Evening star., 1947-01-07
President 5 Message
Reeds Like Platform
White House Seen Planning to
LetG. o. P. Take Responsibility

Let 6. O.P. Take Responsibility
By David Laurence
President Tr,lmans message reads
like the platform of q national party
convention. It Is sufficiently general to
put on record promises of some sort OF
action on every sort Of subject and yet
is not SO specific as to give anybody an
idea of what kind Of legislation is
really recommended.
Perhaps that is good type OF mes
sage for President to write who faces
a majority Of the opposite party. But
after all the talk about new leader
ship, it is evident that the White House
plans to take passive role in public
affairs and try to give the impression
that the Republicans are really respon-
sible for the operations Of the Govern
ment
The Republicans are poor politicians
If they swallow that strategy. The
truth is, the President wrote message
which completely avoids coming to
grips with the labor-management situa-
tion. 1t is that very situation which
retards economic expansion and threat
ems the country with a recession or de-
preston. About all, however, Mr.. Tru-
man has learned Is that the subject
needs more study-not by the White
House, but by commission OF 20.
Lack Of Realism.
For more than 13 years Congress and
the country have been studying the ef-
fects of law called the Wagner Labor
Relations Act. This statute has done
more to create labor strife and promote
hostility between employers and their
employees than any single law or eco
nomic influence in all our history. The
law is not only one-sided, but 1t has
been abused by the Presidents own
appointees, who have ruled again and
again in fragrant disregard of constitu-
tional rights. Yet all the President has
to say about it is to refer in vague
sort of way to "abuses" and ask for
further study.
1t is precisely this lack of realism
which has caused President Trumans
political strength to slip in the last
year. The Republican Party has an
opportunity to meet the situation forth
rightly, though. If the words OF the
Presidents message mean anything,
they mean that the much-talked-of CO.
operation with Congress has been
brushed aside and that some vetoes are
forthcoming. These vetoes will make 1t
necessary for the American people TO
wait two years before an election can
be held in which they can express again
the protests they voiced at the poiis
last November protest against arbi-
trary administration and special priVi-
lege in Government.
Mr.. Trumans message means that
the presidential veto power Will be USED
to protect the labor vote. The very
phraseology of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
plank in the Truman platform shows
that Mr.. Truman is receding from the
attitude he assumed during the coal
strike. He now warns against "puni-
tive" legislation. He seems to be worried
about the impression he will make
among labor union leaders. He doesn't
seem to be so worried about their VIC
tims-the American people-who have
suffered such huge losses because the
administration has failed to take the
action that will reduce the strike evil.
The American people are apparently
to get no relief at the hands Of the
President from the punitive action
taken against them.
Opportunity Missed.
The President had o wonderful OPP
portunity to come out with q labor
management program that would have
restored to him much of his lost prestige.
But presumably the exponents OF the
prolabor school of thought have per-
suaded him that if he adopts q course
of aloofness and lets the Republicans
take the initiative he will not lose
votes.
The last election was a protest against
the failures Of the Truman administra-
ton not only with respect to Govern
ment, controls Of prices but labor prob
lens. Possibly the Republicans will be
happy over the lost opportunities re-
yealed in the Truman message but
the Nation cannot be happy when Its
President fails to recommend specific
remedies for the abuses in the labor
arena with which the Nation Is so
familiar.
The economic losses of the last year
due to strikes have been stupendous.
Yet the President treats the matter
as if 1t were just another item in the
long list of subjects on which he is
expected to utter few generalities.
Such references as the President made
to iurisdictional disputes and the out
lawing Of secondary boycotts did not
erase the bad impression made by his
failure to come out explicitly for amend
ments to the Wagner Law and to the
Wage and Hour Law-the statutes
which, at the moment, are creating so
much uncertainty for American busi-
ness and industry. ....,
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