Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-09-19
The New Economy

after reaching California, Senator ROBERT
a Taft in reply to questioning anent the
domestic and international economic sltu-
alton, gave his listeners new economy Oh
"produce more and eat less"
Taft's theory, expOunded as he drooled
over a large, luscious steak, while 1t has
been labeled as new economy by many
labor leaders and liberal commentators, IS
mt new at all. 1t is merely the same
Taftian technic of boldly saying the things
that reactionaries have always said to each
other. but discreetly silenced in public.
AS a matter of fact, even lot of the
more liberal business and industrial lead
ers have been taken in by the line which
has been followed by the National Associa-
tion Of Manufacturers and United States
Chamber of Commerce ever since the
country entered the postwar reconverslon
era. They blame everything on the work
ers and have made the production scare
cry their slogan.
When Tom Marshall, vice-president OF
the United States during Woodrow VIII
sons administration dryly stated that
"what this country needs is good i've
cent cigar" it was accepted as the With
cism for which il was intended. But when
the NAM and Chamber of Commerce con-
tinually ding away that, what this coun-
try needs is more and more production
they are propagandizing the country and
not telling the complete truth.
Regardless what Senator Taft may say
now or later in an endeavor to explain
what he meant by his statement, "let them
eat less" he cannot remove from the
minds of a very large section of the nation
the belief that he shares the same senti-
ment uttered by another Bourbon, who,
upon being informed that the French
people had no bread, cynically replied,
"then let them eat cake"
Yes, the Taftian theory is the same as
the theory of the BOurbOnS of old, Tor he
not only said that the American people
should eat less, but he said they should eat
cheaper food. And this as he devOured a
choice porterhouse steak.
Nor does the Taft theory of economics
differ from that of the NAM or the United
States Chamber of Commerce, any more
than their beliefs are more advanced than
the "Iet them eat cake" doctrine of the
BourbonS of old, proof sufficient that the
breed not only has not died out without
learning or forgetting anything, but that
they have propagated themselves in alarm
ing numbers.
This man Taft is the man who is sound
ing out the sentiment of the nation re-
specting his candidacy for the presidency
of the United States. This is the man who
would like to enter the White House at n
time when both the domestic and interna-
tional crisis is deepening and peace fights
feebly for an opportunity to live.
This is the man who not only tells the
American people that they should eat less
but who, because of his leadership in the
Senate and in his own party, influenced
Congress to wipe out the controls which
gave the people an opportunity TO eat
more at lower prices.
This is the man who led the fight on
OPA just one year ago and told the people
that when controls had been wiped out
that prices would go lower because pro-
ductiOn would increase.
And now comes Senator Taft giving
back the lie TO his own promise of last
year to tell us, ''eat less, produce more"
None should allow themselves to hope
for a sudden change. Taft and reaction are
in the saddle and we shall ride from crisis
to crisis with increasing rapidity as the
nation slowly but surely awakens to the
realization that the answer to our eco
nomic problems is not the bourbOn-Taft-
NAM-Chamber of Commerce remedy now
being applied with disastrous results.
Our immediate problem is TO first rid
ourselves of the TaftS, HartleyS, Balls, and
other reactionaries and blind political
OppOrtunists and party lOyalists and elect
men to office who will tackle our economic
problems with sanity and logic. That is
the immediate problem.
Have you had enough? Then register
now and vote in November and every No
vember until we rid ourselves of the eco