ALL-OUT EFFORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 March 1941, Page 5

ALL-OUT EFFORT

IN AID OF THE DEMOCRACIES Great Speech by President Roosevelt AMERICAN NATION WARNED OF NEED FOR SACRIFICES PEOPLE GIVEN SPEED FOR THEIR WATCHWORD (By Telegraph.—-Press Association.— Copyright.) AVASITFNGTON, March 15._ In a stirring speech delivered at. the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association, President Roosevelt declared the news story of the week was that the world had been told that the United States knew of its danger and to it its democracy had gone into action. There was no doubt oi the nation’s unanimity. Its problems had been discussed m t io open and a great decision taken, this decision meaning the end of any attempts at appeasement within the country. The President dedicated the nation Io an all-out effort. This was no part-time job and a production greater than ever known before was essential. He appealed to every citizen to put aside all personal differences till victory was won, and warned them of the necessity to make sacrifices, the extent of which would depend on the speed with which they acted. lie gave the people speed for their watchword. Upon the national will, he said, depended the survival of the vital bridge across the ocean which'carried arms and food to the 1 rout-line fighters in the cause of democracy. The speech was broadcast in 14 different languages. Mr Willkie, who was also a guest at the dinner, later commented: “The President, enumerated well America’s aspirations. We all pray that he meets the opportunity of becoming the greatest statesman of his generation, lor he must be if democracy is to be saved.’’

PRECEDENTS BROKEN

“This dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association is unique," Mr. Roosevelt said. “It is the first one in which I have made a speech in all these eight years. It differs from our Press conferences twice a week. You cannot ask me any questions and everything I say here is word for word on the record. For eight years you and I have been helping each other. I have been trying to keep you informed of the news of Washington and of the nation and of the world from the point of view of the presidency. You, more than you realise it, have been giving me a great deal of information about what the people of this country are thinking.

Tn our Press conferences, as at this dinner tonight, we include reporters representing papers and news agencies in many other lands. To most of them it is a matter of constant amazement that Press coriferences such as ours can exist in any nation in the world. That is specially true in those lands where freedoms do not exist and where the purpose of our democracy and the characteristics of our country and of our people have been seriously distorted.

“Such misunderstandings are not new. I remember that in the early days of the first world war the German Government received solemn assurances from their representatives in the United States that the people of America were disunited, that they cared more for peace at any price than for the preservation of ideals and freedom and that there would even be riots and revolutions in the United States if this nation ever asserted its own interests. Let not the dictators of Europe and Asia doubt our unanimity now.

“Before the present war broke on September 1, 1939, I was more worried about the future than many people. The record shows that I was not worried enough. That, however, is water over the dam. Don’t let us waste time reviewing the past or fixing or dodging the blame for it. History cannot be rewritten by wishful thinking. “We, the American people are writing history today. The big news story of this week is this: The world has been told that we as a united nation realise the danger which confronts us, and that to meet that danger our democracy has gone into action.

NAZIS AND DEMOCRACY

We know that, though Prussian autocracy was bad enough, Nazism is far worse. The Nazi forces are not seeking mere modifications of colonial maps or of minor European boundaries. They openly seek the destruction of all elective systems of government of every continent, including our own. They seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers who have seized power by force. “These men and their hypnotised followers call this a new order. It is not new. It is not order, for order among nations presupposes something enduring, some system of justice under which individuals over a long period of time are willing to live. Humanity will never permanently accept a system imposed by conquest based on slavery. These modern tyrants find it necessary to their plans to eliminate all democracies, to eliminate them one by one. The nations of Europe, indeed we ourselves did not appreciate that purpose. We do now. “The process of elimination of the European nations proceeded according to plan through 19.39 and 1940, until the schedule was shot to pieces by the unbeatable defenders of Britain. The enemies of democracy were wrong in their calculations for a very simple reason. They were wrong because they believed that democracy could not adjust itself to' the terrible reality of the world at war. They believed that democracy, because of its profound respect for the rights of men, would never arm itself to fight. They believed that a democracy, because of its will to Jive at peace, could not mobilise its energies even in its own defence. They know now that a democracy can still remain a democracy, speak and reach conclusions, and arm itself adequately for defence. “From the propaganda bureau of the Axis Powers came the confident prophecy that the conciuest of our country would be an inside job, accomplished not by an overpowering invasion from without, but by disrupting confusion, disunion, and moral disintegration from within. Those who believed that did not know our history. America is not a country which can be confounded by appeasers, defeatists, and backstairs manufacturers of panic. It is a country which talks out its problems in the open.

