Evening star., 1946-12-17
Trumon Attempt Seen
To Recupture Favor
Removal of Building Controls
Called Part of Planned Policy


Removal of Building Controls
Called Part of Planned Policy
By David Laurence
Removal Of controls over building and
other items by President Truman is part
of planned policy which aims to re-
capture political favor with the people.
The November. 1s46, elections have
been diagnosed by the administration as
representing perhaps the peak Of Re-
publican gains and as likely to recede
in 1948. The assumption behind such an
analysis is that the people were irritated
over meat and other price controls and
that once the sources of irritation are
removed the Democratic Party viii bs
revealed as basically strong again.
In other words, it is reasoned that II
the President gets rid of the controls
and does so before the Republican Con-
gress meets it will be apparent to the
voters that the Democratic Party which
put on the controls likewise took them
of and that whatever happens after
January, 1947, becomes the responsible.
ity Of the Republican Party.
Whether the Republican tide reached
its height because of irritations over war
controls or whether the tide has not yet
reached its peak and will not until the
presidential elections of 1948 is the big
question among the political experts.
Two Views Held.
Members of Congress from the con.
servative branch of the Democratic
Party lean toward the idea that if Pres
ident Truman handles the labor problem
and the Communist issue firmly in the
next year or more he will renominate
and re-elect himself. The opposite view
issheld by the radicals or left-wingers
who think the cause of the 1916 defeat
was failure to be more radical-or more
progressive" as they call it.
The Democratic conservatives point
with satisfaction to recent events as vim
dicating their viewpoint. The rise in the
popularity curve of the President since
he tackled John Lewis and the miners
strike with bold hand Is regarded as
confirmation Of the theory that the only
thing bothering the people was the
abuse Of economic power by certain labor
leaders inasmuch as wartime controls
are already being relaxed in large part.
MIR. Truman is represented as ready
to carry on with his strong attitude to-
ward labor excesses. This delights the
conservatives among the Democrats who
are getting ready to revive party solidar-
ity in Congress and present united
party front If the leader in the White
House abandons his alliances with the
PAC and other left-wing groups
The Republicans, on the other hand,
feel confident that the peak of their
strength was not reached in the Novem-
ber, 1946, election and that the tide will
rise even higher by 1948. This is not
based on the idea that Republican
achievements in the legislative field win
alone increase Republican popularity
but on the theory that the revelations
Of the next two years through congress
sional Investigations will expose a chap
ter Of unparalleled degradation in the
use OF public funds and public power.
Audit ON Last II Years.
The Republicans are talking about an
audit Of the many billions that liave
been spent in the last II years They
are also talking about investigating the
award of special privileges rs, for in
stance, in radio licenses to favored
groups. They are talking also of look
ing at the files in various departments
where, for nearly IA years. there has
been unlimited use of power to carry out
certain administration objectives.
A somewhat similar approach was
used by the Republicans in 1920 when
they investigated expenditures in the
World War, but the sum total Of the
was not sensational and
relatively little irregularity in the con-
duct of the war by the Democrats was
found. This time the aim of the Repub-
licans Is not so much to examine war
time expenditures but what was done
with billions of dollars in connection
with expenditures prior to 1941 when
the executive agencies spent vast sums
under blank checks granted by the DEM
ocratic majority in Congress. It is not
so much individual corruption that may
be revealed but alliances with political
and social groups whose benefits from
the United States Treasury are believed
to have been considerable.
Certainly the investigating power now
is in the hands of a Republican majority
in both houses and it is probable that,
with each investigating committee DOM
mated by Republican majority, the
opportunity to open up the files and rec
ords to public view viii not be impaired
by the protection which, 1t is alleged,
has heretofore been given to govern
mental agencies by the Democratic ma
jority.
Reproduction Rishts Reserved)
Not Yet Out of the Woods