Evening star., 1945-01-07
State Of the Union

President Roosevelt takes on full
stature as a wartime leader of all
the people in his 1945 message to
Congress on the state of the Union.
In the words of Winston Churchill,
he has exposed the grim bare bones"
of the problem confronting this
country as we move into what is un-
questionably the most critical phase
OF the war. Stated in its simplest
terms, the problem is to win this
war of national survival at the
earliest possible time and to make
certain. so far as 1t lies within our
power to do so, that the world will
not again have recourse to arms in
the settlement of international dis
puteS.
If this is to be done, we can no
longer tolerate half measures. For
long. tortured months the men at
the battle fronts have been fighting
total war. Many of us at home
have yet to learn what that term
means. But the pressures of total
war are irresistible, and this year
will find those pressures closing in
around us.
The President, in calling for a
maximum effort from the whole
Nation, kept his sense Of proportion
In three years of war our armed
forces have made splendid progress.
Mr.. Roosevelt reported on that prog
ress with justifiable pride The mill
tary victories were made possible by
production of an infinite variety of
weapons-an accomplishment which
has been the marvel of the world.
Yet the fact remains-and the ex-
perience of the battlefield confirms
it-that we are. not doing enough
In 1945, and perhaps in l946, there
must be even more production, more
effort, more sacrifice, more of that
will-to-win which counts no exertion
as being too great. And, with all of
this, there must be the firm resolve
to move forward toward the ultimate
goal of strong America in secure
world.
To meet immediate demands the
President asked for amendment of
the Selective Service Act to provide
for the induction of nurses into the
armed forces. He requested the i'm
mediate enactment of legislation
permitting use of ATS in whatever
capacity is best for the war effort.
He declared that we must have uni
versal military training after the
war as an essential factor in the
of peace" and he said
that he would submit a special mes
sage on this subject. These are
requests, and it is reason
able to expect that they will be
granted. The real test of the inten-
tions of Congress - and indirectly
that means the intentions of the
people-will come in the action taken
on the Presidents fortnight and
appeal for adoption of a
national service act.
AS Mr. Roosevelt put it. the fight
ing man wants. needs and is entitled
to insist upon our full and active
support-now That is simple state
ment of fact, and the only question
is whether the people at home really
want to give the fullest measure of
support to the men they have sent
off to war. "-
The President had asked for a
national service act year ago. But
his request at that time was qualified
and weakened because it was condi-
toned on the adoption of other
things-a realistic" tax law, cost
offood" law, etc Unless these other
measures were adopted. he said, he
would not recommend" a national
service law. and that reservation
proved fatal. But this year his re-
quest is unconditional and urgent.
The hope of victory in Europe in
1914 is gone, the war is mounting
in its fury, and first things must
be put first.
Underlying the urgency of his
appeal is the knowledge that Amer
lean men are suffering and dying
around the world while other men
are quitting their jobs in war plants;
while still others, men and women,
should be, but are not, in essential
work. Underlying it, too, is the
Presidents knowledge that, despite
excellent past performances, man
power shortages are causing lags in
critical production programs, are de-
laying the return to action of dam
aged fighting ships, are impairing
the output of new and better
weapons which, in the hands of our
troops, would mean the loss of fewer
lives. In a word, we are
capable of more than we are doing.
The voluntary methods of the past
three years have been tried and
found wanting. If we are to give
our fighting men that last full
measure of support which the furi-
GUS character of the war demands,
the Government must be empowered
to use compulsion on the home front
when all other means have failed.