626 State Papers and Addresses

Your local Director, Mr. Sherwood, and all those who have cooperated
with him in Civilian Defense efforts, and in arranging for this meeting, are
deserving of the thanks of all the citizenry in this county. When they have
been willing to devote so much time and effort and, on occasion, I have no doubt,
their own resources as well, to this high purpose, it hardly seems possible that
any one of our citizens would be laggard in doing the comparatively less
onerous duties that might be asked of them.

While on this subject, it would seem important to go a little more into de-
tail about the newest phase of Maryland's defense program; namely, the
"Minute Men, " concerning the organization of which units I spoke to the people
of the State over the air on Tuesday evening. Let there be no misconception
about the nature and purposes of the "Maryland Minute Men. " There are es-
tablished military organizations to take care of war functions or military de-
fense. There is a Regular Army, whose fighting functions are well known.
There is the State Guard, which I asked the 1941 Legislature to authorize so
that we might have at hand a mobile, well-trained fighting force to call upon
in case of disaster or sudden emergency.

Beyond, all of this, however, there is, in the light of the way this war is
being carried on, a not-too-remote possibility that invasion forces may descend
from the air or rise from the sea, or even conceivably might be organized by
alien groups within our very midst. In calling, therefore, for the enlistment
of "Maryland Minute Men, " we are merely asking those among our citizens
who possess arms, and who are accustomed to using them, to band themselves
together, under proper supervision, of course, in units that will be readily
available for the defense of particular communities if ever need should arise.

They will be citizen soldiers in the fullest sense of the word; their military
training will be of the. simplest nature. But I tell you this, that if parachute
troops, for instances, should ever descend upon us from the skies, as they have
in Crete, China, Java and so many of the conquered countries, the "Maryland
Minute Men" will serve a most important purpose. The man who enrolls for
this purpose will be undertaking a task of a most patriotic and a most useful
nature.

Because of certain restrictions that have been enforced', in the consumption
of commondities and foods, and because of the utter certainly that further and
even much more drastic restrictions may be crowded upon us, I would say a
word about the state of mind that seems so necessary for a proper understand-
ing and acceptance of any of the regulations of this nature that may come.

If we think we have suffered deprivations to date because of the rationing
of tires, automobiles, sugar and whatnot, and because so many smaller busi-
nesses have had to go out of existence from lack of materials, let me tell you,
we have not seen anything.

It is necessary to prepare ourselves for further drastic shocks of this
nature, that undoubtedly will have still further and more far-reaching effect
upon every phase of our every-day life. Upon the attitude in which these re-
strictions are accepted will depend, to an increasing degree, the National