Evening star., 1951-04-22

Might Inspire Nation
Writer Says Neither Trumon
Nor Congress GuIvcnizes People
By Fronk R. Kent
It has become somewhat trite to assert
that what we need in this national emer-
gency is leadership" That has been
said hundreds of times sometimes by
partisans whose aim is to achieve politi-
cal advantage; sometimes by nonparti-
sans who are confused by the situation
but have no political axes to grind:
sometimes by critics who have nothing
to offer but criticism.
Nevertheless. there seems no other
word to describe the thing we lack; and
certainly the lack is very great. Prac-
tically every informed man is in accord
with the belief that in its whole history
the United States was never in as great
peril as it is today. With the Nation
launched on gigantic defense program;
with billions being poured out to prepare
us against threatened third world war;
with debt, deficits and taxes mounting
to new records-with all this and more.
still, the American people are neither
unified nor alert. And that, Of course,
adds vastly to their danger.
There is no way to dispute these facts.
They-the people-have been warned,
exhorted, editorialized at, preached at
and appealed to. But they have not yet
been deeply stirred to the point where
they are ready to thrust aside unimpor.
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portant ones. And this is not surprising
when they know their elected leaders and
representatives remain as political and
partisan as though there were no crisis.
In addition to this, the leaders of the
so-called pressure groups" so far from
being willing to make required sacrifices
in the national interests, are clearly out
to hold on to every special advantage
they have, determined to get more If
they can.
To this end. the labor bosses still are
hostile and unco-operative with mobili-
zation plans unless they can mold them
along their own manpower lines. And
strikes are impeding the defense effort.
Also the farm leaders actively are resist
ing any attempt to control food prices
by lowering their governmental subsidies
and altering the parity formula under
which they have become particularly
favored class" Moreover, the admins
tration's Office of Price Sterilization,
under Mr.. Disable. is not functioning in
way to inspire either hope or faith. In
utter disregard of the lessons of World
Wars I and II an unreStrained and costly
imitation has increased to a damaging
degree.
And now the country is caught in the
great emotional storm created by the
removal Of Gen. Macarthur by President
Truman because of the formers public
dissent from the Administrators policies.
A great many people in all sections have
no confidence whatever in Mr.. Truman
and Mr.. Acheson. Thousands of letters
and kilograms have poured into WASH
ington denouncing them. On the other
hand, the Democrats in Congress vigor-
ously support Mr.. Truman and accuse
the Republicans Of playing politics with
the Macarthur incident. The weight Of
reason and undisputed facts seem to
sustain the Macarthur removal. There
may be ground for difference Of opinion
as to the manner in which Mr.. Truman
acted, but the general himself seems to
have made the act inevitable. How
ever, this does not alter the truth that
sentiment In the country is overwhelm-
ingly pro- Macarthur.
But after the heat thus engendered
is diminished the deplorable fact remains
that in crisis greater than we have
had before, the American people are
in a spiritless and listless state. Their
Government is not functioning effec-
lively and they are not engendering the
steam essential to make It effective. Its
policies are neither clear not stable. Bit.
terness and bad feeling widely exist.
nadequacy on high administration
levels is distressingly manifest. The mo-
rale among the many thousands Of
boys and young men who are being
called into the armed services is unde-
niably low and that Of their mothers
and fathers is lower still. They have no
taste for this war In Korea nor for the
greater war that may come. There is
no exaltation about going in; no zest
OR even cheerfulness-in the unes-
capable sacrifices; no thrill about this
as great adventure comparable to that
felt in World Wars I and II.
Somehow the leadership the country
so acutely needs must be found. It does
not appear to exist among our public
officials. There is no one in the ad-
ministration or in Congress capable Of
galvanizing the Nation into that vibrant
unity before which politicians in both
parties quail and which the pressure
group" leaders could not defy. The great
hope Is that somewhere in private life
there may arise man with no personal
interest to promote and no political or
special purpose to serve-and yet able
to make the American people listen
closely and clearly understand. That
is what they need-and all they need.
There must be more than one such man
an'ang our 100 million.