Jeffers for President?

Sirs:

I hope the Republicans have enough political acumen . . . not to overlook the name of Bill Jeffers when they consider suitable candidates for the Presidency.

Here is a man who did an outstanding job in the political maelstrom of Washington; a man who has worked up from the bottom to the successful head of one of our largest enterprises--the Union Pacific Railroad; a man who knows what it means to "make a dollar." . . . Surely such a one on the record of his past performances should appeal not only to Labor and Management, but to the great bulk of the American public. And as a fighting man he should have a great appeal to our armed forces. . . .

M. LOWRY ALLEN, M.D. Salt Lake City

> Nominations, both Republican and Democratic, are still open.--ED.

A Part of the Battle

Sirs:

I am writing in reference to ... the opinions of TIME readers . . . concerning "PinUps for Morale" [TIME, Sept. 27). To my dismay and concern, I have heard too often echoed among my own acquaintances the opinions of [such] readers. . . .

To leave "planning of the future world in what we trust are capable civilians hands" is, for the serviceman, or anyone else, unjustified escapism. While reading a "nice comfy article" on what we are fighting for may not be the favorite recreation of the war-weary soldier, thinking along such lines is just as much a part of the battle as taking "Hill 'X.' "

For a soldier to divorce himself from the ideals for which he is fighting and become simply a destructive machine may be a paragon of military discipline, but it is not the attitude which will help construct a world in which such conflicts as the present one may be avoided. . . .

(Pvt.) JOHN M. BAILEY JR. Camp Fannin, Tex.

Ring Form in Washington

Sirs:

On the cover page of TIME, Sept. 27, above the very handsome picture of Speaker Sam Rayburn of the national House of Representatives, it would appear that the White House holds its guard with its left hand up while the nation's Capitol is guilty of unorthodox ring form. When the writer was receiving his primary ring instructions and being coached in the technique of ring strategy, it was a must always to lead with the left.

Is the public generally to understand that the Capitol is the less well coached in ring technique than the White Rouse, or that either opponent is a less formidable adversary? . . .

CHARLES CLIFTON PETERS JR. Washington

> Coaching aside, the Capitol is a good bet to lead with its right rather than its left.--ED.

Best Beef Breeds Sirs: In the Oct. 4 issue, story of sale at Oldfields Farm, you say the Aberdeen-Angus is now the U.S.'s best beef breed. Black Angus breed ers with about 40,000 registrations annually, who include some of the best promoters in captivity, are going to applaud you to the skies. But the Hereford boys with over 200,000 new registrations are going to tear the Time & Life Building to pieces. The Shorthorn breeders, 50,000 registrations, will start their own blitz to be joined by the Devon, Polled Hereford and Red Polled men.

Senior Animal Husbandryman Black of the U.S. Department of Agriculture would probably hold the finest breed to be Santa Gertrudis strain out of Afrikanders which he helped develop on the King Ranch in Texas. Some of us on the commercial side of cow business insist and prove by our records that a crossbred Shorthorn on Hereford from the western slope of the Rockies (area is important) feeds out better than any other animal. But the leading breed in numbers of breeders, numbers of head, range coverage, which tops the Chicago market about 85% of the time, is Hereford.

Suggestion: there is never a true positive superlative in farming; only negative superlatives. Almost nothing can be proved to be the "best" of anything. Controversy is the rule in all things farming-wise. All sweeping statements should be qualified or trouble will ensue, sure as shooting.

LADD HAYSTEAD Wallkill, N.Y.

>To the editor herewith exposed as a tool of the Angus interests, two beefless weeks on fish and eggs.--ED.

Albania for the Allies

Sirs:

When the Allies march in to help the Albanians rescue their nation from the Germans and Italians they will discover ... a nation of liberty-loving individuals who have been schooled for generations in the art of battling for freedom. Our troops will find an Albania which idolizes Americans and Russians, hates . . . tyrants of any nationality. . . .

These are not well-educated people. They are still fighting disease, malnutrition and poverty. . . . Perhaps the Albanians are the poorest people in Europe and the Balkans, but they are rich in a primitive love and reverence for personal liberty. For hundreds of years they have fought and died for just that. They are ready again in 1943.

(Y2/c) W. I. WATTERS U.S.N.R. Los Angeles

> TIME reverently salutes the love of liberty, however primitive.--ED.

Colman's Court-Martial

Sirs:

. . . The court-martial of William T. Colman [TIME, Sept. 27] ... was an inexcusable travesty on justice and decency.

Instead of being dishonorably discharged as he deserves, his demotion from colonelcy to captaincy still places him in a responsible position commanding men. . . .

HENRY M. STERN

Rochester, N.Y.

Sirs:

... As enlisted men, we shudder to think that we might sometime have a "Captain Colman" as our C.O. . . .

(SERVICEMEN'S NAMES WITHHELD) Champaign, Ill.

Sirs: The farce . . .. at Selfridge Field should direct public attention to a fundamental defect in the system whereby army "justice" is administered. . . . Aside from the other charges against Colonel Colman, it is difficult to suppose that, were the parties to the as sault reversed, a court-martial would have punished an attack with a deadly Weapon by a colored soldier on a colonel with less than death or life imprisonment. . . .

