The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-02-16
C.. T. A. RADIO ADDRESS

tom of their hearts. They talk a.
citizens interested in the problems O
their home and community and stat,
and nation, but when some of then
crawl back into their legislative shell.
and stand up in the capitol to talk
they must weigh every word. The,
must weigh the strength of the opposi
ton of this pressure group agains
that one. That is when they star
taking sides.
This legislative show in one state
makes you understand better why the
fight against Henry A. Wallace is sc
bitter. 1t is a lining up of sides fol
g showdown. The conservative bis
business coalition wants to block Wal
lace's confirmation or to strip him OF
all authority SO it can be in the saddle
and ride herd when the war is over
On the other hand, the liberals, the
farmers, the Main Street merchants,
the small businessmen have all their
chips on the future staked on Wal
lace. To conservatives, as we'll as
liberals, Wallace has become sym
Dol. He is the symbol of an historic
clash which is in the making
Now why is the Department of Com
merce such an important post? One
reason is that the big job ahead in the
Department Of Commerce is to dispose
of the surplus, war-created industrial
plant, when it's needs are over. That
is $20,000,000 job. Jesse Jones
is second only to the President in
welding the greatest economic influ-
ence in the country. Fundamentally
JQesse Jones and Wall Street walk
arm in arm. Both are foundation
stones of the status quo. Jesse Jones'
attitude is best explained by the two
that are most often pinned
on him, Jesse James" and "Ten per
cent Jones" Whoever gets the De-
partment of Commerce as it now
stands can influence the whole ma
tional economy of our country. That
has the big business boys worried.
That has Jones worried. That has
the big corporations and monopolies
worried. Wallace knows what he
wants to do. When the President ap-
pointed him Wallace said, "In the
highly geared world of today and to-
morrow, there must be full and eff
Gent employment throughout this ma
ion. The Department of Commerce
ind the Federal Loan Agency provide
he opportunity both here and abroad
or intelligent work in behalf of the
and consuming public
Roughly the job is to promote maxi
mum of national employment. Gov
must accept the full duty of
eeing that all men in health have
obs Full employment in the United
states is fundamental to an enduring
eace. To win the war as quickly as
ossible and to insure just and last
ng peace and to meet the inevitably |
reat postwar problems, it is vital for
labor, and agriculture to
york together with government"
That ends Wallace's statement.
'hus the stake is full employment.
he stake is 60 million jobs in the
United States. So Jesse Jones says
Wallace is not capable of doing the
ob. And the American newspapers,
Ike hounds on the scent of new blood,
re trying to make out Wallace as an
impractical dreamer and visionary.
ut look at the record. 1t is a record
achievement which even his worst
nemies can scarcely look on as part
dream world in which they try to
~ he lives. When Wallace was Sec
stary of Agriculture, there were 1OO,-
20 people working for him. 1t was
le biggest civilian organization in
lie country 1t was recognized as the
ost efficient and progressive depart
ent in the Roosevelt administration.
1allace held that job for eight years.
o made more loans through Just one /
lbsidiary Commodity Credit Corpor-
.ion) than Jesse Jones ever heard
. He sponsored the food stamp plan. {
hat plan helped to feed four million
eople. 1t involved hundred million j
)llars worth of sales. 1t required s
ealing with 10000 storekeepers.
lterprise, and it worked
The Department of Agriculture I'M t
II Wallace was financed by the big J
st budget in the government. 1t I
n into several billion dollars. 1t in I
uded such huge banking activities h
Farm Credit Administration and d
Credit Corporation. The u
partment also included many agen- il
IS that in themselves were bigger Ii
an some other departments headed '
cabinet officers. Some of these +
encies are: Agricultural Adjustment \
= the Triple A = Soil Il
observation Service-Farm Security r.
Electrification Il
[ministration-Cro Insurance-For- s.
try Service-The Extension Service. fl
1t was Wallace's foresight and phi O
'ophy that put agriculture in place