March 25, 1944

3/25/44 Dear Fambily, I have till three o’clock to get this in the mail or it will cost me 8 cents postage. It is 2:00 now. We probably get better service with the higher rate on Air Mail cause so many people won’t use it. I think that is what they figure anyway. I’ll bet that when I get you letters mailed on Monday on Sat. that they come most of the way by train. But I think that in the long run it saves time and we couldn’t get one back in a week if we didn’t use Air Mail. Thanks for the check, I can always find something to do with money. Sometimes I feel a little extravagant but it doesn’t bother me any. I wasn’t really worried about the gas. I was sort of kidding the boys. Maybe they aren’t any more patriotic than I am, If they were you’d think they’d try to save gas for Uncle Sam. That’s sort of what the project Supt. told the boys at one of the side camps when he made them cut down on the length of time they ran the generator for their electric lights. He said they would have to help save gas and do their part cause everyone else was. They didn’t appreciate his line of aguument. Looks like you are still taking in plenty of Money, Dad. Do you ever feel like you were profiting a little on there being a war on? Or do you think that you’ll pay for it in the first ten years after the war is over. I don’t know a lot about it but I think I sort of hold that view. Some of the boys around here are getting heped up about voting and I have sort of caught it too. I guess the way to do it is to get an Absentee Ballet. There is some controversy as to whether and how a person has to register. I voted a couple of times and As I remember it I registered then but I don’t know whether you have to register personally or if you can do it by mail and how much ahead of time it must be done. I understand the States differ a lot in their voting laws on some of these things and some of them you have to register in person and if you miss voting two years you have to register again in person. We have found out that we can’t vote out here and the only way we can do it is by Absentee Ballot. Would some or youn’s inquire for me some time when you are in the county seat as to what the rules are for me and I’ll have to brush up on my information as to who is running for what. Who knows maybe I’ll grow up to be a good citizen yet. One thing that practically the whole camp is heped up about is this May Bill. In fact everybody in Cps is against it. You have probably been following it too. We certainly don’t want to have a conscription law that makes all kids out of highschool take a year of service. It don’t look to me like that would help keep from having World War III. Well, I’d better chop this off and get it in the mail. I don’t think that I’ll need the money to come home on till a few days before I leave. I’ll send up a smoke signal when the time comes. I hope you guys get in better shape before I get home or I’ll be the only ablebodied man in the place. I gues youn’s don’t’ live right. You eat too much and run around at night too much. I’d sure do the same if I could tho. Yours with love and stuff Bernard