Evening star., 1945-06-11

WITHOUT mucn dissent at the out
break Of war or when the wal
situation looks bad. But the mo.
ment the danger lifts, the Difficult.
ties begin. Antagonism becomes
both strong and bitter, and il
ameliorated by neither argument
nor appeals.
Usually the opposition can be
divided into three groups:
l. Men like Senator Taft, Mr.
Norman Thomas and others who
honestly think and believe the pro-
posals unsound
2. Special labor and business
groups, which fear they may lose
some advantage and which always
put their own selfish interests first.
8. Political demagogues who think
that votes may be gained by lining
up against the proposals.
Hard to Beat.
A combination of this kind In
House or Senate is exceedingly
formidable. 1t transcends party
lines and is not smendable to ordi-
nary political leadership or loyalties.
The work or fight bill was a
perfect example Of this. The Sec
retaries of War and Navy, Gen,
Marshall and Admiral King, all
other important military and naval
authorities, and the then President
Mr.. Roosevelt, united in strongly
urging its enactment as the surest
way of shortening the war and saw
ing American lives. And they were
entirely right.
The arguments supporting their
contention seemed Overwhelming
and it appeared almost unthinkable
that the unanimous Judgment of
the men responsible for the conduct
of the war should be rejected. Yet
that is exactly what happened Mr..
Roosevelt, appealing as Commander
in Chief, was unable to keep his
own close friends" in line
The blantant Mr.. Hillman, with
his PAC and his colleague, Mr.
Philip Murray of the CIO, who a
thousand times had voiced their
hundred per cent support of the
President, left little undone to scut-
tie the bill. And they took along
with them Senator Claude Pepper
who with Mr.. Henry Wallace (com-
pletely inactive during the f1ght)
last week in New York delivered
such eXtravagant eulogies of Mr.
Roosevelt that it would seem out
rageous to suggest that either had
ever failed him.
There were others. of course, but
It did appear that the men who now
mourn in public, as few have mourn
ed before, might have stood by him
when he pleaded as he did then.
Curiously, it was opponents of Mr.
Roosevelt - for example, Senator
Byrd of Virginia-who supported
him in that-practically MS last
fight, instead of his aides, proteges
and friends.
And now it looks as though an
other struggle of the same charac-
ter is on. The Army, Navy and
State Department unitedly urge the
enactment of a peacetime military
training bill. The President is
known to be Fundamentally in favor
of 1t. Many organizations Of both
men and women have declared for it.
Facts Stand Out.
The obvious folly of reverting to
the complete state of unprepared-
ness in which we were caught at the
outbreak of the first as we'll as the
second World War, calls for it. The
fact that hopes have diminished
that out Of San Francisco there will
emerge an international collective
security organization which will be
a sure guarantee of permanent peace
argues for it. So do certain acts in
volving what seems to be a calcu-
lated disregard of agreements which
have taken place in Europe in the
last few months. One does not have
to take the rather absurd anti
Russian suggestions seriously to
agree about that.
In addition, there is the clarity
with which the facts stand out
first that, regardless of the San
Francisco Conference, If we disarm
we will stand alone in an armed
world; second, that keeping our
selves militarily fit is the surest way
of averting war.
Notwithstanding all this, much
the same kind of opposition is aris-
ing as that which blocked the work
and fight law. Besides the honest
and convinced opponents who take a
national view. there are the snecial ]