Evening star., 1941-12-30

of trained pilots, observers and air
gunners in the numbers necessary to
man the enormous flow of aircraft |
which the factories of Britain, OF
the empire. and of the United States
are and will be producing.
I could, sir, I could speak also
on the naval production of corvettes
and, above all, of merchant ships |
which is proceeding on scale al
most equal to the building of the
United Kingdom, all Of which Can
ada has set on foot.
can speak of many other activi-
ties, of tanks, of the special forms
of modern high-velocity cannon. OF
the great supplies of raw materials
and many many other elements es-
sential to our war effort on which !
your labors are ceaselessly and tire |
lesSly engaged.
But must not let my address to
you become a catalog Now I turn
to less technical fields of thought.
Sir, we did not make this war, we
did not seek it, we did all we could
to avoid it, we did too much to avoid
it.
We went so far in trying to avoid
1t as to be almost destroyed by 1t
when it broke upon us. But that
dangerous corner has been turned
and in every month and every year
that passes We shall confront the
evil-doers with weapons as plenti-
full, as sharp and as destructive as
those with which they have sought
| to establish their hateful domina-
ton.
Tough and Hardy Lot.
Now I should like to point out to
you, Mr. Speaker, that we have not
at any time asked for any mitiga-
ton in the fury or menace of the
enemy. The peoples of the British
Empire may love peace-they do not
seek the lands or wealth of any
country. But they are tough and
hardy lot who have not journeyed
all the way across the seas, across
/ the oceans, across the mountains,
across the prairies, because we are
made of sugar candy.
Look at the Londoners, the cock
neys. Look how they stood up so
grim and gay with their cry, I'VE
can take it." and their wartime
mood, whats good enough for
anybody is good enough for us
We've not asked that the rules
of the game should be modified.
We shall never descend to the Ger
man and japanese level. but if any,
body likes to play rough We can
play rough, too.
/ Hitler and his Nazi gang have
/ soWn the wind-let them reap the
/ whirlwind. Neither the length Of
the struggle, nor any form of sever
ity which it may assumes will make
us weary or will make us quit.
I've been all this week with the
President of the United States. that
ed for this climax of human for
tune We've been concerting the
united pacts and resolves of more
than 80 states and nations to fight
on in unity together, and in fidelity
one with another, without any
thought except the total and final
extirpation of the Hitler tyranny,
of the japanese frenzy and the
Mussolini flop.
There will be no halting or half
measures. There will be no compro-
mise or parley. These gangs of
bandits have sought to darken the
light of the world, have sought to
stand between the common people
of all the lands, and thence march
forward into their inheritance.
They shall themselves be cast into
the pits of death and shame and
only when the earth has been
cleansed and purged of their crime
and of their villainv will we turn
from the task which they have
forced upon uS-the task which We
were reluctant to undertake. but
which we shall now most faithfully
and punctiliously discharge.
Power of Enemy.
Mr.. Speaker, this is no time. ac-
cording to my sense of proportion,
this is no time to speak of the hopes
of the future, or of the broader world
which lies beyond our struggles and
our victory. We have to win that
world for our children. We have to
win it by our sacrifices. We have
not won it yet. The crisis is upon
us. The power of the enemy is i'm
mense.
If we were in any way to under
rate the strength, the resources, or
the ruthlessness, the savagery of
that enemy, we should jeopardize
not only our lives, for they will be
offered freely. but the cause of
human freedom and progress to
which we have vowed ourselves and
all we have.
We cannot, sir, for a moment.
afford to relax. On the contrary.