Evening star., 1943-02-14
MeNutt Explains His
Work or Fight Order

man Paul V. McNutt'S radio al
dress last night on his "tDork or
fight" order tollolCs:
am here tonight to explain to
you. as simply and clearly as I can
why in the year ahead, the war will
come much closer to the lives of
many millions of American families
Gen. Hershey has stated what to
me is very significant fact. He has
pointed out that We are drawing from
civilian life into the armed forces
1900 men day. In weeks time
we are putting into uniform seven
full divisions-in a month, % divi-
sionS. This year alone, the number
Of men inducted will approach in
size the entire American army in
the First World War.
We are building an armed force of
record size in record time, not be-
cause somebody wants to, but be-
cause the facts indicate clearly that
We need it to do the job
The size of the armed forces is
and must be-the starting point of
our manpower program It is a fact
OF war, and all subsequent decisions
are arrived at by process of simple
arithmetic. Men must be shifted
into uniform at rate governed by
the stern law of military necessity.
No one will argue the point that
all other things being equal. single
men should be the first to go. Last
year, in most places, that was not
diff1cult to do. This year ii is a
different story. To illustrate. let me
give such figures as can safely be
revealed.
Scraping Bottom of Barrel.
Married and single, fathers and
chlldless, there were at the first of
the year total Of % million Ameri-
can men between the ages of Is and
38. Many OF these men are now in
the service. Others have been re-
Jected for physical reasons. and we
know the proportion we can expect
to have rejected in the future Elimi-
mating the million and one-half men
deferred for vital farm work through
the Tydings amendment. and the
one million deferred for other highly
important war jobs, we now find
ourselves with our physically fit pool
shrunk to point where it is not
very much greater than the nulloer
to be selected in 1913.
l have given you these figures be-
cause 1 think from them you can
see why we can no longer delay
the drafting of heads Of families.
The choice is no longer between a
single man, married man and a
vital worker. 1t is now largely a
choice between married men and
vital workers. Speaking national
ly, We are scraping the bottom of
the barrel on single men. Virtually
the only single men cut Of uniform
are the over-age. the physical un-
suitable, or the men in such vital
War-connected jobs that to draft
them would be to damage the war
effort.
Essentials Come First.
These are the facts. They are
arrived at by simple subtraction
ana they give you the reasons why
it was necessary for the War Man
power Commission to publish re-
Gently its list of non -deferrable
activities and occupations. Since
the necessities of war oblige US to
begin the draft Of married men.
it is only common sense TO begin
taking those married men which
nation fighting for its life can
most readily spare.
The non-deferrable list is SIM
ply a way of saying that in a
global war we can get along more
easily without ornamental jewelry
than we can without food or tanks.
That we can do without glassware
more readily than we do without
power or light or ships That, In
other words, the taking of men