Evening star., 1939-01-04

of a democratic nation can be
mustered only when its people,
educated by modern standards to
know what is going on and where
they are going. have conviction
that they are receiving as large a
share Of opportunity for develop
ment, as large a share of ma
terial success and of human
dignity as they have a right to
receive.
Our Nations program Of social
and economic reform is therefore
part of defense as basic as
ornaments themselves.
Against the background of
events in Europe, in Africa and
in Asia during these recent years,
the pattern of what we have ac-
complished since 1888 appears in
even clearer focus.
For the first time we have
moved upon deep-seated prob
lens affecting our national
strength and have forged national
instruments adequate to meet
them.
Consider what the seemingly
piecemeal struggles Of these six
years add up to in terms of
realistic national preparedness.
We are conserving and develop
ing natural reSOurceS-land.
water, power, forests.
We are trying to provide neces-
Sary food, shelter and medical
care for the health of our popula-
ton.
We are putting agriculture
our system of food and fiber sup
ply-on sounder basis.
We are strengthening the
weakest spot in our system of in
dustrial supply-its long smol-
dering labor difficulties.
We have cleaned up our credit
system so that depositor and
investor alike may more readily
and willingly make their capital
All pCdCC vi wal.
We are giving to our youth
new opportunities for work and
education.
We have sustained the morale
of all the population by the
dlgnihed recognition of our OBJ
legations to the aged, the help
less and the needy.
People Made Conscious
Of Internationally.
Above all, we have made the
American people conscious of
their interrelationship and their
interdependence. They sense a
common destiny-and a common
need of each other. Differences
of occupation, geography, race
and religion no longer obscure
the Nations fundamental unity
in thought and in action.
We have our difficulties, true
but we are a wiser and a tougher
Nation than we were in 1929
or 1882.
Never have there been six years
of such far-hung internal pre-
paredness in our history. And
all this has been done without
any dictator's power to COM
mand, without CONSUMPTION of
labor or confiscation of capital,
without concentration camps and
without a scratch on freedom of
speech, freedom of the press or
the rest of the Bill of Rights.
We see things now that we
could not see along the way. The
tools of government which we
had In 1888 are outmoded. We
have had to forge new tools for
a new role of government in
democracy-a role of new re-
sponsibility for new needs and
increased responsibility for old
needs, long neglected.
Some of these tools had to be
roughly shaped and still need
some machining down. Many of
those who fought bitterly against
the forging of these new tools
welcome their use today. The
American people, as a whole,
have accepted them. The Nation
looks to the Congress to improve
the new machinery which we
have permanently installed, pro-
vided that in the process the So
cial usefulness of the machinery
is not destroyed or impaired.
All of us agree that we should
simplify and improve laws if ex-
perience and operation clearly
demonstrate the need. For in
stance, all of us want better pro-
vision for our older people under
our social security legislation.
For the medically needy we must
provide better care.
Most OF us agree that for the
sake of employer and employe
alike we must find ways to end
factional labor strife and en-
ployer-employe disputes.
Executive Processes
Must Be Reorganized.
Most of us recognize that none
OF these tools can be put to maxi
mum effectiveness unless the ex-
ecutive processes of government
are revamped - reorganized, II
you will-into more effective COM
bination. And even after such
reorganization it will take time to
develop administrative personnel
and experience in order to use
our new tools with Q minimum Of
mistakes. The Congress, Of course,