THE NO ME N UGGET
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MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
Let Politics Wait
What this country needs now isn’t a good five-cent
cigar. It needs a fighting Congress for a fighting U. S.
The bombs that fell on Pearl Harbor have not blasted
away all traces of excessive partisanship. This is all too
obvious from recent and continued utterances of some
of the politicos on the coming national elections.
Every American war President has faced the serious
problem of preventing domestic politics from interfer
ing with the war effort. It is the glory of democracies
that their democratic processes continue to function
even under war pressure. But that doesn't make any
the less difficult the job which Madison, Polk, Lincoln,
Wilson and, now Roosevelt, have faced in turn.
It is the task of maintaining national unity behind
our men at the front, plus loyal support in Congress-—
in an election year. The test of candidates in the 1942
elections must be national loyalty, not party loyalty.'
While there should be no thought of adjournment of
the two-party system of American Government for the
duration of the war, it nevertheless is desirable that
active partisan campaigning should be limited to its
proper season—and its proper relation to the war effort.
There have been recent outbursts of partisan contro
versies which have threatened to start the 1942 polit
ical campaign a full nine months before eleetion day.
Neither party can gain much advantage by opening
battle at this point—because if one starts the other will
take it up. This will all be to the general harm of the
public. Inevitably, the nation’s government suffers dur
ing a season of political struggle. Political considera
tions intrude into almost every decision. Criminations
and recriminations distract attention from more im
portant undertakings.
What we want is the re-election of every Congress
man 100 percent behind this nation’s war effort. Thatt
is a democracy’s way to victory.
_ - -
For The Duration
In Alaska, and in most other parts of the United!
States, a fraction of the defense bonds and stamps sold
to date have already been redeemed in cash. A certain
amount of this, of course, is to be expected. It was pro
vided in the program that bonds and stamps could, if j
necessary, be converted into cash at any time. This
was intended to protect investors against the sudden
demands of illness, misfortune, or unemployment, andi
doubtless the sale of bonds and stamps would not have
been as great as it has been if there were not some such
provision.
It should be remembered however that defense bonds
and stamps help in government only when they consti
tute a long-term loan, or are held until maturity or,
until after the war. Individuals who buy stamps and
bonds only as a means of holding momev for a short
while, until they see something they want to buy, are
not helping the government. Indeed, they are hurting
it, because of the effort and expense of the transaction;
without benefit to the government. j
Do not use defense bonds and stamps as you would a
checking account. Buy them only with the intention of
lending the government the money for the duration of
the war—and redeem them for cash only if you have i
no other alternative.
_
Loss of Palrnibaii"
_ r
Occupation of Palembang, center of the great oil dis
trict. on the island of Sumatra, by the Japanese has
economic consequences rivaling in importance the mili
tary result of the Nipponese reduction of Singapore.
The Palembang district is declared to be the richest
oil field between the United States and the Persian
Gulf. While all derricks, refineries and various other
instalations were destroyed by the Dutch—“scorched
earth” action, involving property worth $100,000,000,
a record of its kind in human history—nevertheless the
invaders may be expected to repair at least some of
the damage in a short wThile so production can be
effected on a limited scale. Before the district can be
restored to normal output, however, six months will
be required, news dispatches declared. Oil is a neces
sity in the mechanized warfare of today, and until the
seizure of Palembang the Japanese had no source of
any consequence.
i’he Palembang success, occurring almost simultan
eously wih the fall of Singapore, strengthens the posi
tion of Japan, there is no denying, but the one like the
other, can only prolong the War of the Pacific. Neither
initial success is of such major character as to deter
mine the conflict in the western ocean.
Whatever the Nippon Kingdom may accomplish in
waters distant from her homeland, her fate lies and
will be resolved against her in the Sea of Japan.
Recruitment Of Armed Forces
Means Readjustment Manpower
Every Community, Every Industry
_i * * j
Recruitment of the armed forces required to win the
total war in which the United States now is engaged
means readjustment of manpower that will affect ev
ery community and every industry, Brig. Gen. Lewis
B. Herkhev, Director of Selective Service, warned ev-i
ery businessman in an address to the Greater Cleveland
Safety Council.
