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• Motive Clear In Jap Claims Of Victories By DAVID LAWRENCE. For several days now the Japanese have broadcast claims that their navy has in the past 10 days sunk several of our warships in the fight ing in and around the Sol omons. But our own Navy De partment has announced that the reports are untrue. The question arises as to what the motive of the Japanese g overnment happens to be in broadcasting SUCh fantastic David Lawrence, claims. The reasons are well un derstood by military people, but perhaps not by the general public. First, the Japanese object is to confuse the American people and cause distress and anxiety to the families and friends of the many boys who are aboard our ships in the Pacific—which happens at the moment to be a considerable part of our Navy. Bolster Own Morale. . Second, the Japanese are trying not only to bolster up the morale of their own people, but to check mate or discount wherever possible in the Far East, and especially in the occupied countries like China and the Netherlands East Indies, the favorable impressions created by the news broadcasts of American naval and air victories in the Pa cific. The Japanese propagandists at Tokio know when the Americans have won a naval battle or in flicted severe damage by air and they know about it even before our own officials find it desirable to make public announcement. So the j opportunity is afforded Tokio to send out broadcasts with extrava gant claims. The more severe the1 defeat administered to the Japanese! the more likely are the broadcasts! to be sweeping in their claims. Third, the Japanese airmen and naval officers reporting on what damage they have inflicted some-1 times exaggerate their exploits and sometimes report inaccurately be cause they do not actually know what damage has been done. Aerial photographs taken in the past of some of our own damaged ships sometimes show a lot of smoke or fire w’hich looks as if it must have meant the ultimate destruction of the ship and yet a surprisingly short time was needed to make repairs and put the ship in commission again. Fishing for Information. Fourth, the Japanese intelligence system is fishing for information. It often seeks to know whether cer- j tain ships are in a given area. Thus the Japanese last week didn't know whether our naval aircraft' carriers were close to Rabaul or whether all the attacks were com ing from General MacArthur's air bases in New Guinea. Tire fact is we struck at Rabaul several times from different directions. Subse quently it was announced that naval carriers had participated in the op erations. The Japanese also wanted to know whether any battleships were in the vicinity and how many. They hoped our naval authorities w’ould answer their inquiries, but to date nothing at all has been said on the subject and the Japanese are still guessing and fishing. One method of trying to get in formation is to spread a rumor about a particular ship in the belief that the American naval base will begin asking questions and start radio communication with the ship in question. There are mechanical de vices nowadays whereby the enemy can detect the approximate location of a ship by evaluating the strength of its radio impulses while sending messages. So it is important for ships in certain circumstances to keep their radio apparatus silent. It is to force the opening of communi cation to check rumors 'hat enemy claims are often spread, but the trick is well known to our Navy and the Japanese cannot hope to profit by any lapse in that respect. Variation in Reports. As to all reports of air attacks, these must occasionally be discount ed because we have no means of knowing how extensively an enemy warship has been damaged. The Japanese were certainly deceived about the repairs we made to certain vessels reconstructed after Pearl Harbor. The variation in our own reports' as to damage done the Japanese has been slight compared to the varia tion w'hich the Japanese themselves have revealed in their sweeping claims. It is true that occasionally when they hit a destroyer, they call it a cruiser and when they hit a transport they call it a battleship. Perhaps it looks that way from the eir. It Is to offset the possible ill effect Of the Japanese claims that the Navy Department in the past 24 hours has announced that all American vessels actually sunk have been announced. It is apparent that American naval forces have just won a brilliant vic tory in the Southwest Pacific and in due time the peoples of China, the Philippines and Netherlands East Indies will learn all about it. (Reproduction Rights Reserved.) 