Evening star., 1949-09-05
Text of Truman Speech at Allegheny Fair
BY the Assoeioisd Press

by the Assoeioisd Press
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 5.-The
teri of President Trunaan's ad-
dress at the Allegheny County
Free Fair today tolloDs::
I am very happy to be here to.
day at the Allegheny County Free
Fair.
I notice that this Is called "ths
worlds largest county fair" havs
attended county fairs for sixty
years, and I'm glad to be a gues'
at the biggest one of all.
am particularly impressed by
this fair, because it is both q
farm show and an industrial ex.
position. Farmers and industrial
workers together are showing theil
best products here today.
FARMERS and industrial workers
agriculture and industry-ought te
show their products together. Fol
these two groups depend on each
other. Together, they are respon-
sible for the tremendous production
Of this country's economic system
No program for the prosperity Of
the country can ignore the inter.
ests Of either group.
In recent years, some people have
been telling farmers, out of one cor.
ner of their mouths. that the labor
unions are bad for the farmers
Out OF the other corner of theil
mouths, these same people have
been telling industrial workers thai
programs to benefit farmers are
bad for labor. If you ever meet
anybody like that, you can be sure
he is not interested in the welfare
of either the farmer or the in
dustrial worker. Those who are try
ing to set these two great groups
against each other have axes OF
their own to grind.
Cites Progress in Past Year.
About this time last year, the
country was engaged in great po-
litical campaign. I covered a good
deal OF the United States in the
course of that campaign, and J
put the plain facts, as saw them
before the people. I also offered q
program to meet the needs of all
groups in this country for growth
and prosperity. The votes of the
people showed that they wanted
that kind of program. They were
not misled by the newspapers and
magazines and experts who tried
to convince them they did not want
that kind of program.
The people knew what they
wanted.
Their votes showed that the
farmers and the workers stand TO-
gether in demanding a Government
that works for the benefit of all
our citizens.
It is now almost q year since
that campaign, and I think 1t is
time to take stock of the situa-
ton and see what progress we
have made in carrying out the pro-
gram the people voted for.
am happy to be able to re-
port to you that we have made
progress and we are continuing te
make progress.
As a result Of last falls election
we have a new Congress in Wash
ington. And this new 81st Congress
has an entirely different approach
TO the needs and desires of the peo-
pie from that Of the 80th Congress.
Gains Made in Congress.
The 80th Congress was a threat>to
almost every bit of the forward
looking legislation passed during re-
cent years. For example, 1t repealed
the Wagner Labor Relations Act
and replaced it with the unfair and
restrictive Taft-Hartley Law. It tool
social security benefits from hun.
dreds of thousands Of people. II
weakened our farm programs. 1t at.
tackled our national policy for max.
tng the benefits of electric power
available to the public instead o1
the privileged few.
If the 80th Congress had not been
repudiated, this tearing down pro-
cess would have gone on and on
But now the new 81st Congress has
reversed this backward trend.
The 81st Congress has put a stop
to the piecemeal destruction of the
hard-won projections and benefits
that the people have built for them
selves. It has done more than that
It has moved forward.
Some people are trying to make
you believe that the 81st Congress
has been a do-nothing Congress
That is simply not true. The fact is
the 81st Congress has already passed
many important measures for the
good Of the people-and it will pass
many more progressive laws.
The 81st Congress has taken wise
and important steps in foreign pol
icy by extending the European Re-
covery Program and ratifying the
North Atlantic treaty. 1t has enact
ed a far-reaching housing program
that will benefit millions of our citi-
sens. It has extended rent control.
It has taken action to make low-coSt
electricity available to more of our
people. It has strengthened the soil
conservation and reclamation pro-
grams. This Congress has restored
the Governments power to acquire
grain storage facilities necessary to
carry out the farm-price support
program. This Congress has ap-
proved an international wheat agree
ment which will give our farmers a
fair share of the world wheat market
at fair prices. This Congress has
strengthened and improved our Or
ganization for national defense.
Other Action Expected.
This is real progress. And this
session is not yet over. Other i'm
portant measures, such as those
raising the minimum wage and ex-
tending the Reciprocal Trade Agree
ments Act, are well on their way to
dnal passage.
The 81st Congress has taken these
actions over the fierce opposition Of
selfish interests. The organized con.
spdracy of the selfish interests ha.
gone right on working against ths
common good, In spite of the cleo.
ton returns.
One of the things that the spe-