HISTORIC DEBATE

“We have just now been engaged in a great debate. It was not limited to the halls of Congress, but was argued in every newspaper, on every wavelength and every cracker barrel in the land and was finally settled and decided by the American people themselves. The decisions of our democracy may be slowly arrived at but when a decision is made it is proclaimed not with the voice of any one man, but with the voice of 130,000,000. It is binding on all of us and the world is no longer left in doubt that tthis decision is the end of any attempts at appeasement in our land, the end of urging us to get along with the dictators, the end of compromise with tyranny and the forces of aggression.

“We believe firmly that when our production output is in full swing the democracies of the world will be able to prove that the dictatorships cannot win, but now the time element is of supreme importance. Every plane and every other instrument of war, old and new, which we can spare now we will send overseas. That is commonsense strategy. The great task of this day and the deep duty which rests upon us is to have the products from the assembly line or the tactories to tne battle lines of democracy.

SPEED AND UNITY

“We can have speed and effectiveness if we maintain our existing unity. We don’t have and never will have the false unity of a people browbeaten by threats and misled by propaganda. Our is a unity which is possible only among free men and women who recognise truth and face reality with intelligence and courage. Today at last ours it not only a partial effort; it is a total effort. That is the only way ’to guarantee our ultimate safety. “Beginning a year ago we started the erection of hundreds of plants and started the training of millions of men. Then at the moment the Aid Bill was passed we were ready to recommend a seven billion-dollar appropriation on the basis of capacity production as now planned. The articles themselves cover the whole range of the munitions of war and the facilities for transporting them.

“The Bill was agreed to by both Houses of Congress last Tuesday afternoon. I signed it one half hour later. Five minutes later I approved a list of articles for immediate shipment. Many of them are on the way. On Wednesday I recommended an appropriation for new material to the extent of seven billion dollars and Congress is making patriotic speed in making the appropration available.

SACRIFICE AND RIGHTS

“Here iw Washington we are thinking in terms of speed and speed now. and I hope that that watchword will find its way into every home in the nation. We shall have to make sacrifices, every one of us. The final extent of those sacrifices will depend upon the speed with which we act now.

‘I must tell you tonight in plain language what this undertaking means to you and to your daily life, whether you are in the armed services, whether you are a steel worker, stevedore, machinist, or housewife, farmer, banker, storekeeper, or manufacturer. To all of you it will mean sacrifice on behalf of the country and your liberties. You will feel the impact of this gigantic effort in your daily lives. You will feel it in a way which will cause many inconveniences. You will have to be content with lower profits from business because obviously your taxes will be higher. You will have to work longer at your bench, your plough, or your machine.

“Let me make it clear that the nation is calling for the sacrifice of some privileges but not for the sacrifice of fundamental rights. Most of us will do that willingly. That kind of sacrifice is for the common national protection and welfare, for our defence against the most ruthless brutality in history and for the ultimate victory of the way of life now so violently menaced.

“A half-hearted effort on our part will lead to failure. This is no parttime job. Concepts of business as usual and normally must be forgotten till the task is finished. This is an all-out effort. Nothing short of an all-out effort will win. We are dedicated from here on to a constantly-increasing tempo of production, a production greater than we now know or have ever known before, a production that does not stop and should not pause and so tonight I am appealing to the heart and mind of every man and every women within our borders who love liberty. I ask. you to consider the needs of our nation at this hour and to put

