Evening star., 1942-03-17

really willing and ready to sacri-
fee? wonder.
All, my countrymen-war is q
grim businessl We have against
us mighty foe! His complete de-
feat will call for our united effort
for our patience, our determination
and our utmost zeal. There can
be only one end, and that must be
victory.
Let us continue to criticize when
we feel like it, and if a mean letter
to a Congressman or Senator will
make you feel better, why, go ahead
and speak your piece. But remem-
ber, If you please, one or two things:
First, Congress is Just what you
make it. There is no member Of
either body who was not sent there
by the votes of American citizens.
Second, officials in Washington,
with all of the bungling and mis-
takes that may be made, are inter-
eSted in a speedy, victorious end to
this awful thing.
Third, and I think this important.
Let us try to make our criticism
constructive. Do not throw brick
bats just for the fun of 1t and re-
member, the Axis would be tickIed
pink if the American people should
lose confidence in their accredited
leaders.
Best Despite Imperfeetions.
So, when we exercise our sovereign
right of free speech and unlimited
criticisms, may we not temper our
utterances with a little patience,
charity and forbearance, and meas
ure our hopes, expectations and de-
mands according to the size and
magnitude of the tasks to be per-
formed? Remember, please, with
all its imperfections, shortcomings
failures and disappointments, ours
Is the best form of government on
the face of the earth and we
wouldn't wish to change it in any
fundamental respect. Under it, the
citizen has more equality of oppor-
tunity and q better chance for pros
perity and domestic tranquility,
than under any other form of gov
ernment yet instituted among men.
The challenge to America today is
to produce. The war, In simple
terms, is production race. If we
can once get under full production,
we will then be on the road to a
quick victory. To have full pro-
duction we must work, and we must
be willing to lay aside some of the
orthodox rules Of the game for the
duration of the emergency.
I listened few nights ago to the
eloquent and appealing voice of
Donald Nelson. He says we are only
producing on so per cent basis. I
wonder if we will heed his appeal.
The fault cannot all be laid to the
door of any one group. There are
still those in business and industry
who want to seize upon this as an
occasion for bigger and better
profits; and, unfortunately, there
are those in the ranks of labor who
have not yet shown willingness to
join in an about defense effort.
Personally. I have voted for every
one of the progressive measures for
labor which have been sponsored by
the present administration. I would
like to see these splendid gains re-
tanned: but I have no sympathy
whatsoever with any group within
the ranks Of labor, or any one else,
who In this hour OF dire emergency,
are willing to put their own selfish
interests above the interests of our
whole country. To me, it Is un-
thinkable that we should have
drafted our boys and our reserve
units and sent them to the battle
field and yet should not be willing to
go "all-out" in a production effort
to furnish them with the necessary
weapons of warfare The American
people will not support labor when
it holds back on the defense pro-
gram. The time is long past for
patriotic appeals, for sweet words
and honeyed phrases. 1t Is time for
action, action that will keep our
production lines going at all hazards
action that will insure us a full
production effort.
Some Follow False Leaders.
I think this should be said in
justice to the laboring man in
America. 1t certainly applies to my
own district in Virginia, and I be-
lieve that the laboring men there
are a fair sample of the whole
group that we customarily speak of
as the laboring man. The working
man of America-and this includes,
I think, perhaps SO per cent of the
groups a peace-loving, hardwork-
ing, homeloving and patriotic citi-
zen. His sons are In the camps, in
the foreign bases, and on the high
seas, along with all the rest of the
American boys. He is just as much
interested in seeing our country
protected and our way OF life pre-
served, as the rest of us. He is
willing, I think, to make whatever
sacrifice he may be called upon to
make. Why. then, you ask me, have
we had the irritating work stop
pages. Why has our defense pro-
gram been held back by strikes,
many of them jurisdictional and for
causes In no way connected with the
fundamental rights of labor. The
answer is, that in many instances
groups in labor have followed false
leadership. In many instances they
have been exploited by designing
political labor leaders. In some in
stances, subversive considers tions
have entered. I do know that in
instance after instance, a small
handful of willful leaders have
closed critical defense projects with
the effect of setting us back for
many months in our preparedness
effort. Many Of us hoped against
hope that this situation could and
would be handled by labor itself,
I,,,t II has heey, n fnrlorn for,e The