i-lTML~I rat aTVIJI*Mar .."I"Mr-a. I '10Al 1 .S.I' 11.:. - d lB .t, ' ..-U ' Y a5~~ . d 11 6 Fifty-Fourth Year 1 i I'd Rather Be Rirht By SAMUEL GRAFTON i Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control ofstudent Publications. PI-blished every morning except Monday during the regulda Universty year, and every morning except Mon- oay aind Tuiesdayv during the suimmer session. Member of The Associated Press The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or otherwise credited in this newspaper. All rights of repub- 1ication of all other matters herein also reserved. Entered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Michigan, as second-class mail matter. Subscriptions duringrthe regular school year by car- rtier $4 25, by mal $5,25. NationaI Advertising Service, Inc. Colege Publishers Representative 420 MAbIsoN AVE. NEW YORK. N. Y. rmcnaAO -ooGeT - Los ANOELU -1 8rREARCSCO Member, Associated Collegiate Press, 1943-44 NEW YORK, March 31.-Mr. Brown, of Ohio, has introduced a resolution to investigate the Office of War Information, for the purpose of determining whether that agency is making cracks about Congress in material sent to sol- diers. This is the latest development on the "dignity of Congress" front, for defense of the dignity of Congress is now one of the chief in- dustries in Washington. Congress now spends almost an hour a day defending its dignity, before it gets down to business. Mr. Hoffman, of Michigan, usually starts off by assailing Mr. Walter Winchell. His tirade provoked so noisy a row on the floor the other day that spectators had some difficulty in following the course of the arguments being offered in behalf of the dignity of .the lower house. One of the sore points is the soldiers' vote bill. A number of members are highly indignant because the impression is perhaps being con- veyed that Congress is not in favor of universal voting by all service men. Of course, the Con- gress did pass the soldier vote bill. The bill does not provide for a universal vote. But to call attention to the fact that Congress wrote and passed this bill is considered an underhanded blow at the dignity of Congress. Any gentleman who is a gentleman will hold to the theory that the bill was written by elves and passed by pixies. The brotherhood of those who dish it out is becoming the fraternity of those who can't take it. Mr. Hoffman, for one, has established a world record for dishing it out, by rising in his place each morning, for something like 600 con- secutive mornings, each time to deliver a one- minute speech usually devoted to linking Mr. Roosevelt with the )Kremlin and the Kremlin with the American labor movement. For Mr. Hoffman to make himself the spokesman of the dignity of Congress merely means that after having thrown everything that is movable, he is now unscrewing the desks, and throwing those. Do we really have to kid ourselves on this issue? Let us let our hair down; every thoughful Congressman, of whoim there are hundreds, knows there is a small group of the ringleaders of a kind of spirit of carnival in Congress, and it is pre- cisely these who have been going around in property togas these last few weeks, passing themselves off as the true spirit of the legisla- tive branch, to which role they have rather clouded titles. So far they have attacked radio commentators mostly. They leave those who are primarily newspapermen alone, because they know that newspapers are inclined to take a dim view of any Congressman who tells their writers what they should or should not say. But radio is invested with a semi-public character; it crawls under attack, and thereby invites attack. The, movie industry used to lie on its belly in the same way, until about three years ago, when a Senate subcommittee tried to frighten it into neutrality on the question of Hitler. The movie people told the subcommittee to take a high dive, with the result that the subcommittee folded up, while motion pictures, at last accounts, still sur- vive. (Copyright, 1944. New York Post Syndicate) Editorial Staff Jane Farrant . Claire lierman . Stan Wallace Evelyn Phillips Harvey Frank Biud Low Jo Ann Peterson Mary Anne Olson Marjorie Rosmarin . . Managing Editor Editorial Director City Editor Associate Editor Sports Editor Associate Sports Editor Associate Sports Editor . Women's Editor Associate Women's Editor Staff . Business Manager Associate Business Manager I rI Business Ellzabeth A. Carpenter . Margery Batt The WASHINGTON MERRY-GO.-ROUND* I Telephone 23-24-1 NIGHT EDITOR: LOUISE COMINS -eA I':ditorials published in The Michigan Daily are written by members of The Daily staff and represent the views of the writers only. 90% VIOLATE: Local Merchants Flaunt OPA Price Regulations MOST of Washtenaw County's merchants have apparently decided to disregard their re- sponsibilities to the public in cooperating with the OPA regulations to prevent inflation. In a survey last week it was found that full compliance with the law was in effect in but 18 food stores out of 182 checked. With 90 per cent of the local stores out of l.ine, it is apparent that lack of knowledge alone can't be responsible. Store managers admittedly don't have an easy job of running their establishments with wartime restrictions, shortages and lack of help. But it is about time that they realized the necessity for complete cooperation with the OPA. Holding prices- down to within the reach of the average person is one of the toughest home front jobs and it is the duty of store owners to do their utmost along this line. Instead, the vast majority, at least in Ann Ar- bor, are taking advantage of the public by violating the regulations in every way. It may .iust be a hangover from the days of rugged individualism that enables these men to justify their actions. But during a total war it is impossible to conduct a business along lines which were satisfactory 50 years ago. -Betty Koffman E By DREW PEARSON .1 |I WASHINGTON, March 31.