Evening star., 1946-05-28
Ham Actino'

Inc senate debate on the pro-
posal for emergency labor legisla-
tion was reduced to deplorably low
level when Senator Morse, Republi-
can, of oregon, described Mr.. Tru-
mans announcement of the end of
the railroad strike as "the cheapest
exhibition of ham acting I've ever
seen."
Mr.. Truman made the announce
ment when word that the strike had
been called off was brought to him
as he was delivering his message
of Saturday to the Congress. It was
a perfectly natural and proper thing
to do, and it is astonishing that
there should be any disposition to
criticize him for it. Presumably,
Senator Morse's intemperate out
burst was inspired by his bitter op-
position to the legislation which the
President has requested. He has
right to oppose the bill, of course, as
has anyone else. But the right of op-
position does not carry with it the
right of reckless attack on the sin
cerity and good faith of the Presi-
dent. This Nation is faced with a
grave domestic crisis, possibly the
gravest since the Civil War, and re-
sponsible men, while they may differ
with the President, will not seek to
discredit him or his motives. This
will be left to the irresponsibles, and
they will succeed in discrediting no
one but themselves.
The development of apparently
formidable opposition in the Senate
to some provisions of the bill, espe-
cially the section authorizing the
drafting into the armed services of
strikers against the Government,
comes as no great surprise. This is
generally regarded as the most dras-
tic section of the measure and 1t
is alien to anything in our expert
ence. Undoubtedly, the President
would use this authority sparingly,
if at all. Nevertheless, it has served
as a rallying point for a politically
curious coalition of pro-labor Sena-
tors and Republican and Democratic
conservatives, many of whom were
among the most articulate critics OF
what they called the Presidents
"do-nothing" policy with respect to
strikes.
This is a provision which can be
debated, however, on a plane that
is commensurate with the serious
ness of the situation. The President
has asked for this power in the
earnest belief that it is needed to
cope with the immediate crisis. He
has done so at a great political risk
to himself and to his administra-
ton, and, in one sense, at the ex-
pense of a political record OF con-
sistent sympathy with labor. Un-
questionably, it was difficult step
for him to take, step that was
taken only in the compelling belief
that the welfare of the country
required him to take it.
These are considerations which
should weigh heavily with the Sem
ate, and while quick action on bill
without the labor draft provision
might be preferred as an alternative
to a protracted debate, the Presi-
dent, having assumed full response
bility of leadership in this national
crisis, should not lightly be denied
any power which he believes is need
ed to meet the challenge that some
labor leaders have hurled at the
Government. Senator Byrd OF Vir-
ginia was eminently correct when he
said that the President should be
armed with "all the powers neces-
sary" to meet this challenge. 1t
would be calamity for this country
if any labor leader should force the
issue, and if it should then be dis
covered that the Senate had refused
to grant the President enough power
to sustain the authority of the
Government.