Addressing the Council’s twenty-third annual ban-;
quet and meeting, in the Statler Hotel, Friday evening,1
February 13th, General Hershey warned employers i
that they must prepare for this drastic readjustment of
business conduction, particularly with regard to avail
able workmen, bv close and patriotic cooperation with
the Government. He said:
“Sheer common sense ought to tell us that to take
millions of men out of the everyday walks of life and
to place them in the nonproducing status of armies,!
which must be fed, clothed and armed, is to affect ev
ery phase of our existence. And that is just what is
i going to happen—so let’s face it.”
Success Depends On Least Possible Disturbance
Success of our war effort, he emphasized, demands!
that the transfer of such a large segment of our male
: population to our armed forces be made in orderly
fashion and with the least possible disturbance to in
dustry and agricultue. On the other hand, he assert
ed, those who are charged with providing the equip
ment for our fighters must be alert to provide the in
! creasing needs of the Army and Navy.
The accomplishment of such orderly transfer of man-1
power is the main wartime responsibility of ‘Selective
Service, General Hershey asserted.
“While the chief reason for the establishment of
the Selective System is to create armies,” he said, “it
recognizes family life, industrial and agricultural!
skills, and the needs of industry and agriculture. In
its regulations, every precaution is present to prevent!
the promiscuous taking of men whose place is behind
the lines. It insures the equal distribution of the bur
dens of sacrifice on every part of the country. It is a
; sane, fair, and common-sense method of military re-1
I quirement. It is service according to degree of qual
ification.”
Rights of Employers
After describing the functioning of Selective Ser
j vice in detail, including the rights of employers to act
j in cases where skilled workers refuse to avail them
selves of their own rights to deferment from military
service, General Hershey said:
“There is another picture I want you to have and, if
the necessity arises, to call on you to cooperate; for I
am sure that you will give as well as take even if we 1
need every able-bodied fighting man in the Nation.
“Armies, you must know, like great business under
takings, are complex in their make-up. In an easy
1 going country like ours, when great emergencies arise,'
these armies must be put together in a hurry. In our
peacetime forces, we train men to do our housekeep
ing. We need butchers, and bakers, and cobblers, and,
; highly skilled men just like you.
! “Enough of these men may be available when war
breaks out to leaven the early levies, but to the extent
that many new divisions are unequipped with trained
specialists we must hold those divisions out of the front
line until they are epuipped, or send in an improperly
; organized force.
! A well equipped Army, the General pointed out,
must have in it men who can do a thousand things that
are done in everyday life.
“I need but to recall the epic of Wake Island to prove,
1 this point,” he asserted. “A treacherous attack left a
; number of planes in a tangled mass, from which re
1 sourceful Marines assembled planes with which they
took a toll of one enemy light cruiser and two destroy
jers. It was skill that counted there. You may have to,
spare some of your skill to do such things again.”
U. S. Must Become Arsenal of Democracy
Reminding his hearers that President Roosevelt has
said that the United States must become the arsenal of
democracy throughout the world, General Hershey
said this would require an industrial effort “far beyond
the wildest imagination of the planners of a year ago.”
“Great plants are going up everywhere to provide
the facilities,” he said, “but millions of men and wo
men must drop their peacetime tasks to provide the
j labor to operate them. In this effort the Selective Ser
vice System may play a part. On its rolls shortly will
be the names of forty-one millions of men enlisted for
the duration.
“War industry now is short millions of needed work
ers. Where else can we get them, except for our de
voted women, if not from that list?”
General Hershey said he has no fear that industry
or business will hinder Selective Service.
“If we want trained men for the Army ahd Navy,
we will get them,” he declared. “If that time comes,
and a skilled man comes to you one morning and says
‘They need me at the front,’ don’t quibble, he can do
far more good there or we wouldn’t ask you for him.”
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06 PROOF. STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY. SCHENIEY DISTILIERSCORP , NEW YORKCITY
m
DEMPSEY JOIN S—Refused by the IJ.S. army because of
his age, Jack Dempsey (right), 46, took oath as a lieutenant in the
N". Y. State Guard, and will sefve as an aide-de-camp. He's being
welcomed to ranks by Maj. General William Ottman, in New York.
mmss&w&mmwMxi a -^ y&fi ,
TIME HAS COM E—The Air Corps seems to have lost out
In the maneuvering for Grace Ilorton, blonde New Yorker who haa
a non-military decision to make about a diamond engagement ring,
as between Coast Guardsman Dave Loomis and Corp. Earl Burns.