Evening star., 1949-10-30

Nourse Position Feared
Slated for Fair Dealer
Writer Sees Need for Real Economist
on Economic Advisory Council
By Frank Kent
If the President appoints an OUTSTANDING
man in the field of economics to I'LL the
vacancy caused by the resignation Of Edwin
G. Nourse. chairman Of the Economic Ad-
visory Council, the ardent young liberals
| both of journalism and politics will be very
disappointed. These liberals worked long
and diligently to get DR.. Nourse out and feel
that If he now should be succeeded by .
man holding the same old-fashioned view
that debts and deficit are as undesirable for
a nation as they are for an individual. they
will have lost great battle for God and
| country. Their ideal, Of course. is Leon
| Keyserling who, with his colleague, John
| Clark, has consistently run contrary to the
| Nourse economic theories and philosophy
but had more influence with the President
possibly because they are more in tune
with his left-wing, three -thumbed program.
The Messrs. Keyserling and Clark have
no standing among economists generally
comparable to that Of DR.. Nourse, but they
far overshadow the doctor as crusaders for.
and promoters of, the modern thought"
which is completely unappalled by the size
of debts or the depths Of deficits. If. as con-
fidently predicted by the aforementioned
journalistic and political liberals" the
President either makes Mr.. Keyserling chair
man Of the council or nominates man In
sympathy with the Keyserling advanced
views, his economic advisers would then be
100 per cent modern" and in the whole ad.
ministration there would not be single man
to sound a warning or to raise his voice
against unrestricted Federal spending and
the welfare state" That is the goal, and
unless Mr.. Truman lets the whole group
down it will be achieved.
X Il
One supporting columnist asserts ut 10
incredible that the President will replace
Dr. Nourse with another man 50 completely
out of step with Fair Deal "social-political
thinking" Incidentally, if Mr.. Keyserling
does not want the impression conveyed that
such columnists, themselves attuned with
him on "social-political thinking" do not
get their inspiration and information from
him, he ought to urge them to be q little
less open and oily in their phraseology. Ono
reason Mr.. Truman may have trouble in
meeting the wishes Of this group is that 1t
is anything but easy to find q really sound
and recognized economist who does that kind
Of "social-political thinking" Most econo-
mists of standing in their profession think
along the Nourse lines Mostly the Fair
Deal economists are of the jobholder type
with a slight political flavor to their
economics.
However, the President may disregard
considerations of competency and quality In
this appointment just as he did in his two
recent selections for the Federal Power and
Federal Trade Commissions. The appoint
ment of ex-senator Mon Wallgren to the
first and ex-senator James Mead to the
second, were outstanding examples Of q pat
ronage policy that elevates politics and per.
sonal friendship above fitness and character.
Pals Of the President, it would be difficult to
md two more complete mediocrities on the
upper levels In public life. So far as they think
economically at all, 1t is quite certain that
their "social-political thinking will be along
Fair Deal' lines-not that this would imply
any deep-seated conviction on their part,
but merely that 1t would be difficult to con-
| ceive either Of them holding contrary views
on any public issue to those cherished by
Mr.. Truman or any other White House
Democrat to whom they owed their appoint
ment '-.' '+E's e- '--@ De-.
It is, Of course. entirely natural for Mr..
Truman to want men on these boards who
are In accord with his own "social-political
thinking" and for his program So long a.
they are decent and competent, no one has
. right to criticize him for manning his
administration with men Of his own party
and way Of thought. It would be absurd for
him not to do so. However. this does not
seem to apply to the Economic Advisory
Council. That board was created In order
that the President should have advice on
economic affairs from the best available
economic brains In the country.
II 1t Is to get this 1t would seem necessary
to have as members Of the council non.
political and non-partisan men whose views
would be based on facts, not theories. To
limit membership on this board to those
economists who think only on Fair Deal"
lines would seem to nullify the whole idea Of
disinterested and worth while advice. It would
seem to make the board merely a political
adjunct to the administration. Certainly. 4
board Of that character could be Of no real
use to President who valued advice. Even
at the risk Of causing pain to those liberal"
forecasters who think it incredible Mr.. Tru.
man should replace DR.. Nourse with O man
not wholly in tune with Fair Deal social
political thinking" it would appear both in
his own interests and that of the country.
not to make that q qualification. Perhaps
he will see this. There is always hope,
tain calls and being obliged to repeat all 3,
Of her principal solos," Payne Clark, a. !