794 State Papers and Addresses

before, every one of the 48 states—every one of our 132 million Americans-faces
the necessity of fullest concerted effort if, as a Nation, and as a free people,
we are to survive.

These 132 million people have declared this war—not the Congress or any
elected official. These American citizens have pledged their determination to
eradicate the scourge of Hitler from the face of the earth. Our citizens are
ready to set aside their priceless privileges, and their comforts, as well as to
defray any necessary cost to pursue the conduct of the war until this Hannibal
of our. modern world is exterminated.

Our leaders need have no fear of the attitude of the plain citizenry. My
own opinion, confirmed by other Governors here, is that the people are ahead of
many of their officials in Washington in their thinking and in their resolve to
take aggressive measures to fight through this conflict both to win the war and
to win the peace thereafter. Furthermore, the average American citizen from
Maine to California only needs to be convinced that his leaders are exercising
common sense and sound judgment to have him give whole-hearted support to
any undertaking.

In referring to the successful activities of the States in the war effort, I
cannot refrain from reminding the citizens of a danger which will become in-
creasingly grave unless there is watchfulness. By this I mean the danger of
departing from our dual form of Government, with the States and the Federal
Union as separate sovereign powers. We must preserve unimpaired the Amer-
ican System, including those priceless rights and freedoms which are the essence
of American citizenship.

In our eagerness to furnish all support to the Federal Government in the
war effort, there is latent danger that we may at the same time be laying the
foundation for a definite change-about of our way of life. It is not amiss to
state that there are other things of importance in addition to winning the war.
The young men, now risking their lives to preserve the American system, have
a right to expect that no substantial changes in their form of Government will
be made before their return.

In seeking to preserve the identify of the States, the representatives of
those sovereignties give evidence of their readiness to conduct their local govern-
ments in keeping with the demands of the times. We think there should be
economy in Government and that all non-essential expenditures, not related to
the war effort, should be curtailed or eliminated altogether. With the rising
costs incident to the prosecution of the war, taxes are being increased by the
Federal Government. That situation calls for a corresponding reduction of
State taxation. Retrenchment should be the order of the day.

While this State program is underway, it is not out of line to express the
hope that the Federal Government will adopt policies of economy. Overlapping
activities of various bureaus and agencies should be eliminated} and a unification
of the work of the various units, interested in similar undertakings, should be
the earnest aim of our National government.

In various programs, now in effect for direct support of the war effort,
there should be the greatest care exercised by our Federal officials that just and