The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-09-12
The Cherry Tree
Where We Hdtchet Our
The Truth
. WHITE HOUSE HOT SPOT?
. LAID FACTS ON LINE
. LOT OF FUSS
. SELECTIVE SERVICE

President Roosevelt is in a difficult
position. Any man would be in the
same kind of fix if he were in the
White House.
What makes the White House hot
spot is the fact that he has to ask
the country to take a good deal on
faith.
Why do we have to have selective
service? Now imagine the President
going into the plain and blunt details
about that? Only by an open as
sumption that we are going to war
with Germany could such plain ex-
planation be made.
Government at times have to OBJ
serve the amenities Of what is known
as diplomatic usage. To say today all
that might be said or ought to be said
might bring us into war months ahead
of what otherwise would be the date
and we ARE NOT ready for that
yet.
Your daily papers ought to make
that clear.
That's the kind of world in which
we live. 1t is a world full of tricks
and if Uncle Sam doesn't play 'em
close to his vest at least some of the
time, he will find Adolph raking in
the chips.
When William Green laid the facts
on the line in his Labor Day speech
about John L. Lewis he said something
worth putting in the book.
1t has been said many times-but
it bears saying over again every now
and then.
John L. Lewis is the one man who
stands in the way of resuming peace
negotiations.
Just John l.. Lewis-just ONE
MAN.
Now how comes it that one man
can do that, when the welfare of eight
millions is involved?
Well, you go and ask Mr.. Lewis.
Lewis is a lonely man these days,
with so many of his old crowd gone
back on him. Some day some scientific
person will explain the mental process
es that cause him to stand in stubborn
hostility to the peace the millions want
and need.
X X X
There's a lot Of fuss these days
about whether labor standards will be
let down for the sake of hurrying up
defense work.
Labor will stand with all it's might
for the maintenance of the standards
that have been so slowly built up.
But, do you want guess? If SO,
the guess would be that if and when
the actual needs of the nation de-
mand sacrifices that involve labor
standards, labor will go as far as
business goes-and with even more
willingness and good will
However, the same guess would be
that labor isn't going to stick its neck
out and say, "sure, cut wages and
lengthen hours" Not by jug full.
Those who today yelp loudest for
labor to let down the bars are those
who hope to gain something out of it.
Labor will help America, to the limit,
but labor won't go slashing around
to pile up profits in private bank ac-
counts in the name of patriotism.
With all Of the publicity resources
at the disposal of government and Of
the friends of selective service, the
job of promoting support has been
badly bungled.
The selective service idea has got
buried. Instead the term draft" has
been over-worked. AS an alternative
the word Transcription" has been
widely used.
The principle involved is actually
"selective service" but if you ask ten
people about it, nine will call it the
draft"
However, it doesn't make much diff
ference now. Government publicity
machinery that was silenced while the
measure was in Congress soon will be
blasting away to back up the selective
service idea.
But it all goes to show how badly
some good ideas can get mangled.-
CMW.