Evening star., 1948-07-29
Republican Leaders
Broadcasts Assai|
Truman S Program
ey the Assoeioted Press


Republican leaders launched a
heavy air attack last night against
President Trumans special session
program, calling it unnecessary, OBJ
viously political and possibly
dangerous.
COP chieftains rushed for radio
microphones to assail the Presi-
dents action in calling Congress
back to Washington and to explain
why they probably won't do much
about his anti-inf1ation and housing
proposals.
Senator Taft of Ohio, chairman
Of the Senate Republican Policy
Committee; Senator Wherry of Ne
braska, acting majority leader:
House Majority Leader Halleck, and
Representatives Dirksen of Illinois
and Keefe of Wisconsin all took
their turns at the ether barrage last
night.
House Speaker Martin and a COP
Senator to be named later are due
to step up to the microphones at
1890 O'Clock tomorrow night over
ABC.
Senator Taft set the tone for the
Republican attack when he said
angrily: I'VE would be fully justified
in adjourning at once"
Taft Bars Police State" Measures.
But he added that since the DEM
ocrats apparently don't intend to
use the power they already have to
check imitation, Congress will stick
around for two weeks to see what
it can do. One thing it won't do, he
said, is approve price control, ra-
tioning or other steps he called
police state" measures.
"An administration which has
been in power for is years cannot
escape the results of it's own ac-
tions," Taft declared. 1T has the
power to check inf1ation-we may
grant additional powers-but the
only real recourse of the people
against imitation is at the election" !"
He argued that controls will not
work in times of peace, that they
"choke production instead of in
creasing it," and that nobody
knows enough to do the job of con-
troll as we'll as it is done by natural
economic law"
Taking up the cudgel from the
Ohioan, Senator Wherry referred
repeatedly to Candidate Truman,
who, he said, lis floundering in the
quicksands of a ruined political for
tune"
Congress was ready to handle
emergency legislation. Senator
Wherry said, but the President
didn't ask for any.
Truman Called Defeatist.
1T is appalling" he snapped,
that on foreign policy the Presi-
dent was absolutely silent and not
once did he mention the threat of
communism at home" Turning to
imitation, the Nebraska Senator de-
clared:
The only solution the President
offers is controls, controls and more
controls, and RECOMMENDATION of the
people.
The President has a defeatist at
titude. He has lost faith in the free
enterprise system and the ability
Of the American people to produce
and distribute their goods"
The House Republicans also
blasted away at the Presidents
proposals for controlling imitation
1--WE are not going to destroy pro-
duction instead of increasing pro-
duction and otherwise jeopardize
our solid and sound progress by
sacrificing the true national inter-
ests on the altar of political ex-
pediency," Mr.. Halleck said.
THE American people and this
Congress are willing to work and
sacrifice for any real emergency
But a political emergency is an en-
tirely different thing"
Keefe and Kefauver Speak.
Mr.. Keefe, appearing in a radio
discussion with Representative Ke-
fauver, Democrat, of Tennessee
said tighter money controls, not
price controls, are needed to hold
down living costs. The causes OF
this infation," he added, ARE found
in an excess money supply and too
much bank credit
Mr.. Kefauver said he favors price
ceilings only as a last resort and
suggested that an anti-monopoly
program should be tried first.
MIR. Dirksen, on still another
broadcast, said Mr.. Truman rec
commended more expenditure and
more credit, which is like trying to
put out the fire by throwing gaso-
line on it."
The Illinois Representative also
loosed a blast at the Presidents re-
quest for public housing legislation.
Private enterprise. Mr. Dirksen
said, "can lick this housing prob
lem better, faster and cheaper than
any Government agency if it has a
chance" Mr.. Truman's program,
he said, would not mean more
housing, but more expensive hous-
ing"
He said private builders are close
10 a production rate of 100000
homes year. On the other hand,
be claimed, the "grandiose" Gov
srnment housing program drafted by
Wilson Wyatt lust folded up from