9 To Relieve Dandruff. Dryness. B 9 Oillness. Falling Hair ■ ■ 41 years' experience Best, available 9 A modern eaulpment. Nominal rates 9 ■ Exclusive men's department, sepa- ■ ■ rate entrance. ■ ■ Morgoret E. Scheetxe, Inc. £ 9 1146 Conn. Ave. N.W. Nat l 2626 £ I The Political Mill— * By GOULD LINCOLN. The Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections and the House Committee on the Election of President, Vice President and R e presenta tives in Con gress are meeting dif f i c u lties in their efforts to whip into shape a bill which will make it pos sible for men in the armed forces to vote in the 1944 national elec tion, wher ever they may be stationed. The committee members are all anx ious to give every man in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard an opportunity to vote. Tire mechanics of the thing, plus several constitutional questions, are proving knotty problems. Similar bills have been pre sented, in the Senate by Senators Green of Rhode Island and Lucas of Illinois and in the House by Representative Worley of Texas, chairman of the Elec tion Committee. The commit tees of both houses have held hearings and are seeking to per fect the bills. These bills call for the appointment of a “United States War Ballot Commission" to have charge of the dissemi nation and collection of "Federal war ballots " These ballots are to be cast only for presidential and vice presidential electors and for Senators and Representatives. If the men wish to vote for State officers as well, they must ob tain absentee ballots in the reg ular way from their States and districts. The bills waive regis tration, even though State laws and some State constitutions re quire the voters to be personally registered. They also specify that no poll tax shall be required. If a man makes use of the State absentee ballot, he cannot also use a Federal war ballot. 10,000.000 May Be in Services. It has been estimated that 10.000,000 men will be in armed services and as many as 5,000, 000, will be overseas by the time the election rolls round next year—provided the war does not end In one part of the world or the other in the interim. Only those who are 21 years of age or older will be eligible to vote. Tire bills also provide .for vot ing members of the merchant marine and civilians outside the United States vho are serving with the armed forces or who are employes of the United States. There is a definite move on foot, however, to eliminate these cata gories and to confine the bill to men in the armed forces. One of the physical difficulties lies in the fact that the nominat ing primaries for members of the House and Senate in several of the States are not held until September 19, 1944. Massa chusetts, New York and Wiscon sin all hold their primary elec tions on that date. Tho results of these elections must be prop erly certified before the names of the candidates can be placed on the proposed Federal war bal lots. This may take another week or two. The problem then will be one of getting the ballots into the hands of the men overseas and back to their States in time for the election November 7. Prnpnsal Criticized. The original proposal for the appointment of the War Ballot Commission placed the appoint ing power in the hands of the President, the appointments to be confirmed by the Senate. It called for the appointment of at least two members of the Demo cratic party and at least two members of the Republican party. This proposal has been criticized by Representative Martin of Massachusetts, Republican lead er of the House, and others on the ground that under it the President not only could appoint three Democrats, a majority of the commission, but also could select Republicans who would not be acceptable to the Republican party. It has been suggested that the Republican members be selected by the chairman of the Repub lican National Committee and the Democratic members by the chairman of the Democratic Na tional Committee, and that the fifth member be a Federal judge, selected by the Chief Justice. This has met with considerable approval. But the question has been raised whether it is possible for Congress to take the ap pointive power away from the President, when these officials are to be officials of the United States Government. It Is ques tionable whether either political party, however, desires to have the head of an opposing party name the election officials who are to serve as representatives of the other party. In the States governed by Republican Gov ernors, for example, the Demo crats would not agree to allow the Governor to name their elec tion officials and vice versa. A subcommittee of the Senate Privileges and Elections Commit tee has reported a bill to the full committee ^fter amending the section relating to the appoint ment of a War Ballot Commis sion. The new form calls for a commission of four members, two from the party casting the largest popular vote