Evening star., 1949-02-21
Used 10 Confuse Issue
In Taft-HartIey Debate
Pepper Urged to Apologize
To Witness at Hearing
For Personal Remark
By David La,crencs

President Roosevelt, whose Glib
eralism." to be sure, cannot be
questioned, once said in a public
address that when an opponent in
debate resorted to "name-calling"
it was pretty good sign that he
had run out of good arguments.
When Ira Mosher, former head
OF the National Association of
Manufacturers. was testifying be-
fore a Senate committee last
week, Senator Pepper. Democrat.
of Florida, launched into TRADE
against manufacturers and said,
in effect, their sons were slackers.
He declared:
1T was the workers sons who
died on the battlefields while the
sons of manufacturers stayed
home and got rich"
Mr.. Mosher then remarked that
he had lost three members Of his
family. Reporters later learned
from his friends that three neph-
ews were killed. Two sons were
In action and one was shot down
from a plane and was missing in
the Philippines for a long while
and if anybody thinks that kind
OF anxiety is not almost as bad as
q complete loss he Is very much
mistaken.
Smear Technique Used.
But the big question is what has
all this to do with amendments to
or. repeal Of, the Taft-Hartley
Act? The answer is that the
smear 'em" technique quite often
is used to confuse the issue. 1t is
reasoned that a personal attack
on the witness will discredit him
and his testimony. This form of
controversy is as old as the Roman
Empire and the phrase lad homi-
nem"-an attack on the man in
stead of his ideas-has been used
for centuries.
In America it is the favorite
technique of certain leaders of the
labor-union press. Anyone who
disagrees with the labor union
viewpoint is likely to be charged
with lack of integrity or with
being the tool of employer inter-
ests. This is not to say that there
are protagonists on the employer
side who fail to use the lad hoini-
mem" style of attack. There are
plenty of instances in which abuse
Is hesped by both sices in much
the same way.
So far as the general public is
concerned, it may be doubted
whether personal attacks get any
where Some politicians use it
and make headlines but it may be
doubted also whether, even when
they win. their success can be at
tributed to the use of such tactics.
Pepper Good Debater. /
Senator Pepper is good de-
batter and a likable person. One
may not agree with his arguments
but y he iS easily the most agile
spokesman of the labor union side
in the Senate. The Congressional
Record is full of his keen on
slaughts against the viewpoint of
Senator Taft in the last few years.
But one will look in vain for any
thing that the Ohio Senator ever
said in any debate which can be
construed AS even bordering on
the personal. ' "
Since Senator Pepper Indoubt-
edly was probably trying to make
a point not directed to Mr.. Mo-
sher personally. it is regrettable
that he did not Immediately apol-
ogize to the witness. 1t Is not too
late now for the Florida Senator
to write letter removing the un-
fortunate implication in his re-
marks in connection with Mr.. Mo-
shers testimony Such an act
would help immensely to raise the
stature of Senator PEPPER and to
encourage q higher level of de-
bate in the committee rooms.
tReproduetion RIGHTS Reserved