Evening star., 1942-04-16

anu bVNAAAk aAoN
you-doing. but he didn't belong.
There was cut to his jaw, cut
to his clothes, that didn't blend with
the martins. the old-fashioneds,
and the light laughter and lighter
talk.
No wonder he was Just few days
back from Iceland. For months he
had been in that outpost, where a
man is lucky TO be warm half the
time, to have 4 roof that doesn't
leak over his head and walls that
break the snow.
We met over In q corner of the
room, where he was handling a
drink as If 1t were q tender. grow
ing thing.
Where are you from?" the off,
Ger asked, strictly making conver-
sation.
Just came up from Florida" I
said. "Wherere you from?"
Iceland. Must be pretty nice
down in Florida, but that snow up
thereu tan you"
We knocked over a short one and
got TO talking. The officer couldn't
understand O lot Of things. He was
puzzled by the way this country ap-
parently was just going on living
as 1t always had. shops with pretty
windows and lots of buyers. Streets
filled with cars. Sidewalks packed
with men and women who gave no
signs of knowing that q war was on.
Night clubs. Golf tournaments.
Baseball games. Fancy restaurants.
Isn't there any feeling about the
thing at ALP" he asked.
What little honesty I have made
me admit that for those Of us at
home there hadn't been a great deal
of change. Business as usual. Up
at 1880, q shave. q big breakfast.
the office. big lunch. a few drinks
around 5. home to the radio for
news tmostly badD. show, and so
to bed.
That's not right" the officer
said. mo, it's not right. How can
any American read about Bataan
and continue to go on living as he
always hasa"
didn't have any answer for that,
any more than you or you would
have.
The officer told me that the boys
in Iceland were gratifled with the
news that they were going to get
a raise in pay.
They were very happy, but the
men feel this way about 1t: They
want all Of you back home to know
that while they are grateful, they
didn't demand the raise. What I
mean Is, the boys want every one
to know that they don't demand
the raise. What I mean Is, the
boys want every one to know that
they don't belong to a labor union,
and that they wouldn't have struck
II they hadn't been given q boost,
You could cut those boys pay to
81 a month and they still would
be up there on guard, ready TO get
shot II that is what their duty
called for"
The officeris remarks stirred
thought in my mind, and 1t was
this kind of thought:
Suppose labor, thanks to it's
noble chieftains, never really gets
in there and goes 100 per cent in
an effort to win this war. Suppose
It keeps sitting down when sitting
down means that somewhere a fell
low gambling with his life has to
take the short end because of lack
of equipment. What is going to be
the feeling of the six or eight or
ten million soldiers when this war
Is over? Are they coming home,
loving the labor leaders? Are they
going to band together and pledge
TO defend the rights that labor has
won In the past 10 or IL years? Are
they-they who laid their lives on
the line-going to be respectful OF
the rights Of men who argued and
fought over hours and wages2"
The answer is a brisk and reso-
lutte NO" They are going to want
no part Of those who didn't stand
squarely behind them.
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