Evening star., 1942-08-29

Henry McLemors. limit, get right
down to scratch. Furthermore. it's
our guess they will do this gladly,
with minimum of grousing
But will they ever get this chance
to throw themselves 100 per cent
into the war effort?
That's a question.
Washington seems to feel that
the people aren't quite ready to
get in there and pitch. 1t acts as If
it felt that Goebbels had something
when he said Americans we're too
soft, too fat and too unwilling to
sacrifice to ever win war
OF course, Goebbels is liar, but
what's the use of making us wait
so long to prove it?
The citizens of no other warning
country have ever been accorded
such kid glove treatment as have
the Americans since December z.
Alphonse or CASTOR, or both Al
phonse and CASTOR, couldn't have
been more considerate than our
leaders have been. They have all
but sent out cards of sympathy
and apology after the imposition
of each little hardship.
A visitor from Mars would never
know that this country was fight
ing a war of survival. He more
likely would get the impression that
we were engaged in an exciting little
border skirmish, and not q global
affair in which our future was at
stake.
just about the only thing the
American has had taken from him
Is his money. Only in the steep
increase in taxes has he felt the
war as citizens of the other warning
nations have felt it.
| There Is an acute shortage of
rubber In this country, but nearly
everybody still manages to roll
about in his car, be that rolling for
nothing more vital than to attend
a revival of Valentino picture or
to pick up batch Of cookies that
Aunt Lucy has baked for the chill
dren. Sure, there are thousands
and thousands OF citizens who need
their tires and should be allowed
to keep them, but there are just as
many thousands whose tires should
be taken away from them.
And will some one please explain
why, with rubber needed for battle
uses, the stores of this country are
still loaded with rubber goods of
all descriptions? Why doesn't the
Government order it all In? The
citizens wouldn't complain II
tomorrow they couldn't buy another
single article made of the precious
stuff.
The same goes for steel and
copper and brass and all the thou
sand and one other things needed
for the making of equipment for
the fighting forces. All the Govern
ment ever has to do Is to come
straight out and say, This is what
we have to have. We can't do
without 1t, and so give it to us, all
of it, And right away it would get
it, and the few citizens who didn't
yield wouldn't get any sympathy
from their fellows when the Gov
ernment walked in and took it.
One little example: A furniture
builder told us that after such and
such a date no more inner spring
mattresses would be built. No steel
for the springs. But, why have
there been any built since the first
signs OF steel shortage? And, why
not take all the inner-spring mat
tresses in the land, rip them apart,
and get the steel? No citizen is 60
ing to demand downy couch in
times like these. And what If he
does? Let him sleep on stats and
like it.
What goes for inner-spring mat
tresses goes for all the other luxury
items that would yield war ma
terial.
II the citizens of this country ap-
pear to be soft and unwilling to
sacrifice, and inclined to take the
war in stride, it's the fault of those
who are running 1t. Let the powers
get hard-boiled and they'll find that
the people not only can take 1t, but
will get a satisfaction out of TAX
ing it.
Some one should tell Washington
that Americans are pretty tough
folk - before and after elections,
particularly when a war is going on.
distributed By McNaushs syndicate. Inc.)
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