Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-03
Missionaries
Block u. S.
War Effort
New Dealers Spend Time =
Planning Distant Peace
BY BENJAMIN DE CASSERES

BY BENJAMIN DE CASSERES
TT IS the bottleneck of post
L war" planners that are hold
ing up the job in hand.
That job is to smash as soon
as possible Japan and Nazi
Germany.
Recently postwar" tariff
scheme-a sort of extension OF
the Hull reciprocal treaties
was announced from Washington.
Before that we had the AT
lantic charter" thrust upon us
while Pearl Harbor was being
left to take care of itself.
Many New Dealers in jobs in
Washington are not only think
ing more of their social expert
ments" than they are of the
war, but are actually putting in
time on the experiments" in
stead of focusing 100 per cent
of their attention on winning
the war.
Nostradamus and Mot her
Shipton being dead. there isn't
single mind on this planet. in
my opinion. that knows any
thing about postwar" condi-
tons.
IN FACT, there isn't single
i mind on the planet that knows
whether there will be a post
war" era. There may be a series
of wars. revolutions and civil up
risings in all countries that may
continue for the next so years.
II was the bottieneck Of Leon
Blums social experiment'-his
French New DealiSm-that was
mainly instrumental In bringing
France to where she is today.
The persons who are doing the
real work for the United States
of America in this war the
Donald Nelson's. the soldiers,
sailors, airmen and the millions
of workers in all branches OF
war production-are not think
ing OF postwar tariffs, Atlantic
charters or other postwar"
fal-lals.
They are doing and dying to
achieve a victory OF the United
States over her enemies.
The big bottleneck is in po-
Htical Washington.
The administration should for
get the New Deal and keep all
wheels turning for the 100 per
cent American war deal.
NIFTY years ago. on March
Il 20 1892, there died in Cam
den, ~. j.. "A man that Thoreau
called probably the greatest
Democrat who ever lived" He
was Walt Whitman.
Great honors came 10 Whit
man in his little wooden house
in Mickle street. Camden, where
he lived for many years an in
valid. His poems were trans
lated into Is languages. Famous
men and women from all walks
of intellectual life made pill
grimages 10 America for the
express purpose of seeing and
talking TO the good gray poet"
But in spite OF all this, he pre-
ferred the society, as he said,
of "uneducated' persons. finding
more wisdom in the deckhand.
the street car conductor, the
jailbird and the bartender than
in those with great learning"
which he considered artificial
requirements that strangled the
natural man and his ego.
HERE is the confession OF
H faith of this great Democrat,
man whose spirit is one of our
most precious possessions today
when we stand at Armageddon
for our way of life:
81 have loved the earth. sun.
animals-I have despised riches.
II have given aims to every
one that asked, stood up for tho
stupid and crazy, devoted my
income and Iabors to others.
81 have hated tyrants, argued
not concerning God, had patience
and indulgence toward the
people, taken off my hat to
nothing known or unknown"
Fifty years after old Waits
death a New York paper. the
Daily Mirror. carries these two
lines from Whitman every day
at the head of its editorial
columns:
Thunder on. stride on,
democracy.
"Strike with vengeful strokew
We are going 10 do that, Walt
Whitman! Your faith in us shall
not be destroyed. for as a poet
Of democracy you were no manu-
facturer of chocolate-caramel
verse. but a warrior, fighter,
chanting Homer with the
sword of Washington in YOUR
right hand.
RRNURNNo -