Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-06-14
Veto Message Called
Political Chiconery
Many Official Documents Seek
To Mislead American People
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
Hypocrisy is mild word to apply
to the political chicanery whereby
ofhcially worded messages and "docu-
ments nowadays seek to mislead the
American people.
Despite the protestations Of SINGER
ity and fair mindedness which char
acterize their self-appraisals, many OF
our public men continue to make state
ments which, on analysis, are revealed
as transparency contra dictory.
This week, President Truman used
vetoing the Case bill:
I'VE are not faced with q decision Of
choosing between this legislation and no
legislation at all. 1t is more properly
q choice between this particular bill
and more adequate and more inclu-
sive solution Of the problem"
Yet, If the President has the slight
est knowledge OF the legislative situa-
ton on Capitol Hill, he must know that
there will be no legislation on labor
questions ut this session Of Congress
If he continues to exercise his veto
power.
Own Proposal Due Next.
The next bill to come before him will
be his own proposal for emergency leg
lslation empowering him to seize prop
critics in essential industries when a
major strike occurs. But that proposal
may have in it substantial part Of
the Case bill and this means another
presidential veto, according to intima-
lions from authoritative quarters. As
long, therefore, as Mr.. Truman insists
upon two-thirds vote of both Houses
as the only means of getting labor leg
lslation enacted, there will be none.
Yet he gives the country the impress
sion that he really expects to be given
an opportunity to consider corrective
legislation to stop strikes and help
solve labor disputes. Mr.. Truman had
the opportunity to correct some of the
abuses in the Wagner law and ignored it.
In another paragraph of this weeks
veto message occurs this language:
I'm 1943, in the heat of a controversy
over \ stoppage Of war production IL,
the coal mines, the Congress passed
the War Labor Disputes Act. more COM
monty known as the Smith Connally
Act In his veto message Of June IS,
l943. President Roosevelt warned the
Congress that the strike vote provisions
OF section Of the Smith Connally Act
would not lessen but would promote in
oustrial strife. That prediction was
fully borne out by the subsequent
events. 1t Is my belief that q similar
result would follow the approval Of
this bill"
The foregoing gives the passing read
er the impression that the Smith Con-
nally law has been a useless law. It
doesn't tell the people that Mr.. Tru-
man himself lifted bodily the main Sec
ton OF the Smith-Connally law and in
serted 1t in the emergency bill which
he transmitted to Congress when the
rail strike had paralyzed the Nations
economy. He does not tell the country
that virtually all the seizures of prop
erty and operations by the Govern
ment OF plants where labor disputes
occurred have been conducted under
authority given by the same Smith
Connally Law.
Recent Executive Orders.
A glance at the executive orders re-
Gently selling the railroads and the
coal mines will refresh the Presidents
memory as to the value Of the Smith.
Connally law because that statute Is
specifically mentioned as the basis Of
his orders of seizure.
Why does Mr. Truman then mislead
the public by such statements as are
quoted from his message He doesn't
do SO Intentionally. of course. Mr..
Truman doesn't study these questions
himself. He probably didn't write very
much of that veto message He calls
for memoranda from associates and
takes the language they give him.
Doubtless II he gave personal study to
these questions, he would realize how
contradictory some OF his comments
have been, but he Is too busy and too
harassed by public duties to do 1t and
apparently his advisers are not As
mindful of the impression created BY
their ambiguous words, such as quoted
above, as they should be.
Confidence in the candor Of govern
mental spokesman is essential to n
continued faith in representative gov.
eminent. But the Truman veto mes
sage does not increase such confidence,
Its contradictions merely confirm q
growing impression that the man in
the White House is Just playing poll
ties IN misguided belief that this IL
the way toward q continuance in pub
lie ONCE.
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