Evening star., 1946-10-16
Text of Reece Broadcast on Meat, Politics


Tert of the radio address last
night by Chairman Carroll Reece
OF the Republican National Com
mittee.
President Truman has finally ane
belatedly taken action designed Il
repair some. of the damage which
his administration has done to thu
Nations food supply. Removal Of
controls on meats, announced by the
President in his broadcast last eve.
ming, is obviously step in the right
direction. Therefore, the President
deserves commentator for having
taken it, but the tragedy of the
situation is that he waited until
very substantial damage had been
done.
The Nations potential meat sup
ply in large part was destroyed
when the administration insisted
upon restoring meat controls early
in September at time when sup
plies were adequate and prices were
ieveling off. There was last
minute rush of livestock to the
markets during which many unfat-
tened animals were sent to slaughter
instead of being held for feeding
as they would have been held except
for the prospective reimposition OF
controls.
September Action Cut Supply.
A recent survey conducted by
the Republican Congressional Food
Study Committee produced evidence
showing that from IS to 40 per cent
of the fall pig crop was destroyed
because the farmers sold brood sows
which, under normal conditions,
they would have held for breeding
purposes. Similar conditions pre-
vailed with respect to the cattle
market.
just as when the pump loses its
prime, the water in the supply line
goes back to the WELL the Admins
tration's action in September cut off
our supply which had just COM
menced to flow to us. Now, we've got
to fill the supply line all over again,
and it will take probably 80 days for
hogs and even longer for steers, and
it will cost the people considerable
money before there is again nor
NAL supply in the butcher shops and
on the dinner tables.
Meanwhile, the Presidents action
is like locking the barn door after
the horse has gone to the butcher
shop.
Mr.. Truman last night undertook
10 place the blame for this condition
upon what he was pleased to call
"a few men in Congress" To hear
the President, you'd think that there
were not 435 members in the House
and 96 members in the Senate.
Democrats Passed Bill.
1t still takes a majority of both
branches to enact legislat ton in the
Congress. just to keep the records
straight, I want to point out that in
the Congress which passed the OPA
bill, Mr.. Truman's own party had
substantial ma ajorities in both the
Senate and the House The bill was
passed by Democrat votes. When the
bill was finally passed in the Senate,
Al Democrats voted for it and only
II Republicans; % Republicans
voted against it and only 4 Demo-
Gratis voted no" In the House, 119
Republicans voted against the bill
and only 81 voted for it; 157 Demo-
Gratis voted for the bill and only %
voted against it. 1t may be remarked
in passing that many of the Re
publican members who finally voted
for the bill announced at the time
that they thought meat controls
should not be re-imposed, and that
they were voting for the measure
only because they desired to pre-
serve such things as rent controls
and few other restrictions which
they believed to be necessary.
The whole tragic business is one
more illustration of the complete
confusion which prevails in Wash
ington today. 1t was Mr.. Truman's
veto of the first price control bill
last June-Against the advice of all
the responsible leaders of his own
party in Congress-which permitted
price controls to lapse in the first
place. Meat ceilings were re-im-
posed early in September. Now it is
Mr.. Trumans administration which
had ordered controls taken of after
the damage has been done.
Agreement for COP Congress.
II Mr.. Truman's denuncia ton of
"a few men in the Congress is in
tended to apply to the Democrat
majorities in Congress, I am willing
to let him settle that issue with
those members of his own party 1
would like to suggest, however, that
by his denunciation the President
has provided another powerful argu-
ment in favor of the election of a
Republican Congress three weeks
from today.
It must not be overlooked that
Republican members of the present
Congress warned the Administra-
ton long ago that unless realistic
approach was made to the meat
pTUDlcI1l lIiciS WOuiu NC oCl iouo
shortages. AS long as March 80,
1945, Senator Wherry of Nebraska
one of the men singled out for
personal mention by the President
last night-said in the Senate:
I have charged on the floor OF
the Senate, not in the way OF
destructive criticism, but 1 have
done it constructively, day after day
that the reason why we. are not
getting meat is the unnecessary
regulations. and because of the
price ceilings which have been an
impediment to the production OF
meat. I said it was the OPA price
levels which were causing the
trouble" said Senator Wherry.
There are many other similar
warnings from Republican sources
which might be cited, but will
not take your time by repeating
them tonight. That they were valid
warnings is proved by Mr.. Truman
himself in the action he announced
last night.
Won't Produce at Loss.
The President discussed various