Milford chronicle., 1948-01-23
THE REPUBLICAN, CONGRESS- dur.


ing the recent special session gave the Tru-
man Administration an object lesson in BIZ
partisan cooperation for the good of the
nation. 1t was the kind of cooperation which
Mr.. Truman Immediately after the 1916
election promised to the Republican Con-
gress, but which has been conspicuOusly lack
ing on the part Of the Administration ever
since.
Mr.. Truman called the special session
to deal with two proposals: (1) Stop-gap
aid to Europe pending congressional action
on the long range plan for European relief
and ~ legislation designed to halt the in
flatiOnary process responsible for current
high prices.
The Congress acted on both of the Pres
ident's proposals. 1t gave Mr. Truman sub
stantially what he asked for in the sO-called
stOp-gap relief program. 1t gave him most
of what he asked for in the way of additional
governmental powers designed to curb in
flation.
To be sure, it did NOT give him auth
Orlty to impose wage and price controls or
rati0ning on the consumer level. In his
message at the beginning of the special sess-
ion he asked for authority to reimpOse con-
trolls and FatiOning. But he asserted that
he had no intention of exercising such auth
Ority Immediately if it were given to him
possibly because of his reluctance to use what
he himself termed "pOlice state" methods
only few weeks earlier. Consequently,
taking those Presidential assurances at their
face value, he now has just about every pow
er which he would be exercising if Congress
had enacted his complete program.
And Congress has now reassembled and
is thus in position to make additional
grants of power to the President if condi-
tlOns appear to warrant such action.
The S64 question confronting this coun-
try today is whether or not the Truman Adm
inistration REALLY desires to halt the in
flatiOnary spiral.
Some close observers of the policies and
practices of the Democrat Administration
over the past 15 years are cynical enough to
suggest that Mr.. Truman and his advisors
believe there may be one more victory in the
'tax and tax, spend and spend" philosophy
which dominated the New Deal during it's
earlier years.
Doubts Of the Administrations sincerity
are inevitable because thus far it has been
opposed to any action which would strike at
the basic causes of the initiation which re-
suits in high prices.
It has insisted upon maintaining federal
expenditures at level four times higher
than the highest peacetime budget of Mr.
Truman's predecessor.
It has resisted Republican efforts to re-
duce taxes which are now draining off from
One-fOurth to One-third of the total national
income and which constitute one of the big
gest items in the high cost of living.
In any event, the sincerity of the Admin
lstratlon will be revealed by it's actions dur
ing the next few months. The Republican
Congress has cOOperated with the Demo-
cratic Administration.
Will the. Democratic Administration
now cooperate with the Republican Congress,
or will it continue to be guided by political
expediency without regard for the national
welfare?
IN REPLY to the select Hollywood char
acters cited for contemptof Congress for re-
fusing to state whether they were COmmun-
lists, Donald r. Richberg, law professor and
early New Dealer (NRA), discusses whe-
ther their rights had been violated. The re-
fusal OF these persons, drawing capitalistiC
salaries from mOVie-making, to answer such
questions twas glOrifed as an exercise of in
dividual rights which, of course, do not exist
under communism and which in no way were
violated, Richberg says. In his discussion
IN the Washington Star, Richberg states that
the Communist Party is a political Organi.
zatiOn, born and nurtured outside the u. S..
and the agency of a foreign government an
tagonistic to the u. S. He terms it essen.
laLly q tISdSOHaDlS OfganlZaClOn' '-C0ler.
ated because of American love of free speech
Whether person is Communist or not in.
wolves no question of free speech or free bal
lot 1t IS not illegal to be a Communist, SC
TO admit membership would not be self-in
criminatOry. On the other hand Congress,
has a right to information of ComrnUnist
activity from citizens, Richberg concludes
If we cannot lift the iron curtain abroad. ,
he writes, s'at least we can insist that no iror
curtain shall be maintained in the u. S. be
hind which the destrOyers of liberty can op
crate in legally protected secrecy"
Mr. Richberg is right The sooner w,
smoke out these rats and bring them into tn,
open, the better for everybody.