Show V Th Labor Draft Bid C y l For Support of Veterans r 1 I ff f S ft f- f r. r v. v Le Legislation Would Id Signify Full Backing of 01 7 j v v War Effort See Servicemen as Powerful Political Group i By BAUKHAGE i ft Analyst and Commentator Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C to If U the President really intends crack down and jam this national service bill through congress one thing is certain certain he he doesn't Intend to torun torun torun run for tor a fifth term That statement made by a seasoned sea coned timer old-timer who is a vcr very good political weather prophet started me off on a Journey of exploration which disclosed a number of Interesting interesting inter inter- esting observations concerning the Presidents President's plans for tor the next four years which can be reduced to four main points 1 Whether or not the President believes he owes a debt to labor for forthe forthe forthe the activities of the CIO CIa Political Action committee In the last election elec dec tion he doesn't intend to pay such sucha a debt 2 He has found a better ole fole and he Intends to make use of it St if he can namely another much more Important pressure group which will probably be getting up steam long before the next election but but but- 3 Mr Roosevelt Is not Interested In the next presidential election for election for himself because because- 4 4 He has much larger fish to fry before and after alter 1948 and something's something's something's some some- things thing's cooking right now How can the President afford to overlook the support point 1 and hunt bunt a better ole point 2 Because the most powerful pressure pressure pressure pres pres- sure group the country has ever known is now in the making the veterans of World War II Election Indicates Vets' Vets Influence It is still too early for the men and women in the military service to wield much direct political power but judging from the vote cast Inthe Inthe in inthe the last election and the efforts made both to prevent and to obtain it it the importance of veterans veterans veter veter- ans ails cannot be entirely overlooked Already there are a number of very clear signs of at the stirring of tremendous potentialities of at the veteran veteran vet vet- eran in the postwar political world At present three hundred thousand have already joined the American Legion We are not allowed because because because be be- cause of security reasons to print the number of men already discharged discharged discharged dis dis- charged but as of some five months ago it was a million and a half Th The e Legion does not take an any but those thos e with honorable discharges and that would mean that World War II dis dis- are joining up at about the th e same rate that World War I 1 veterans veterans veterans vet vet- erans became legionnaires The Legion has nearly a million millio n and a half paying dues-paying members member S out of the three three million million who serve served d in the last war If It the same proportions proportions proportions were maintained we can enviSion envision envision sion a i future veterans' veterans organization n either the Legion on or a new group numbering at least five million millio n persons And that calculation i is ns s based on the armed forces as of ot today to to- day By the time the war Is over ove r the number of those who will have hav e served will be much greater That is looking at the potential I strength of the World War II veteran veteran veteran vet vet- eran pressure solely in terms of at o f numbers Another highly important t factor must be considered There i is s much evidence indicating that th the e present day fighting man is mud much h more politically conscious than tv we e were In 1917 and nd 18 This Is seen i in the discussion orientation groups which are carried on by th the e army and navy all over the world by the tremendous amount of ot news new s which reaches the troops even In remote corners of the world by their thel r constant call for tor more and by their r very emphatic and continued gripes gripe s about how the civilian front is bein being g run I have talked with one of the editors edi edl- edli i i tors of the present Stars and Stripes Stripe s with the head of the legislative division division divi div I sion Zion of at the American Legion an and d' d with a member of the Veterans Administration Administration Ad Ad- A d ministration who keeps In close clos e J touch with current veteran affairs affair s All AU agreed emphatically to the thes thesis is that the men and women In t the he fighting forces will come b back ck wl with witha th a keen interest in how the country country coun cow n try is to be run and with a firm fir m intention of seeing that they are g going going go go- o- o ing to have their say in Sn the running g This feeling is paralleled by the d demands demands de de- e mands In every liberated country by i the people who carried on t ther the h e r resistance against the enemy w who ho in every case demand strong representation representation in the new governments Vets Veta Demand Out All-Out Effort We can see that any man with his eye on the political future will have to woo the veteran And that brings us back to the National Service bill Now one of the chief gripes of the serviceman Is the fact that he is drafted to fight where and when he heis heis is told but the men who work in is the war plants do not have to take pr- pr or orders ders from anybody The sorest spot on the GIs soul Is the strike of I Ithe the miners last year Naturally he thinks a labor draft law should be passed That is the kind of news the President President President dent wants to get out That Is one of the reasons why he wants a national national na na- na- na t ional service bill passed He knows its importance to the morale of the fighting men as well as to the production production production pro pro- of supplies That is why he heIs heis Is willing to risk the anger of labor pressure against the measure He I knows that the morale of at those boys now will affect their attitude toward the government when they return and their confidence In the leaders of the country But where then does point 3 Mr Roosevelt is not interested In the next presidential election come in The answer is In the Bigger fish he has to fry point 4 When an American reaches the presidency it Is usually considered t that hat he has hit the ceiling and from there on there is no place to go but down True the United States Is a pretty big outfit to boss but what about the United Nations Bigger Whether or not the United States puts its Us weight behind a United Nations Nations Nations Na Na- organization to prevent future wars will depend on the verdict of the men who know more about war than anybody else in the world themen the themen themen men who are fighting this one And anyone who champions this undertaking whether he is finally chosen as Its leader or whether he merely goes down in history as theman the theman theman man who made it possible he will have to have the confidence and the support of the veterans whose opinions opinions ions on the subject will receive general general gen gen- eral acknowledgement It is conceded con con- ceded Incidentally another Roosevelt figured in one of the most ambitious efforts at international organization for the preservation of peace Teddy Teddy Ted dy having prompted Czar Nicholas II of Russia to call the second Hague Peace Conference of 1907 e e Here is a little human interest story that will Interest you if ii you have a boy in the service or if it yo you are a psychiatrist My friend joined me in the club He was obviously feeling very proud and happy about something He told tot d me he had just had a telephone call from his boy who was training to be bea a paratrooper It is something to b be e allowed to take the training training-a training all all allare il are volunteers It is a lot more t to tomake tomake 0 make good Well the boy had made his first firs t td jump from a plane It was he ha had d phoned his father just like ridin riding g on a roller roller coaster The real hard j jumps he said were the first at a t about 35 feet from tram a tower with a cable attachment And the fifth h jump from the plane That is th the theone theone e one that ends a lot of careers Some Som of the toughest toughest boys cant can't t make mako that one one even if it they have hav gone through those preceding including including in in- eluding the first tower jump Then The n they are are washed up as the sayIng saying say say- Ing goes and they disappear But a lot disappear after the first firs t jump Men who have come back bar backwith backwith k with medals for bravery in action cello n sometimes stand there the tears tear s streaming down their cheeks because because be be- cause they just cant can't dive off ins Into nothing But my friends friend's boy said it Iva was wasUke s like Uke a roller roller coaster And as th the father sat there you could see that tha t that meant a lot to him and at atlas last t he revealed why I 1 couldn't help remembering h he e said when the boy was about five e and his older brother had ju just st climbed up on a chair and jumped jumps d ft ff uh He got up on the chair but h he e just couldn't make the jump now hes he's done it |