Evening star., 1942-09-07
and unalterable devotion to the
processes of democracy.
Responsibility Called Grave,

and unalterable devotion to the
processes of democracy.
Responsibility Called Grave.
The responsibilities of the Presi-
dent in war time to protect the Ma
tion are very grave. This total war,
with our fighting fronts all over the
world, makes the use of executive
power far more essential than in any
previous war.
II we were invaded, the people of
this country would expect the Presi-
dent to use any and all means to
repel the invader.
The Revolution and the War Be
tween the States were fought on
our own soil but today this war will
be won or lost on other continents
and remote seas.
I cannot tell what powers may
have to be exercized in order to
win this war.
The American people can be sure
that I will use my powers with a
full sense of my responsibility to
the Constitution and to my country.
The American people can also be
sure that 1 shall not hesitate to
use every power vested in me to
accomplish the defeat of our en-
emies in any part of the world where
our own safety demands such
defeat.
under which I act automatically
revert to the people-to whom they
belong.
In March and April, 1888, this Ma
tion faced threatening domestic
situation calling for the most drastic
measures. The Congress, alive to
the needs of that day, formulated
and enacted whatever was required
to do the job before it--without
long debate, without party politics
and without heed to the pressures
of any special group looking for
advantages for itself.
Fighting War for Survival.
I need not argue the point that
the situation facing the Nation
today is infinitely more critical than
1t, was 10 years ago. We are fight
ing a war of survival. Nothing can
YIELD to the overall necessity of
winning this war and the winning
of the war will be emperiled by a
runaway domestic economy.
AS part of our general program
on farm prices, I recommend that
Congress in due time give considera-
tion to the advisability of legislation
which would place a floor under
prices of farm products, in order to
maintain stability in the farm mar
ket for reasonable future time. In
other words, We should find a prac-
ticable method which will not only
enable us to place reasonable CELL
ing or maximum price upon farm
products but which will enable us
also to guarantee to the farmer that
he would receive fair minimum
| price for his product for one year,
or even two years-or whatever
period is necessary after the end of
the war.
Every farmer remembers what
happened to his prices after the last
war. We can, am sure, if we act
promptly and wisely, stabilize the
farmers economy so that the post
war disaster of 1920 will not overtake
him again.
The farmer, instead OF looking
forward to new collapse in farm
prices at the end of the war. should
be able to look forward with as
surance to receiving a fair minimum
price for one or two years after the
war. Such national policy could
be established by legislation.
How to Compute Parity.
In computing parity we should
continue to use the computations of
the Bureau of Agricultural Econom-
les made under the law as it stands
today. And in determining whether
a commodity has reached parity we
should include all the benefits re-
ceived by the farmer from his Gov