Evening star., 1944-01-17
Party Battle Forecast
If President Seeks
Civilian Draft Plank
By the Associated Press


President Roosevelt will face some
party opposition if Congress fails
to enact national service legisla-
ton by July and he attempts to
force Endorsement Of the proposal
by the Democratic National Con-
vention, legislators said today.
The Presidents proposal that the
Government be given the power to
assign men and women to war jobs
has aroused such outspoken oppo-
sltlon from both Democrats and
Republicans that the issue may be
dragged out for months. Hearings
will be started Wednesday by the
Senate Military Affairs Committee.
Originally scheduled to open to-
morrow, the hearings were delayed
one day to accommodate Secretary
OF War Stimson, who said he would
be unable to appear earlier.
II Congress should delay action
or reject the proposal-it may be-
come a presidential campaign issue.
Use as Excuse Seen.
Asserting that the Presidents
proposal may be injected into the
campaign, Senator Ferguson, Re-
publican, of Michigan said he would
not be surprised if it were EMPLOYED
by the administration as an answer
to public criticism of the prevalence
OF war industry strikes.
They probably will say that the
President tried to get national serv-
ice legislation to stop the strikes
and then Try to- blame euerythine on
Congress If it does not pass the bill
the Michigan Senator said. He
added that he. for one 3 did not be-
l1eve labor draft was the solution
for wartime strikes.
The Michigan Senator deplored
the public confusion he predicted
would arise during congressional dis
cusslon OF the labor draft proposal
Wheeler Also Opposed.
People all over the country are
going to be upset because they don't
know what will happen to them
Senator Ferguson said. I'VE have
had plenty of instances OF uncer-
talnty in the operation of selective
service and we will have them on
much larger scale while Congress is
studying this proposal"
Senator Wheeler, Democrat. of
Montana, predicting that Congress
never would enact legislation of the
nature suggested by the President,
declared he would fight any effort
to make national service a part of
the Democratic platform.
I'm my judgment" he said. "it
won't be adopted in the party plat
form no matter who runs for Presi-
dent. I don't think the American
people are going to stand for legisla-
tion that will let some man in a
bureau here in Washington say to a
small farmer he is operating an un-
economic unit and must go to work
for somebody else or tell the small
grocer that he must go to work for
the chain grocer"
Formal Endorsements of national
service by Secretary Stimson and
selective service officials are ex-
pected to open the hearing on
the Austin -Wadsworth bill for COM
pulsory manpower control before
the Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee. 1t has been indicated that
selective service spokesmen would
propose specific classifications under
which single men who have been
rejected for service in the armed
forces would be subject to first call
in the transfer of individuals from
one job to another.
Senator Austin, Republican, of
Vermont, co-author of this BILL said
over the week end he was not dis
couraged by expressions of opposi-
ton in Congress, asserting selective
service ran into similar criticism
when it was first proposed. He said:
Where unemployment is created
by cutbacks in war production, this
bill will be needed more than ever
to effect the efficient transfer of
workers from one job to another" +"