Evening star., 1948-09-03

will answer Mr.. Stassen in full to-
day.
4. Democratic National Chairman
McGrath said the "Stassen program
will be popular with the rich Re-
publican campaign contributors,
since it is designed to hit only at |
the farmer and will do little to stop
increasingly eXorbitant prices"
5. Gov. DeWey's secretary, Paul E.
Lockwood, retorted to the Brannan
reference to prices received for milk
from the Dewey farm by calling the
remarks "a cheap campaign charge"
He said Mr. Brannan ought to
know that milk is sold "at the only
place that anybody in that town
(PaWling) can sell his milk" the
Sheffield plant. He said Gov.
Dewey's farm is paid whatever the
going price of milk is at that place,
just like any other farm in the area"
In addition to his attack on the
Dewey milk prices, Secretary Bran
nan said the StaSsen accusation
that am trying to stop a downward
trend of food prices was we'll timed
to coincide with action by the State
of New York under the direction of
Gov. Dewey raising the price of
milk to consumers in Rochester and
Buffalo" by one cent, effective Sep
tember /.
Mr.. Brannan added that both of
these gentlemen forget I testified
during the recent sessions of the
Congress in support of President |
Truman's request for adequate au-
thority to stop the increasing spiral
of food prices while they remained
1pnspicuously silent. They gave no
support to the Administrations ef-
forts to reduce food prices Nor did
they suggest plan of their own.
He concluded that it was time for
Republican leaders ito let the
farmers and the consumers of this
Nation know where they stand on
prices-not only where they stand
but what they are willing to dol
about it. ="
Senator McGrath's attack on Mr..
Stassen included a crack that the
Labor Day address by Mr.. Stassen
in reply to one by Mr.. Truman will
give the COP nominee more time
in which to duck the issue by run
ming for the presidency on hearsay."l
Calls for Specific Charges.
Mr. Stassen's attack on the ad-
minlStration was in general terms
and Mr.. Brannan demanded that |
he or Gov. Dewey name the spe-
cific commodities which they had
in mind, if any"
Mr.. Stassen also included a ref
erence to the commodity specula-
tions of Edwin w. Pauley, former
Army Department official, which
were investigated last spring by
Senate committee at Mr.. Stassen's
behest.
The former Minnesota Governor,
the new president of the University
of Pennsylvania, said food prices
could be cut within the next two
or three months if the Government
does not abuse its food purchasing
power-in other words if the Gov
ernment does not pull another
Pauley."
Mr. Stassen had charged Mr.. |
Pauley made a fortune by having |
inside information on Government |
buying. Mr.. Pauley admitted he |
made about $1,000,000, but it never
was shown that he had inside in
formation on forthcoming Govern
ment transactions.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics
late yesterday issued report show
ing wholesale prices had dropped
one half of l per cent in the week
ending August %. But they still
are 9.4 per cent above the same
week year ago. Farm prices, espe-
cially those for wheat and corn, led
the slight drop.
Meanwhile, the National Farmers
Union president, James G. Patton,
said it is unjust" and absurd" to
hold farmers and farm support
prices responsible for the Nations
cancerous imitation and for present
food prices"
Mr.. Patton attributed present
troubles to congressional failure to
deal with the inf1ationary problems"
and enormous corporate profits"
that are not passed on to consumers
in the form OF lower prices. Mr..
Patton said his organization con-
siders the extension of present sup
port levels for another year both
equitable and fair