aside all personal differences till victory is won. The light of democracy must be kept burning. To the perpetuation of this light each must do his own share. MIGHTY UNION OF EFFORT "The single effort of one individual may seem very small, but there are 130000,000 individuals over here. There are many' more millions in Britain and elsewhere bravely shielding the great, flame of democracy from the black-out. of barbarism. It is not enough for us merely to trim the wick or polish the glass. The time has come when we must provide fuel in everincreasing quantities to keep the flame alight. There will be no divisions of party or section or race or nationality or religion. There is not one among us who does not have a stake in the outcome of the effort in which we are now engaged.. “A few weeks ago I spoke of our freedoms, the freedom of speech and expression, the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way. freedom from want and from fear. They are the ultimate stake. They may not immediately be attainable throughout the world, but humanity does move toward those ideals through democratic processes. If we fail, if democracy is superseded by slavery, then those freedoms or even the mention of them will become forbidden things. Centuries will pass before they can be revived. By winning, now we strengthen their meaning, we increase the stature of mankind and the dignity of human life. LOYALTY AND OBEDIENCE “There is a vast difference between the word loyalty and the word obedience. Obedience can be obtained and enforced in a dictatorship by the use of threats and extortion or can be obtained by failure on the part of a government to tell the truth to its citizens. Loyalty is different; it springs from the mind that is given the facts, that retains the ancient ideals and proceeds without coercion to give support to its own government. That is true in England, Greece, China and the United States today and in many other countries millions of men and women are praying for the return of the day when they can give that kind of loyalty. Loyalty cannot be bought. Dollars alone will not win this war. Let us not delude Ourselves as to that. “Today nearly a million and a half American citizens are hard at work in the armed forces. The spirit and determination. of these men of our army and navy are worthy of the highest traditions of our country. No better men ever served under Washington or John Paul Jones or Grant or Lee or Pershing. This is a boast, I admit, but not an idle one. “The national will to sacrifice and work depends on the output of our industry, and our agriculture. Upon that will depends the survival of the vital bridge across the ocean, the bridge of ships which carry arms and food for those who are fighting the good fight. Upon 'that will depends our ability to aid other nations which may determine to offer resistance. Upon that will may depend practical assistance to people now living in the nations which have been overrun should they find the opportunity to strike back in an effort to regain their liberties. WILL OF THE PEOPLE “This will of the American people will not be frustrated either by threats from powerful enemies abroad or by small selfish groups or individuals at home. The determination of America must not be obstructed by war profiteering and must not be obstructed by unnecessary strikes of workers, by short-sighted management or by deliberate sabotage, for unless we win there will be no freedom for either management or labour. Wise labour leaders and wise business managers will realise how necessary it is to their own existence to make a common sacrifice for this great common cause. There is no longer the slightest question or doubt that the American people recognise the extreme- seriousness of the present situation. That is why they demanded and have got a policy

of unqualified and immediate aid for Britain, Greece and China and for all f the governments in exile whose home- * lands are temporarily occupied by the * aggressors. From now on that aid will ? be increased and yet again increased J till total victory is won. j BRITAIN BRACED ‘ “The British are stronger than ever * in the magnificent morale which has enabled them to endure all the dark j days and shattered nights of the past J 10 months. They have the full support 1 and help of Canada, and the other Do- *■ minions and the rest of the Empire and 1 the non-British people throughout the 1 world who still think in terms of the 1 great freedoms. The British people are ' braced for invasion whenever the at- . tempt may come, tomorrow, next week ( or next month. • “In this historic crisis the British J are blessed with a brilliant and great leader in Winston Churchill, but no. one knows better than himself'that it is not alone his stirring words and , valiant deeds which give the British . their superb morale. The essence of ] that morale is in the masses of plain ] people who are completely clear in ] their minds about the one essential ] fact that they would rather die as free , men than live as slaves. These plain , people, civilians as well as soldiers. ( sailors and airmen, women and girls as well as men and boys, are fighting in ( the front line of civilisation. They are j holding that line with a fortitude ( which will forever be the pride and ( inspiration of all free men on every s continent and on every island of the ( sea. 1 ASSURANCE OF HELP t “The British people and their Grec- £ ian allies need ships from America and ( they will get ships. They need planes r from America and they will get planes. £ They need food from America and they £ will get food. They need tanks and c guns and ammunitions and supplies of t all kinds from America; they will get -[ tanks and guns and ammunition and £ supplies of all kinds. ■ “China likewise expresses the mag- j nificent will of millions of plain people * to resist the dismemberment of their c nation. China, through Chiang Kai- ] shek, asks our help. America has said A that China shall have our help. c “Our country is going to be what g our people have proclaimed it must be. jthe arsenal of democracy. Our coun- a try is going to play its full part, and s when the dictatorships disintegrate, c and pray God that will be sooner than any of us now dares hope, then our rj country must continue to play its great c part in the period of world recqn- j. struction. f MASTER RACE NONSENSE I f

"We believe that the rallying cry of the dictators and their boasting about a master race will prove to be pure stuff and nonsense. There never has been, is not now and never will be any race of people fit to serve as masters over their fellow men. The world has no use for any nation which, because of its size or military might, asserts the right to goosestep to world power over other nations and races. “We believe that any nationality, no matter how small, has an inherent right to its own nationhood. We believe that the men and women of such nations, no matter what size, can through the processes of peace serve themselves and serve the world by protecting the common man's security, improve the standards of healthfid living and provide markets for manufacture and agriculture. Through that kind of peaceful service every nation can increase its happiness, banish the terrors of war and abandon man's inhumanity to man. Never in all our history have Americans faced a job so worth while. May it be said of us in the days to come that our children and our children’s children will rise up and call us blessed.”