I may add at this point, having read
the letter, that when I was at home
many people inquired of me, “Now, if we
buy bonds, may we have some assurance
that the money we invest in the bonds
will not be wasted?” I will ask the Sen-
ator from Montana what kind of a reply
he would suggest I make to such inquiries
which were addressed to me a hundred
times, and which show the temper of
the people? If that kind of a situation
continues, there will be a break-down
in the morale of the people of this coun-
try.

Mr. WHEELER. Let me say to the
Senator that the same question pro-
pounded to him was asked me hundreds
of times by farmers and others all over
the country. Not only have such ques-
tions been asked me, but the people have
come to see me. I have repeatedly
pointed out that if this waste of man-
power, of materials, and of money con-
tinues in this country, we are going to
have a complete break-down of the
morale of the people. One of the rea-
sons why more small people are not buy-
ing bonds, one reason why more of the
bonds have to be taken by bankers, in-
surance companies, and others, is the
waste of manpower, the waste of mate-
rials, and the waste of money going on
all over the country.

Mr. REED. I might add to what I
said a moment ago that those who ask
me this question are not slackers; they
are not unpatriotic; they are as good
Americans as can be found in this coun-
try. They are mostly people I have
known all my life. They are earnest
people, good people, patriotic people who
want to help, but they are in despair over
the extravagance and inefficiency and
tremendous bureaucracy and waste of
money under the policies which have
been followed and which continue to be
followed by the present administration.

Mr. WHEELER. Let me say to the
Senator that I have invariably said to
those who asked me similar questions
that, notwithstanding the waste of man-
power, notwithstanding the waste of ma-
terials, and notwithstanding the tremen-
dous waste of the taxpayers’ money, we
have got to go ahead, now that we are
in the war, and buy bonds and more
bonds. But let me say to the Senator
and to the Senate of the United States
that, in my judgment, this colossal waste
and extravagance, and their aftermath,

554199—3636

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are going to have a harmful effect upen
the Army and upon the Navy and on the
morale of the people generally and upon
the Government.

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I may say
that I agree entirely with the Senator
from Montana. That is about the only
kind of an answer that a responsible
person could make.

I may add at this point, lest someone
may feel that I have not sufficient con-
cern about the welfare of the Army, that
I have a son in north Africa now; I have
a son-in-law at the Pendleton air base
in Oregon; I have another son-in-law at
Wright Field at Dayton; I have a grand-
son in one of the camps in Mississippi;
I have another grandson attending
school under a scholarship from the

| Army. I do not want anybody to ques-

tion my patriotism unless he can equal
my record.

Mr. WHEELER. Many of those who
are questioning the Senator’s patriotism
or my patriotism or the patriotism of
someone else are the very ones in some
of the Government bureaus who are
themselves getting out propaganda and
evading the draft.

I quote from a statement issued by
William Green:

Boston, September 30.—President William
Green, of the American Federation of Labor,
said today that labor hoarding is common
and has resulted in apparent shortages.

Arriving here for the sixty-third annual
A. F. of L. convention that opens Monday,
Green said managers of many plants have
accumulated labor by asking for more work-
ers than actually are needed.

“A situation of apparent labor shortage
can usually be relieved by developing a com-
munity program,” Green said.

The way to do it is for the Government
of the United States to check up on these
plants and to take these young men.

Mr. REED. Mr. President, may I in-
quire of the Senator from Montana if, in
his opinion, 90 percent of the conditions
which are being discussed and com-
plained of could not be cured by proper
administration by the administrative
authorities?

Mr. WHEELER. There is no question
about that, in my mind, and it is not only
my opinion, but it is in accordance with
the report of Mr. Baruch, the adviser to
Mr. Byrnes.

According to Mr. Baruch’s report, there
are three root causes for our manpower
difficulties: