Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-27
Danger SiqnuIs

The President and his advisers will
be making serious mistake If they
fall to give proper weight to the
rumblings of discomfort with some
OF the administrators war policies
which are being heard throughout
Congress and the country. These
are unmistakable danger signals, and
70 ignore them might easily under
mine the whole war program.
Chairman Summers of the House
Judiciary Committee may have over
stated the case when he said he
found something akin almost to a
revolution in this country" on a re-
cent trip to his home State of Texas.
But it would be we'll for the bureau
Gratis in Washington to remember
that Mr.. Summers is an old and ex-
perienced observer. 1t Is not likely
that he would fall far short of an
accurate appraisal of the temper of
his constituents.
This is not condition which is
confined to Texas, however. In eyery
State throughout the country mil
lions OF people are having their first
personal experience with the work.
lngs OF bureaucracy, and they are
chaf1ng under it-not so much be-
cause OF any one thing that is being
done, but rather because they feel
more or less instinctively that they
are being subjected to too many
needless irritations. In Washington
there seems to be failure to under
stand that this Is a significant and
dangerous state Of the public mind.
Each official has a certain Job to do,
and each feels-often properly So
that his job is important to the war
effort and not unduly burdensome
on the people. Each is intent on his
own problem and more or less OBJ
livious to what the others are doing.
But not so with the people, for the
aggregate impact of all these pro-
grams falls on them. And they are
beginning to resent it, although they
want to win the war and would will
lngly make any sacrifice which thew
believed to be contribution to
victory.
The mounting opposition to ma
tlonal gasoline rationing may be
used as an example. 1t Is proposed
to ration gasoline on national
basis to save rubber. There is no
doubt that the conservation of rub
Der Is essential, and the rationing Of
gasoline probably is the only prac-
teal way to prevent unnecessary
driving. But, because of public OBJ
position, it begins to appear doubtful
that rationing can be enforced ma
tlonally. This is true, first, because
many people apparently lack the
convection that the program really
is designed to save rubber or that
1t is the only feasible way to do it.
And, second, because this is only
one OF many programs" which have
been originated in Washington and
which seem unnecessary to the peo-
pie. Ironically, this rubber conser-
Walton program, which is meeting
with the greatest opposition, actu-
ally is OF the utmost Importance to
the country, and for this reason it Is
gratifying to note the effort being
made by Senator Truman to demon
strate to the people that the program
Is real necessity There should be
more Of this attitude in WASHINGTON.
In all probability, however, more
comprehensive corrective measures
will have to be taken. It Is going
to be necessary for administrative
officials to curb the tendency on their
part toward assertion of authority
which they do not have. There
should be moratorium on punitive
procedures, on the "obey or else"
approach to the public. Official
Washington has got to realize that
more is to be gained by leading and
guiding the American people than
by ordering this and threatening
that. Unless clear-cut evidence of
such a change of heart Is forthcom-
ing, the job Of getting on with the
war is going to become more and
more difficult.