Evening star., 1945-04-29
Truman q Conservative
With New Deal Slant
Observer Finds Clue to Future
in Record in Senate.
By ODen L. Scott.

By ODen L. Scott.
The cheerful assumption of many
people that President Truman is to lead
a sharp break from the New Deal view-
point on many issues Of policy is likely
to be shortlived. Mr.. Trumans record
in Congress and the problem he faces
as President both suggest that he will
lean more toward the New Deal than
otherwise when the showdown comes.
All through his years as Senator, Mr..
Truman showed consistent support for
organized labor. His closest personal
relations have been with the railroad
brotherhoods, rather than with the CIO,
but he has been for the things that
union leadership has favored. There Is
every prospect that as President this
same viewpoint will prevail owing to the
need for labor support, if there Is to be
reelection in 1948 The President is on
record in favor Of wage increases to
bolster labor income when overtime
payments Of the war period come to an
end.
On tax policy, however, the new Presi-
dent has shown a conservative bent.
He was opposed to publicity for larger
incomes. He was against the $25,00O
limit that President Roosevelt had
sought to impose upon wartime incomes.
He favored large reconversion reserves
Tor corporations and sponsored a bill
that would have permitted larger re-
serves than even the conservatives in
Congress could accept. There is every
prospect that, as President, Mr.. Tru-
man will go along with postwar tax re-
ductions for corporations, particularly
smaller corporations, and larger for in
dividuals than President Roosevelt
would have favored.
That leads to the question of the new
Presidents attitude on the subject of
pump priming and large-scale Govern
ment spending generally. In theory.
Mr.. Truman inclines to the idea of
economy. He is concerned about the
size of the national debt and by a
budget that never gets balanced There
is nothing to show that the President
views pump printing as the way out of
any economic troubles. Yet, in practice,
President Truman has not been an
active economizer. He has voted for the
various New Deal spending programs.
Furthermore, the President very active
ly is interested in doing things for war
veterans. 1t is highly probable that
after the war the great new field of
spending will be for veterans projects
OF many kinds. There will be a large
soldiers bonus, promised but not yet
provided for. There will be a whole
new deal for veterans involving benefits
OF many kinds that cost money. Mr..
Truman is very unlikely to oppose many
of these projects.
The President believes In more liberal
social security. He has favored higher
benefits and more rigid Federal STAN
dards for unemployment insurance. He
will favor broader coverage for old-age
insurance as well as disability insurance
and health insurance as new features of
the social security system.
Mr.. Truman sponsored a plan for
Missouri Valley authority to develop the
resources of that valley much as iva
has done In the Tennessee Valley. He is
on record as favoring many projects for
public power development. The new
President, likewise, is found to be favor
able to the various programs for con-
trolling and aiding agriculture. He does
not have the close ties with farm organ
izations that President Roosevelt had.
but he voted for the programs the late
President had sponsored.
All Of those things suggest New Deal
background and New Deal attitude on
the part of President Truman.
There is, however, a very significant
difference in viewpoint and one that can
go along with conservative attitude on
taxes to give something other than a
New Deal complexion to the new admin
istration. The difference between Mr..
Truman and most New Dealers is that
he actively opposes the idea of strict
Government regimentation of business
and industry. The President favors
strict enforcement Of antitrust laws to
try to stir up competition. He believes
IN various aids to small business.
His general philosophy, in his own
words, is this: Government must con-
tent itself with formulating the rules of
the road, it must not attempt to occupy
the drivers seat, either as to business
or labor" And, further: Government
should determine its policy on certain
fundamental points in order that busi-
ness may know the conditions under
which it will have to operate. That
IS the American way and our past
experience has shown that it is the best
way to produce the most and the best
at the least cost. We must not regi-
ment business because to do so will stifie
progress"
Conservatives can get some comfort
from that viewpoint. They also can get
comfort from the knowledge that after
the war there are to to be vast pent-up
demands to be filled at time when the
public will have a huge volume of saw
ings to spend. This assures a period of
high activity in industry that will pro-
vide record level of peacetime employ
ment and rising standard of living
So long as these wartime savings help
to keep things rolling and 50 long as
pent-up demands for cars and new
homes remain partly untitled there will
be little reason for Government to ex-
pand its activities.
President Truman probably can appear
during his first term to be quite con-