and two from the party casting the second largest vote. The appointments are to be made by the President and con firmed by the Senate. In case of a tie vote in the commission, the President is to request the Chief Justice to designate an associate justice of the court, or a circuit judge or a judge of the United States Court of Appeals of the District to decide the matter at issue, and to serve as temporary chairman. Plan Causes Anxiety. Many members of Congress look askance upon a •'Federal ballot.” They do not like the idea that the Federal Govern ment shall take charge of any part of the elections held in their States. They fear a precedent which may rise to plague them in the future. If this kind of thing can be done in war time, they argue, it might be attempted in peace time—and election ma chinery be taken out of the hands of the States, so far as President, Vice President and members of Congress are concerned. At pres ent there are bills pending which seek to extend Federal power over elections. One would by Federal statute provide that no State shall levy a poll tax. The other would make the time of voting— the hours during which the polls shall remain open—the same in all States. At present the States regulate the hours of voting. Since the recent elections, which went strongly Republican in several States, the determina tion to have the votes of the men in the armed services counted in next year’s elections has gained in strength. It has been a Demo cratic contention that the young men of the country have been in clined to vote Democratic. The Republicans are anxious because they fear that, after the candidates for President have beer, nominated, they may not have as good a chance to get their case before the overseas men as have the Democrats, particularly should President Roosevelt be re nominated. Finally, some members of Con gress point out that the consti tutionality of the proposed law may be challenged, which would have the effect of throwing the whole thing into the courts—and the election of a President possi bly into the House. Nursery Schoo! Graduates To Get AWVS Awards Twenty-four members of the nursery school volunteer division of the American Women’s Voluntary; Services will be awarded child care1 ude certificates at 3:15 p.m. tomor row at AWVS headquarters, 1520 Twenty-second street N.W., by Miss Christine Glass, director of the class Miss Adelia B. Heiney, nursery specialist in the extended school for Services to Children of Working Mothers, will address the graduates, j The graduates have completed 50 j hours of practice teaching and a lee-' ture course and now will serve asi volunteers in District war nursery schools. They are: Alston. Mrs, A, Jones. Mi.'S Sally Arden Mrs. F. Knight. Mrs, E G. Atkinson. Mrs. R. Luff Mrs W. J. Austin Mrs, D Muth. Mrs. G E Barrett. Miss Vivian Porter. Mrs. H C. Bobbitt. Mrs. John Porter. Mrs. Phil Cohen. Mrs. Eioise Powell Mrs. M Cohen, Mrs. V, W, Smith. Mrs. E W. Clark. Mrs. David Smith. Miss Therell Crammon Mrs. G Washington Mrs, J Dickey. Mrs. R . 3d. Watson. Mrs. R M. Hayes. Mrs. A. Harris Mrs. M. E Pontiac BRAKES REUNEDS8 #95 CLIFT’SsIrvIce 1‘t Duplicated D C Testing Machine Lininrs Guaranteed 20-000 Miles. 2002 K St. N.W. ME. 6232 !| | BJnst Received ■ The new shipment just arrived from Scotland &| jg^ includes seme very nice designs in Hand-v/oven M 1= Harris Tweeds suitable for suits or tcpcoats. = B Custom Made—No || Advance in Prices $48*^^ to measure ^ H English Worsteds || 1 *48-50 I I Eoutsi Proton | English Custom Tailors TJ? Civilian & Military = 812 14th Street N.W. RE. 1396 jj London—England—Leeds = I lllllllllllllfflllllllllllllllllffllllllllllllllMW .i^-J mana=aB=^mga==amtrrn,- ■ c==p==g=J=:===^^—~— - ' " f I -- —--- ■ - -.- ____- - I'd Rather Be Right— By SAMUEL GRAFTON. There is a new kind of toughness in this town. I have spent a rushed day in the capital, with various of ficials, and there is a cockiness, a confidence, a healthiness, I did not always feel on previous visits. It is the kind of change which might es cape an observer who lives in the capital continu ously. I was trying to put this change into words when I came across the Official So- S»mu«l Grafton, viet review of the summer's fight ing on the eastern front. One para graph in that Soviet statement jumps at the reader with sparkling force. After describing the failure of the German July offensive in the Orel-Belgorod regions, the Soviets say: "The results of the summer battles showed that this new Ger man strategic plan was based on an unreal estimation of the relation of forces, was adventurous from be ginning to end, and failed disgrace fully.'' That is contempt. But it is not contempt on ideological grounds, it is not contempt of the Germans as Fascists. It is professional contempt, the