Lumber Industry Shifts From Delense To War Basis

By lcck Dionne

It seems hcrdly recrl-noi in my wildeet dre-. could I for the pcst hnenty yecrs hcve believed it possible-thcrt I arn sitting down to my typeuniter, iust cs I did in April, 1917, to write to my fellow lumbennen cnd fellow Americcns, tbe snne stera words that I wrote then: "Our Country ls At Wtn."

Even with the terrilic reports thct are coning over the rcdio every few minutes qs I write, it still aeens unrecl thcrt such c thing should be. Thqt old, otd folly-"It Ccn't Hcppen Here"hcs been ccught lcrlsilying crgcriru crnd how bilterly.

In l9l7 cr despercte cnd treqcheroue world power pushed us to that point where further tolerance wcs impossible, qnd prorrpted by our President, Congress dectarld a iust cnd holy wcr cgcrinst the Gennan Hun.

In December, 1941, thqt scme power, chcnged only fron to "Nczi," lurnished no doubt the &ive thcrt sent cr nation of lcrncticcrl, fcrtalistic, treccherous cmd double-decling yellow tcrp<rnese into sudden conllici cgeinst the United Stcrtes, even while their wily, oily crmLcrsscdors -tclked peace to our Government crt Wcshington

The English lcmgucge seems cppcllingly lutile irr trying to describe the totcl surprise, the totcl mczement thct cqme to the Americcn people when the fearlul news begcn coming in over the air utcvea. Neither is it possible to describe the wcrve of indigmntion thct immedicrtely lollowed. I scrw it hcrppen once belore, curd nothing in history is nort drcrmcrtic to wcrtch ihln c srrelling tidcl-wcrve of cmger thct develolx when a grreat ncrtien suddenly discovers thct it has been mcde lhe victim ol trecchery unspeckcrble, bcrbcrisn ada infonv imnrecsurable.

The Americcn people cre the mcddest right now they hcrve ever been in cll their history. TAd wave of indignation expresses itsell throughout the lcnd in cr nrillion delinite wcry* All elte E lorgotteu. Cweek crgo this nction icrwed,-cmd crgued, cmd debcted cr score of pr'oltems thcrt then seemed vitcrl. Irr the wcke oI the Jcrpcmese crttcrck those mcrtters todcry crppecrr no nore importcrnt thcn cr lcrst yecr's bird nest. This people is united irr spirit cnd determinntion" convinced thcrt there is cr tremendous iob to be done, cmd thcrt only through the complete unity ol every sbcrtum ol Americcnrism, ccn it be successfully crnd promptly cccomplished.

We stcnd 'rnited behind our President, our GovernnenL cmd our tlcg, detenrrined to do so thorough cr iob with those damncrble little yellow rren lhct when we getlhrough the "yellow P"til" ol the trecrcherous nction crcrosa the Pcrcific will be peril no longei. Whcri hcppened crt Pecnl Hcrbor-regcrdless ol how it hcqrpened-hcrs drcwa-rhis nrrtion-into one lirm-mind crnd mq88, cs nothing less trcgic could hcve done. We hcve but one nationrrl idecr now; we hcve a wcrr to win

-Co-me whcrt mcry, we shqll win it. It rrcy be thct our stqrt looks slow, cnd the lcp stcrt loolcs fcrst But wcit c little until "our lsrrrn gets rolling," cs they say in footbcll, cnd God help thoee little, tricky yellow criminals, and their Ncrzi ment6rs.

Americcr-o cre springing to crrms by lhe tens ol lhouscands. Whether they be twenty yecrrs oI cge_or-fiItye s€eES to ncrke no diflerence. Everyone wcurts cr hcod in wiprng out oufloes, and estcrblishing once cgcin c world where decent people mcy live in pecCe. -With lcith in ourselves, our kesident, our Government, our nction, cnrd our-God, we-cre tcking up the gauge thcrt wcrs throwu down qt Pecrrl Hcrbor, cnd will not cry "Enough" until the necessiryiob is done. I.et us lly *O$ Glory" over our plcrces of businesscrndoverourhomes,cndgetlheglowcnd determinction thct however proscric the duty ol each ol us mcry be, thcrt duty will be Lccepted prou_dly cmd glcrdly lor our country's scke, and thcrt we wilt alt help in lhe great tcrsk to be dtne, loycrlly cmd helpfully, without grudging or lcult-Iinding.

The lumber industry of the nction shilts i-rmedicrtely from cr delense to c wcr basis. No i'dustry shcrll serve its country better in this grrect emergency. Wctch the lumber industry tecm roll too!