I like this a lot, not gonna lie. Might just run with it...
Thank you for taking my idea into consideration, though in my opinion I think you should write this chapter near the end of the war when the dust settles a bit.
Out of curiosity, how many chapters do you still have planned?
I've just read
Shackles of the Regime on the Natcorp forced labour and death camps as well as Bonnie & Clyde being caught and given the choice of execution or collaboration. I'm kind of wondering if the Republic would implement a similar scheme, albeit for war profiteers (and other criminals)?
In his
War is a Racket book, one of Smedley Butler's suggestions to dismantle the war racket was to
"conscript capital and industry and labor." He explained this by suggesting that the monthly income of not just the workers but also the tycoons, bankers, military personnel and politicians be restricted and not exceed the same wage as the soldiers fighting on the front-lines.
One way Butler and the Republic ITTL could punish war profiteers if they were caught is to not only restrict (or deny) their income but also sentence them to work in the factories with their workers. Basically "conscript them into the war effort" rather than just having them sit in prison all day.
However I'm not sure if forced/penal labour is something that the Republic is willing to implement as not only is it a violation of alot of domestic and international laws but it obviously will lead to unfavourable comparisons to the Natcorps and contribute to the prison–industrial complex, something that Butler would definitely hate. Herbert Hoover had also advocated and implemented prison reform before the War so that would be an easy way to for him to attack Smith and his administration.
What do you think?