contempt of a good shoemaker for a bad shoemaker. It is detached and objective contempt. New Film Praised. If you would understand why the Russians have been so successful, you could do no better than read that paragraph five or ten times. Everything the Russians have done is in it Their curious ability to esti mate the enemy’s forces, without blinking; then to estimate their own, also without blinking; then, to work out, objectively and unemo tionally, a policy which precisely fits the relationship between the two, attempting no more than can be done, but no less, either; all this is revealed in the one comment on the Germans. And if you are for tunate enough to see the brilliant new Army film, ’’The Battle of Rus sia,” you will see this kind of think ing actually pictured on the screen. All the world knew, for example, that tanks could beat foot soldiers. Tne French, as an intelligent peo ple. knew it, and conceded, almost as soon as the tanks appeared. The Russians wondered whether tanks could beat traffic jams in the nar row streets of cities; traffic jams created by foot soldiers hurling hand grenades. It turned out they could not. Ice Is Not Water. During the first winter of the Leningrad siege, when the city was cut off, the Russians saved the town by buiWing a temporary 100-mile long railroad on the frozen surface of Lake Ladoga, thus obtaining a supply route. Everybody knows you can't build railroads on water. The Germans knew it. They considered the lake their ally. They depended on it. But what of water when it becomes ice? The freezing of the water had introduced a new- factor into the situation, and the Russians took precise, methodical, objective advantage of that new factor. The profound difference between water and ice had escaped the Nazis, That is not genius, unless clarity can be called genius. The chief les son of the Russian campaign to the western world ought to be that a cold, unblinking examination of facts, understanding of facts, is the first step toward control of facts. Prom understanding there follows plan, and the courage to apply plan. Romantic Daze Ends. Well, back to Washington. The feeling I had here on this trip was that we are finally getting out of the romantic daze In which we have been trying to live for a generation. We are at last making policy as a cobbler makes shoes. The future which follows the Moscow Declara tions Is not going to be a future of hunch plays and bright ideas. It is, I think, going to be based on a real “estimation of the relation of forces." We realize now that Franco is not a force; that while frozen water may sometime come in handy, an Otto of Austria will not; when you lean on him, nothing is there. To be sure, some recent converts to idealism want to start a big cam paign to keep Russia out of, say, Lithuania: a campaign that is prob ably based on an unreal estimation of the relation of forces, and one which might also be described as adventurous from beginning to end For there is, as I say, a new mood in Washington; the mood of men who have come out of a fog, men who see what happened to the Ger mans when they lost touch with the real w'orld, when they began to base their analyses on wish, and anger. Even the shapeless waters turned against them; even the snow be came their enemy. 82nd Dog Here Found Infected With Rabies Another dog has been found in fected with rabies, the Health De partment announced last week. The new report brings to 82 the num ber of animals found infected with the disease this year. The dog showed symptoms of the disease on Saturday, and was taken to a veterinarian by its owner, who lives in the 4400 biock of Edmonds street N.W. It went to the pound on Monday and died Tuesday night Since the dog had licked a cut hand of its owner, the department considered the owner exposed, thus bringing the total number of per sons bitten or exposed to rabid ani mals to 91. Evereif Tells of Penicillin Tests in Venereal Disease Research in the use of penicillin as a treatment for venereal diseases is being conducted but shortage of the drug makes adequate trial im possible at this time, according to Ray H. Everett, executive secretary. District of Columbia Social Hygiene Society. "No assurance can be given re garding its usefulness in syphilis treatment." said Mr. Everett. "The drug has been tried out in a few cases with interesting immediate re sults, but no one knows what the more important lasting effects will be.” In gonorrhea, he states, results WOOLENS 100^ all-wool materials including gabardines, worsteds cheviots, cov erts. ’weeds and uniform material— for men's and women's Fall clothing. Capitol Woolen House 819 9th St. N.W. MEt. 3379 This Changing World— By CONSTANTINE BROWN. The question of whether the United States will continue to provide the 10 