Evening star., 1946-10-11
Meat Now Is Big Issue
In Election Campaign
COP Is Making Political Capital
As Democrats Seek Way Out
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
Meat is the paramount issue OF the
political campaign now under way.
Meat symobilizes OPA and price
controls. The Democratic Party having
been in the majority in the Senate and
the House and Democratic President
being in the White House, the Repub-
licans quite naturally blame the present
confusion and shortages on the Demo-
cratic Party. They hope the public will
perceive who is responsible and vote
accordingly.
The Democrats, on the other hand.
reveal guilty feeling. Inside the party,
the leaders are striving to find Q way
out. Representative Mccormack, Dem
ocratic leader Of the House of Repre-
sentatives, recently proposed that the
controls be lifted for 90 days as an ex-
pertinent. 1t was asserted that this sug-
gestion had nothing to do with politics.
Actually, however, such q So-day plan
would provide meat at least until after
election day, November S.
But the Democratic administration
has resisted the proposals and stands
pat on meat control. Changes never
theless are being discussed at the White
House and at almost any time some re-
vision in the control system to permit
higher prices or to provide incentives
to get cattle to markets may be expected.
Sequel to First Veto.
The Democrats know they are vulner-
able on the price-control issue. 1t
didn't look that way to many Of them.
especially the left wingers, when Presi-
dent Truman, against the advice of
Democratic leaders, vetoed the OPA
bill that had been passed last spring
by an overwhelming majority of Con-
gress The present confusion Is
sequel to the Presidents mistake in the
first veto. When q second bill was
passed and signed, the damage had
already been done. The movement Of
cattle to market began and meat be-
came plentiful, but the moment con-
trolls came back the flow to market
slowed up.
Farmers who withhold their product
for better price are no different from
union workers who withhold their serv-
ices for better wages. Economic groups
which insist on thinking only of their
own interest must inevitably clash.
The present spiral was started by the
union labor leaders who became panicky
right after vi day. They saw that
wartime wage earnings couldn't be re-
tanned If overtime were cut down, so
they promptly asked for a 80 per cent
increase and then unbalanced the en-
tire production system of the country.
Production was impaired when it should
have been accelerated
Strikes became 50 numerous and so
devastating that, In the end, the ad-
ministration's effort to maintain price
control, while relaxing wage controls,
ended in a debacle the consequences of
which are only too apparent today.
The administration made its first
mistake when 1t yielded to labor and
allowed wages to skyrocket. Instead of
retaining controls as they were In war
time and gradually relaxing them
wages and prices together-the admins
tration yielded to politics and let labor
have anything it could get while the
employer was compelled at the cost o.
painful strikes to accept the demands.
Companies. however, which compile.
with union demands without strike
Jared little better than those whic
went through strike process.
Reflected In Markets
Today the economic situation is
unbalanced because political Gov
ernment has made q mess of things
The stock market has had its most
severe decline In many years and It is
to be assumed that the market Is
reflection of what has happened as well
as q reflection Of what encouragement
lies ahead If all economic groups dis
regard the national welfare.
1t would be encouraging if there were
signs that labor union leaders were
learning their lesson. But there are
demands for reopening wage scales be-
cause Of the higher costs Of living. The
administration has uttered some feeble
words Of protest against this trend and
the truth is everybody In Washington
is waiting for the cue to come from the
American people in the elections next
month. If the Democrats retain their
majority orr increase their margin in
Congress, the administration probably
will tighten controls. If the Republicans
win, there is prospect that all controls
will be lifted.
This may not solve the situation, be-
cause what is needed is not only q
political house-cleaning in Washington
but some e-cleaning outside Of
Washington among the economic groups
which are trying to kill the goose that
lays the golden eggs. The economic
system cannot function when barriers
and restraints are imposed on others
by any groups. Some day the free
enterprise system and free competition
will be ushered in with q chance to
function and then the laws Of supply
and demand can operate. This will
bring lower prices and higher incomes
for workers and producers and manage
ment alike.
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