CAPITAL COMMENT
STOUT, JONATHAN
Capital cOMMENT ^Wf m*THAM STOUT ^Conscription Is cm «*r T ASHINGTON, P. C—Opponents of labor conIjW ecriptton appearing before the Senate Military Affairs Committee, currently holding...
...Emerging from behind the closed doors of the lenate Military Affairs Committee after giving testimony on the May-Bailey bill, Patterson blandly told newsmen that he agreed with opponents of the slave tabor measure that there was no actual shortage of manpower...
...But by the time tuch court* could be established ihe whole matter would have become stale...
...The fMt ia labor conscription went into effect three week* ago...
...The '-Bailey Bill is a tough bill...
...In these cases the courts and the laws are provided...
...Its drastic terms emlabor conscription under military control, and » Penalty provided it prison...
...And we can improve or, the procedure of tho** days...
...Patterson used before were "labor shortage," which is a completely different tiling...
...K vcn without this basic weakness in its position, the Commission would face enormous difficulties...
...E^Mp^Afurod that if foot of labor conscription ™j§fit...
...Punishment to be effective mutt be quickly follow the crime...
...They could only be into aubmiasion...
...Ailoertown Finn thoy would get the MayWit borami Congress than would bo sura to ft...
...a desnthouo...
...We can afford to break a precedent for one...
...Their evil deeds have been international—*e they must be tried 4 b*for* an inlernetional court and punished by intei national powei...
...If we enforce an •* post facto law, it will be in response to a supreme human need...
...The Administration has succeeded in putting over labor conscription...
...Jt now appears that this ¦• not the intention of tho Commission...
...Whit wai done then can be done now...
...But the murder ot millions of human bofafi in Poland, Russia, Kiam« hnd nothing to do with war...
...And if thoy fought tho May-Bailey Bill it weald have to bo partly on the ground that the Adminamotion already possesses all the power needed to deal vita emergency manpower shortages and thus they wottjd have to tacitly accept the Allentown Plan...
...What 1 WMC did—end is doing—in Allentown was to draft out of non-essentisl industry by cutting the "manceilings" of non-essential planta and by refusing <>vo the drafted workers availability certificates to other job but the ones designated for them by the ?.,0/ course, tho drafted workers could not be *• *•¦*» tho jobs designated for them by the They had the free and untrammelad alternative remaininr jobless until aix months after the end of 'wnr...
...paaaafe of that bill will add that eawmnNsmeel fart of labor cenacriptien...
...In th* third class come the greatest of all criminals, tho heads of th* German government...
...tint penalty of prison to the present of starvation and government blacklisting...
...Actually, the only question involved was whether the lebor conscription would be carried out under control sf the War Manpower Commission or under that of the Amy and Navy...
...A 0/ Jeoer conscription wsA (Aus At by (A« Adm»nt«tcotton strategy between choices which, in eit/ier east, would /eree to accept ls**r conecripfUrn...
...With hundreds of thousands of Germans in her hands as prisoners of war and a rapidly growing part of German territory under her control, Russia's policy with'regard to tho punishment of Nazi crimes is of the utmost importance...
...Now that labor conscription is established, Mr...
...The theory behind (he f-Barley Bill it that legislative action is needed on ¦ completely false allegation that the Administration •owor to deal with manpower shortages...
...Perhaps the frankness in this case, too, will come ¦ter...
...In the meantime, other Nasis, much moie distinguished and definitely more responsible for German ctimes, have bom placed in high positions on the Moscow Free German Committee...
...Patterson was as frank in discasiing the Allentown Plan...
...And that still remains the only real itsse in the fight on the May-Bailey Bill...
...Great populations have suffered more than human nature can boar...
...i only add...
...The fact that labor stay be conscripted is the fundamental point of importance, not who administers it or what the penalNerertheless, the Army-Navy general staff is deter-' mined to expand the meaning of "total war" into totalitarian control Over the civilian aa well as the military activities of the nation...
...In ih|:i no law and no court existed to punish Napoleon Bonaparte...
...It wmt plain, brutal •laughter...
...Atrocities committed against inhabitants of the vai urns occupied lands must be dealt with according to the laws of those countries...
...This is a considerable difference from whst Undersecretary Patterson was saying before labor conscription became a fact The words Mr...
...It was put over not {* w*»niiurt©n but in less conspicuous Allentown, fa...
...But he was punished...
...Men ami women everywhere have been troubled by the news thai the Crime Commiulon could And no law under which to bring tba perpetrator* of thee* foul deeds to book...
