Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-01
u. S. Blasted
For MuzzIinq
Good Critics
We Need Unity, Drive
of the early NRA
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

BY HUGH S. JOHNSON
TT SEEMS TO me that there Is
l. almost nothing within reason
that our more than 100000
people can't do if they are or
gained 10 act as team and
given leadership 10 show them
the way.
They are so intelligent, en-
thusiastic and eager that the
mental side of the job is half
done before we start.
The President is clearly right
in saying there should be
more parades. At this stage of
the job-or far earlier--it must
have an inspirational back
ground.
He is doubtless thinking, a
little wistfully perhaps. of his
own glorious first 100 days"
when he came to office to find
a discouraged dispirited people
so frequently defrauded in frus-
tration and delay over so many
years, that millions of them had
given up hope that anything
could be done about it. "
LIE is remembering. I think,
IL the national thrill that an
swered his bold slogan. there
is nothing 10 fear but fear
itself" and the galvanic action
that followed his succession of
bold steps against disaster.
There were parades then
some of the greatest ever held in
this country.
We were acting as one great
unit marshalled as single army
and We wanted TO give some eX-
preston to every mans desire
to have some part in the great
battle.
He went on the air one night
and asked for a voluntary agree
ment of each employer sepa-
rately to covenant with him to
shorten hours, raise wages,
abolish child labor and to join
in collective bargaining with
labor.
There was an almost 97R
per cent favorable response and
we made the greatest recovery
in the shortest time in our eco
nomic history.
Do we have it now? We have
ii not.
I AM very sure, from my mail
L and popular press and other
comment, that there is not, as I
believed. any complacency in
eithS the people or the Congress
or any failure to recognize the
extent and nearness of our
danger.
But / am equally sure that
the great mass of men are be-
wildered, lacking in confidence
and feeling helpless to aid, be-
cause there is no organization
for them to join and, in the
main, they are not told what
they may be privileged to do as
their own contribution under the
old NRA slogan:
1--WE do our part"
THEY are alert enough. There
Il has hardly been a single i'm
portant reform or improvement
in our bungling war effort that
has not come from popular pres
sure exerted through Congress.
rather than through executive
leadership.
Delegation of power, unity of
command, setting aside of out
worn methods and outworn men.
some attempt TO control price
initiation and many other obvi-
Gus changes-all have been made
reluctantly.
They have been made almost
entirely as result of editorial
criticism slowly filtering
through to the people. and at
length resulting in indignant
popular demand.
ORGANIZATION of the popu-
" lation to act as one, leader
ship TO show it the way. inspira-
ton TO spark the effort-these
have been lacking and, as a re-
suit, we are prepared to be
effective at only a fraction of
our potential strength.
Now the kind of criticism that
has been our only spur to action
is being answered by hifalutin
-calling-"sixth columnists'
and the like.
Censorship threatens more and
more TO tighten.
To question the wisdom of
executive decision is said to aid
and comfort the enemy and
shake confidence in the govern
ment
Its he'll OF kind of gov
eminent which can maintain
confidence only by Silencing dis
Cussion of its actions.
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