available French divisions with the necessary war material and whether we shall continue to send food and other ci vilian essen tials to North Africa has been submit ted to the se rious consid eration of President Roosevelt. The abrupt way in which Con»l»ntlne Brown. Gen. De Gaulle has disposed of Gen. Giraud, his co-president in the Committee of National Lib eration, has set responsible offi cials in Washington wondering what the future plans of the po litically minded general may be. It was accepted in most well informed quarters in Washington that Gen. de Gaulle had gained the upper hand in the adminis tration of North Africa and that Gen. Giraud had become a mere figurehead. But it was believed that in view 'of our positive insistence that the De Gaullists should have nothing to do with the military affairs, which were to remain under Gen. Giraud's control Gen. de Gaulle would hesitate to kick out his colleague. Giraud Heads Armies. Gen. Giraud has been retained as commander in chief of the French armies, but it is realized that this is only a nominal and temporary title. He has been sheared of all power and must henceforth accept the orders of the committeemen just like any other soldier. High Washington officials are wondering what these official orders will be hence forth. The new setup established at Algiers has a very definite Com munistic leaning. Even De Gaul lists such as Gen. Gatreux and Gen. Gentilhomme have been given positions of little or no responsibility. A more thorough purge of all these individuals who might be suspected of not being in full agreement with the set ting up of a Communist govern ment in France are being grad ually eased out of their positions. Gen. de Gaulle himself will be able to keep his present position only if he co-operates 100 per cent with his Communist follow ers in France. The fact that the Communist representative, Fer nand Grenier, who was offered a position in the cabinet by De Gaulle, was not permitted by the “party” to accept is a clear indi cation of how the wind blows. The Communists want no dummy appointed by somebody who has not become a full-fledged mem ber of the party. They want to choose their own men who will enter and eventually run the Al giers committee. This adminis tration, which Russia has recog nized as a real government, is ex pected to become the government of France as soon as the Nazis ate driven out. And the French Com munists do not wish any pinks or semi-Reds in the new govern ment which will be established in that country. Soviet Relations Cordial. Our relations with the U. 6. S. R. are more cordial than ever. It is pointed out that the Amer ican Government is willing to fight alongside the Russians and work with the Soviet government after the war in the most com plete harmony. But that does not mean this Government is will ing to indorse Communist theo ries outside of Russia. We have pledged our word that France will be restored and will be given every freedom to elect her own government after her liberation. But now, as in the past, we can not accept a ready-made govern ment, such as that of De Gaulle and permit it to impose itself on the French people with troops armed for such a purpose by the American Government. We sent war materials to North Africa to enable French soldiers to fight for the liberation of their country on the side of their asso ciates. There was no question of the French bargaining as to where they should fight. If Gen. Eisenhower, as commander in chief of the Allied forces, de cided he needed French troops to fight the Nazis in Italy the French had agreed to send their men there. For the time being, Gen. Eisenhower has had no trouble with the French high command. But Gen. Giraud was free to act independently of the Algiers committee. The question arises now' that the committee has taken over the powers of a real government, if it will allow the same inde pendence to the French command er of the ground and air forces. Should there be any doubt on that score, it is probable that the flow of American supplies to North Africa w'ill be considerably slowed down. have been encouraging in certain cases where the sulfa drugs failed to' cure. No supply of the penicillin is. available for large scale testing,j however, he points out. Mr. Everett warns against self treatment of gonorrhea with sulfa drugs, stating that a patient should be under medical supervision when taking any sulfa drug. A Beautiful TJILE Adds So Much * j?i ... a gracious welcome in your foyer . . . color and charm before a sofa . . . convenience beside a wing chair. Add to these the luster of fine woods, the grace of beautiful design and you have one of the loveliest of possessions for your ? home. (A) SOLID MAHOGANY LAMP TABLE With droplids and handy <1 x qc drawer _ (B) SOLID