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Show Released by Western Newspaper Union. GOVERNMENT CRITICISM IN WARTIME WE AMERICANS find it hard to imagine frank and open criticism of government in England, when the nation is at war. That is the English Eng-lish way that has been in vogue for more than a century. During the days of World War I, I listened to the brayings of soap-box orators around Trafalgar square, the gathering gath-ering place of the critics and the discontented. dis-contented. English bobbies were there in numbers, but they made no effort to stop the harangues. The orators could condemn and view with alarm anything and everything, so long as they did not advise violence vio-lence for the overthrow of the government. gov-ernment. Any talk of guns and bombs as a means of remedying conditions was not permitted. The English are willing that the agitators agita-tors should talk as a means of keeping keep-ing them out in the open and permitting per-mitting them to let off steam. They do not fear the effect of what such people may say, but do not want them conspiring under ground. Trafalgar Tra-falgar square is a paradise for the "woolies" and the "wobblies," for all who have a panacea to offer for what they consider social ills. It is the open air free show of London in war time, as well as in peace time. ... IRISH FREEDOM PROBLEM FOR BRITISH IN DUBLIN, IRELAND, in the fall of 1918, just before the close of World War I, I met Countess Plunk-ett. Plunk-ett. She was a radical Shinn Feiner, loudly voicing a demand for Irish freedom. She insisted Ireland be given the same kind of freedom as that enjoyed by people of the United States and denounced England in every possible term. As she was a countess, I could not understand her violent antipathy to England and asked the "why" of it. "Because the English shot my son," she replied. After another question, I learned that her son had been engaged in the Easter uprising in England; had been caught redhanded; had, after two months in jail, a civil trial and was convicted of treason and shot. "You want for Ireland our American Ameri-can brand of freedom," I said. "Ireland is a part of the British empire. In the United States, I live in Illinois. It is a part of the United States. As a citizen of Illinois, had I en3ged in an uprising against the United States in time of war and been caught at it, I would have been tried by a drumhead court martial and shot at sunrise. We value our freedom, which we pay for with loyalty loy-alty to the existing government. Is that the kind of freedom you want? I did not get an answer to the question but in time Ireland got the freedom the lady was demanding. ... CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES AND WAR WORKING HOURS I HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY for informal conversations with several sev-eral candidates for congress. Off the record each one has told me he is opposed to the maintenance of the 40-hour week in war production plants; to the forcing of the closed shop, and the enforced payment of tribute to labor racketeers by employees em-ployees in such plants; to all unnecessary un-necessary governmental expenditures expendi-tures for civil activities. But all that is "off the record" in all but one case. One candidate was saying the same things publicly. The others were fearful of the votes they would lose if it were known they opposed the racketeering methods of labor leaders, longer working hours or the curtailment of governmental spending. spend-ing. Their one thought was to be elected on whatever platform would capture the most votes. There is but one really honest man among those with whom I have talked, one man for whom I should like to vote. I have never believed the two-faced man could make an acceptable representative rep-resentative of the people. ... 40-HOUR WEEK IN PRE-WAR FRANCE BEFORE THE PRESENT world conflict started, the French government govern-ment was so intent on establishing and maintaining social advances, it did not have an opportunity to prepare pre-pare to meet the German menace. With a 40-hour work week, the manpower man-power of France could not, or did not, produce guns and tanks and planes in quantities to offset those produced by the much longer working work-ing hours in Germany. France maintained its social advances ad-vances but could not stop the advance ad-vance of the German army. As a result, the French workman is a slave to Hitler today. He works the number of hours Hitler tells him to work; he eats what Hitler permits him to have. ... SOME AMERICANS have slowed down. They are the ones who were in such a hurry to get places that they burned out their tires by fast driving. Now they are walking and will continue to do so for the duration. dura-tion. ... ANOTHER WINTER IS ON THE WAY and with its arrival General Frost will again take over the Russian Rus-sian offensive. He represents a tough nut for Adolf to crack. Let us hope for his early arrival. Buy Y-ir Bonds |