Industrial Strength Quotes
At the time this article was written coal was being phased out in most of the country but not as the result of any political actions. The new technologies of producing shale oil and fracking had driven down the price of natural gas and oil, making coal the most expensive fuel alternative so the market place was finally doing what the politicians would not do. Ironically, the conservative politicians from coal producing states like West Virginia and Kentucky, who would normally say that government should always defer to the marketplace, then called for government action to protect the coal industry from the marketplace.
He has exactly right, but at the time there was much isolationist sentiment arguing against getting involved in “foreign wars”. To obtain the full industrial power of the United States, most of the manufacturing capability and raw materials would have to be taken from the civilian sector and devoted to military production. That would take men like Nelson, but primarily President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who would persuade the American people to make the immediate sacrifice to insure the future. See {642356} as an example.
