620 State Papers and Addresses

And so, my fellow-Marylanders, I ask your support and assistance in this
new undertaking which will be maintained at a minimum of expense. It will
however, represent a maximum of protection by civilian soldiers, whose first
duty it will be to stand in defense of their home, in protection of plants and
facilities which are essential to life.

To these men, many of whom will be veterans of the last war, who inci-
dentally may have "chafed at the bit" when they have observed their sons and
younger men mearching away recently to the Country's defense, let me say that
here is an opportunity that will make them truly an important part of the
public defense forces. Here is a function of military organizations to which
they can address themselves with enthusiasm, because it will be of utmost
importance and will thereby release a number of regular Army forces for com-
bat service abroad.

Inconvenient, yes; overtime work, yes. But let us remember that hard-
ships and privations are now being suffered for us by General MacArthur and
his valiant men in Bataan. Those who do not leave United States as a part
of the armed forces to avenge the wrong done to Americans and to the United
States flag abroad, will be untrue to these American boys if we do not protect
their homes and their communities while they are away fighting for us. Let us
preserve the communities and their firesides, so that there will be a familiar
place to which they will be welcomed on their return after victory has, been won.

The flower of America's young manhood now being sent to distant parts
of the world will face the period of hardship and discouragement. But like the
Crusaders of old, they are privileged to fare forth to free a land of civilization
from the Barbarians.

America's Crusade today is to wipe the scourage of slavery from a world of
Hitler and the Japanese war lords, and to establish once and for all time the
freedom of man and his dignity as an individual, and this should awaken a
responsive chord in every heart.

No, we didn't want this war. We went to all lengths to avoid it. And in
so doing we laid ourselves open to just the very reverses that lack of prepared-
ness has occasioned. Now that we are in this war, however, now that we know
'how necessary it is to fight as we have never fought before, not only to defend
our Democracy, our own freedom, but to bring back freedom to all the enslaved
people of the earth, we know America shall not fail. Maryland today, as in
every other crisis in our Nation's; history, pledges itself to stop short of nothing
to preserve American ideals and American privileges for generations to come.