The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1943-06-03
THE WAR CABINET"
Washington, May 20

Washington, May 30
When students of the future review
the Washington war effort a battling
record will be revealed. 1t will show
the strange picture Of a President
who, disregarding advice and urging,
refusing to adopt the tested devices
with which the first World War was
successfully conducted until, one after
the other, he was forced to embrace
them, By then, many months of in
valuable and vast sums of money had
been wasted. The record will further
show that he yielded only when his
alternative contrivances were on the
point Of collapse and Congress threat
cned compelling legislation.
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This curious performance cannot be
adequately explained except by citing
certain personal characteristics upon
which it is unpleasant and unprofita-
bic to dwell. But the facts ought to be
recorded and understood. There was,
first, the refusal to provide single
headed production board, and the
eighteen months delay during which
one reorganization followed another
until the not highly satisfactory Mr..
Donald Nelson emerged as chair
man. There was the long refusal to
concede that control of wages and
farm costs had anything to do with
the regulation Of prices until finally
the OPA accepted this obvious and
basic truth and then began to regulate
from the wrong end.
There was the long, hard fight to
secure the appointment Of industrial
committees and the fights still being
made to compel the formation of
firm labor policy and comprehen-
sive tax policy. There was-and still
is-the effort to force a realistic APP
proach in the battle against initiation,
which already has been mcasurably
lost because the facts are not fully
faced. And finally, thert was the
fight for the creation of war cabi-
net along the lines of the Wilson war
cabinet. A terribly delayed and partial
victory in this has now been achieved
in the creation by Presidential order
of the new War Mobilization Board,
headed by Mr.. James F. Byrnes, with
Secretaries Stimson and Knox, Mr..
Harry Hopkins, Mr.. Nelson and Judge
Vinson as associates.
1t is possible to say Of this board
that it should have been named year
ago And it is possible to say other
things. But the main thing is that the
principle and the need have been rec
ognized and the board created. 1t is a
big step toward the Wilson sctup,
which was singularly successful in the
last war and for which there has
been unceasing demand in this-a
demand reflected in Congress by re-
cent introduction of a war-mobliza-
ton bill, which, if enacted would have
compelled the President to name a
similar board His announcement will
halt action on the bill, though, its au-
thors state, hearings will be held and
the measure will not be withdrawn.
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Notwithstanding all this, the Prcsi-
dent deserves credit for at last TAX
ing the step upon the verge of which
he has been so many times, and the
country generally will welcome it as a
sensible move. Perhaps it would have
been more reassuring if the two out
standing men in the country-Mr. B.
NJ. Baruch and Mr.. Herbert Hoover
who were on the old Wilson board, and
whose experience and capacity are
generally conceded, were on this one,
As the New York Times declares,
the setup is all right, but the stua-
ton calls for our first and not our
second team. This is clearly not the
country's. first team There are
some weak sisters in the line. But
probably the personnel is about the
best that could be hoped for under the
circumstances and it ought to improve
conditions, diminish clashes and con-
fusion.
Apparently the President has con
ferrsd full power upon Mr. Byrnas.