Evening star., 1947-03-04
New Deal Moy Return
As Hot Political Issue
Efforts to Amend Labor Laws
Focuses Attention on Question
By David Laurence

Focuses Attention on Question
By David Laurence
Fourteen years ago today the New
Deal began. It started as means of
rescuing the American economy from
the depression which had befallen the
country. But it turned soon into a
program of reform which sought to
regulate the economic life Of the Ma
ton far beyond the years of depression.
Today the Republican Party with its
majority in both Houses of Congress
considers that the voters have repudi-
ated the New Deal. This has, OF course.
not been indisputably established by the
election returns, because every Congress
sional election is characterized by .
multiplicity of issues. The Democrats
themselves, however, began to divide
on the New Deal three years ago and
the Presidential campaign Of 1914 was
waged almost entirely on issues related
to continuity of foreign policy and
war policy rather than on domestic
questions. In fact, the Democrats soft
pedaled New Dealism in the 1914 CAM
paign because they recognized 1t was
being associated with radicalism.
The measures placed on the statute
books by the New Deal were in many
instances transformed into necessary
war controls for the period from 1910
to 1916, and hence the interjection Of
the war years makes difficult at times
any separate examination of the effects
of New Deal legislation.
Two Laws Discussed.
There are two laws, however, which
are coming into public discussion more
and more and which the New Deal
sponsored and managed to keep from
being amended for several years. One
is the Wagner labor relations law and
the other is the wage and hour and
minimum wage law.
Today the effort to amend these two
measures focuses attention on New
Dealism. For the New Deal Democrats
are standing stanchly by both laws
and are resisting amendment. There
are many Southern Democrats, however,
who realize that the two New Deal meas
ures have been harmful to the economic
system. These Southern Democrats
recognize that the entry of labor unions
into politics can affect the future of
the Democratic Party as 1t has been
operating in the South.
A substantial coalition Of Republican
and Democratic votes in Congress u
ready to amend the New Deal laws.
The question Of what President Tru-
man will do about them remains In
doubt. If he vctoes them and takes the
New Deal side, there will be more heard
about the New Deal in the next presi-
Dental campaign.
Mr.. Truman Is counting, Of course. on
the political support of organized labor
to return him to the presidency. The
union leaders are against virtually all
amendments except some Of an incon-
sequential character. This means
that the labor unions will try to per-
suade Mr.. Truman to veto any new
labor legislation that is put before him.
Truman's Popularity Higher.
VIII the President revive New Dealism
as political issue? For their own selfish
reasons, the Republicans hope Mr.. Tru-
man will make the mistake of casting
his lot with the cleft wing" in his party.
He has been benefited recently by q
rise In the curve Of his political popu-
larfty, according to some OF the public
opinion polls. But nearly everything
which has helped to bring about that
change has been related to action favor
ing the conservative as contrasted with
the New Deal approach to public poll
cies.
1t will be recalled that Mr.. Truman
foundered on labor policy In 1916. After
taking strong position with respect to
the railroad strike-just as he has taken
with respect to Lewis and the coal
strike-the President vetoed the Case
bill at the behest Of the AFL and CIO.
II he goes over to the side of the labor
union leader he will forfeit the newly
won support.
For the country understands New
Dealism now as a philosophy of reac-
tionary tendency which increases rather
than diminishes the restrictions on in
dividual liberty in America. New Deal
ism has set up vested interests and has
given economic power to certain groups
which have forced the whole national
economy into imbalance. If Mr.. Truman
plays ball with the cleft wing" and
vetoes the new labor bills that Congress
will send him, he will be making the
very mistake which will defeat him in
1948. The economic situation is difficult
enough without return of a wave Of
strikes, and this is inevitable If Mr.. Tru-
man does not respond to the national
desire to equalize the economic power
of employers and employees in labor re-
lations.
Hitch-Hike Killers
From the Chicago Daily News
The perils of picking up hitch-hikers
are so apparent that efforts have been