Evening star., 1943-03-19
Democracy at War

SS'''ON'OS| VI WI
Recent developments on Capitol
Hill have served to underScore some
Of the difficulties that are enCoun-
tered when a democratic Nation un-
dertakes to fight total war Re-
fecting upon them, one begins to
understand what the British mean
when they speak of "muddling
through process by which wars
are won the hard way.
One of these developments was the
passage in the Senate by tWO-to-
one vote Of the Bankhead bill provid-
inc for the compulsory deferment
from the draft of all men who have
or who can get Substantially full
time Jobs on farm. There is no
doubt that the farm labor shortage
is a serious problem. But what is the
solution that this bill offers? If a
man works on a farm, or can get a
lob on farm where dewberries, fl
berts or boysenberrieS are grown he
l.
immunity extends to crops which had
been designated as non essential.
and even to farms where there NAV
be surplus Of workers. In other
words, it is a relatively indiScrimi-
nate blanket deferment to a particu-
lar class, granted contrary to the ad-
vice and over the protests of our
military leaders. Indeed, many of
the bills supporters conceded that it
was unfair and satisfactory, but
cOntended that the need for legisla-
ton to ease the farm labor shortage
was so acute that there was no time
to work out a better bill And this
after the Nation has been at war
more than Is months.
Just prior to the passage of this
legislation by the Senate, William
Green, president of the American
Federation OF Labor. had appeared
before the Senate Military Affairs
Committee to announce his "unalter-
able opposition to the Austin-W -Wads-
worth National Service Bill.
This legislation would empower
the Government, in event voluntary
methods fail, to make compulsory
assignments to war work. And it also
provides that no person assigned to
job should be compelled to join
union. Mr.. Green took particular
exception to this, contending it would
interfere with the processes of COL
lectlve bargaining and be mighty
weapon" for an open shop drive. He
further contended that the bill
would impose involuntary servi-
tude" in violation Of the Thirteenth
Amendment, and that 1t was un-
necessary.
These are objections which fail to
go to the real heart Of the matter.
Certainly neither Mr. Green nor any
one else would insist upon the right
OF collective bargaining or the closed
shop at the price of losing or pro-
longing the war. It Is not clear that
his apprehenSions on either point are
we'll founded, but even il they were
they could not be permitted to stand
in the way of fighting this war In the
fashion which promises the quickest
victory and the least loss of life. Nor
does it appear that there Is much
substance to Mr.. Green's concern at
the prospect of what he calls involun-
tary servltude, or the undemocratic
aspects Of compulsory work AS Un-
dersecretary of War Patterson asked
the committee, If it is democratic
to tap a man on the shoulder and
send him to fight the JapS in a New
Guinea jungle, can it be undemo-
load shells, work on an airplane or
stay on a farm?"
The logical and equitable answer
to this question must be that the bill
Is not an undemocratic measure. II
it is needed to give full support to our
soldiers and sailors-and all OF the
evidence points to the conclusion
that this Is the case-then it ought
to be passed, without regard to the
obstacles raised by groundless fears
or colorful oratory. But there is a
great deal of difference between
recognizing what ought to be done,
and doing it. Every other major
power in the war has resorted to
compulsory service, but we are still
'muddling" and the indications are
that we will continue to do so for
some time to come.