Evening star., 1947-10-23
The Political Mil
Price Problem Explosion
Seen in New Congress
G. o. P. Members Girdins for Battle
On Question, Who Is to Blame?

SSSn III INGW SOilSi CSS
G. O. P. Members Girdins for Battle
On Question, Who Is to Blame?'
By Gould Lincoln
The problem of ever-increasing prices prom
ises to explode with loud bang when Con-
gress reassembles. The explosion may take
place in special session, if and when that
materializes. 1t certainly will in January when
the regular session opens. It's a problem the
people today are interested Uneven more than
they are in foreign affairs or who is to be
President after January 20 1949.
The Republican Congress is girding for the
battle as well as attempting to prepare
program for dealing with prices and imitation.
The battle will be over the question: Who Is
to blame for present high prices of food and
everything else the ordinary man and woman
must have? Is it the Democratic administration
or the Republican Congress? So the Republi-
cans in Congress have committees in the field,
working on prices of food, clothing, housing
Gncluding rents)
Under resolution offered by Senator Bald
win, Republican, of Connecticut the Joint Com
mittee on the Economic Report has been split
up into three subcommittee with instructions
to investigate in the Atlantic States the Mid
west and the West. These committees will soon
be winding up their inquiries and preparing
report to be submitted to Congress. It's dol
lars to doughnuts these reports will saddle the
Truman administration with the responsibility
for high prices; that they will hold the Truman
administration has done nothing has backed
and filled, and has had no firm program.
Hush-Hush Committee.
President Truman, for his part is seeking
to formulate a program of his own. He has a
hush-hush committee now at work on the
whole problem. 1t is composed Of two Govern
ment officials and one man in private busi-
ness What steps, If any, the President will
propose to Congress are still in limbo The
President at a recent press conference, how
ever, called governmental price controls in time
OF peace acts of a police or totalitarian state
He modified this bit by adding they might
be necessary in democratic state like the
United States in an emergency. Nevertheless
the Presidents comment on price controls
sent cold shivers up and down the backs Of
those Democrats who are trying to pin high
prices on the Republicans because they fought
OPA as 1t originally existed during the last
session Of the Seventy ninth Congress. They
were afraid that his statement would lift the
issue right out of the Democratic campaign
against the COP.
Some Of the New Deal politicians have been
wondering If it would not be good politics for
President Truman to have introduced-through
Democratic Sources-a bill in the coming session
Of Congress providing for system of price
control and then let the Republican Congress
turn 1t down If 1t wanted to. Then If prices
continue high and 60 higher STILL the New
Dealers would be in position to say to the people
See. the Republicans wouldn't let us bring
prices down for you" If this kind of thing il
to be put forward now, the President, in view Of
his recent comment on price controls, would
have to declare an emergency Of sorts.
Taft Sterilization Plan.
Senator Taft Of Ohio. candidate for the Re-
publican presidential nomination and chairman
Of the Joint Committee on Economic Report, In
thorough discussion Of the price and imitation
situation, proposed that efforts be made to
stabilize prices and wages at about so to so per
cent above the 1899 figures for prices and wages:
that we recognize there could be no return to
the 1899 prewar levels. Mr.. Taft suggested
number Of steps that might be taken to aid in
this stabilization plan, including greater use Of
control over exports lodged IN the hands Of
the President
Mr.. Taft, however, like the President, shies
away entirely from q return to the OPA or
any other form Of Government price control
on the theory that 1t would merely bring back
black markets on a huge scale
So far the American people have taken high
prices more or less in their stride-along with
high taxes. But let there come slump In
employment and lessening of the money in
their pockets, or let prices mount to new levels
and there will be roar that will shake Demo-
crat and Republican legislators alike not to
mention the White House
High prices, therefore, bid well to be the
most important issue in the 1948 campaign.
If imitation mounts, 1t is likely to be dubbed
the Truman inflation-just as the 1929 depres-
sion was named the Hoover depression.