Safety Valve

To the Editor:
When first the action of the Gatewood mothers was mentioned it impressed me as the result of group war hysteria and that sensible, modern mothers would soon realize the folly of their ways. But not so Mrs. Bangs. Had The Daily shown less taste and restraint it might have captioned her letter, “Mrs. Bangs Pops Off.”
In the battle of production labor is hard to find. If Japanese, American-born or alien, are not to be allowed to work, employees from vital war industries must fill their place. Or perhaps the Gatewood mothers plan to personally provide 27 clerks for the school board.
Had these “American” mothers been such genuinely indignant Americans they might have become alarmed at these girls’ $45 monthly salary. Or, have we a standard of living worth fighting for?
–Kenneth Prestrud

To Mrs. Arthur E. Bangs:
“How dare you…” Yes! How dare you call what the Gatewood mothers have done to our Japanese citizens American treatment. I have my doubts that the editor meant to “… convey the impression that Americans are unjust to our Japanese… fortunate enough to be living in the United States.”
Those Japanese girls were as much, if not more, American citizens as the mothers who so unjustly asked them to resign. Just because you have read one book and gathered that foreigners were treated unjustly in Japan gives you no right to believe that those Japanese girls who have been brought up to love the American ways have any sympathy for this unjust treatment. Besides you seem to believe in the old Babylonian code of “An eye for any eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” How can you believe this which is diametrically opposed to what American stands for?
How dare you confuse this intolerance with “… sensible precautionary defense…” Actually you are advocating a tendency toward hatred and confusion. Psychologists will agree that inactive people are more dangerous than active people. Therefore, our argument for the safety of the school children is not based on intelligent thinking.
Maybe you had better go to the University to learn a little more about world conditions and what led up to the present conflict. You might learn something that you never knew before. Knowing this litter will bring little light to our biased mind, but hoping it will set you thinking.
–I am, respectfully,
Harland Hausske

To the Editor:
I read in Thursday’s Daily your column, Behind the Headlines by Russ Bradley.
His humanitarian effort is highly commendable. He feels extremely sorry for the poor Japanese girls who lost their jobs with the city schools. But in defending the “defenseless Japs” our honorable Mr. Bradley forgot his own brothers and sisters. Thousands of American citizens whose fate depends on proper protection of our country.
What would our great humanitarian, Mr. Bradley, say had he seen his fellow schoolmates and neighbors oppressed by the Japs? Innocent people tortured and killed by the thousands? I have seen Chinese and I have friends now who groan under the Sandal-wood heel of the Nipponese who previously were nothing but law abiding “LOYAL” citizens.
This is WAR, Mr. Bradley; we must crush both the enemy on the outside and the potential enemy on the inside.
–Oleg H. Kor

My Dear Mr. Kor:
Your letter certainly alarmed me. I phoned immediately to see what the Japanese-American girls had done to my little brothers and sisters. But the little tykes were all rights, so I settled down to write to you.
Look chum, what conceivable good is it going to do to persecute loyal American citizens because their ancestors were born in a country with which we are at war? What do you think they are going to do, burn down the schoolhouse?
Other Safety Valve letters on this page answer well enough your letter so I will stop before I libel somebody.
You spelled my name wrong too. That hurt.
–Russ Braley