The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-10
Council of National Defense
BY Frederic j. Haskin, Director
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNE-
INFORMATION BUREAU
Washington, ID. c.
IH.-PracticaI Patriots.

of the advisory commission to the
Council of National Defense, whose
special. duty is to advise in regard to
the purchase of supplies, and hls~flrst
assistant, Mr.. Charles Eisemann, are
walking refutations of the idea that
the American business man is too en-
crossed in his business to concern
himself with ideals of patriotism. Inc
entire advisory commission, Tor tha-
matter, is proof that the American
business man is ready to. serve his
country; but Mr.. Rosenwald ana MT
FIsemann express this attitude IN
their words as well as their work
To them this emergency is an OPP
portunity for the development OIL
new nationalism in the United States.
AS Mr.. Eisemann phrases it, America
must discover a new soul; she must
meet this situation in new spirit.
The question each American must ASH
is not the old one, What can my gov
eminent do for me?' put the new o,te,
What can 1 do for my government
Modern warfare, he observes, a11ordS
a splendid opportunity for everyone
REGARDLESS of age, sex or occupdtioiis.
to do his bit for his country, ana IL
the nation is to meet this emergency
successfully, everyone must 90 HIS w
in the spirit of soldier.
Such in brief are the ideals OF these
men, Their practical task is the puy-
ing of textiles and organizing mus
tries to fill the need OF the govern
ment 1t is one for which they are
we'll fitted. as Mr.. Rosenwald is presl-
dent of Sears, Roebuck & Co, ana MI
Eisemann is a successful manu1ac-
turer. TIC this task they are applying
their ideals of patriotic service lterally
and vigorously. NJ,
ar would not be serious" says MI.
EiSan1ann eff some of these manu-
facturers should lose a few per cent
of their profits; for the man that goes
out and gets killed loses one hundrec
per cent of all hes GOT
So these men think that the man
ufacturers of the country should be
Glad to serve in the relatively safe ana
easy Wav of being satisfied with a
reasonable profit, and they nave toio
the manufacturers so. Thelr o11lce Is
besieged for ten hours day by men
who want to supply the government
with all it needs. Neither the sell
seeking spirit nor the less thah an
wool fabric gets any consideration
from these men, VINO complhe pal-
riotfc ideals with a lifelong knowledge
df merchandise. They have reminded
tba nanufa cturers= thru the trade
Journals that under the emergency
legislation which congress has pass
ed the government has power To re-
QUESTION factories and run them.
They do not believe, however, that IL
is going to be necessary for the gov
eminent to do so. Most of the man.
ufacturers with whom they have come
in contact are willing to do the tine
big thing''-they have grasped the
ideal of service which is the present
spirit of America.
Mr.. Rosenwald personally believes
that the opportunities of men who
would speculate in a situation like the
present one should be limited by law
Cotton prices, for example, he THINKS
are high enough and he believes that
Eifs they are made to rise thru speen-
Nation they should be brought doWn
by proper legislation.
He admits that to clothe several
million soldiers within the next year,
and still enable wooden mills to fill
their orders for civilian goods may
very likely be impossible. But the
uniforms must be made first; he has
tried to impress on the wooden men
That he expects them to accept the
government orders at a reasonable
profit, and let the civilian orders take
second place. 1t is quite possible, he
thinks, that we may have to start a
national habit of wearing old clothes
for a while-a sort of wear-your-last-
years suit-again movement The
shiny coat and frayed trousers may
become a uniform of civilian pa
triotism-~S
Mr.. Rosenwa1d believes that direct
coordination of producer, manufac-
turer and the government is the
method by which present emergency
needs can best be supplied quickly
and cheaply.
Mr. Rosenwa1d is known by his
gifts to many causes, regardless of
race or color, butt his present under
taking is probably his greatest phil
anthropy 1t is relatively easy for
millionaire to give away millions, but
the advisory commission of the coun-
Gil for national defense offers the un-
usual spectacle of them leaving their
homes and willingly working long
hours for their country without COM
pensation.
DR.. Franklin H. Martin, who is COM
missioner for medicine and general
sanitation, is a Chicago physician and
surgeon who has shown unusual abiI-
ity as an organizer, having been a
moving spirit in many of the associ-
ations and congresses of the medical
profession in this country. He is as
sisted by DIR. Frank F. Simpson. The
task of these men is to locate and Or
ganize the medical resources of the
country so that the government can
obtain what it wants without delay or
searching. Men, medicines, instru
ments and hospitals are the four chief
factors in an army medical organiza-
ton, and they are dealing with all of
them.
one OIL the D1OSl uIlIlCuIC pIOpiSlilS
they have to face is that of finding the
men needed by the army without de-
priving the civilian population of the
amount of medical attention it needs.
This will be done chiefly by using the
younger members of the profession for
army work, and by using every pre-
caution not to deprive any locality of
all of its doctors.
+ Another important work of the
medical committee is the standa r6iZa-
ton of instruments. They are en-
deavoring to have American instru-
ment manufacturers design all of
their instruments in accordance with
the requirements of the government.
This work will be of great permanent
value to the teaching and practice of
surgery in this country
In addition to the commissioners.
who have been alluded to in this and
two preceding letters, the council for