| Show J f The TheBy National Whirligig r rBY X By Ray Tucker Telegrams Telegram's Washington Co Correspondent WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Aside Aside from the fine fighting qualities of our soldiers and sailors when properly properly properly prop prop- erly equipped the one bright spot for the united nations nations has has been the demonstration that surgical and medical progress will reduce casualties far below the awful totals of the first World war Bataan and Hawaii proved that the healing sciences have kept abreast of Improvements improvements improvements improve improve- ments in the art of organized slaughter Decease or amputation of the affected limb was the fate of burned and wounded men in the thelast thelast thelast last c conflict if they could not be rushed to a fairly elaborate field dressing station almost imme imme- Fatalities from poisoning poisoning poisoning poison poison- ing ran high But at Pearl Harbor Harbor Harbor Har Har- bor there was only one victim of gas gangrene The number of sufferers from fractures and severe hurts who will soon be beon beon beon on their feet again cheered the medicos Principal reason for these gains is the widespread use of the drugs With remarkable remarkable remarkable remark remark- able foresight our armed forces have piled up a tremendous re reserve reserve reserve re- re serve of this medicine in anticipation anticipation anticipation antici antici- pation of the flung far-flung battle line we may be called upon to hold I Washington's sober reaction to axis victories at Singapore and in the British channel has been a mixture of despair and bitterness In this hour of self examina tion it gave nobody consolation that the disasters capped weeks of blundering rolling log-rolling and smug preachments from the very highest quarters The blame was distributed with a generous hand and without regard for whom it hurt O 0 P M was denounced for its inexplicable delay in converting key industries to military pro pro- Congressmen conceded that their enactment of a retirement bill at this time was almost a capital crime The administration was flayed for its tenderness toward enemy aliens carelessness at Pearl and New York harbors failure to supply the Dutch with w th more arms refusal to abandon the reform reform reform re re- re- re form crusade till the fight is won Secretaries Knox and Stimson Stimson Stimson son were pictured as too elderly and inefficient self-assured self and defiant defiant defiant de de- de- de fiant response to critics was held to be symptomatic of the official and national spirit All cries for a housecleaning however were tempered by the realization that congress has placed control of the war mak ing machinery in the hands of one man President man President Roosevelt And even he cannot weed out the inept figures around him No matter how competent they might be new men in war navy state or W P B would have to spend months learning the rudiments rudiments rudiments rudi rudi- ments and catching up on the past You cannot change generals generals generals gen gen- captains corporals and stretcher-bearers stretcher when the battle battle battle bat bat- tle is going the other way so rapidly The civil service commissions commission's lack of interest in petty matters matters matters mat mat- has been kept at a high standard even during the most politically minded regimes It has been like Caesars Caesar's wife in a city of partisan bondage But its foot slipped and it lost its reputation during the turmoil over congressional pensions When Senator Byrd declared that a legislator could retire merely by paying 5 per percent percent percent cent of his salary for his final day representatives who favor the scheme branded the Virginian Virginian Virginian Vir Vir- ginian as an actuarial prevaricator prevaricator prevaricator cator or something like that Then the commission entered the controversy and issued an official official official cial statement indirectly in indorsing indorsing indorsing in- in dorsing the annuity program and denying the truth of the I senators senator's charge Chairman Harry B. B Mitchell subsequently confessed that his pronouncement was forced from him by influential members of the house It was obtained under under under un un- un- un der a polite form of duress The guardians of nonpartisanship nonpartisan ship in government have since retracted and conceded that the insurance insurance insurance ance can be bought at basement bargain prices Censorship Director Byron Price can suppress or revise stories except those about him him- self He is not a man of war and therefore his movements may be described by Washington Washing Washing- ton writers The newspaperman ex-newspaperman wishes that his authority to pencil blue-pencil included articles in which he figures for recently a popular magazine carried a piece that was slightly incorrect It said that he owned a luxurious home in a Washington suburb valued at He once possessed a residence but he sold it He still holds title to a house but that is rented under a long lease His federal salary was placed at whereas he is a 1 l-a- l a- a year man His former employer carries him on the payroll but not at the fancy sum sum mentioned by the uncensored author Copyright 1942 McClure Syndicate |
