Evening star., 1941-09-07
Wallace Given Chance
To Demonstrate Tulents
BIZ OtUen L. Scott.

ident Henry Wallace will now bring Or
der and progress into this countrys de-
fense effort. MIR. Wallace is chosen by
President Roosevelt to see that the bar
riers in policy and attitude that have
been a defense drag during the past
year are removed.
This is the Nations No. job. 1t is
job that normally would be filled by the
President himself. Yet Mr.. Roosevelt,
faced with a multitude of tasks IN the
field of diplomacy and strategy, is with
out time to tackle It, BY turning to
the Vice President, he finds an elected
official, with prestige of Office, who can
make decisions and assume RESPONSE
bility that appointed officials might not
get away with.
Mr. Wallace at the Presidents request,
now holds two very significant positions.
He is charged with shaping policies in
the field of economic warfare. This
means that the Vice President is TO
plan the economic relationships of the
United States with other nations, and
sin that process to have an important
hand in shaping postwar policy. He
also is charged with serving as chairman
of the Priorities Board that will become
the heart of the domestic defense ma
chinery. This means that Mr.. Wallace
is to have a deciding voice in the eco
nomic policies that will underlie this
vast program.
= -
either of these defense efforts as an
executive He isn't. His job is to make
decisions in the event of conflict. 1t is
to see that policies are co-ordinated and
fit into pattern instead of being diverse
and contradictory as they often have
been during the year past. In word,
the Vice President will do what Presi-
dent normally would do if he had the
time He is the answer to the demand
for a single defense head.
Like anybody confronted with a task
of this size, Mr.. Wallace faces both an
opportunity and danger. If the result
of his efforts is success in the public S
estimation. then the reward can be great.
If the result isn't judged to be success
then any chance of political preferment
may be lost.
The outlook, in this case is for success.
Reasons why are several.
In the first place. nearly $4,000 900 900
in a $50 900 600 900 defense program has
been spent. 1t is true that there isn't a
great deal to show for these first billions
and it is true that the defense program
to date, like Topsy, has lust growed' Yet
the base now is laid and results soon are
going to show in terms of large numbers
of weapons of all kinds.
In the second place, the country
learned before Mr.. Wallace took hold
that the period just ahead is going TO be
one of intense pain. as the shift-over
from a peacetime to an armament econ
omy occurs. The Vice President is un-
likely to be blamed for something in
which he had no voice. He will be re-
membered for the part he plays in easing
the transition.
In the third place, the Vice President
is an experienced executive who knows
how to obtain lasting results in the poll
cies he formulates. 1t needs to be re-
membered that Mr.. Wallace and his
! aides created and administered a pro-
gram of adjustment in the field of agri-
culture that is deeply entrenched in the
| Government despite every effort to dis
lodge it by political and legal attack.
! A rather complete change of viewpoint
| now is to govern the entire defense ef-
fort.
During the first year of that effort
some of the key positions were held b,
men who viewed defense solely as {,
part-time effort to fill in the gaps causeC
| by idle men and idle machines in indus
| try or to be carried out by superimposinl
| defense machine on top of the regula
industrial machine of the Nation. Re
suits obtained by this approach have no
been very impressive.
The men who now are taking owe
place emphasis upon getting results b,
| whatever means are needed. Yet tn,
policies which they will apply wer,
forced upon the defense organization
| even before the shift occurred in th'
| center of control.
An effort had been made to avoit
large-scale expansion in the steel indus
try, the electric power industry, the ship
building industry and many other indus
tries. The argument advanced was tina
there would be enough of most every
thing. When actual shortages becam
acute, as they have become acute, thi
argument was lost by the group of dol
| lar-a-year men beyond any possibilit,
of questioning.
Also, an effort was made to avoi,
overall planning for industry through
carefully devised system of prioritie:
Machinery for imposing priorities is ma
chinery for industrial planning. Busi
nessmen who were chosen to plan TO
defense wanted to avoid broad en-
| trance by Government into a type o
planning that would be far more de
tailed than that ever conceived durin
| N. r. A. days.
| ;Iynr,;eo oo Ln;,o x,,oLo 1.