...she second move was made under the cover of the ; saovo—• "hidden ball" play...
...They could not bo put in prison for refusing the WMC-deaignated Job...
...I oven ao the AeHnhniatratiea appears intent on oxtra aceorge to its armory of alare —ation you may credit Administration ¦tillnimts...
...It consist* of tho representative* of IK nation* wot including Ituui...
...A few German criminals have already been tried in the theatrical Soviet Way and have been convicted and punished...
...Ihoughtful observers here are worried by the •missus spirit exhibited in the whole affair...
...Next some misdeeds of the Naizis against citizens of Germany, whether Jews or Gentiles...
...Three Waoks ago the Administration Uolted out a "bidden halT play in the manpower muddle...
...Either the criminals will be punished legally ami regularly or we shall have an orgy of mob violence...
...But maybe that's because the military are still striving for their totalitarian control...
...THK United Nationi War Crimes Commission ha* suffered from on* basic weakness...
...A complete admission of this came this week from the Hps of Undersecretary of War Robert Patterson himself...
...The word went out that Hitler, Goring and Uoebbcls might escape...
...To try them within Germany for treason to the German state would fail to satisfy tbO conscience of mankind...
...Declaring War ia not a crime under any concept of lew hitherto hold...
...j» known as the "Allentown Plan...
...What w« do in 1945 must stand as a continuing threat to all future Hitlers...
...It proposes tht establishment of sn international court with power tn deal with these man...
...Here's bow it waa worked...
...They . ami they alone— <-a« cut through all th* precedents and red tap...
...over mora than a year Groat Britain and the United States have bean slowly coming to an agreemeant as to principles and procedures, in the meantime, the Russians have dealt with Nazis in their own way...
...The United Nations ear neat* the beginning of a framework of International law to apply to all such cases from now en...
...Roughly apeaking there are three torts of crimes to he dealt with...
...Wwinint move was to rivet all eyes on Congress by • determined Administration drive to put the Mayg^gKflyp*** ** *»• Bouse...
...frem the beginning the campaign of the Administratiea and the military general staff to put over labor eeasrription on a free people has been based on •etregeously false propaganda...
...And the touchgj**** in this "hidden ball" play waa scored not by Contat by the War Manpower ( Commission...
...Capital cOMMENT ^Wf m*THAM STOUT ^Conscription Is cm «*r T ASHINGTON, P. C—Opponents of labor conIjW ecriptton appearing before the Senate Military Affairs Committee, currently holding rlosed hearings on the May-Bailey slave labor bill, are beating...
...Under such circumstances the heads of the three great powers are meeting...
...For all practical purposes the Allentown Plan is more important than the May-Bailey Bill...
...What Courts for German Crimes...
...Patterson can afford to tell the truth on tint point It eannot be said Mr...
...To In effective, such action must be regularjxed...
...Rnough has happened In France and Italy to give ui fair warning...
...The lag between law and human need must be closed, Any other course would expos* us to tragic danger...
...It has not been approved by the constituent governments, and no steps have boon taken to appoint judges or to give them a set of laws under which to act...
...Ami a choice bit ef irony i. thai opponents of §5n*or cs ascription this week ware forced into the position ef supporting that fmit mrromplil Actually, •the battle now being waged ia the Sonata on the |s* Ml in » bkouy belt I. Contrary te the isapreesioa...
...The American State Department and th* Crimes Commission) sie, apparently, agreed that those who have committed crimes against Germans within Germany must bt triad befort an international court...
...Decisions reached by the Crimea Commission without Russian collaboration can have only limited authority...
...Again and again, miliiar*ferais hats have gone on record with scare stories af Bjanpower shortages which subsequent investigation estatqf exploded aa misleading or completely false...
...There is only, he said, "misapplied manpower...
...The difficulty will bffio find the culprits, transport them to the scene of^fheii wrong-doing and produce witnesses against them...
...But this whole vital part of our war effort win be stymie* unless Britain, th* United State* and Russia find a way ef getting legelhe...
...But—with tho war against Germany in its last months—this is stilt nothing but sn idea...
...And we shall be furnishing a beneficent framework of law for the future...
...And in this it has the backing ef tie Administration...
...Through th* labors of this Commission stretchins...
...Prompt action in this direction will improve the morale of our men in tit* fighting ranks and serve as one of the foundation stones for an enduring peac...
...Theoretically these ahould bo dealt with by German courts in si - cordance with German law...
Vol. 28 • February 1945 • No. 6
