Evening star., 1945-09-14
Taft and 0'Mahoney
Debate Full Work Bill
|At Retailers Meetinq

The so-called full-employment bill
today was alternately assailed as q
Communist measure and defended
as a means of preventing Com
munism at session of the Ameri-
can Retail Federation.
Debating the bill with Senator
OMahoney, Democrat, OF wyoming
in the Statler Hotel, Senator Taft
Republican, Ohio, declared:
The Communists know that II
they once establish the principles
of this bill in the statutes there
will be no chance to preserve the
American economic system"
Senator O'Mahoney, replying that
it is no longer possible for an indi-
vidual to take care of himself In
our free enterprise system because
he must compete with huge COM
binations of economic power" added
The capitalist system must be
made to endure, and If we are to be
intimidated by catch-words from
enacting this bill it cannot endure. :
"Must Preserve Freedom"
Senator Taft pointed out that
America must not make full en-
ployment its "only goal" and said
that an effort must at the same
time be made to preserve individual
freedom.
IF we don't safeguard freedom in
our search for jobs, We'll have totali-
tarianism because a totalitarian
government can give full employ
ment."
He said that he agreed with many
who say that unless this country
can alleviate depressions, we will
lose the capitalist system" He added
that he agreed machinery should
be set up to deal with the unem-
ployment problem" and said he sup
ports economic planning.
Senator Taft's chief objection to
the full employment bill, he said, is
that 1t "enacts slogan into law
and that it obligates the Federal
Government to spend under hard
and fast rule
O'MahOney Defends Bill.
Senator OMahoney declared that
he supports the bill because he
wants to prevent another era OF
spending nonexiStent Government
funds to create jobs after an emer-
gency Is upon U.s." He said he be-
lieved the Government can "just
as well plan for prosperity in peace
time as it planned for war;" and
added that the bill will permit Con-
gress to exercise a more important
function" in the Nation.
This bill," Senator O'Mahoney
said, establishes the very device
that is necessary to reform and re-
organize Congress by setting up an
instrumentality to do what the
Budget Bureau does for the execu-
tive branch"
Warning that American business
men can't rely for prosperity on a
pentup demand because history
teaches us it speedily runs out" !"
Senator O,Mahoney urged that the
Government be clothed with the
power to plan for full employment
through the bill.
Robert Nathan, deputy reconver-
sion director, said yesterday he be-
lieved the United States has "a
wonderful opportunity for the fu-
ture" and that the Nation must
gear its sights for a high level of
employment. and business activity" {"
Bowles Speaks Of Record.
He told the retailers yesterday
that problems of transition are
such that they are not going to last
long"
Price Administrator Cheste
Bowles addressed the group "off
the record" .3..
Mr.. Nathan said, Shortages will
persist for some time to come and
we will have to retain some control" {"
He added: MY concept of Govern
ment is not to retain controls for
the sake Of controls, but for the
sake Of orderly transition"
He pointed out that considerable
progress" is being made to get sur
plus war goods flowing into the mar
ket, and that the policy is to steer
between the twin evils of dumping
surpluses into the ocean and dump
ing them on the market"
Mr.. Nathan said 1t is expected
5000, 900 persons will be unemployed
in the neYt eight months and thai