The Wilmington morning star., 1945-01-22

Resistance to national service
act has increased during the last
two weeks. There are four real
reasons. Won Rundstedt's often
sive has been contained and push
ed back in the Ardennes. Mac
Arthur has made successful
landing in Luzon and has not yet
encountered a serious Japanese
counter-attack. The Red Army
las broken through the line of
the Vistula. And here at home
the threat of a national service
act has brought about a consider
able number of applications for
jobs in war industries; the pro-
posal 10 draft nurses has stimu-
lated voluntee, recruitment in the
Army Nurse Corps.
AS the headlines have become
more cheerful, the number of
those who wish to relax their eff
forts has increased The respon-
sible war leaders, after a canvass
Of Congress, have felt it necessary
to yield by coming down from the
Austin WadsWorth bill to the May
bill.
The main difference between
these two bills is that the May bill
eXempts women from the legal
duty of national service. A second
difference is that ii eXempts men
between the ages of forty-five and
sixty. The May bill, which is now
the best that the responsible lead
ers hope for Immediately. is ma
tional service act confined to males
from eighteen to forty-five years
of age.
Even this bill is running into op-
position from labor leaders, from
some farm leaders, and from some
who pretend to speak for the
manufa cturers There is little
doubt that if the war news sounds
better in the next few weeks, this
opposition will grow stronger and
that the softer members of Con-
gress will think of more and more
reasons why they should deny to
the Army and the Navy the sup
port which they have urgently
demanded.
If the opposition is successful in
blocking this legislation, it will
mean that these gentlemen believe
they know better than the men
who are fighting now the war can
most surly and quickly be won.
That is fearful gamble for them
10 take on nothing. better than
tnei1 own personal judgment. For
how will they excuse themselves if
we have another reverse as we
had in December? How will they
explain to the troops why the men
are not there to reinforce them
and to relieve them, why all the
weapons they need have not been
produced?
The Congress cannot afford to
overrule the responsible war lead
ers in favor o the spokesman OF
pressure groups. The men who
would be compelled under the May
bill to transfer from lnessentlal
jobs to necessary jobs are not
more than 100000 in the next SIX
months. If this is to be considered
TOO heavy a sacrifice to ask OF
some civilians, What shall be said
of the ga ,rifice made by the
10. OOO. 900 who are already in the
armed forces, of the sacrifice
which is to be asked of the 800, 900
young men who will be drafted by
June 30, and of the millions upon
millions of men and women al
ready in war industries who have
wrought an industrial miracle?
This great mass who are al
ready doing their full duty, will be
affected by this bill only in the
sense that it will support them and
Fhelp them and encourage them.
They are the real constituency to
which Congress is responsible. By
hem the Congress will be held &C
,ountable if in any respect the
congress mas failed to provide the
means of finishing the war de-
cisively, promptly, and at the least
cost in human life.
Let Congress remember, too.
nat the eyes of the world are upon
Much has been said of late
Congress and in public speech
bout our ideals in this war, ano
bout how the President must
,9mp1on them in the council OF
;. allies. Just what will be his
,sition if he arrives at the next
Getting with Marshal Stain and
Ar Churchill, and has to admit
that because the Red Army mas
mounted the greatest offensive Of
the war. the Congress of the
United States has decided that
American civilians who should be
making guns may relax and con,
tinue to provide for our comfort
and even our Injuries?