Evening star., 1946-01-05
Felt Says Tfuman's 5
Left Wing Policies
Cause Congress Riff

Cause Congress Riff
The Republican answer to
PRESIDENT Truman's criticism
OF congressional inaction on his
reconversion program is that
the Chief Executive has turned
from belief in free enterprise to
left wing" economic ways.
In a radio address last night.
Senator Taft of Ohio, a potential
Republican presidential nominee in
1898, declared that half the Demo-
Gratis and most of the Republicans"
on Capitol Hill disagree with Mr..
truman because "he has chosen to
follow the CIO-PAC course on every
economic measure except the last
fact-finding proposal"
AS result, said the Ohioan. who
characterized himself as the loyal
opposition" shortly after Mr.. Tru-
man succeeded the late President
Roosevelt, the Democratic party is
hopelessly split" and the Presidents
Legislative recommendation are
stalled despite the party's majority
In Congress and in the committees
which control the flow of legislation.
Truman Gets 500 Replies.
Meanwhile, Presidential Press Sec
retary Charles G. Ross reported that
Mr.. Truman's speech has brought
about 500 kilograms and letters.
More than 80 per cent express ap-
proval of the Presidents call on the
people to urge Congress to speed his
reconversion program = the same
proportion reported yesterday when
the kilograms started arriving.
Early pledges of support came from
three Democratic House members
Majority Leader Mccormick, Chair
man Norton of the House Labor
Committee and Chairman SABBATH
of the House Rules Committee.
Text Released Here.
Senator Taft, who is chairman of
the Senate Republican Steering
Committee. broadcast his speech
over the NBC from Cincinnati, "a
hours after President Truman's
radio appeal to the people to put
pressure on Congress to enact the
legislation which, the President
says, represents must" objectives.
The Taft text, however, was released
here by the Republican National
Committee, hint that party
strategy is forming for the year
congressional campaign.
Senator Taft said the measure Mr..
Truman proposed, which would halt
strikes while fact-finding boards
look into labor disputes. was hastily
drawn and contained no principles
of any kind. He added:
"One thing is certain. The Presi-
dents bill will not prevent strikes,
and no one has found a way to pre-
vent strikes, except Mr.. Stain. If
you can only prevent strikes by a.
general plan of compulsory wage
arbitration, which leads inevitably
to a Government fixing of wages
and prices, then am not in favor
of prohibiting strikes"
Touches on Other Points.
He had this to say about some of
the other measures the Chief Execu-
tive had singled out for special at
tention:
More pay for the unemployed.
The President wants to Federal |
ize'' unemployment compensation
and give left-wing labor control
of employment"
A so-called full employment" bill. |
THE proposal came directly from
the Soviet constitution, the JCom<>
munist@ platform, and from the
CIO," Senator Taft said. The Presi-
dent can do everything without the
bill he could do with it, he said,
adding that Mr.. Truman tried to
put Congress on record as requiring
the Chief Executive ito submit vast
programs for the expenditure of
Federal money whenever some
crackpot economists thought there
might be unemployment"
Continued rent and price control.
While the President denounced
imitation, he is promoting the great
est peacetime imitation this country
has ever seen, first by lavish8pend-
ing of Government money, and sec
ond by promoting general increase
in wages and salaries. All the price
control in the world can't hold prices
against those policies
Scores Health Bill. |
Senator Taft called Mr.. Trumans
recommendation for Federal health
insurance "socialized medicine" and
asked:
Can any one be surprised that |
there Is some delay in enacting such
left wing Communist proposal?"
Finally, he said, the President had
made rHany other recommendations
without "the slightest evidence that
he carex how much they will cost or
whether enough money can be raised
to pay for them"
Not all the reaction was as critical
as Senator Tafts. A number of
Democratic lawmakers voiced ap-
proval Of what Mr.. Truman had
said. Senator Young, Republican,
of North Dakota said the Chief
Executive was justified in criticizing
Congress.
The presidential speech also pro-
duced a forecast from Senator
Ellender, Democrat, of Louisiana
that strike control legislation would
get early attention and a suggestion
from Senator Johnson, Democrat,
of Colorado that Mr.. Truman do
more about strikes himself.