level of the 44,000,000 wage earners who are not organized. Prices have moved up correspondingly, or even faster than wages.

This makes for a tremendous distortion In our economic life. The cost of an automobile, for example, has gone up 50 to 75 per cent over what it cost in 1941. But the pay of school teacher has moved up minuteiy or not at all. which means that tha school teacher has no chance to buy a car that costs S1.300 today instead of the 800 it 1941. Millions of consumers have been priced out of the market.

Theoretically this distortion making profits greater ever before. United States Stef made no effort in its annual report to conceal the fact of phenomenal profits in the last twi-quarters of 396. Those of tisf Eccles school say that, wh.fc this means that some irdustre could pav higher wages, it alg? means that these same industries could lower prices. That is the main objective within the Truman Administrationto get prices off the e4: estal where they are out cs reach of the great mass of the buying public. When Ford II announced a small TOKea, reduction in the price of Eores.

hosannahs of praise went uf from Washington. It was hepe-j that this very small straw vou.i show other industrialists wmca wav the wind was blowing. There is some evidence prices are melting in other iir.r noticeably in cotton texti.es But it is a slow process. By an announcement of prices, "Big Steel" could s-rA a wholesome current i through all cf taJtrJ; would inevitably be felt i farthest reaches of tne -El omy. And it might soive Uj problem of those who slt a0-" the wage-conference tab.e.

Flashbacks From the Ffl of the rot-Gart The American Government gan plans for scrapping tie ships and cruisers ago as the Washington ence on the Limitation ment came to a close. Ia round-up of the Far Eas-t-, situation, the establishment the "open door" policy aa ported to be among the coj elusions reached by the a mats. Charles Lewis Taylor, Pittsburgh steel operator se- associate Andrew Carr.eg;- died 25 years ago in CaHforE--j Representative Helen Gr.me of Allegheny county, introutace! a bill In the state House Representatives 20 years 1 that was designed to set up state board for governing operation of beauty shop the licensing of beauty ef erators. I Presidential Tenure Despite their divergent views on many matters, Republican leaders in Congress apparently agree upon the prompt enactment of legislation for a constitutional amendment limiting presidential tenure to eight years. Believing that the matter has been discussed pretty thoroughly of late, the Republicans do not plan extensive committee hearings but contemplate bringing the proposal on the floor of the House as early as next week.

Although the limitation of presidential tenure represents one of the Republican campaign pledges, the anti-third term tradition from which it stems has been invoked against more Republicans than Democrats. It was an issue with General Grant, with Theodore Roosevelt, and with Calvin Coolidge long before it was broken by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. It would be error to decide the question Thought for the Day Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society Is wholesome for the character. Lowell..