(SERVICEMAN'S NAME WITHHELD) Fort Ord, Calif.

Management, Not Money

Sirs:

Not having missed a copy of TIME since 1929 and hoping not to as long as it or I exist, I am taking this first time to write you a letter and let off a little personal steam about all the noise being made . . . regarding the production decline and manpower shortage.

I consider that my working here in one of the large war production centers gives opportunity to observe the matter at its source. I work for the Ford Motor Co., and have for the past 14 years, not as a brilliant and mighty production foreman, but just a humble inspector. . . .

When we made Ford cars here at the rate of 350 per eight-hour shift, there was no loafing by anyone. But now things are different ; we work for Ford still, but under the management of Washington and by-points !

There are more people working or "putting time in" now than there were then, but the unit hourly production per person is but a fraction. . .

When the WPB wakes up to the fact that it takes efficient management and not money in huge quantities, then we will attain maximum production. . . .

LEO H. TRAIL Richmond, Calif.

Holy Man Remembered

Sirs:

In reference to an article under Religion in your Sept. 27 issue: if these times produce holy men in the best Christian sense of the term, then Bishop John Ward of Erie, Pa. is surely one of them.

It was my good fortune some years ago to pilot him and his brother ... on a fishing trip in the Big Horn Mountains. You get to know people pretty well when you live out of the same pack bags with them for a month. Both of the Ward brothers . . . liked to fish about as well as any two men I ever knew. But along with that the Bishop never forgot his Christian practices, and every Sunday the entire party assembled along the banks of some stream or lake with the spruces and the snow-flecked peaks as a backdrop to hear the Bishop hold service. . . .

The Christian religion and the duties it implies have deep roots in John Ward and I for one can only wish him well on his Alaskan venture.

HANS KLEIBER

Dayton, Wyo.

Experiment in Segregation Sirs: ... I have been a constant reader of TIME for over ten years and during that period I have observed that TIME has done a fair job of honestly reporting the news. However [in the Sept. 20 issue], TIME made some definite statements about the 99th Fighter Squadron and unashamedly admitted these statements to be based on "unofficial reports." . . .

My husband, Lieut. Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr. ... until recently commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron. . . . His views are undoubtedly not as objective as those of a disinterested onlooker. ...

Are you justified in saying that the record of the 99th Fighter Squadron is only fair? My husband tells me that his judgment, based on comparison with the work done by six veteran P-40 squadrons in the same area on the same types of missions over the same period of time, is that the record of the 99th Fighter Squadron is at least worthy of favorable comment.

My indictment is that by publishing an article based on "unofficial reports" you have created unfavorable public opinion about an organization to which all Negroes point with pride. You should realize that these few printed words in TIME--words which may be creating a false impression--have struck at one of the strongest pillars upholding Negroes' morale in their effort to contribute to the winning of the war.

AGATHA SCOTT DAVIS New York City

>TIME'S "unofficial reports" came from responsible sources which could not be quoted. Those reports--on operational results--raised no question about the Negro's fighting ability.

If the 99th's record has been only fair, the blame must at least be shared by the Army Command responsible for the squadron's segregated training and operation. Perhaps too much was expected of such an experiment--ED.

Sirs:

You are undoubtedly correct in suggesting that Negro pilots are unlikely to develop their full potentialities in a segregated setup. A good analogy is the case of the Negro athlete. Jesse Owens, Brud Holland, etc. were products of unsegregated playing fields and more or less open competition. . . .

ANNE BONTEMPS Nashville

Sirs:

... It is not disappointing to learn "that the top air command was not altogether satisfied with the 99th's performance." . . . All along the "findings" of the top air command have been the bases of Negroes' objection to the establishment of a segregated unit. . . .

While casting a severe eye upon the example, the command should likewise cast an eye of forbearance upon the squadron, for after all it has received second-class training to defend a first-class democracy. . . .

A. A. ABRAHAM Alcorn, Miss.

Ar-can-saw

Sirs:

Upon my arrival back home . . . many of my friends called my attention to your article about the Miss America pageant, in which you told about me trying to get the people at the pageant to pronounce Arkansas correctly (TIME, Sept. 20). . . .

Since that time I have received numerous letters in regard to the CRUSADE. . . . One in particular impressed me, for it was from a Texan, and I quote: "While I am a Texan and six generations of my family have been so, I spent some 18 of the best years of my life in northwest Arkansas, and when it suits my purpose claim to be an Arkansawyer, and nothing so infuriates me as to have the accent misplaced. The worst offenders in my experience were, of all people, Kansans."

While in Atlantic City I made arrangements to have a plaque placed at the corner of Arkansas St. and the Boardwalk, right under the Arkansas sign, with the following on it: "You pronounce it: 'Ar-can-saw.' "

Incidentally, the story . . . about me meant

SOME VOTES FOR CONGRESS NEXT YEAR.

JULIAN JAMES Jonesboro, Ark.

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