MAHOGANY LAMP TABLE Beautiful hand-rubbed fin- nc ish. Large shelf for books.. (C) MAHOGANY VENEER LAMP TABLE With droplids and a con- r* nr venient drawer_ (D) TWO-DRAWER CONSOLE TABLE Solid mahogany top, hand- c< m Qc rubbed finish... *|4'y;> (E) DECORATIVE END TABLE Solid mahogany top, hand- «aqc rubbed finish_ (F) TILT-TOP LAMP TABLE Pie-crust top in rich ma- tnqc hogany finish__ J'*3 I iURHIVUM CO Your Home l$ What We Make It 8th Gr PENNSYLVANIA AVE. S.E. Open Nights Until 9, Saturday Until s FRANKLIN 8080 McEvoy— Offers Sage Advice To Newlyweds Henry L. McLemore’s columns have been limited to one a week by the War Department while he is undergoing training. By J. P. McEVOY. Puzzled no end these days. Not about world affairs—not about postwar planning. A simple peasant like me doesn’t have to wear him self out strug gling with Ideas beyond his strength. I can always turn & dial and a big, heavy, Intel lectual thinker will come bob bing up through a Sargasso Sea of commercials, spit out a cosmic pronunciamento and submerge j. p. mcEtot. with a gurgle of profound satisfaction. Ah, what an age to be living in! Ana yet i have a private puzzle that nobody can solve for me. Are the girls getting more beautiful or am I getting older? And the brides —are they getting younger or are these ancient eyes playing me tricks? Hardly a day passes but a starry eyed little couple come toddling out of the nursery hand in hand, knock timidly on the door and ask if I would advise them about the great world outside—and especially about marriage, because I must know all about it since man and boy I’ve been married several generations now, and what have I learned and how much of it can be told, or is it some kind of a secret society with rituals, grips and a lot of incompre hensible passwords? Marriage Survives, I always haul off and say the trouble with marriage is that too many old fossils are always hauling off and saying, “The trouble with marriage is . . Marriage is a tough old institution that has managed to survive its dearest friends and severest critics—and I should know, having spent all my adult life either in said institution or out on parole. Of course, nobody can tell any body what marriage is like. But the new’ members in the lodge can get some idea from the old story of the New’ England town meeting—how everybody got together in the old meeting house and passed three resolutions. First,’ they agreed to build a new meeting house. Second, they agreed to build the new meet ing house out of the materials of the old meeting house. Third, they agreed to use the old meeting house w’hile they were building the new one. And then they adjourned. I claim it is at this point that marriages begin. Two people get together and agree to build a new life. They also agree that they are going to use the old materials to build their new’ life. And finally, they agree not to change each other while they are building this new life. The only difference is that they can't adjourn like the New England villages and leave the job to some third parties. They're stuck with it. Takes a Heap of Giving. Now- it's possible to change an old house into a new house and go on living in it while the alterations are being made. But it takes a lot of doing to carry on with carpenters perpetually underfoot and painters overhead. I tell my little starry-eyed friends, “You can learn to eat and sleep and molt and mate and raise your young in the midst of that per petual hammering, sawing, plaster ing, papering and shingling called marriage, but—to paraphrase Eddie Quest—it takes a heap of givin’ (and takin’i in a house to make it home.” My little, starry-eyed friends ask me if that doesn't get on a fellow's nerves. And I tell them anybody with nerves has no business getting married. Nerves are something the bride should put in that bouquet when she throws it away. Nerves are w’hat the bridegroom should put in that envelope and hand to the preacher with the fee. Then I take them to the door and ;bow them out with this parting ad vice: "When you wake up tomorrow ! morning with your little ears full of rice, remember to say, ‘We can live happily ever after if we remember that we are the newest tenants in an old, old house called marriage— and the first thing we must do is nail up a permanent sign outside which will read Business Going On as Usual During Alterations!’" (Distributed by McNautht Syndicate, Inc ) \A ELECTRICAL 1 REPAIRING ^ OF SMALL APPLIANCES Yes, sir! You cm smile without a thought of your plate with that great dentist's formula. Stera-KIeen, to keep it cle'ared of stains and film. A daily Stera-KIeen bath (ten min utes or overnight) cleans teeth immaculately; keeps them natural looking. Helps rid the mouth of offending "denture breath,” too. Only }0(, all druggists. ---