Evening star., 1948-09-04
The Political Mil
Top Democrats Jittery
Despite Fantastic CIuims
Brannan, McGrath Called 'Apoplectis'
In Denunciations of Stassen
By Gould Lincoln.

The Democratic high command, despite its
fantastic claims of coming victory is pretty
jittery. 1t is grasping at straws, getting more
and more vitcperative in its language and more
and more visionary in its charges against Re-
publican candidates for high ofice-amons
them Gov. Dewey of New York, the COP
presidential nominee.
Secretary OF Agriculture Brannan and Chair.
man J. Howard McGrath OF the Democratic Ma
tional Committee became almost apoplectic in
their denunciations Of Harold Z. Stassen. fore
mer Governor Of Minnesota. because he had the
temerity to suggest that the Government
through its own operations was helping to keep
high the prices Of foodstuffs to the American
people. Careful analysis however. of the 50.
called support prices Of wheat and other con1-
modities shows clearly that is exactly what 10
happening.
Mr.. Stassen was hitting directly at the claims
of the Democratic high command that the
Republicans, not the Democrats, are responsible
for the present high costs of food-because .
Republican Congress had failed to give Presi.
dent Truman authority to establish price con.
trols and rationing where he believed they were
necessary.
Taxed to Keep Prices Up.
The fact of the matter remains, however that
the American people are being taxed to help
keep the prices of foodstuffs up and at the
same time the people must continue paying
high prices for these commodities. Since and
including 1s43 the cost to the Federal Treasury
which comes out of taxes-has been several
hundred million dollars, and the present pros.
poets are that many hundreds of millions more
will be expended for the same purpose this year
and next-unless q halt is called.
Chairman McGrath was particularly incensed,
too, because the Republicans decided to let Mr..
Stassen make reply to President Truman's La.
Dor Day Speech. He said that Gov. Dewey was
80 tongue tied that he has apparently resorted
TO turning over the Republican task Of wooing
the voters to q roadshow troupe Of John
Aldens" He said, too, this putting Mr.. Stassen
up to answer President Truman gives Dewey
more time in which to duck the issues by rum
ming for the presidency on hearsay."
Mr.. Stassen argued that food prices could bs
cut in the next two or three months If ths
Government fails to abuse its food purchasing
power-in other words If the Government does
not pull another Pauley." The new president
Of the University of Pennsylvania was hitting
directly at food speculations by Edwin W.
Pauley, former Army Department oficial,
which were investigated by q congressional
committee last spring-at the instance OF Mr..
StASSeI. MI. F8ulcy duHltllcu al Tic LlIIc Lldk
these speculations had made him about 81 ,000,-
000-although he denied natly he had used
inside information" What Mr.. Stassen was
saying was that If the Government failed to use
Its purchasing power to keep prices up, the food
costs would 60 down.
Truman Seeing Red.
President Truman himself was seeing red
when he declared at a press conference that
any suggestion he is protecting Communists
in the Government service "is lie out Of whole
cloth" The House Committee on Un- American
Activities has accused the President of hamper.
ing its spy investigation and protecting Com.
m,lnists on the Government payroll.
The voters, in the campaign now getting
underway, will want to know the facts, both
about the high prices Of food and the Commun-
lists in the Government service. They are not
going to be satisfied by mere violent language
on the part of the Truman Administration and
the Democratic National Committee. If infor.
nation Is being withheld, either by the Presi-
dent or any one else, they will know. They viii
be able Also to size up any attempts to put
them of by charges that the Republicans are
seeking to draw red herrings" across any paths
whether they have to do with prices or Com.
munists.
The voters may be willing to gamble on
election day for lower prices under . Rspub.
lican administration, since prices have only
continued to mount under the Democratic
one.