Evening star., 1948-01-08
Stute of the Union


The Presidents report to Congress
points to the conclusion that the state OF
the Union is none too good, and that it
is not going to be helped any by the fact
that this is an election year.
This presidential message has many OF
the earmarkS of a partisan political docu-
ment. Still, ours is partisan political
system, and one has to take the undesir-
able aspects of that system along with
it's good points. In this election year,
Democratic President has to deal with
Congress controlled by the Republican
Party-a Republican Party which believes
that for the first time in twenty years it
can win the presidency in the coming
election. Given this situation it is sheer
wishful thinking to suppose that either
the Republican Congress or the Demo-
cratic President will pass up many oppor-
tunities between now and election day to
strike partisan blow.
It is very much to the Presidents credit
that he has stood by his guns on the para
mount question of our relations with
Russia, In the message to Congress, he
reiterates his championship of the
Marshall plan and of the other policies
which he has advocated to improve con-
ditionS in the free countries and to check
the spread of Communist aggression. He
calls again for the adoption of universal
word military as the essential foundation
of our own national security program.
These were the key points OF the recent
attack upon him by Henry Wallace, and
now Mr.. Truman serves notice that he
will not be turned aside from these vital
and basic policies by the threat to his
chances of reelection which goes with
Wallace third-party movement.
The partisan touches are found when
one turns to the domestic aspects of the
message, and the line which the President
takes there insures a knock-down, drag
out fight with his Republican opposition.
When he vetoed Republican tax reduc
ton bill last June Mr.. Truman was
against tax reduction, period. In that veto
message he said that tax reduction now
would add to, rather than correct, malad
justments in the economic structure" A
month later he vetoed second Republi-
can-sponsored tax cut, pointing out that
a reduction then would contribute to in
hationary pressures, would lead to an even
higher level OF prices for consumer goods
and would increase the danger of a re-
cession. Mr.. Truman said: "For all these
reasons, which are more compelling now
than they were one month ago, regard
the present bill as unsound and unsafe"
What has happened iii the intervening
six months to change that picture? Prices
of consumer goods are still rising, infla-
tionary pressures are mounting, and Mr..
Truman still warns of the danger to our
economy. Yet he now comes forward with
a tax reduction plan Of his own which
would exempt some 10,000,0 900 taxpayers
from the payment Of any tax and which
would put an additional $4,000, ,000, 900 in
the hands Of q people whose total volume
of purchasing power. already is greater
than the supply of goods. Even though
Mr.. Truman regards his tax program as
fairer than that of the Republicans, it is
clearly an infiationary proposal and can
be reconciled with his former position only
on the ground of partisan politics.
In his comment on the Taft-Hartley
Truman said that nothing has occurred
since (his veto message of last June) to
change my opinion of this law"
That veto message contained in sub
stance many of the shrill outcries of the
professional labor leaders. Mr.. Truman
said he was convinced the law would in
crease industrial strife, that it was dan
gerous challenge to free speech and free
press, that it would weaken our unity and
impair our strength.
None of these things has happened, yet
Mr.. Truman says that nothing has oc-
Cured to change his opinion of the law.
One is entitled to the suspicion that
what the President really means is that
the political considerations which i'm
PEELED that veto are just as potent, if not
more potent, today than they were in
June. But if this is so, there is no reason
for despair. We need to remember that
this is an election year, that great political
fortunes are at stake, and that, this being
so, certain amount of old-fashioned poll
tics is inevitable on both sides of the
fence.