The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-06
Letters from
Our Readers
PREPAREDNESS WEEK"

ANEM LNAh OAGNs
Dear Comrade Editor:
Preparedness Week. as I caught
it over the radio: On Saturday,
amid the pledge of allegiance to the
flag. the Scout oath TO do my duty
to God and my country" the
Athenian oath administered by La
Guardia) TO fight for the ideals
and the sacred things of our city,
the U. S. Marine Band playing the
Star Spangled Banner and America
the Beautiful, the President of the
United States issues a call of service
to the Boy Scouts of America, a
million strong. Acting upon the sug-
gestion of Hopkins, Roosevelt calls
upon his fellow scouts" to do a
national good turn" to aid the
recovery of the nation" by collect
ing household furniture to help suf-
fering humanity.
Walter Head, president of the boy
scouts, cites the war record of the
Boy Scouts of America, the collect
ing Of fruit pits for gas masks, the
selling of $3.50 per scout of Liberty
Bonds, as proof that the B. s. of A.
can now take up this new challenge.
On Sunday, Has the League Of
Nations Failed? The gist of which
was: We must have patience. Mis-
takes do not mean failure. We do
not condemn the N R. A. or the
/ National Labor Board because mil
lions of workers strike. We do not
condemn Our courts because I'M
convicted people are lynched. TIE
League hasn't the power to use force,
but it Is the only constructive thing
we have for peace. We must have
patience. The renewal of world
trade will bring about peace.
On Monday, the Del Monte pro-
gram, a commercial program called
THE Del Monte Ship Of JOY" In
celebration Of Lincoln's birthday, the
master of ceremonies announces
that the studio is filled with men,
! bers Of the Grand Army of the Re
public, Sons Of the Confederacy, and
other sons and daugh, 2rS Of this
and tat, ald boy scouts and girl
scouts. Come on, boy scouts. Come
on, girl scouts"-the pledge to the
flag and the Star Spangled Banner
A Civil War veteran recites the Get
| tysburg Address. The master of
ceremonies plays up the Grand Old
Boys with lot of ballyhoo about
! the Civil War. Then some Slosh
about those men who have not died
in vain," and a wish for these
Grand Old Boys-for peace and
prosperity for this our beloved coun-
try"
Also on Monday, on the National
Radio Forum, Senator David L.
Walsh, of the Senate Committee on
Naval Affairs. He gives figures
comparing the relative strength of
the British, Japanese, and American
navies. He elocutes. His voice is
insinuating, threatening, melodra
matte. The poor little American
navyl Then he presents his solu-
ton for world peace: The last arms
reduction conference failed because
the United States, with an inferior
navy, was forced into a position
where it could not offer to reduce
! its arms, but could only ask other
countries to scrap their ships. But
now, with navy built to treaty
strength o. 1856, the United States
will be in position for the first
time since 1921 to argue about dis
arming.
With a strong navy the q. S. will
be able to offer to scrap its ships
if the other nations do likewise.
! Chat is why we must enter upon
this naval building program). If
we don't arm, how can we disarm?
If we don't have something to scrap,
how can there be any peace con-
| ferences? Then suddenly he broke
down. His voice quivered with emo
ton: The war clouds like the
hand of death no one can know
. at any moment our be-
loved ones our commerce and
our foreign investments. -. ]. S.