Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-10-18
IN EDITORIAL
An EDITORIAL
TRUMAN SURRENDERS

When President Truman publicly and weakly
rendered the meat trust cOast-tOcOaSt nation
wide radio hOOkup this week, he again proved IL add
onal proof necessary that he is not leading the nation
but being led influenced doubt by political consd-
erations and by the big business interests.
When the President said trying Honestly and
sincerely administer this feeble law he was no doubt
telling the truth At the time the feeble law was
partly because of the pddng flOundering and fauous
ndecson and utiIity of administration which came
by act of God and the grace of reactonay
Democrats.
President Truman in handling of prices and wages
reminds us of nothing much the fcOnal character
who mounted upon his horse and rode rapidly off in all
directions"
Nor does the Presidents lack of political and eco
nomc wisdom terminate exclusively with wages and
prices He seems utterly unaware of the great powers
which the presidency has conferred and still coners upon
who have the character moral strength and ability
to these powers wisely
Had the President shown the same scOrn Tor the
economic royaIists" which his revered predecessor
showed on nnumerable occasions; had he realized the
power and strength of his office had he surrounded him.
self with competent advisers instead of his loyal friends
from Missouri, President Truman's course might have
been different and the fight against monopoly control
might have come to happier conclusion.
But the President failed to realize his powers; failed
to recognize that human rights transcend profits and
property rights and failed to lead the country at time
when such failure might to be disastrous to the ma
tional welfare
Such immature faItering steps the part of the
nresident cannot be acceptable to the American people
who have known the strong leadership of Franklin ID.
Roosevelt His ineffective handling of the price situation
is but another example of the same blundering which
led to his approval Henry A. Waace Madison Square
Garden address Both cut from the pattern and
stamp him as nice who doesn't know his way
around.
Under the emergency powers granted to the PresI-
dent and with the power to declare emergency, Mr..
Truman could very well have stolen the play from the
powerful monopoly and proved to the satisfaction of
the majority of the people of this country that the well
fare of its citizens is important than the control and
profits of the greedy monOpOlists.
Additional proof of the Presidents tmidity when
dealing with big business demonstrated when after
dealing price control what amounted to death blow by
his surrender the mOnopOlists, he failed to
wage controls
Obviously the President some connection be-
tween wages and prices but evidently did not to
him that he was treating millions of workers to in
Justice when after giving the meat and other vested in
terests carte blanc gouge the American people, he failed
to provide the workers with the right to immediate
increases.
BY his surrender the President has turned initiation
into one-way with green lights for big business
He has paved the way for another upward spiral which
will result wage demands, strikes, industrial
warfare and possible economic chaos.
Mr.. Truman might be playing politics. but in this in
stance he hitting upon dScOrdant note which, when
added to the other dScOrdant notes that have from
the White House since April 1945, will reverberate dur
ing the coming months and hasten the rapidly approach
inc economic crisis,