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Show Hl'SKIA WAR TALK j WASHINGTON. It's no secret that there's been considerable talk t among the brass huts in the Pentagon Penta-gon building about war with Rus-sin. Rus-sin. Some of this comes from men ! who honestly feel war is inevitable and favor getting it over wilh right now. Others chielly favor a little I war talk because of Its help in passing pass-ing military conscription. However, there can be no doubt about the views of the top military man In the war department Gen. Dwight Eisenhower. Two or three weeks ago, Eisenhower Eisen-hower was attending a Washington dinner party when people began to talk about war with Russia. Irked by the conversation, he remarked that he was "amazed that so many people should suddenly be seriously considering the idea of war with Russia." Then the chief of staff proceeded to give a pointed lecture on the foolishness fool-ishness of this war talk, which can be briefly summarized as follows: "People who want war should only think a few minutes about the sacrifice Russia has made in the past five years a loss of life and property so large we cannot conceive of it. A people who have suffered such a loss will not turn tail before any military force in the world today. to-day. But at the same time they will not go out and look for another an-other war. "And neither will we. This country coun-try is no more anxious to go to war with Russia. Our losses are great, and we want no more. Certainly Cer-tainly the American people do not want to get involved in a war in which there can be no end but the destruction of the greater part of the world. "We have nothing to gain to start with, and would have nothing noth-ing left when it is over." ANTI-HOUSING LOBBY Most powerful lobby since the war threw itself into the battle to defeat de-feat the Wyatt housing program for veterans. Every congressman received re-ceived wires, phone calls, letters from builders, lumber dealers, real estate men. Many telegrams were phony, as several congressmen discovered discov-ered when they tried to answer ihem. Others were signed with the names of people who later assured members of congress . that they had not seen or sent the wires. These tactics, of course, have been used before. The prize telegram, however, was one sent to all congressmen from the St. Paul-Minneapolis area by the Northwestern Flooring and Lumber company, of which V. H. Alberts is president. After urging that the veterans' housing program be defeated, the lumber company had the gall to add: "Please also exert your efforts to oppose a standing vote on these issues." a NO TRUMAN ROAD Folks back in Jackson county. Mo., usually are willing to go the limit for any honor to their native son, Harry Truman. But a recent proposal pro-posal to change the name of Van Horn road, an important traffic artery ar-tery named after an early county pioneer, met with' a storm of protest. pro-test. Some of the rural citizens balked at stealing one person's tombstone to honor another. Van Horn road was named after Col. R. T. Van Horn, who settled in the county in 1855 when Kansas City's population was about 455. He became mayor of Kansas City, was active in Missouri politics, and bought the county's first newspaper, later the Kansas City Journal, now defunct. WALLACE AND ICKES Henry Wallace and Harold Ickes, although agreeing on basic political Ideals, have never been warm friends. For 13 long years they served in the same cabinet, but part of the time they fought like cat and dog over who was to run the forest service and the soil conservation conserva-tion service. Ickes' exit from the Truman cabinet has left Wallace as the last of the original Roosevelt New Dealers, and the only cabinet cabi-net member wilh a powerful hold on independent voters. An original Republican as was Ickes Wallace is strong with . the Negro voters, labor, and the independent liberals. As a result, Wallace's position inside in-side the administration is better than ever. Truman and Bob Hannegan both are anxious to retain at least one all-out New Dealer. Wallace is their man. SOUTHERN LABOR DRIVE One of the most important laboi decisions since the CIO broke away from the AFL has just been taken. Phil Murray, head of the CIO, has decided to pour one million dollars into the greatest union organizing drive the south has ever seen. In a few weeks, CIO organizers by the hundreds will begin moving into Georgia. Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Ala-bama, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, intent on organizing all unorganized labor, both Negro and white. |