“Now . . . if I was down there in Washington . . .” an ad from Republic Steel in the March, 1943, issue of The Progressive Farmer, not to get someone buy their product but to buy War Bonds and Stamps and to work hard together to overcome the nation's common enemy.

That’s Joe talking. Every night when he stops in for his coffee and sinkers he has plenty to tell the boys about how this war should be run. Maybe he’s right and maybe he isn’t.

The important think is that he can see what he thinks—out loud. Right in front of Tom Burke, the cop. He couldn’t do that in Germany or Japan or Italy . . . or in any of the nations have been “liberated” by the New Order.

But Joe is an American.

And because Joe is an American, he has more privileges—and more opportunities—than can be found anywhere else in the world.

If he doesn’t want to work for somebody else, he can operate a business of his own—anywhere. Joe is a free agent. His future is under his hat.

Like millions of other Americans on the way up, Joe can cash in on a way of life that has brought America the highest standards of living in the world—by a big margin.

It is a typically American way of life—based on American ingenuity, ambition, desire to get ahead. It gives every person a chance.

That is why today, after a comparatively short time, team work and cooperation in American industry and American agriculture are performing miracles of production in that would be impossible in a country weakened by years of regimentation and dictatorship.

American boys are fighting for the inherited right of all of us, wherever we live, or whatever we do, to live our lives the way we want to live them. And when those boys come home they want to find again, the basic rights and freedoms on which this country was built.

Over 13,000 Republic men are in uniform. Nearly 70,000 other Republic men and women are backing them up with record-breaking steel production. In 1942 they beat the 1941 record by 479,000 tons.

Every American has a job to do in this war. Buy bonds—donate blood—enroll in civilian defense—keep vital scrap metal flowing to war plants—work harder at the job—whatever it may be!

We Americans—all the Joes, the Tom Burkes and everybody else—130 million of us—have more to fight for than any other people I the world. Our stake in victory is our free way of life. Let’s guard it faithfully!

Republic Steel

General Offices, Cleveland, Ohio

Export Department: Chrysler Building, New York, New York

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