Evening star., 1943-12-19
Expediency Has
Its Own Price
By John II. Cline.

The American people, as they 90 into
their third year Of war, are In a curious
and dangerous mood In the months
that followed Pearl Harbor there were
repeated warnings of the sacrifices that
would have to be made at home 1t was
said that our standard Of living would
have to come down, and that no group
would be permitted to use economic
power for selfish advantage We were
told that this was time for national
service-a period when the interests of
the individual would have to be subor-
dinate to the interests Of the Nation
During these first two years of war
some Americans have learned the mean
ing Of hardship and sacrifice Thou
sands Of men in the armed services have
been killed. Other thousands have suf-
fered and struggled and bled for their
country, fighting around the world under
the most adverse conditions. These men,
who know the meaning OF war and sacri-
flee, are not concerned with getting
something" for themselves All they
want is TO win the war and and come
home
Sharp indeed, is the contrast between
their shining example and the attitude
of many other Americans who have not
been called upon TO fight for their .coun-
try. For some of those on the home
front there have been certain privations
and hardships. But for the majority
the past two years have been years Of
unprecedented prosperity. Millions are
earning more than they have ever
earned before, and they have made no
real sacrifice of any kind They have
had to do without a few unimportant
things that they would like to have
and there have been shortages in other
lines. But most Americans have more
money than in the past, ample food,
enough clothing and all of the other
essentials. Yet they are seething with
discontent-demanding more and more
for themselves and thinking less and less
in terms of service that should be given
to their country.
Many of these people have sons OF
their own in the war. They are not
consciously unpatriotic, nor are they
disloyal. Had they been called upon to
fight for their country they would have
fought bravely and we'll. But let them
remain at home, secure and in relative
comfort, and their first thought Is TO
better themselves, regardless of the
damage done to their country.
At the moment We are faced with the
threat of a railroad strike This threat
comes from group of men who are good
Americans, They have contributed in no
small measure to the magnificent Job
that the railroads have done in this
| war, yet 977 per cent of the operating
railroad workers have voted to strike
for more money. These men are among
! the most highly paid workers in the
! country and they have been granted the
| full increase that they are entitled to
| under the stabiliZation program In
| terms of dollars and cents it is absurd
| to say that they are suffering as a re-
| suit OF the war. But because other
| groups have obtained more, the railroad
! men are demanding more And in order
to get it they are prepared TO strike
| blow that would prove for more damag-
ing to their country than anything it's
enemies conceivably could do. II the
railroads stop running this country will
be unab bic to fight the war. But the
rallroadmen say they are prepared to 90
TO that extreme, and cynical spokes-
man for them says that in the long run
strike will rebound to the military
success of the war.
There is no reason, however, to single
out the railroad men. John L. Lewis
has broken the trail for them. and other
powerful labor groups, such as the steel
workers and the aluminium workers. all
relatively we'll paid, are joining in the
demand for more money. Some influ-
! ential business groups which should
know better. are trying to emasculate
! the renegotiatlon program so that they
can make greater profits. All hope of
enacting real wartime tax program
has vanished in Welter of politics. The
farmers are enjoying unprecedented
prosperity. Yet men who claim to rep
resent them would wipe out all subsi-
dies, good as we'll as bad. in favor Of
higher food prices. Black markets in
| some rationed goods are thriving. vet
| they could not exist if the people did
not support them. Meanwhile. the war
goes on. claiming the lives of thousands
| of young Americans on the far-off battle
fronts.
| 1t is not easy to settle upon an ade-
! quate explanation of the discreditable
aspects of our performance on the home
! front. There probably are number OF
causes, but there is also good reason to
! believe that James F. Byrnes put his
! finger on a most important one in
| single sentence of his recent address to
| the people of this country. Mr.. Byrnes
! was talking about the manner il which
| John L. Lewis had forced the Govern
| ment to come to terms with him. and
| he said that that episode illustrates
| the danger of trying to find ways out
of hard cases. Presumably Mr.. Byrnes
meant expedient ways. although he did
! not put it quite so bluntly, and there is
real point to what he had to say
The position taken by John L. Lewis
was an open and defiant challenge to
| Government. 1t was hard case" II
| ever there was one, but the Government
| did not meet it squarely. Instead, over
| a period of six months, it temporized,
| seeking way out that would bypass the
hard facts Of the case. 1t is said that
| there was no alternative because the
country had to have coal, and that it
|