The Wilmington morning star., 1942-03-12
Cabinet Changes Urged

| Public discussion Of cabinet changes and
speculation as to how they will be made
| and when, gain in volume and urgency.
There is no doubt that pressure is being
brought to bear on President Roosevelt tc
revamp his official family, not alone to i'm.
prove efficiency in the conduct Of govern
ment and the war, but in the interest ot
harmony as we'll Right now national unity
among all elements of the population, from
the highest official to the lowliest citizen
is a prime essential of national security
and victory abroad.
The world situation being what it is, and
the position of the United States in the
world crisis being what it is, it would seem
that the President cannot long ignore the
nationwide demand that certain cabinet
portfolios be put in new hands, despite his
strong personal friendship for the members
under fire and his great reluctance to hurt
anybody's feelings. The national need is so
much more important that personal inclina-
ton that it must take precedence.
There is Miss Perkins, for example. Her
administration of the labor department has
been a dud from the start Even in peace
time her spineless course proved her in
competent for the great task entrusted to
her. Since war started in Europe and the
United States began to increase the manu-
facture Of war tools, which involved en-
ployment for many tens of thousands of
workers over the average level of employ
ment, she has added fresh evidence of in
efficiency, as tn loss in man-hours of pro-
duction through strikes proves.
Also, there is Harold Ickes-honest Har-
old-whose entire service has been devoted
public disgust with the man himself and his
administration of interior affairs. No great
er example of Ickes' unfitness for high pub
lie office could be found than his fake gaso-
line shortage last summer
And there is widespread dissatisfaction
with the administration of the war and
navy departments under Secretaries Knox
and Stimson However able they are in thei1
displayed particular talent for their present
tasks. When they issued contradictory ex-
plantations of that Los Angeles episode.
when anti-aircraft fire was maintained for
so long a time at night, and the one called
it false alarm and the other declared
strange aircraft was aloft over the citv and
the nelghboring coast, the people trembled
to realize that the heads of the army and
the navy could not get the same set of
facts from their underlings.
Because of this disagreement (small in
itself but tremendous in its Implications no
less than because Stimson and Knox were
at the head of the army and the navv
when Pearl Harbor was successfully attack
ed and the men asleep on the Job in Ha-
wall were under their command. and be-
cause there has been unexplained DELAY in
fitting both branches of the armed forces
Tor all-out war, there is growing sentiment
Tor their removal. The President NAV we'll
consider that in war time the men at the
mead of the Army and the NAVY shou1d
have experience in military and naval af-
1alrs; that training in these things is more
important than political expediency.
Mr.. Roosevelt ought to consider. also that
the confidence of the public in him as chief
executive cannot fail to suffer in pronortion
to- the loss of public confidence in his cab-
net aides.
--V