Evening star., 1949-09-05

1 who are making money out OF the
rents from slums are not in favor
of expanding public housing to pro.
vide decent shelter for low-incomt
families. Too many with big in.
comes are not interested in rails
ing minimum wages Too many who
can freely organize themselves In
business associations or employers
groups are not anxious to protect
the same right to organize among
industrial workers.
1t is hard. perhaps. for people
in comfortable circumstances to see
the need for improving the we'll
being of the less fortunate. Fur
thermore, they are always being
stirred up and misled by the spokes-
man and lobbyists for >organized
selfish interests. There are a lot
of paid agitators, promoters, and
publicity experts who make fat
living by frightening the people In
the higher income groups about
forward looking legislation, and by
organizing campaigns against 1t.
Opposition to Program
Ever since the election, those
spokesmen have been very busy
stirring up opposition to our leg
| iSlative program.
The hue and cry that has re-
suited, in the press, and on the
air, and through the mail, has
been deafening.
These propagandists do not ar
que the merits Of our program. They
know that the American people
will always decide against the sell
dsh interests If all the facts are
before them. So they have adopted
an age-old device to hide the weak
ness of their case.
This is the device of the scare
word" campaign.
It Is a device that has been used
in every country and every age by
the propagandists for the selfish in
terests. They invent slogans in an
effort to scare the people. They
apply frightening labels to any
thing they happen to oppose. These
scare words are intended to con-
fuse the people and turn them
against their own best interests
Scare words change with ths
times.
When Franklin D. Roosevelt and
the New Deal saved our country
from the great depression, the sell
fish interests raised the scare words
of socialism" and ''regimenta-
ton"
| But the American people didn't
scare.
After year the selfish interests
kept up their refrain. They tried
new wordS-'bureaucracy" and
bankruptcy"
But the American people still
didn't scare.
Selfish Interests Surprised
Last November the people gave
the selfish interests the surprise OF
their lives. The people just didn't
believe that programs designed to
assure them decent housing, ade-
quate wages, improved medical care
and better education were social
ism" or RECOMMENDATION"
So the selfish interests retired to
a back room with their high priced
advertising experts and thought
things over. They decided that the
old set of scare words had become
a little mildewed. Maybe it was
time for change.
So they came up with q new
set of scare words. Now they're
talking about "collectivism," stat
ism" and "the Welfare state"
The selfish interests don't know
they don't care-what these words
mean. They are using those words
only because they want to turn
the American people against the
programs which the people want
and need, and voted for.
Right to Square Treatment
Let's see how the selfish inter-
ests are using these scare words.
The people want public housing
for low-income families. The sell
fish interests are opposed to this
because they think 1t will cut down
their own income; so they call ii
"collectivism.
We don't care what they call it
We are for public housing because
it is the democratic way to pro-
vide decent homes in place OF
tslums.
The people want fair laws fol-
labor. The selfish interests are
against these laws because they
mistakenly fear that their profits
will be reduced; 80 they call that
"statism."
We don't care what they call it
We believe that the workers in
this country have a fundamental
right to square treatment from en-
ployers.
The people want fair program
for the farmers. including an ef-
fective price-Support program. The
selfish interests flight against this
because it Keeps them from prof
iteering at the farmers expense;
so they call this socialism"
We don't care what they call It.
We know that the well-being OF
the country depends upon the we'll
being of the farmers, and that
farm prosperity must be protected
In the interest of all Of us.
Sabotage Of Programs
The people want better social
security system, improved educa-
ton, and a national health pro-
gram. The selfish interests are try
ing to sabotage these programs be-
cause they have no concern about
helping the little fellow; so they
call this the welfare state"
We don't care what they call 1t.
We know that the little fellow is
the backbone Of this country, and
we are predicated to the principle
that the Government should pro-
mote the welfare of all the people
The spokesman for the special in
terests say that these programs
make the Government too powerful
and cause the people to lose their
freedom. That isn't so. Programs
like these make the people more
Observation-Disclosures of the
Government and independent of big