Show Labor Draft FORs FOR's Bid For Support of Veterans 4 Legislation Wouly Would Woul Signify Full Backing of War y Ewa L 1 Effort See Servicemen as Powerful Political Group Y I 1 By BAUI BAUKHAGE HAGE News Analyst and Commentator Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C If the President really intends to 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 a fifth term That statement made by a seasoned seasoned seasoned sea sea- timer old who is a very good political weather prophet started me off on a journey of exploration which disclosed a number of interesting interesting interesting inter inter- esting observations concerning the Presidents President's plans for the next four years which can be reduced to four main points 1 1 Whether or not the President believes he owes a debt to labor for forthe forthe forthe the activities of the CIO Political Action committee in the last election election election elec elec- tion he doesn't intend to pay such sucha a p. p debt 2 He has found a better ole and he intends to make use of it 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 3 Mr Roosevelt is not interested in fn the next presidential election for election for himself because because- 4 He has much larger fish to fry before and after 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 of labor point 1 and hunt a better ole point 2 Because the most powerful pressure pressure pressure pres pres- sure group the country has ever known is js now in the making the veterans of World War Var 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 in inthe inthe the last election and the efforts made both to prevent and to obtain it the importance of veterans veterans veterans veter veter- ans cannot be entirely overlooked Already there are a number of very clear signs of the stirring of tremendous potentialities of the veteran 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 dis- dis charged but as of some five months ago it was a million and a half The Legion does not take any but those with honorable discharges and that would mean that World War II dis dis- dis- dis are joining up at about the same rate that World War I veterans veterans veterans vet vet- erans became legionnaires i 1 The Legion has nearly a million land and a half paying dues-paying members out of the three-million three who served I in the last war If the same proportions proportions proportions were maintained we can envision envision envision sion a future veterans' veterans organization either the Legion or a new group numbering at least five million persons And that calculation is based on the armed forces as of to to- day By the time the war is over the number of those who will have served will be much greater That is looking at the potential strength of the World War II veteran veteran veteran vet vet- eran pressure solely in terms of numbers Another highly important factor must be considered There is much evidence indicating that the present day fighting man is much more politically conscious than we were in 1917 and 18 This is seen in the discussion orientation groups which are carried on by the army and navy all over the world by the tremendous amount of news which reaches the troops even in remote corners of the world by their constant call for more and by their very emphatic and continued gripes about how the civilian front is being r run n. n I have talked with one of the editors editors editors edi edi- tors of the present Stars and Stripes with the head of the legislative division division division divi divi- sion of the American Legion and with a member of the Veterans Administration Administration Administration Ad Ad- ministration who keeps in close touch with current veteran affairs All agreed emphatically to the thesis that the men and women in the fighting forces will come back with witha a keen interest in m how the country country country coun coun- try is to be run and with a firm intention of seeing that they are going going going go go- ing to have their say in the running This feeling is paralleled by the ther demands demands demands de de- de- de mands in every liberated country by bythe bythe the Ithe people who carried on th the resistance against the enemy who in every case demand strong representation representation representation in the new governments Vets Demand Out All-Out Effort We Ve can see that any man with his eye on the political future will have to o woo the veteran And that brings us back to the National Service bill Now one of the chief gripes of the he serviceman is the fact that he is drafted to fight where and when he heis heis hes is s told but the men who work in the war plants do not have to take orders orders orders or or- ders from anybody The sorest spot on the GIs soul is the strike of the he 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 ional service bill passed He knows its ts 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 hes is s willing to risk the anger of labor pressure against the measure He knows mows that the morale of those boys now will vill affect their attitude toward the he 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 t presidential election come in The answer is in the Bigger fish he le has to fry point 4 When an American reaches the presidency residency it is usually considered 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 weight behind a United Nations Na Na- ions organization to prevent future wars vars will depend on the verdict of the he men who know more about war than han anybody else in the world the themen themen themen men who are fighting this one i And anyone who champions this undertaking whether he is finally chosen as its leader or whether he merely goes down in history as the theman theman theman man who made it possible he will have lave to have the confidence and the support of the veterans whose opinions I ions ons on the subject will receive general general general gen gen- eral acknowledgement it is con con- ceded Incidentally another Roosevelt figured in one of the most ambitious efforts at international organization for the preservation of peace Teddy Teddy Teddy Ted dy having prompted Czar Nicholas II I of Russia to call the second Hague Peace Conference of 1907 Here is a little hum human n interest story that will interest you if you have lave a boy in the service or if you are a psychiatrist My friend joined me in the club He was obviously feeling very proud and happy about something He told me he had just had a telephone call from his boy who was training to be bea a paratrooper It is something to be allowed to take the training training all all allare are volunteers It Is a lot more to tomake tomake tomake make good Well the boy had made his first jump from a plane It was he had phoned his father just lust like riding on a roller The real hard jumps he said were the first at about 35 feet from a tower with a cable attachment And the fifth jump lump from the plane That is the theone theone theone one that ends a lot of careers Some of the toughest boys cant can't make that one even if they have gone through those preceding including including in in- eluding the first tower jump lump Then The they are washed up as the saying saying say ing goes and they disappear But a lot disappear after the firs t jump Men who have come bac back backwith k with medals for bravery in actio n sometimes stand there the tear tears streaming down their cheeks because because be cause they just cant can't dive off int nothing But my friends friend's boy said it wa was like a roller And as the th father sat there you could see thai that that meant a lot to him and at lashe las t he revealed why I couldn't help remembering h he said when the boy was about five and sand his older brother had jus climbed up on a chair and jumpe off H He got up on the chair but h hE just couldn't make the jump now hes he's done it |