The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-15
. Clapper
Roosevelt Ignores U. S.
Politics for Present
Chief Executive Unworried
As 10 representatives.
Everybody. Even In Teens
Needed for War Effort
BY oLAPPER

Bf RAY MOND
the
complaint has been made that
President Roosevelt was conduct
ing the home front with n eye
on the fall elections
Sometimes it has looked as II
there might be something IN
those complaints. Election Is less
than a month away and every
body was listening for political
baIlyhoo in the presidents radio
report to the country. But i
couldn't see much Of 1t. There
wasn't anything in what he said
that would not have been just a.
naturally said after election.
Certainly Mr.. Roosevelt was
frank in saying that he believed
il would be necessary to lower
the draft age TO is years. He
told us frankly that We must a
ton manpewer, and that If volun-
teer methods don't work then it
must be done by compulsion. He
said he did not believe the Ameri-
can people would shrink from IT.
He said boys and girls not yet
through high school should be
asked by school authorities to help
the wal by working part time in
factories and on the farms. In
reply to the demands for a second
front. Mr.. Roosevelt stood firmly
in his tracks that this must be
a military decision and not a
straw vote decision.
All Of this seems TO me TO be
the kind Of hard leadership that
Is needed. II it is good politics,
so much the better for politics,
so much the better for a democ-
racy that has the common sense
to support a leader who is bold
enough to do what he thinks is
best-and not merely what he
thinks would be popular. So il it
is a political speech. that's ever
better yet. For when leaders can
do the hard things that war re-
quires, and can win popular sup
port for doing it, then We have
in democracy the thing that the
dictatorship claims as a special
virtue.
I wish he had gone on a little
longer, for at the end Mr.. Roose-
welt. was talking about how USE
less IL is to win a war unless il
stays won. He said there are a
few people in this country who,
when the collapse of the Axis be-
gins, will want to let the rest
of the world stew in its own juice
from there on, and will say that
the future Of civilization ian take
care of itself so far as we are
concerned.
Perhaps Mr.. Roosevelt feels IL
is too early to go further, but a
few days ago T. V. Soong, Chinese
foreign minister, publicly urged
that the start Of a world organiza-
ton begin now. He urged imme-
date organization of an executive
council Of the United Nations as
an international instrument to
enforce law and order among ma
tons. DR.. Soong said one trouble
with the old League Of Nations
was that 1t was started after the
war instead of during it.
Some action is needed to make
good on words. The action of the
United States and Great Britain
in deciding TO abolish Immediately
the unequal treaties with China,
which gave special privileges to
Western nations and which have
been a cause Of deep resentment
in China. is worth a whole Attain
tic charter in Asia, so far as the
cause Of the United Nations is
concerned.
In reference to war plans. such
as the second front, Mr.. Roose-
welt seemed irritated at what he
called typewriter strategists. But
one wonders If he might not actu-
ally have been annoyed at some
body else-for instance, Uncle Joe
Stain, who has had something
more pointed to say recently about
q second front than any type
writer s~trategists that I read in
the newspapers.
Americans have quite generally
left the second front business to
the military. When Mr.. Roosevelt
goes into considerable emphasis a.
10 why the military must decide
such matters, possibly his strong
language was intended TO be over
heard in Moscow. Particularly
when he also takes pains TO en-
PhAsize that American ships and
American seamen have been risk
ing their lives To get supplies TO
staingrsd-snd that Russian rep
resentarves. along with those Of
other United Nations. have agreed
70 al war plans. one OF which
relates TO the necessity of divert
ing enemy forces from Russia and
China by Rew offensives against
Germany and Japan.
As II replying to Stains call
for a second front, Mr.. Roosevelt
added with q touch Of sarcasm that
such plans could not be broadcast
On the radio.