-Inside the Allied High Command, a private "I-told-you-so" de- bate is now going on as to who was responsible for getting the Allies boxed in Italy. U.S. Army chiefs privately point an accusing finger at Winston Churchill. The British, on the other hand, point a finger at General Marshall. As nearly as an impartial observer can as- certain, there was some blame on both sides, with the fact reasonably clear that neither the United States nor England actually wanted to strike the peninsula of Italy. It was pointed out one year ago that a campaign up the Italian peninsula would land us exactly where we are now-in a trap. It was even freely said in high military circles, last spring, that Hitler could want nothing better than to have us in- vade Central and Northern Italy. Nevertheless, that is exactly where we are now. As far as this observer can piece the story together, here is how it happened. At each conference between Churchill and Roosevelt, the question of a second front in West- ern Europe has arisen, and each time Churchill has said no. This was true at Casablanca in January, 1943, and again during the Washing- ton conference in the following May and June. During the May-June conference, the Allies were cleaning the last remnants of the Nazis out of Tunisia, and the big question was wvhether to strike next into Western Europe or into the Balkans. American war chiefs favored the for- mer drive, which the Russians had so long demanded. The British favored the Balkans. Both sides agreed that Sicily and the extreme southern boot of Italy must be taken in order to clean out Nazi submarines and protect Allied shipping in the Mediterranean. All Against Italian Campaign ... But the plain, inescapable fact is that neither sides, it was finally agreed that Germany would talk of striking through the islands of Sardinia and Corsica to the French Riviera, but no one wanted to go up the Italian peninsula and risk being trapped in a narrow area, with no room to maneuver and with the Alps to cross even after Italy was taken. So, after some rather tough talking on both side, it was finally agreed that Germany would get additional months of pounding from the air and that the second front would be postponed until German airplane factories could be sof- tened. This was a victory for Churchill. However, it was also decided that we should not invade the Balkans. This, in turn, was a victory for General Marshall. He had argued that any diversion of troops away from Eng- land for a Balkan campaign would only slow up the main objective-the second front straight at the heart of Germany. Furthermore, Marshall was reported quite piqued at the British for transferring so many combat troops out of England to the Near East between the Casablanca meeting in January and the Washington meeting in May and June. Parley Results in Compromise ... Out of this May-June conference, therefore, came the compromise of no second front, no Balkan invasion, but more air pounding of West- ern Europe, plus the conquest of Sicily and the southern boot of Italy. yAfter the May-June conference, Churchill flew from Washington to Algiers, and President Roosevelt ordered General Marshall to go with him. Churchill argued in Algiers that, once we had taken Sicily and the southern boot, we must not stop, but should plunge immediately across the Adriatic and the Aegean to Greece and Jugo- slavia. General Marshall argued to the contrary. He pointed to the submarine menace around the Aegean islands, also the difficult problem of transporting men and supplies, also the mountain barriers of the Balkans and forthcoming snow. Churchill's Arguments . . "You want to win the war quickly, don't you?" Churchill is reported to have said. "Then don't slow up after Sicily. Keep right on going into the Balkans. And he made the further plausible argument that, once Mussolini toppled, about 20 Italian divisions policing the Balkans would not know whom to serve. This moment of indecision, be- fore Hitler could rush German troops into Jugoslavia and Greece, was the time to strike, lie argued. Many of the British, and some American strategists, still think Churchill was right. Others point to the difficult problem of getting enough landing barges for a Balkan invasion. However, Churchill's Balkan invasion is still not ruled out, nor are other operations through France, Norway, Denmark, or the Lowlands. At any rate, out of this deadlock, finally came the slow advance up the Italian peninsula into the present Cassino trap-largely