Evening star., 1944-10-16
Explanation Is Asked
On LeufIet to Troops
Writer CHARGES Propaganda
Aimed to Win Soldier Vote
By David Laurence

AlIHcu I'D WIN OOlQleT NOtS
BY David Laurence
President Roosevelt and Secretary
Stimson owe the country an explana-
tion as to the circumstances whereby
political propaganda is being distributed
to the troops overseas and in Army
camps inside the United States in an
obvious effort to swing the election and
continue the present administration in
power for fourth term.
Congress passed q law specifically
prohibiting the use of public funds or
ofncial channels to distribute any prop
aganda calculated to influence the votes
OF soldiers but 1t has just been dis
covered that the War Department as
early as August 21-which would be in
time to influence the soldier balloting-
distributed to the troops circular
deliberately written to remove the
prejudices which had grown up among
the soldiers against the Roosevelt ad-
ministration for permitting strikes in
war plants or in war production.
The circular was not made public by
the War Department itself but has
just come to light in newspapers pub
!shed by labor unions where it is
hailed with exultation as a defense by
the War Department of their oft-re-
peated claim that wartime strikes have
been relatively inconsequential.
Man-Hour Argument.
The administration repeatedly has
hn
one per cent of the total man-hours
has been lost through strikes, completely
ignoring the devastating nature of the
$4,000 900 man days wasted or the vital
nature of the production interrupted.
Miss Perkins, Secretary of Labor, first
used this method OF CLOSING over the
truth but, as President Roosevelt himself
recently argued, the more you repeat a
Misrepresentation the more chance it
has to be believed.
Mr.. Roosevelt broadcast this same
Misrepresentation of the facts about
strikes in his recent speech to the
teamsters union in Washington. But
1t was not thought hitherto that the
administration would dare to deliver
that explanation of strikes to the troops
and use the taxpayers money and the
facilities of the United States Army to
get across such fragrant piece of prop
aganda in the midst of political cam
paign.
1t may well be that neither the
President nor Secretary Stimson knew
anything about the Army circular dated
August 81. For in Washington this kind
of trickery and misuse of power often
starts with New Deal underlings who
by one means or another may have
managed to reach into the War De-
partment to persuade gullible officers
there unfamiliar with the maneuvers of
politics that after all the circular would
be nothing more than an informative
piece of material distributed in routine
fashion.
The administration will make a grave
mistake. however, unless it repudiates
what the War Department underlings
have done. There's one thing the Amer
lean people understand and resent and
that's the misuse of public Office for a
selfish purpose. They understand also
and hope that in political campaign
the administration in power might well
lean over backward to avoid the doing
of anything which smacks of unfairness
or lack of craftsmanship.
-4 Intensity of Feeling.
The President in particular must
never let the impression grow up that
if he is elected it was ACCOMPLISHED
through fraud or violation of the law.
1t may be all well enough to say that
after election these things will be for
gotten. But, actually, bitterness and
resentment over this kind of unfairness
never vanish and serve only to in
crease intensity of feeling.
Mr. Roosevelt is getting on in years,
He has been under terrific strain for
IL years but if he is going to 60 through
another term Of Office he will need to
begin at once to remove the causes OF
bitterness and class feeling in America.
And the principal thing one hears con-
tinually among opponents nowadays Is
the charge that the administration is
really not on the level, that it is morally
corrupt and will not hesitate to do un-
scrupulous things to stay in Office.
Such charges can best be refuted by
playing the game fairly in the present
election campaign. The Army circular
dated August 81 is plain violation Of
law and somebody ought to be prose-
cuted for it as a demonstration to the
country that the New Deal doesn't want
to win this election by unfair means.
Honesty in elections used to be one Of
the main objectives of liberalism.
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