Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-01-14
The Fight Is On


in themselves great corporate enterprises
- greeted President Truman's message to
the S1st Congress is certainly reminiscent
of the Roosevelt Era. Not since the days
of the New Deal have we seen such fury,
such unbridled abuse leveled at the oc-
cupant of the White House.
Right here in our own community the
Times calls the message "dIscouraging'
and alarming" while the Blade sees
danger in the "vast scope" of the Presi-
dental program The MY Herald Tribune
labels it "rag-bag," while the August NY.
Times finds fault with only those sections
of the program which calls for the repeal
of the Infamous Taft-Hartley Act and con-
tinued support of farm prices. The senile
Chicago Tribune calls it 'ruiniOus," $50
ciaIistic" and "puerile," while the Boston
Herald pegs the President as an "Alice in
Wonderland"
Papers like the Chicago Sun-Times,
which called the message "a charter for
American economic democracy" are about
as rare as the prOverbial white elephant.
The Economic ROyalists, speaking
through their controlled press, vent their
fury against President Truman because
he dared to submit to Congress a legisla-
tive program aimed at the welfare of the
common people of our community. The
President asked for the repeal of the Taft
Hartley Act, because that Act unfairly
discriminates" against the workers of this
country; because that Act "abridges the
rights" of the workers and hampers our
system of free collective bargaining"
These Economic Royalists hate the
President because he dared to ask that
Congress continue the farm-price pro-
gram; because he asked for civil rights,
broadening of social security, raising of
the minimum hourly rate TO rs cents per
hour, a low cost housing program calling
for 100000 units during the next seven
years, new programs of rural electrified
tion and the development of flood control
projects, for a system of prepaid medical
insurance and for substantial aid to our
school system from the federal govern
ment.
One might say, how can any self re-
specting, decent American be against such
a program? How can publishers and
their editorial satraps-pOntificate against
such program? How can they oppose the
very things which our people so desper-
ately need? Don't they know that we need
new homes for our people? Must veterans
and non-veterans, too continue to
live in abOminable shacks in this great
land of ours? Must our farmers live once
again in fear of another great depression?
Don't they know that vast masses of our
people are desperately in need of medical
care that they cannot afford? And must
we point to the limitlesS benefits that such
great identification programs as the pro-
posed Missouri Valley Authority, the
Columbia River Project and the st.
Lawrence Seaway project would bring to
our country and our people?
No, il is unfair to say that they don't
know. They do. But they have no faith in
our country. They have no faith in our
people. They only have faith in their
abysmal hunger for ever greater profits
These Economic Royaists are fearful that
the development of such broad programs
might necessitate the re-enactment by
Congress of the excess profits tax that
they were able TO kill through the SOth
Congress.
In reality, the Presidents program is
good, as far as ii went. But il didn't 90
far enough. First of all the Taft t-Hartley
Act should be repealed outright and its
place taken by the old Wagner Act. The
Norris LaGuardia Anti Injunction Act
should be respected, thus guaranteeing.
workers the right TO strike. The right to
strike is guaranteed by our Constitution.
IL should not be abridged by court iniunc-
tons granted to anti-union employers or
their associations.
Nor should the income tax laws be
permitted to stand in their present form.
The National CI0 has proposed that a
family of four be tax-exempt up to $4,000.
surely, with todays prices that is not too
much to ask. Instead of taxing the low
income groups, let Congress tax the corpo-
rations. They can afford it. Last wear
corporate profits after taxes, ran to the
astronomical figure of over $40, 900 mil
ion. Compare that figure with the fabu-
Gus 1929 when corporations netted a
mere $4,000 million.
The President was absolutely right
when he declared:
I'VE stand at the opening of an era