because the Allied armies in Southern Italy had no place else to go. (Copyright, 1944, United Features Syndicate) Asks National Service Art{ To the Editor: Well, it looks as if the government had finally caught up with you and me, the 4-F's. It's a fine thing, too. Here I am, studying engineering at the Uni- versity of Michigan, doing nothing to help the war, and yet I'm having a damn fine time. At the same time, my friends are fighting the war allover the world. There's one in Africa, several in Italy, some in England, some out in the Pacific and some of them are dead. Yes, and here I am, in the best of shape (having a wonderful time, thank you), learning a little, playing tennis, skiing, looking like anything but a physical wreck, and walking the face of this war-torn earth as a civilian. I'm rather lucky, I think. At the same time, I don't think I should be allowed to have luck, for I do not deserve it. There is nothing I would rather do than try to get into this war. I was almost in once, but I got stopped at the last moment. SO, I walk the streets, looking like the favorite son of a favorite, draft exempt. What I'd like to see is a national service act, something which would make me quit school, get into a war plant, and do a little something to ! help this war. I won't quit school I unless I'm forced to, because my father has been pointing toward this engineering education of mine for a long time. I can't stop on him. But, if I'm forced to do so by the government ... well? And while I think of it, I'd like to see a few of these women going into war work too. Nothing like a few women backing the boys at the front to help things along. Think of the morale building! And think of the plane building! But, I guess that the women realize ghat they could bee doing. Or else, why would a few of them be doing what they all should be doing? SO, let's all get into this thing. Many (I'm one of them) cannot eas- ily enter the war effort. A service act would give them the chance. Better allocation of men and women in the war would certainly help things out. Me, I'm for it, and I hope I get slapped right into a war plant where I belong! To Hell with this college life of pre-war days. Let's get fight- ing, and finish things up in a hurry. -Al Raymond DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 1944 VOL. LIV No. 108 All notices for the Daily Official Bul- letin are to be sent to the Office of the President in typewritten form by 3:30 p.m. of the day preceding its publica- tion, except on Saturday when the no- tices should be submitted by 11:30 a.m. Notices Faculty of the College of Litera- ture, Science.and the Arts: The five- week freshman reports will be due Saturday, April 8, in the Academic Counselors' Office, 108 Mason Hall. Automobile Regulation: Students possessing driving permits who have not reported the 1944 license num- bers of their cars to the Dean of Students' Office must do so at once. Failure to comply with this request will result in the loss of driving privileges. Academic Notices Geology 12 and 65: Final Make-Up Examinations for fall term will be given Saturday, April 1, in Rm. 2054, Natural Science Building, 8:30 a.m. Dr. Litchfield's Class will meet on April 8 at 10:00 a.m. in the same room. This is in place of the class that was to meet on Thursday. Preliiinary Examinations for the Doctorate in English: Those intend- ing to take the examinations this, spring should notify Professor N. E. Nelson by April 3. Hoiy Week Message I E RETURN of the Easter season brings to thoughtful persons a fresh consideration of the signifi- cance of sacrifice in society. It may appear easy for the critic to discredit this central principle of Judaism and Christianity as a bit of religious sup- erstitution arising out of the child- hood of the race. The Hebrews and other orientals thought that the blood carried the active principle of life. The offering of blood for the atonement of sin meant the offering of life. Jesus and his interpreters placed this principle at the very heart of the Christian message and the Christian life. Some years ago a group of social scientists collaborated in produ- cing a statement concerning the elements in primitive society that created social stability. Practically the entire article dealt with sacri- fice. It was pointed out that the primitive groups that developed a large measure of concern for the welfare of the group and made heroic sacrifices for the group life continued to perpetuate their kind and became the foundation of the major civilizations. On ednesday of this week a young lieutenant, soon to be oin his way overseas, visited me. He was very prominent in the ist impor- tant student activities in the Univer- sity two years ago. He expressed deep concern for our country and for our world. Our American philos- ophy of life which urges each of us to seek primarily his own good would seem to run counter to the nature of the universe and could well be the basic weakness of our society. The Eastern season calls thought- ful men to the words of the Master of Life: ". . . Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die,_ it abideth by itself alone; but if it die it beareth much fruit." -H. L. Pickerill GR IN AND BEAR IT JAY !Lichlty 7