Evening star., 1947-06-23

COuld The EIaIJ-Hartley Dill nave
been so evenly balanced a measure
on Tuesday afternoon as to cause
the President and his encourage to
disseminate doubts and yet on Fri
day become suddenly so bad a piece
of legislation as to reveal not
single provision that Mr.. Truman
could approve?
What was the Presidents purpose
In keeping labor union, leaders on
the anxious seat when they might
have been using that valuable time
to put the heat on wavering Sena-
tors? What was the idea in telling
the country that the President had
an open mind about the bill during
the 10 days he had for official con-
sideration?
The answer probably is that Mr.
Truman found the labor regulation
subject over his head. He really does
not know the present law and does
not understand the Taft-Hartley
bill. This is not surprising, since
labor regulation by law is highly
technical subject, and administra-
tive law is even more tricky as the
New Dealers have developed it and
the New Deal courts have construed
1t.
View Held Distorted.
What Is more regrettable is that
the President has not around him
a good set of advisers. They gave
him in this instance such a clumsy,
inept and distorted view Of the Taft
Hartley bill to put into his %eto
message that it made the President
look weak on the record, for some
Of his own previous statements toI
Congress were contradicted and rem
dered inconsistent.
Mr.. Trumans position was really
made pathetic by his advisers. The
veto message was probably recog-
nized in Congress as the work pri-
marily of a few labor union lawyers
who grasped at half-truths and un-
truths on the theory that the public
wouldn't understand anyway and
that the presidential voice on the
radio would cause opinion to be
regarded as fact.
Unfortunately for Mr.. Truman, he
lost lot of political respect even
among his own party in Congress
by that veto message. Virtually
every point he made in the message
had been debated and all the points
had been rebutted in the public
discussion and comment in the
press. Surely, even from the labor
union standpoint, much more per-
suasive message could have been
written.
Makes or Breaks Presidents.
There is curious psychology
about public regard for Presidents. |
A crisis comes when all eyes are
focused on the Chief Executive. He
has the chance to enhance his pres
tige or to lose it. Such a chance
came to the late President William
Howard Taft in mid-term and by
his own statements on the tariff he
was condemned to defeat long be-
fore election.
The bulk of the voters are not as
rule swayed during a campaign
unless some new circumstance, like
a war or national emergency, arises.
They make up their minds long be-
fore an election whether a President
is any good.
If the election were held tomor-
row, Mr.. Truman probably would
not carry single State outside the
Solid South. Many Democrats feel
sorry that the foolish rule about
disregarding political party and Civ
Ing a nomination to a weak Pres
tdent has been so widely indorsed
in politics. For Mr.. Truman wasn't
elected on his own In 1914 to the
Presidency and the Democratic
Party doesn't owe him presidential
nomination in l948.
Senator Byrd, Democrat. of Vir-
ginia would be much more
formidable candidate against the
Republicans and could save the
Democratic Party from defeat in
le48. There are other good men in
the Democratic Party who could be
nominated If Mr.. Truman with
drew
Permitted Commitments.
Mr.. Truman's two veto messages
have lost ground for him inside his
own party. Mr.. Truman failed to give
to his party colleagues in Congress
during the last six months any hint
about his future course on the
pending labor bill until after they
had found it necessary to 60 on
record tWice-once on the original
bill and once on the conference re-
port. How can the majority of the
Democrats in Congress face the
Taft-Hartley issue in the next cam
paign when their own party leader
LETT them all hanging on a limb?
This is phase of practical DO
litlcal strategy that makes it prob
able that a movement to persuade
Mr.. Truman to withdraw from the
presidential contest may gain head
way inside the Democratic Party
as the best way out Of an unfor-
tunate dilemma.
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