Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-09-23
The Political Min
Irumon Roises Question
Of the Indispensable Man.
Campaign Technique Il to Scare
Farmers Into Voting for Him

By Gould Limeois
The campaigning Truman and Dewey are
finally on the musings for the American peopls
to see and hear. President Truman got In
the FIRST blow. with his effort TO set the work.
ing men and women Of the country against
American business. Gov Dewey, ON the other
hand. has called for unity Of effort In this
country. with all the people, workers and en-.
ployers alike. helping to tackle the tremsn.
doqsly serious problems that Affect the Nation.
The Truman technique Is to scare the laborsrs
on the one hand, the farmers on the other,
into voting for him-while the Dewey technique
Il to. encourage them all, and TO promise to gee
rid Of the governmental mess In Warrington.
Reaction has been favorable to Gov. Dewey.
Mr.. Humans ELECT me or perish" warnings
to the people raise once more the question
Of the Indispensable man" So far, In his
administration Of the countrys affairs, Mr..
Truman has not given Q perfect picture OF
indispensability. He was unable 10 get along
with . strongly Democratic Congress-which
he inherited from the late President Franklin
d. RoCsevelt-and he has not been able 10 get
along with the Republican Congress. which the
people In disgust In 1915 sent to Washington.
Only Real Complaint.
Mr.. Humans complaint-his only real com.
plaint-is that this Republican Congress would
not do his win.
The people Of the Middle West. where Mr..
Truman has been most vehement In his at.
tacks have been voting Republican for q mum.
Der Of years-returning TO their old political
moorings in 1910 and In 1914, even though
Franklin D. Roosevelt headed the Demo-
cratic ticket in these presidential elections.
Mr.. Humans efforts to place the Republicans
in control OF. and in Q category Of "gluttons
Of Wall Street." Is not slkely to move them.
Indeed, some Of them will reflect that Mr..
Truman has In his cabinet at least one very
prominent former dealer In Wall Street, Sec.
rotary Of Defense Forrestal This IL not Inc
tended to be q reflection upon Mr.. Forrestal.
who has been an admirable and eficient oficer
Of the Government. The reflection upon him
comes of course. from the Truman diatribe.
Mr.. Humans greatest trouble, however, lies
In making charges which he cannot make
stick. He has charged that the farmers Of the
West may expect ruin II Gov. Dewey Ia elected.
Farmers, especially New York farmers, have
known for years that Gov. Dewey "a their
friend Further. Gov. Dewey made II clear,
speaking almost directly after Mr.. Truman.
that he was in favor Of the farm price support
program, which, incidentally had been con-
tinued by the Republican Congress before it
adjourned.
Charge Answered Quickly.
The Presidents second effort TO win favor
in the Western country was TO charge that
the Republican Congress and Mr.. Dewey
would sink the West by their failure to support
reclamation and water power projects. This.
too, Gov Dewey answered quickly. declaring
that he would support both reclamation and
power projects. In Washington Senator Wat
kins Of Utah, Republican put out statement
in which he showed that the Reclamation
Bureau of the Interior Department had re-
ceived sl00000000 more in the present fiscal
year than 1t did in the last, through appro-
priations by the Republican Congress. But,
said Senator Watkins, Mr.. Humans Secretary
of the Interior Krug had announced to the
press that he would fire 1000 employees Of the
Reclamation Bureau at work In II western
States.
To the man on the street. with this informa-
ton in hand, 1t might look as though the
Truman administration were intent upon scar
ing the people of the Western States by such
tactics into believing the Presidents assertion
that the Republicans intended TO scuttle
projects.
Not only are Mr.. Truman and Gov. Dewey
on the road, but are Henry A. Wallace.
pride of the new Progressive Party, and Gov.
Thurmond of South Carolina, the Dixiecrat
candidate for President, and the Democratic
vice presidential candidate, Senator Barkley
of Kentucky, and Gov. Dewey's running mate.
Gov Warren of California. Although Mr..
Wallace and Gov. Thurmond are not without
effect the real race is between Gov Dewey and
President Truman, and 1t Is between them the
great mass Of voters will decide on November 2.