Evening star., 1949-09-17
The Political Mill
Scare Word 'Stutism' Puts
Democrats on Defensive
Dulles Due to Dramatize New Issue
in New York Senatorial Campaign
By Gould Lincoln


"Statism," just word and called by Pres
ident Truman scare word" is putting the
Democrats on the defensive. 1t had its effect
in the recent Pennsylvania 26th district
election won by the Republicans. 1t is 60
ing into the New York senatorial campaign,
where Senator John Foster Dulles, Republic
can. is opposing former Governor Herbert
Lehman, Democrat And it gives promise OF
being as effective in the 1850 congressional
elections as was had enough" in the 1915
elections. '"'h
Whether statism means anything to Pres
ident Truman or not, it means lot to
many other persons. It doesn't mean the
same thing to them all-except that they
don't like it. The very fact that it means
different things to different groups makes
it all the more difficult to combat.
Statism means plenty to the man and
woman who are paying high taxes-big and
httle-and 1t doesn't mean anything good.
1t means plenty, too, to the man and woman
who see Federal Government expenditures
running the country into the red by billions
OF dollars, and an administration which in
Slsts upon adding to these expenditures in
stead of cutting them. 1t means quite a
lot to the man and woman who dislike the
administrators socialized medicine plan.
Means More to Farmer.
1t means even more to the farmer who
still wants some say about how he is to run
his farm. and sell his produce, and to the
laborer who believes he has a right to work
where he desires and to bargain with his
employer, and doesn't want the Government
to dictate those issues 1t means much, too,
to the man and woman who believe the
Federal Government should not take over
control of education in this country-and
dictate that.
"Statism" is Short mean sounding word.
It's meaning to the man in the street is
something entirely alien to America and
what the United States stands for. 1t is
already being used effectively by the Re-
publicans Mr.. Lehman, running as the
Democratic senatorial candidate in New
York. is attempting to combat it by labelling
President Truman's program program OF
progress'-but that doesn't take the edge
of Senator Dulles cry of "statism." which
he stressed when he announced he would
gladly accept a Republican nomination.
Whatever the dictionaries have said in the
past about statism-and they have differed
about the meaning Of the word-the use
Of statism in the present and next years
campaign will leave no doubt as to what
it means in the minds of most people-no
matter whether they are anti or pro-statism
former Secretary Of State and Associate
Justice Of the Supreme Court, distin-
dent Truman and the late President Frank
lin D. Roosevelt. was the first to raise the
issue Of "statism" against the Truman pro-
gram. Speaking at Washington and Lee
University last June, Mr.. Byrnes said:
1--WE are going down the road to statism-
where we will wind up no one can tell. But
if some Of the programs seriously proposed
should be adopted. there is danger that the
individual, whether farmer, worker, manu-.
facturer, lawyer or doctor, will soon become
an economic slave pulling an oar in the galley
of the state"
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower president Of
Columbia University, recently used the word
statism when he warned that the best path
for the United States Is in the middle road.
between the unfettered power of concen-
trated wealth on the one flank and the un-
bridled power of statism or partisan interests
m the other" No one had the slightest doubt
that either M. Pyrnes or Gen. Eisenhower.
in their use of "statisn" was referring to
the Truman program. And other speakers
have made or attemuted to make "statism"
synonymous with 'the welfare state" and
the Truman "fair DEAL" It's likely to stick
Republican National Chairman Guy George
Gabrielson has taken official notice Of stat
ism" as both issue and slogan. He put out
a statement declaring the Republican Party
fortunate in having Senator Dulles as its
candidate in New York and saying that the
party welcomed the "statism" issue which
Senator Dulles had raised.
"He has dramatized an issue which may
well be paramount (trend to statism) in the
congressional campaign Of 1850. as well as
in this years suecial election in New York."
said Mr. Gabrielson.