Evening star., 1943-09-30
Thomas Tells Forum
u. ). Must Plan Job
For Every Soldier

Senator Thomas, Democrat, of Utah
declared last night over the Ma.
tional Radio Forum, sponsored BY
The Star and broadcast over WMAI
and the Blue Network.
After 10 years of experimental
planning in other lines" he said
"it Is natural that our Government
should turn to plans to better con-
ditions for the returned soldiers. II
we do not plan. hardship will fol-
low. Injury will be done to mil
lions of our men and women and
their families.
The war and postwar adjust
ments are bound to affect the whole
economic structure of our land.
Chaos, hard times and unemploy-
ment of the gravest character may
follow. That we must assume, be-
cause the past has proved it. Not
to be prepared would be a political
blunder of omission which our peo-
pie should never forgive"
Complex Problem.
Senator Thomas pointed out: "It
must never be forgotten that it is
easier to adjust to a war economy
than it is to change from a war
economy to one Of peace. The prob
lem of adjusting to war is simple
one. 1t merely means turning all
endeavor towards defeat of the en-
emy. But the problem of adjusting
from war to peace will be a complex
one, because that means the stop
ping of single endeavor and the
returning to the complex objectives
of our national peacetime economic
life"
If the men and women in our
Army and Navy have been fighting
to preserve the American way Of
life, he commented, surely the Gov
ernment which wants to maintain
the American way of life, because
that is what 1t is defending, should
plan that the way will not be lost
in the adjustment after the war"
Senator Thomas pointed out that
"the preservation of the decent life
domestically is quite as essential as
the preservation Of the peace of our
Nation internationally" He added:
For a nation to be defeated by
poverty, disease and unemployment
is quite as disastrous as to be de-
feated by a military enemy. War
is the greatest of all wasters, but
loss of wealth and happiness
through shiftless inertia on the
part of the Government is the next
greatest waste. Let us never forget
that. One brings death by murder;
the other by suicide.
Halls Presidents Plan.
Everyone in the United States
rejoiced that our President saw this
problem as it may affect our fight
ing men and women. He has put
forth his splan. That plan has been
criticized by certain elements in
our political life as being offered
at this time for political reasons.
Only those who do not know Amer
lean history would so charge. The
President did not mention the fact,
but he might have said that most
of that which he recommended was
already our national policy and that
his suggestions will be merely an ex-
pansion of what our Government
has already put into law
Senator Thomas pointed out it
was not inappropriate that he dis
cuss postwar care for service men.
since he had sponsored an amend
ment to the Selective Service Act
adopted by Congress which assured
them their jobs back when they
were demobilized.
When I showed that amendment
to one of our leading Senator's" he
recalled, "he said 1t was a fine idea.
everyone would be glad to see that
the boys had their jobs back, but
the amendment was patiently uncon-
stitutional. 1t never dawned on me
that anyone would assume that If
under the power of the Constitution
we had right to take a man from
his job, we might not have right
to restore him to his job afterward."
Warns of Work Panaceas.
The senior senator from Utah
stressed: What I personally want
to avoid is distress of such a ma
ture that will cause us to turn to
make work panaceas.' I brought
out on the floor of the Senator the
blue print law providing for the
making of blue prints and the gath
ering together of specifications and
the full completion of plans for
works program, so that our cities
will be ready to inaugurate such
program in case a period Of unem-
ployment follows this war. Our eX-
perience in the depression showed
that it took about two years to get
ready to hire men on great public
works project. The blue print bill
was designed to overcome this wait
ing period when men are desperate
for lack of work"
Senator Thomas added THE
four freedoms, if they are to be
attained, can only be attained
through proper moral attitude,
and when morality comes into our
economics, then life becomes worth
while. The day of the exploiter, the
advantage taker has not gone by
any means. Men are not perfect.
But show me, from one end of the
United States to the other, where
we honor today the advantage-taker
the exploiter. the man who lives
his big life by trodding down the
small lives of his neighbors. That
day has gone in America"
D. {. School Enrolment