Detroit evening times., 1945-02-14
FAIR
ENOUGH
By WestDrook
PegIer

lSneO ana duNOCdleu Dy MIS-.
Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry
Hopkins with the obvious APP
proval of the President.
The draft was first proposed
by Mrs. Roosevelt in her column
shortly after Pearl Harbor.
There had been one of those
interesting discussions" on a
Sunday evening which, somehow.
found her in the White House,
and this prompted her 10 write:
"All OF us, men and women at
home, should he drafted and told
what job we are Ia do. The only
way 1 can see To get the maxi
mum service out OF our citizens
IL to draft US all and tell US
where we.can be4most useful and
where cur work is needed"
The Grass feeling OF that
phrase "get the maximum Serv-
ice out of our citizens" is not a
slip of the typewriter. II is the
genuine sentiment of one whose
utteranceS suggest regard for
human beings as masses, not IN
dividuals, and would get the
maximum service out OF our
citizens as a teeming contrac-
tor would get the maximum
service out of his horses.
HARRY HOPKINS, the race
IL track habitue. a mysterious
! stranger in our midst and for
long time our unbidden guest,
backed up the proposal and went
further.
"No American, anywhere, not
in the war effort, should be al
lowed to decide for himself how
much he will do or how much he
will give" Hopk wrote.
"Women who cannot work in
factories and shops will perform
such essential tasks as caring
for children whose mothers are
working in munitions plants.
Workers will have to be billeted
in homes and many social
leader will become a boarding
house keeper. Doctors and
dentists will go to communities
where they are most needed.
Some students will quit high
school. I see no reason for vast
ing time on nOnessentials such
as Chaucer and Latin. A diploma
can only he framed and hung on
the wall"
In commanding tones he
wrote: ut does mean you and 1t
won't blow over"
Mrs. Roosevelt then came
along with the supporting pro-
posal that young man need
not be allowed 10 become a dee
tor merely because he wanted TO
and that, having been allowed
10. he should not be permitted
to pick the scene of his practice.
The alternative. o b ious y,
would be q government board
which would assign him to To-
cality but with due regard for
his politics and his willingness
10 pay graft to the presiding
-commissar and contribute to the
Roosevelt party's c a mpa g
funds.
MRS. ROOSEVELT is. as she
vi strongly affirmed in her re-
cent political harrangue in her
column on behalf of Henry Wal
lace, a forward looking per-
son. Roosevelt might die during
this term or the next or bow
out in 1948 in favor Of Wallace
and the Communist conspirators
of New York and Washington.
But the party will go forward
nevertheless. Possibly Elliott
Roosevelt, already risen from
captain to brigadier at "a after
three years service, would be
ambitious TO carry on. This
conscription would last many
years and become our fixed way
of life. The war emergency
which is the duration OF all
emergency" powers and meas
ures will not expire when the
shooting stops.
Hopkins ultimatum tn a I
workers will be billeted in pri-
vate homes reveals kinshlp
with Wallace who once dispar-
aged Bill of Rights Democ-
racy."
The third article of the Bill
of Rights says:
"No soldier shall. in time OF
peace, he quartered in any house
without the consent OF the
owner, nor i'm time Of war hut
I'm a manner TO he prescribed
by law"
THE founding fathers did not
Il anticipate a draft of civilian
labor. That was unthinkable.
so il did not occur TO them 10
forbid the billcting Of civilian
strangers in the homes of the
citizens without the consent Of
the owners.
Hopkins seems 10 have de-
tected this negative flaw, and
the moral problems and conse-
quences which doubtless occur
red TO him, are fascinating, In
a home where there is a young
daughter. a dangerous, strange
man could be quartered by the
agents Of the Roosevelt party
in the interests of national de-
fense. In the home Of man
drafted 10 fight overseas or a
civilian shipped from New Eng
land TO a jnh- in q Seattle ship