Evening star., 1948-09-08
Race for Presidency
Bringing Forth Worst
Sort Of Demagoguery
Truman Using Vicious
Propaganda; Stossen's
Charges Called Serious
Bv Davfd Laurence

By David Laurence
Plain, unadulterated demagoguery
OF the worst sort seems already to
characterize the presidential cam
paign this year.
President Truman, for instance,
revealed in his Detroit speech that
the Republicans were distributing
pamphlets suggesting that the tax
payers share with the Republican
campaign treasury the fruits Of the
tax cut passed by the Republican,
controlled Congress.
II think" he said, that this Is
one of the most outrageous things
I ever heard. I think 1t is plain,
outright bribery"
But the millions Of persons who
listened to the radio on the night
OF Mr.. Truman's acceptance speech
at the Philadelphia convention
heard him remind the farmers that
their high income was due to his
administration and remind the
laboring men, too, that their high
wages were due to the Democrats.
The President told both groups they
would be an "ungrateful lot" If
they didn't remember how they
got those high incomes and voice
their gratitude at the polls. Pos
sibly this wasn't bribery" any more
than the acts covered by Mr.. Tru-
mans charge on Monday. But in
both instances it Is partisan ap-
peal to selfshness and the pocket
book interests of the voters.
- stassen Charge Serious.
Much more important, however, Is
Che charge made by former Cover
nor Harold Stassen in his Detroit
speech. He condemned Mr.. Truman
for using Labor Day for IAN extreme
demagogic appeal to set class
against class made to an audience
built up with labor boss threats OF
. So fine for non-attendance."
Here is a serious accusation. Are
civil rights so much neglected In
the North that a union member
cannot refrain from attending a
political gathering without suffer-
ing a financial penalty? Bribery"
Is too mild a word to use for that
sort of thing. 1t is coercion.
The charge is not new. 1t has
been made in political campaigns
before. When the late President
Roosevelt got such big crowds in
various industrial centers, there
were stories of the pressure eXerted
to compel union members to at
tend the rallies. Union bosses can
impose penalties for non-attend-
ance at parades and have done so
on occasion heretofore. 1t is to be
hoped that the leaders of union
labor will expose and repudiate
those misguided officers of unions
who adopted such tactics at Detroit.
Mr.. Truman has been swinging
rather desperately at his opposition.
He may be making an impression
of ggressiveness by his impromptu
speeches but 1t is evident that in
his extemporaneous manner he gives
vent to bitterness and irresponsible
accusations hardly becoming the dig
nifty of a President of the United
States, even if he is a candidate to
succeed himself.
Vicious Propa ganda Seen.
When Mr.. Truman predicts that,
II Republican administration
comes into power, there will be
depression and that "it might make
the difference between having a
Job two years from now or not" he
is adopting some of the most vicious
Of the propaganda tactics used by
the Republicans in the early part OF
this century-the cry that a Demo-
cratic victory meant a depression
and rainy days"
To raise the slogan of an EZRA OF
fear" is form of calamity bowling"
that has become a bit obsolete, but II
Mr.. Truman revives it, there prob
ably will be plenty of the same is
suing from the Republican side.
Already the Republicans are saying
Illdl, ITO IldIltI "ildG Vic 1ale
Hartley law provides, it at least
doesn't call for the drafting of work
ers into the Army as Mr.. Truman
recommended to Congress when the
rail strike was threatened two years
ago. Senator Taft killed the pro-
posal by blocking action on 1t in
the Senate.
The Republicans also are likely
to 60 back to the first two years of
the Truman regime when he had a
majority in both houses of Congress
and point out that the very things
which he Is accusing the Republican
Congress of neglecting were not
acted on when the Democrats were
In complete control of the Govern
ment. The center of attention ap-
parently will be transferred by the
Republicans to what happened in
tho two years after VI Day, when
Mr. Truman relinquished controls
so rapidly. Evidently the campaign
is not going to be one of color
less debates.
- Reproduction Rights Reserved.)