Evening star., 1943-12-13
A Stern Year Ahead

Barring miracles and short of
some sudden great collapse in the
ranks of our enemies. 1914 is likely
to be one of the sternest years in
our history-a year in which mighty
climactic battles must be fought and
in which the needs of our own and
of Allied armed forces will demand
Of the American home front that it
do even more than it has done al
ready.
To begin with. as far as the United
States is concerned. the actual
shooting war is just beginning to
enter the all-out phase. Up to now.
despite the genuine greatness OF
some Of our land. sea and air vic
tories. we have been fighting only on
the perimeter of the enemys de-
fenses. But in 1914, as Secretary
Stimson emphasized the other day,
our forces probably will be assault
ing the main works. especially in
the European theater. and when
that point is reached we must be
ready for the fiercest and bloodiest
kind OF fighting. To proceed on any
other assumption would be fool
hardy, no matter how much we may
have reason to feel encouraged and
confident at this time.
And because this is so, because
the battles Of 1914 will almost Ger
tatnly be on a grander scale than
any we have fought so far In the
war, because the flames will be
higher and the smoke thicker and
the thunder louder. what we do here
on the home front must be propor-
tionately stepped up, and our whole
national spirit must be in keeping
with that of our forces on the mr.
ing line. What this means in terms
Of output was made clear last week
by Charles E. Wilson, executive vice
president OF the War Production
Board, in his eloquent address to an
industrial congress sponsored by the
National Association of Manufac-
turers. 1t means turning out great
deal more of virtually everything
but warships and tanks. It means,
for example. that aircraft tonnage,
which this year was 14o per cent
above the total produced In 1912.
must in 1914 be 1925 per cent over
1912. Merchant shipping, up 100
per cent this year, must be up 1870
per cent next year, Munitions. now
up IS per cent, must in 1914 exceed
the 1912 figure by 136 per cent. And
so on in nearly every other category.
The year 1914 will thus be a peak,
climactic year not only on the battle
line but on the assembly line as we'll.
Nor Is 1t only in this sense that the
American home front must exert
itself In the months Immediately
ahead. It must exert itself, too, in
the direction of greater unity and
away from the present trend Of
mean and divisive self f-seeking. For
it is true. as Mr. Wilson warned in
his address, that "too many people
are trying to position themselves
for the postwar period long before
the country is out of danger" en-
deavoring in devious and diverse
ways to win complete victory for
themselves regardless of the conse-
quences for others, and for the
Nation"
The wayward and selfish spirit is
never a good spirit. Least of all will
1t be good or tolerable in the kind
OF year that 1914 now promises to
be. The clock ticks. and as it ticks,
we near that time when our forces
will come to grips with the main
strength of resourceful and deadly
foe. In the circumstances anything
less than true patriotism on the
home front, anything less than the
last full measure of effort in our
factories and farms, will be a crime
without a name. but nonetheless a
crime. Let us not commit it.